The fediverse is small, and thats both a blessing and a curse - one of its several blessings is that in a smaller space we all individually have a bigger impact on what the culture of this space is like.

On this comm (and on lemmy broadly) there’s a lot of discussion about how to grow the fediverse, what to improve, but an easy thing you can do for the fediverse is right in front of us-

  • Be kind

  • Ask people what they think, and why

  • Approach folks you disagree with with curiosity rather than hostility (EDIT: no, this is not specifically referring to Nazis. I get it, they’re the first thing that comes to mind. I’m not telling you to approve of Nazis I’m just saying be kind to your fellow lemmites)

  • Engage sincerely

  • Ask yourself if there’s something nice you can say

  • Make this small space worth being in

A platform lives or dies by what’s available on said platform and often we have this conversation in the context of “content” or posts - and we may never have as much content as reddit does. But content and posts aren’t the only thing this kind of platform offers- it also offers people. It offers community, and human interaction.

Culture and community is lemmy and the fediverse’s biggest differentiator, and we all have a role to play in shaping the culture of this space.

The biggest thing you can do to help the fediverse is make it a place worth being.

  • nickwitha_k (he/him)@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    591·
    3 days ago

    I disagree with your premise.

    It should be “The best thing that you can do for humanity is to be kind”.

    Seriously. We’re living in a time when fascism is in an upswing and at least one religious leader has publicly called empathy a sin. Kindness and empathy are rebellious acts.

  • Sibshops@lemm.eeEnglish
    6·
    2 days ago

    I honestly feel like I can do better in this area. Thanks for the post. Gives me something to think about.

  • Alborlin@lemmy.worldEnglish
    153·
    3 days ago

    Okay I agree, so let’s start from Linux related any post, tell them if somebody asks a problem don’t tell them just install mint , or how one is crazy because they are facing the problems in Linux or if you are not using Linux what idiot are you. I stopped participating because

    1. Linux dude bros are just idiots troubling me
    2. I can’t find content which is though not niche is just is plain not news or Linux
    3. It’s very confusing to use fedverse as I don’t know of i can go all subs via my boost app or do i need something else , if so where to access them.

    So let’s make it ACCESSIBLE, NON DERAGORTY FOR ANON LINUX USERS ALSO

  • Alaknár@lemm.eeEnglish
    32·
    3 days ago

    I’ll add: “be supportive and helpful if you can, and just shut up if you can’t”.

    Fediverse is sometimes suffering from the same kind of people that Linux has - “oh you have a problem? Well, here’s the GitHub repo and a project Wiki, figure it out”.

  • theblips@lemm.eeEnglish
    4·
    2 days ago

    We also need people sharing their niche interests and creating discussion… Reddit thrives on these small communities that only find an accessible entrypoint on their platform.

  • Resol van Lemmy@lemmy.worldEnglish
    5·
    2 days ago

    I have mysteriously vanished for like 2 or so months now (which is a good thing, please take breaks from the internet every once in a while), I don’t really remember NOT being kind here.

    And this post reminds me of why Lemmy is a good place to begin with.

  • Cris@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
    1573·
    4 days ago

    Here are some more specific examples to think about!

    • Compliment people’s art and ask about their process

    • Teach people about something you’re knowledgeable on

    • Give constructive criticism on peoples projects when it’s welcome

    • Thank people for posting things you’re glad you got to see, tell them you enjoyed it

    • Tell people you’re glad they’re here

    • Tell people you hope they have a good day

    Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts :) if you have thoughts of your own, I’d love to hear them!

    • Rhaedas@fedia.io
      472·
      4 days ago

      On constructive criticism - definitely rule one is make sure that it’s invited first, but second, the best way to “sweeten” a critique and make it more appealing is to put it between compliments. Don’t have a bare remark about the problems or suggestions, tell them what you like first, then how they might change things, and then close with something else positive or simply thanking them for sharing it. Even if someone says they want to hear what people think, it’s normal to be defensive, so help lower that reaction first, and then leave them feeling appreciated even though you pointed out issues you saw.

        • Rhaedas@fedia.io
          16·
          4 days ago

          I agree it can be used fallaciously, often found in the business world. My point was to include both good and bad honestly and not hide it, and people won’t shut down if they get the good first. It also depends on the subject - if they’re on the right track and your suggestion leads to better results, that’s not as negative as telling someone they’re doing something incorrectly and offering a different way.

          In the end, how you say things is just as important as what is said.

      • Cris@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
        4·
        4 days ago

        Absolutely agree, some folks just wanna share, some folks wanna get constructive crit to try and technically improve! Its important to be respectful of what kind of interaction folks are looking for :)

        And absolutely, talking about both good and bad doesn’t just make it less unpleasant or more enjoyable to get feedback, it also makes better, more helpful feedback! (Assuming that’s a thing they’re looking for)

    • Lemmchen@feddit.orgEnglish
      71·
      4 days ago

      I’m not one for religion, but I for one would like to join the Church of Cris.

    • pirat@lemmy.studioEnglish
      2·
      3 days ago

      Are you open to some additional thoughts / feedback on feedback / constructive criticism?

      • Cris@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
        2·
        3 days ago

        I am! Thank you for asking :)

        Ive gotten a lot of assumptions about what I meant and that’s a bit frustrating but I really value honest sincere dialogue, if you have thoughts you think would be worth sharing I’d love to hear them my friend!

        • pirat@lemmy.studioEnglish
          2·
          3 days ago

          I thought I had hit reply on your other comment going into more detail (whoops!).

          Like I did in this example, ask if people are open to feedback (if you’re the one giving it).

          Often when I am training groups on how to work together, I always try and frame feedback as a gift.

          If someone is giving you feedback, they are genuinely trying to help you grow - and that’s a gift. The issue here though, is not everyone is a good gift giver - and we can’t control that.

          What we do have control over is how we recieve gifts - often all you need to do is say thank you. Don’t explain why you’re not going to use this feedback (if you plan not to incorporate it). Other than clarifying the feedback to better understand how to incorporate it, saying thank you is the best way to go about it.

          As far as delivering feedback I always say “if you can choose to be anything in this world why choose anything other than kind.”

          It is important to state that “being kind” doesn’t mean not having the difficult conversations or delivering difficult feedback - you can still do that without being cruel. Being assertive isn’t being aggressive.

          A bit rambly but if you’re ever working with folx on delivering feedback, I’ve found that presenting these frameworks with it ste super helpful

  • Steven McTowelie@lemm.eeEnglish
    22·
    3 days ago

    The thing that I appreciated most about Lemmy and my transition from Reddit is how cordial everyone has been. Even if a comment is taken out of context, people tend not to jump down each others throat and assume the worst, or make bad faith arguments full of fallacies. I’ve had legitimate back and forths with people, something that basically never happens on Reddit.

  • Angry_Autist (he/him)@lemmy.worldEnglish
    36·
    4 days ago

    I disagree, yes being kind is very important but even more important is people engaging and upvoting comments.

    Reddit was great because of what happened in the comment section, not the headliners, and I see very little voting engagement even in active posts.

    Remember, it’s free to do and it encourages others to engage as well. But yea be kind too