2017/refresh

IndieWeb.org Refresh was a session at IndieWeb Summit 2017.

Notes archived from: https://etherpad.indieweb.org/refresh
Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbP8SLqxOn8

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When: 2017-06-24 17:00

Participants

• Scott Jenson
• Marty McGuire
• Martijn van der Ven (remote)
• Aaron Parecki
• Michelle JL
• Josh Juran
• Chris Aldrich (remote)
• Tantek Çelik

Notes

Problem statement:

• Discuss the onboarding flow for Gen2 users.
• (and maybe pointers for Gen3)

generations

Gen2:

• someone who does not want to program, but not afraid of getting their hands dirty
• not yet sold on the value of indieweb
• not steeped in open source culture

Gen3:

• someone who wants to use email and goes to gmail/hotmail/ymail. sign up for a service
• higher demands for content and styling than people who just use social networks

key difference is Gen2 people are willing to do a bit of configuration work

goal: have a gen2 person show up and say "that was easy"

How do we describe the value?

How do we describe the work?

Companies who are starting to support Indieweb out of the box from a customer service perspective from Gen2+:

• Known (do we have a list of hosts that do one-click installs?) I think Reclaim does, but would have to check
• micro.blog
• DreamHost (starting to create one click WP installs with Indieweb baked in)

Current status of WP needs a lot of work to "keep the wheels on the car". Plugins and features need to be cleaned up and simplified.

When it works, that makes the documentation easier.

Chris Aldrich installed WP the other night (including GitHub plugins) without using FTP.

Steps for Gen WP (or Known) setup

1. Get a domain name (
   • Gandi.net has a good reputation for ease of use / customer service
   • Hover is typically great on customer service for this type of stuff
   • More ... link to a page with more options, and describes how a domain name registrar can get on this page
2. Pay for hosting
3. OK with using Cpanel (link to their docs)

4. One click install WordPress on CPanel

   which hosts? (must have a link to their docs for installing WP via CPanel)

   • DreamHost
   • Reclaim (doublecheck)
   • More... link to a page with more options, and describes how a hosting provider can get on this page
   • Some hosts hide the root files or make them hard to find and modify if necessary.
5. Install IndieWeb plugin

Separate DNS (Registrar) vs Webhost to be more portable.

Perhaps a list of pros/cons between Known/WordPress to compare a bit

• WP has more plugins and flexibility
• "Cowboy Coding" can be a problem, esp. with Plugin bloat
• Better customer support because of greater documentation and community
• (Could we find a host with a managed/ "locked-down" version similar to WP.com? (fewer issues)

Known has a variety of post types and integrates more quickly/easily with common social platforms

POSSE & backfeed are essential for Gen 2?

How hard is it to setup POSSE & backfeed with Known or WordPress? What do you have to install?

WordPress has more POSSE options some becoming more difficult with more flexibility

• JetPack may be the easiest for the 4-5 most common social sites
  • JetPack has also just discussed potentially supporting Syndication Links natively for backfeed
• SNAP may be the most difficult and is more likely to be Gen1 specific

Brid.gy set up: https://brid.gy/about#registration-api

• UI for setting up WordPress should be somewhat better differentiated between WP.org and WP.com versions

Simpler framing? Missed writing it when it was said initially:

• Own your own domain
• Put your content there first and syndicate it to where your communities are
• Backfeed the discussion from those communities to your site.

Benefits that (may) appeal to Gen2:

• "It's your content. Keep it."
• Searchability
• Conversation is consolidated back in one place vs. being disjointed over dozens of other places

• People don't need other tools for broadcasting their content to dozens of other sites where they need to participate

  all of their interactions can come to their site where they can reply directly

• Some of this post may speak to part of the problem: http://boffosocko.com/2017/04/11/a-new-way-to-know-and-master-your-social-media-flow/
• This may speak to Journalists and how they'd use it: http://boffosocko.com/2017/01/13/the-indieweb-and-journalism/
• ...

Demonstrate problem, show solution.

"We seem to be reframing the points on the home page with edgier versions"

• Feed edgier versions to a comic artist?
• Current home page points are too vague?

Action Items:

1. Check on with Ben on Twitter integration for WithKnown

   (Known also has Convoy (paid for hosted Known) to prevent the Github download issues and connex to Twitter, FB, G+, etc.)

   What is the solution for self-hosting Known for POSSE? (e.g. to Twitter)

   What is the solution for self-hosting Known for backfeed (built in by default via Bridgy?)

2. WP Bridgy signup in plugin

3. Need to describe what the IW solution looks like (post once and push everywhere (basically explain POSSE)

   (Some of the post here: User:Boffosocko.com/sandbox could be useful for language for Gen2+)

It's your content, keep it. You're creating content in a place you don't own.

Mockups

https://www.figma.com/file/YC6hYdEajq8wKVS3UjEIEcmi/IndieWeb.org-Intro This is just start, feel free to leave comments. I'll keep tweaking it

See Also

• 2017/site-refresh