Very confused re business eligabilty

Support
1

Hello, right now I do not belong to a pod - or the the Fediverse.
I joined here because I can’t find anyway to find more detail about the various pods.

In particular, we are a small business, hoping to revive our now long dead G+ account. A few on line articles suggested Pluspora as a good alternative, but I can’t find any login - or any real detailed info.

Sorry if I am asking rather stupid questions, but it does seem, to an outsider, this is very much a “closed shop.”
However, I am a quick learner - if I can find data.
So can some kind soul point me in the right direction please?

Cheers
The Bic

P/s - if someone can tell me how to shut down the robot that keeps chatting with me please, that would be great. I think she is expecting me to talk with her, but this is a stripped down ZORIN machine, no sound, no mic.

2

Hello, and thanks for you interest about diaspora*.

First of all, businesses are welcome on diaspora*, so you can definitely create an account.

The question is “Where”. diaspora* is a network, which means many installations of it are available, and they are all linked to each others. Think about it like e-mails: you can have an email account at work and another at your university and both are able to talk together.

Read more about diaspora* on the official website and especially the tutorials.
You can find a list of diaspora* servers here.

P/s - if someone can tell me how to shut down the robot that keeps chatting with me please, that would be great. I think she is expecting me to talk with her, but this is a stripped down ZORIN machine, no sound, no mic.

I have no idea what you are talking about. Is this on this page?

3

Hello Flaburgan, thanks for your timely reply.
Yep you are right re “the official website” link - I just have one wee problem with that:

Screenshot from 2021-09-23 15-47-47
Screenshot from 2021-09-23 15-47-471366×768 239 KB

OK, yes, I can and did translate it, but it still leaves a strange after taste. Clearly I am not Chinese and living here does not make me so.
Frankly, I HATE websites that track me that way. It is insulting.

The detailed info under #1/ Chose a pod would, I suspect have most curious potential users running for the hills. For a first step, it is too much to take on board. Just my initial feeling.

But yes the question truly is WHERE?
And that for me is the hard part.
I understand the concept of Diaspora and the Federation but being honest, from a lay perspective, that SERVER link did not help me much.

I have also read the tuts - which again was served to me in Chinese - but there are still too many questions unanswered, namely, as you said WHERE?

I mean, if I want to find a pod, using the sever list shows me all available options, but even if I visit their webpage there is no real info about them.

Other than signing up and then looking around only to later close the account, is there another way please? I joined Vivi (??) found they had a rule re no commercial content or similar so closed it.

So, is there somewhere a directory of various pods and their focus / interest that I can visit please? Obviously those that are welcoming to businesses is a good start!

Thanks again for you reply.

Re the robot- it is part of the WELCOME message which leads to a learning tutorial on how to use this system. Seems it has gone quiet now so maybe the problem doesn’t exist any more!

4

You can select the language of the website in the footer.

We don’t have anything more to help you pick your pod, sorry. That can certainly be improved yeah. You’re welcome on mine if you want to: https://diaspora-fr.org

5

En. apologies, I should have detailed that is what I did. But it still irks me when brands etc assume because I am located in China I must be Chinese. Makes me uncomfortable as to what else they are tracking and noting. One of the reasons we do not use FB is privacy and tracking.

Thank yup very much- really appreciate the offer.
I have already checked that along with .eu and .de? but as your intro est ecrit en Francais and mon Francai est tres horrible - perhaps I might struggle too much there. But again, it was a grand thought mon amie!

But again, there is no real description of your aims, ideals etc nor samples of what others are sharing. Obviously I would prefer not to be in the same world as anti Chinese, anti vax or racist supporters.

You probably know about this, but maybe it is a good starting point for Diaspora - just to help make it a little more “User friendly” for non techie nerds like me~ It at least puts me in the paddock.

To be frank, Diaspora comes across as a closed shop or playground for techs and devs. Hoipolloi grudgingly welcome but don’t expect us to make it easy if you can’t speak geek!

Very like I will chose the big dead Elephant, Mastur whatever, at least I can get a snap shot of my neighbours there.

