Loomio
Wed 22 Jan 2025 3:00PM

Seeking a spokesperson/representative to interview on behalf of Social.Coop

PJR Paul J Robinson Public Seen by 195

Hey all. Apologies if this would have been more appropriate as a mastodon toot, but I wasn't sure how to reach the organisers of the instance. I'd really like to interview someone for a podcast about how the instance is innovating a new type of democratically-run social media network, and what it might mean for the legacy social networks. Is there anyone here willing or authorised to speak on behalf of the instance? Who should I be reaching out to? Ideally (if there are a selection of people available) I'd like someone from a marginalised or under-represented background as I think podcasting can be way too cis-het-male heavy. Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions! (and of course I'll delete the thread if this was the wrong place to ask this question - I'm very new to the instance so I'm learning lots about how it operates)

PJR

Paul J Robinson Wed 22 Jan 2025 4:40PM

If it helps - here is a trailer. I'd really like the first episode to highlight the pioneering work that social.coop is doing within the co-operative movement.

KT

Kathe TB Wed 22 Jan 2025 5:53PM

@Flancian might be a good person to talk with from a technical standpoint and @Matt Noyes could be good to speak to community moderation. Both have been in social.coop for a while and have a lot of institutional knowledge!

MN

Matt Noyes Wed 22 Jan 2025 6:16PM

It depends on what you want to know/highlight. We have four operations groups: the Community Working Group Ops Team (moderation and community-building), the Tech working group, the Finance working group, and the Organizing Circle (coordinates among the other groups and thinks about how to support the co-op as a whole). There are founding members who could bring that perspective, newer members who have gotten involved and can talk about what it means to them. We also have a number of members who have published work about cooperative organization, governance, moderation, federation, open source, etc.

EM

Eduardo Mercovich Wed 22 Jan 2025 6:43PM

I'd say that there is not one single person to talk to (although matt and flan are great candidates). I doubt that any voice alone can represents all of use. That is part of being a collective. :)))

At least, some people from the working groups (WG) would be a great start. :)

KT

Kathe TB Wed 22 Jan 2025 8:57PM

@Paul J Robinson You should probably just pick someone ;) Everyone will be speaking from their own experience since we don't really have an appointed spokes person. Good luck! Seems like neat series!

CWF

Caitlin Waddick, FWG/OC Thu 23 Jan 2025 8:57PM

@Paul J Robinson : If it helps, here is an earlier thread about someone else interviewing Social.Coop members: https://www.loomio.com/d/59lEBI7H/anyone-want-to-be-interviewed-about-social-coop-s-governance-as-a-research-object-

PJR

Paul J Robinson Thu 23 Jan 2025 9:02PM

Thank you everyone for your comments! I’ve been busy with other work today and will look into all these suggestions in the morning

CWF

Caitlin Waddick, FWG/OC Thu 23 Jan 2025 9:05PM

One of our members, @Nathan Schneider, has spoken authoritatively on community governance in open source communities. Here, he has chaired the Finance Working Group, most recently. This link goes to a list of some of his writing on governable spaces and visions for what a fairer internet might look like: https://nathanschneider.info/books/ His premise -- in my own words-- is that most places on the internet are fiefdoms, run autocratically, and that activists can change the Internet to become a place that centers community care and support solidarity economics.

CWF

Caitlin Waddick, FWG/OC Thu 23 Jan 2025 9:13PM

As @Matt Noyes pointed out recently, the cooperative movement should support cooperative technology, on the basis of the cooperative principle: cooperatives support other cooperatives. Our actions support mutual aid and solidarity: we are for each other. There is a larger argument, of course, for a pluriverse and against capitalism for its extractive qualities, such labor theft, land theft, and the erasure of our diverse identities. I keep finding people in Social.Coop who are envisioning a fediverse of democratically-run networks of people who are placing community care -- aka Beloved Community -- at the center of operations, embodied in the cooperative principles. ... For me, it is joy to be among such visionary people.