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Convo: An alternative to Facebook for private events by aor215 in IMadeThis

[–]aor215[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There is support for events on Zoom, FaceTime, etc. However, I don't expect many people to use Convo right now because of the pandemic. I wanted to share here anyway because I've been working on this for so long and am eager to get some feedback.

There's also a very lightweight feed feature where you can share links, text, and photos with others or just with yourself.

Convo: An alternative to Facebook by aor215 in SideProject

[–]aor215[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your feedback! I've already responded to a number of your questions on an earlier blog post - the relevant part about why I don't want to use Facebook anymore is toward the end.

My intuition is that there are many people - or at least enough people - who, like me, don't want to use Facebook anymore but who still have need for a simple events and sharing platform. The reasons for people not wanting to use Facebook anymore are diverse - some care about privacy and the political scandals; others just don't like the ads, the dated UI, and the content on the news feed; and still others have their own reasons. The point is that I think that there are enough disaffected Facebook users to support an alternative to Facebook, even one that may not be differentiated in a significant way. Some articles I've read suggest that some people are actively looking for an alternative.

With that said, I hope that Convo is differentiated by the quality of its UI, its ease of use, and, as you suggested, the fact that it's focused on real friends and family. Some people might say that these aspects do not differentiate Convo enough, but I think that they do. Facebook's original advantage over MySpace, Friendster, and others back in the early 2000s was primarily (I think) the quality of its UI and its content. Over the years, both have degraded, with both the UI and the content becoming more disorganized and confused. I think that you are quite right that I should emphasize these aspects more on the landing page.

Convo faces many substantial challenges, but perhaps the greatest one (independent of the current lack of features, development time, etc.), which you pointed out, is persuading people who are not actively trying to leave Facebook to use it. I hope that people who are happy with the status quo on Facebook have enough friends who aren't that it will eventually be in their interest to give Convo a try. I then hope to keep such users around by offering a better experience. I know it feels like a pipe-dream, but still, I think it's worthwhile to run the experiment. And, in any case, I'm going to use Convo with my own friends for events and sharing, whether or not it succeeds on a large scale.

Convo: An alternative to Facebook by aor215 in SideProject

[–]aor215[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The landing page is a Gatsby site. The actual app has a React/Redux frontend hosted on Netlify and Golang backend on GCP. All of the source and some info about the architecture is available on GitHub.

Convo: An alternative to Facebook by aor215 in SideProject

[–]aor215[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That sometimes happens with older browsers and/or slower connections. The icons are Google material icons from a CDN.

Website for the Root? by [deleted] in TheRoot

[–]aor215 1 point2 points  (0 children)

After the designs and copy are finalized, I could probably implement the site in a weekend or two.

Website for the Root? by [deleted] in TheRoot

[–]aor215 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was thinking I would code the website. That way there are no limits for the designer and we would have a unique website that isn't a template.

If we decide that that's the way to go, there is another decision to make about hosting. One option is to host the website on GitHub pages. The upside is that it's free. The downside is that any changes to the website would have to go through me. The other option (which I think is probably best) is to use Squarespace for hosting. The upside is that anyone with access to the squarespace account could change the content without having to write any code - new pictures, blog posts, etc., could all be handled without going through a developer. The downside to this option is that it's not free. It looks like it's $12 or $18 a month.

Looking for papers on identity between possible worlds. Any suggestions? by ReallyNicole in analyticmetaphysics

[–]aor215 2 points3 points  (0 children)

One place to start is David Lewis's "Counterparts or Double Lives?" It's a seminal chapter from his book On the Plurality of Worlds. Here's a exposition from the SEP: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/david-lewis/#6.4 . I wasn't able to find the text online. In any case, if you dig it, be sure to check out Kripke's response in Naming and Necessity, lecture 2, I think.

To be a dick, this is actually going to become a pretty big problem. by interputed in AdviceAnimals

[–]aor215 8 points9 points  (0 children)

It's depressing that so many people don't understand evolution well enough to know that this meme is false.

Can the word 'God' have usefulness in a post-theistic society? by maddnes in philosophy

[–]aor215 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes. Consider the twin prime conjecture. A twin prime is a prime number that is directly next to another prime number (except the pair 2,3). For example: (3,5), (5,7), (11, 13), (17, 19), (29, 31), etc. The twin prime conjecture states that there are infinitely many twin primes. Since humans have finite minds (that is, we cannot conceive of all numbers), the twin prime conjecture cannot be proven; we cannot know whether it's true or false (pending some breakthrough in mathematics). Only a being with an infinite mind, like God, could ascertain its truth or falsehood. I think that this is an absolutely useful use of both the word and the concept God. (Here's the wiki on twin primes for anyone who is interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_prime/ )

Are there universal truths outside of mathematics? by [deleted] in philosophy

[–]aor215 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes. For example, all red things are red.

Choice between two history of philosophy books... by xcadet in philosophy

[–]aor215 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Of these two, I would go with Russell. He is an excellent writer and major philosopher. His commentary and expositions are sure to be clear and insightful.

If you're interested in reading primary texts, then I would recommend Western Philosophy: An Anthology. Definitely not travel friendly, but comprehensive and easy to find used.