Nice talking with you @flaburgan - almost my sleep time.
Wishing you a great day and weekend. :sunny:
Bic

6

There is no tracking involved in this and the language has nothing to do with your location. Your browser asks for a language, and the website just uses that language by default (when you visit the first time and the language your browser asked for is available). If you don’t want websites to default to Chinese you should probably change that to a language you understand in your browser settings. The browser probably defaulted to Chinese because you installed it on a Chinese PC or downloaded it with the Chinese language (sometimes there are different installers for different languages/regions).

7

Thanks for your reply but you are making many assumptions or using too many maybe’s. And that is dangerous.

My browser and O/S settings are all Englishb - my rig is not a Chinese PC. I run Linux which was originally installed outside the PRC and updates via Main server. 99% of sites I visit serve me content in English - UK as that is what I am set for - if the original content is English.

That also includes the Diaspora Wiki - it cometh in English. the main site does not. Mastu whatever, and every other instance I have checked also comes in English. Diaspora is the only site that is served in Chinese.

As I am certain you know, websites can be set to sniff a users locale as well as carry a script to do the same job. This results in the content being served in the locale language NOT the users or browser language.

If a site uses browser settings, then I will receive English content.
Perhaps you have had a long hard day and are feeling a little sensitive but your style and attitude is a little aggressive and heavy.

Either way, the language issue is no longer a concern, as I said, I am considering using another installation or flavour.
Cheers
Bic

8

The Locales your browser asks for is different from the language your OS and/or Browser UI is set to. So even if the Browser UI is in English, it still can ask for websites to be in a different Language.

The wiki is only in English, it isn’t translated, so it can only show you texts in english.

Assuming you mean “sniff a users location”, yes, I know. But I also know the project website doesn’t track the location of a user. But it uses the locale the browser asks for, which again, can be different then the language used in the UI of the browser.

If you don’t trust me, you can check yourself, the sourcecode of the website is here: GitHub - diaspora/diaspora-project-site: Code for the Diaspora project site.
And the website uses this library to detect the language: GitHub - mateomurphy/rails_locale_detection: Locale setting for rails projects
And the only thing that uses is the Accept-Language: header from your browser which can be configured in your settings and has nothing to do with your location.

My day just started … but I’m sensitive when people claim that there is tracking when there isn’t … there are website which use location tracking, but the project website isn’t one of them, it just uses the languages the users configured in their settings, and for most users that works pretty well.

2 Likes
9

There is only one diaspora* world, if that content is posted on diaspora*, it will be accessible to you, being posted by someone on your pod or someone in another pod. This is why your pod choice doesn’t matter that much as long as the Terms of Use are okay and the podmin is keeping it up-to-date…

That being said, I agree we can improve the way we are welcoming new people. Hm, so many topics to work on…

10

Hello again, and thank you.
I appreciate your time, like mine is precious, so I shall try to make this brief, but never-the-less, polite.

First, please reread the segment you quoted again, carefully and then in context with the original. I did not state the project was tracking me perse, just my aversion to sites generally that use a form of locale ID to set content language. Which is what is happening. I then check to see what else they have loaded into my system - other than a cookie.
Your response reminds me of Shakespeare: “Me thinks the lady doth protest too much.”

Like you, I spend hours a day on line, data and tracking is my business, visiting hundreds of sites. Yet I can probably count on one hand the number of times a year I am not served English content.

I believe you when you say there is no tracking, but there a is a large group who argue cookies are also a tracking device.

I am sorry if I pushed a touchy button, it was not my intention. But being frank, if Diaspora wants to become more popular with the masses - a common thread in many of the posts I have read - then you are going to have to get used to non tech, non computer savvy, unintelligent idiots ( such as I) asking silly, illogical questions or making uninformed statements.

When I have a few more minutes, probably tonight, I will close this account and continue my search for a platform that suits me. Because clearly, just as all roads lead to Rome - all pods led here.
I wish you well.

P

11

Ahh, good point -touche my friend.
I knew that from my research, but overlooked it. I accept my logic was flawed in that statement. Good catch.

Ahh, again, good points, BUT how do we know this, esp TOU, until we sign up?

I was also thinking language would be a concern so had focused on English content.

If my understanding is correct though, unlike some of the “competition” to Diaspora, it is “Gated” - content can not be shared within the Fediverse, only Diaspora?

Am I correct?
Cheers
P

12

They are accessible on the /terms page, there is a link to in on the registration page.

