Mastodon question: Would it not be helpful if the Mastodon signup process nudged people into adding a profile picture?
The way it is now, most of the new followers I see, all have the default picture, and that does not encourage others to follow back.
So my theory is, if more people were encouraged to add a picture, they would build a social network faster, fewer users would drop out, and Mastodon would have better growth.
That would be a great idea - after many years on social media my brain is wired to think "spambot" whenever I encounter new profiles without a profile pic
Do note however that your instance might not have yet cached all profile pictures. It unfortunately takes quite some time for that process to finish, especially when your new followers have never interacted with your instance before. @renchap @stux @vmstan
a lot of people only allow follows from accounts with a profile picture, description, and non-zero post count.
I regularly prune following/followers that are inactive beyond 1 month. Almost all those no-picture accounts are going to end up in there. I only like to scream into a fresh void.
Well, I just recently added a profile picture. I didn't think it was that important. My first priority was to understand how things worked here, the layout, how long my messages could be, if there were private messages or everything was public. See, last thing I thought about was trying to find a profile picture. First i wanted to know if I could adapt to Mastodon. I had no idea what Fediverse was. Some people need time to explore... and learn.
You should also bear in mind that: * (to the extent you are talking about actual personal pictures) not everyone feels safe online, for a variety of reasons which no-one else is in a position to judge; * not everyone has easy access to graphics tools to make their own image, and the alternative is clip art which any bot could use; * not everyone can see your picture or their own, and people are under no obligation to tell you of their visual impairments.
I think everyone should choose for themselves if they want to give a picture without being nudged or even forced. I think free minds, should be as free as possible, that is what makes mastodon special. Ppl seeking for a follower base sure know about the picture incentive and will choose a picture supporting their goal. Others might have different goals with their social media appearance & safety needs and choose a different profile setting. So no: no nudge pls.
@Ilka4You what I mean by nudging is a gentle approach. Something like when people sign up, if there is a step that says “By adding a profile picture, others will find it easier to recognize your profile from everyone else.”.
Then, people can add a picture or skip the step if they prefer.
I think informing people why a profile picture matters might be helpful and make more people see the need.
thank you for clarifying. Yes, it never hurts to inform - I agree to this. Although I think most ppl joining social media, know about the usefulness of profile pictures. I started out with a real foto on mastodon, but when I learned about the involuntary link glitch between bluesky & mastodon, I changed it to a painting of me, my god child made. For me: safety first. I have not gained many followers since then, but it is my sensible decision to keep it that way.
there are bots with photos all over insta! Even I could post someone else’s photo, and alter it slightly with ai if I choose…Most can be identified by looking at their other posts and replies
I think most people who leave do so because there is no algo that feeds constant entertainment, endless streams of videos and pictures. I'm still very early into my Fediverse journey though so my understanding of it is kind of limited.
yesterday I fell for a bot and engaged in a conversation - it had a profile picture, kept twisting words and slightly changing topics, then started insulting me. I became suspicious and looked at the profile: created yesterday, >1500 posts by midday, generic personal info - but a realistic maybe even real profile photo. If something seems off - trust your instinct, photos can be "faked".
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Three weeks from right now, millions of Americans will gather again to say NO KINGS. As Trump wields government power to censor free speech and threaten political opponents, we need to make October 18 a historic day of resistance. Please join us: nokings.org/?SQF_SOURCE=indivi… #NoKings
As the president escalates his authoritarian power grab, the NO KINGS non-violent movement continues to rise stronger. We are united once again to remind the world: America has No Kings and the power belongs to the people.
When the media keep counting the victims of Israel’s genocide like they do, Gaza will be fully destroyed with no one alive and they would say something like, “72,832 Palestinians were killed.”
Of 2,226,544 (2023 estimate per Britannica).
With all of Israel’s bombing and starving, counting “conservatively” looks like nothing but gaslighting—and like a crime by itself, by helping to slow down responses.
The image is a side-by-side comparison of two black and white photographs, each labeled with a name at the top. On the left, the label reads "Patel," and on the right, "Manson." Both images feature individuals with similar facial features, including prominent eyebrows and mustaches. The person on the left has short, neatly styled hair and a beard, while the person on the right has longer, wavy hair and a fuller beard. The background of both images is plain, with the left image having a darker background and the right image having a lighter one. The overall composition is simple, focusing on the facial features of the individuals.
