> The biggest lesson I take is that "social networks" are not about protocols but about how we use the existing infrastructure.

It's also not about scale and breadth. Focused social networks around niches can be a breath of fresh air compared to the social behemoths. I joined a couple of more targeted social networks recently and it seems like there's a far more positive community when people have a shared interest. Fable[1] has a social network for reading and that has a generally positive and cosy vibe. Bryan Johnson's Don't Die[2] app is focused on health and longevity and it has a supportive atmosphere. You'd think that something like Reddit with its many niche subreddits would be able to replicate this. But it seems like Reddit has its own tone that permeates everywhere.

It seems like social networks that stay small and focused can maintain a fun and productive environment that degrades over time in larger networks.

[1] https://fable.co/

[2] https://dontdieapp.com/

> with blogs and email, we already had a decentralized social network

I’ve been using this social network lately. As someone whose inbox is mainly a dumping ground for receipts and confirmation emails, it feels kind of transgressive to write to and receive emails from a human being.

I have a blog and I thought about adding a comment section for substantive discussion. But that’s way more complexity, and lowers the bar for useless comments. Instead, I let other platforms handle it. And if people want to email me directly, they can and have.

This idea is fascinatingly similar to Dokieli[1], an obscure and barely adopted social frontend previously for ActivityPub protocol, and now for Solid[2]. It's pretty much the same, sans Email: you browse the Web, and if you want interact with some site, you launch Dokieli interface to comment, share, make annotations etc.

[1] https://dokie.li [2] https://solidproject.org/

Just bring back bulletin boards with mods

> with blogs and email, we already had a decentralized social network

Yes, coupled with a good WebFeeds solution and we are practically there !

Been saying this for years. The www is already a social network.

OK, I love that. I'm going to try it out right now.

"SmolNet, or Smallnet, is a movement focused on small-scale internet networking that promotes low-resource servers and user communities, serving as a counter to the centralized and bloated nature of the World Wide Web. It includes alternative protocols like Gemini and Gopher, emphasizing simplicity and community engagement."