If you’re talking about the language of the interface, it can easily be changed inside the software (even if, indeed, some pods which are primary targeting a specific audience like mine for french can have some untranslated page).
If you’re talking about the language of the posts, well, as said, the pod isn’t going to change that. Some work to have automatic translations exists however, you can test it at https://societas.online/ the pod of @tclaus

Yes, they now are two main protocols, “The Federation” is the protocol of diaspora*, also implemented by Friendica, Hubzilla and SocialHome. The newer ActivityPub protocol (which is more an envelop than a strictly defined protocol, but let’s not enter that debate here) is used by Mastodon and other projects.

1 Like
13

Thx again Flaburgan.
I was thinking, pity most of what you have said can not be typed up in a short paragraph and posted to the main website. I would have made my job easier and saved your time in having to explain it to me.

Anyway, for now I am leaving to do more research.
Learn about alternatives and what advantages each has over the other.
Might take me a while because, as I am sure you know, there are many, many others out there. Although I will cull anything developed or hosted in the US - which will save time.

Again many thanks for your patient, courteous help.
Oh, I made a quick visit to your personal page on the Frorg site.
Looks good - I liked it.
So don’t worry if your stats show CHINA - it was just me, you are not being hacked or invaded!
Cheers
P

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14

Hello, thanks.
I did a lot of research over the weekend.
Had intended to speak with you directly but:



> 收件人（fla@diaspora-fr.org）或其所在服务商拒绝接收来自您邮箱（aim2d.tech@qq.com）的邮件。

host mx1.ovh.net[188.165.47.122] said: 554 5.7.1 <aim2d.tech@qq.com>: Sender address rejected: Too much SPAM (in reply to RCPT TO command) |

  • |

    |

Which sort of makes it impossible for me to proceed with Diaspora.
Thanks for all your help and the invite anyway.
Cheers
P

------------------ Original ------------------

15

Sorry that the previous email-response arrived on Discourse with two days delay. It… it got stuck in the spam filter. :upside_down_face:

16

For the avoidance of doubt, this is not Diaspora. This is a separate forum in which to discuss issues concerning the Diaspora software and network. Getting a spam block from this Discourse forum doesn’t prevent you from signing up to a pod in the Diaspora network.

1 Like
17

Hi thanks for your and @ Dennis Schubert email.

Sorry, I think this is my mistake for trying to be brief .
English is not well suited to that.
Also, although I have not logged into the APP to reply, judging from my email screen, my post was edited and critical details were not shown? This may have impacted your degree of understanding?

The comment was actually NOT aimed at Discourse - I have no problems there.
I was trying to reach Flab - the owner of Diaspora Fr.org.

I had attempted to contact him via his handle in his Diaspora account and been met with the SPAM comment.
Basically I just wanted to confirm a few things with him about his platform before I went ahead and signed up.
However, that is a moot point now.

As it turns out I fell across a business / company account on Masturdon which surprised me as so many previous attempts to join that platform were rejected. So, while Diaspora is my primary choice, it seems I can use the other one. Sometimes one needs to compromise a bit in this world!

Again, sorry, I seem to be upsetting people - not my intention.
We were a few days away from China National Day holiday a week, and of course, everybody wants everything yesterday. My fault for rushing.

18

Hello @goob - now I am logged into the Discourse all and can see everything.
Just to clarify my last comment, yep, I understood I had posted in Discourse,and again, I have no reject or spam issue here.

My original email was sent to @flaburgan at his Diaspora account and it was from there the SPAM message originated.

I posted my comment to Discourse as I was hoping @flaburgan would see it and we could find a way forward.

Sadly it seemed end of causing more confusion.
Sorry about that.
Cheers
P

19

Hey, fla@diaspora-fr.org isn’t an e-mail address, it is a diaspora* id, you can’t send an e-mail to that address.

1 Like
20

Ahh, my friend!
That explains so much.
I thought at the time it was illogical ( to quote N Mr Spock) but…
Now so many things have fallen into place.

So, just to clarify my understanding, the “support” link offered in both Diaspora and Mast??? are NOT Email addresses?
One has to be a signed up member to utilise it?
If I were joined into fr.org that address would sent a PM to you?
Cheers
P