Provided by @altbot, generated privately and locally using Ovis2-8B
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Israel’s war against Hamas, which began two years ago, has leveled wide swathes of the Gaza Strip, including the city of Rafah in the south and the town of Beit Hanoun in the north. But the military did not carry out such widespread demolitions in previous Gaza City operations.
This time is different.
Though much of the city is still standing, satellite images show Israeli forces are destroying whole areas as they sweep into Gaza City, including the Zeitoun neighborhood and an area near Sheikh Radwan, where the military has demolished dozens of structures this month."
"The relentless Israeli offensive in Gaza City, Palestine, has forced Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to suspend vital medical activities in the area due to the rapidly deteriorating security situation. The situation includes continued airstrikes and advancing tanks less than one kilometre from our healthcare facilities. The escalating attacks from Israeli forces have created an unacceptable level of risk for our staff, forcing us to suspend lifesaving medical activities.
“We have been left with no choice but to stop our activities, as our clinics are encircled by Israeli forces,” says Jacob Granger, MSF Emergency Coordinator in Gaza. “This is the last thing we wanted, as the needs in Gaza City are enormous, with the most vulnerable people - infants in neo-natal care, those with severe injuries and life-threatening illnesses - unable to move and in grave danger.”
While large numbers of people have fled south due to evacuation orders, there are still hundreds of thousands of pople in Gaza City, who are unable to leave and have no other option but to stay. Those who are able to leave face an impossible choice: either remain in Gaza City under intense military operations and the deterioration of law and order, or abandon what’s left of their houses, their belongings, and their memories, to move to areas where humanitarian conditions are rapidly collapsing."
MEDIAS ET OLIGARCHIE / CANADA, FRANCE.... MEME COMBAT
"Le meurtre récent de cinq journalistes par Israël, diffusé en direct, a ravivé l’indignation face au biais pro-Israël des médias détenus par des oligarques canadiens. Ces grands médias sont critiqués pour une couverture qui a facilité la campagne d’extermination de journalistes la plus étendue jamais enregistrée."
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Simon Justesen
in reply to Randahl Fink • • •anparker
in reply to Randahl Fink • • •Renaud Chaput
in reply to Randahl Fink • • •@stux @vmstan
Randahl Fink
in reply to Renaud Chaput • • •@stux @vmstan
Jan Wildeboer 😷
in reply to Randahl Fink • • •John Francis 🦫🇨🇦🍁💪⬆️
in reply to Randahl Fink • • •a lot of people only allow follows from accounts with a profile picture, description, and non-zero post count.
I regularly prune following/followers that are inactive beyond 1 month. Almost all those no-picture accounts are going to end up in there. I only like to scream into a fresh void.
Samson - tief In Berlin
in reply to Randahl Fink • • •In this context (profile picture), I mostly hear the privacy argument.
I think it's respectful to have a portrait profile picture on an account that's based on an individual.
To oneself, one's opinions/views, and the other users.
NoBorg
in reply to Randahl Fink • • •Some people need time to explore... and learn.
Randahl Fink
in reply to NoBorg • • •@stux @vmstan @renchap
NoBorg
in reply to Randahl Fink • • •And anyhow, I liked the elephant profile 😁 (and no I'm not a mean bot 😁 )
Bots can find themselves fake profiles too, don't they? There's lots of fake accouts in X / Facebook, with nice profile pictures.
Electropict
in reply to Randahl Fink • • •Sensitive content
* (to the extent you are talking about actual personal pictures) not everyone feels safe online, for a variety of reasons which no-one else is in a position to judge;
* not everyone has easy access to graphics tools to make their own image, and the alternative is clip art which any bot could use;
* not everyone can see your picture or their own, and people are under no obligation to tell you of their visual impairments.
Ilka 🌐
in reply to Randahl Fink • • •Randahl Fink
in reply to Ilka 🌐 • • •@Ilka4You what I mean by nudging is a gentle approach. Something like when people sign up, if there is a step that says “By adding a profile picture, others will find it easier to recognize your profile from everyone else.”.
Then, people can add a picture or skip the step if they prefer.
I think informing people why a profile picture matters might be helpful and make more people see the need.
@stux @vmstan @renchap
Ilka 🌐
in reply to Randahl Fink • • •Happy Day!
in reply to Randahl Fink • • •Petr Janda
in reply to Randahl Fink • • •I think most people who leave do so because there is no algo that feeds constant entertainment, endless streams of videos and pictures. I'm still very early into my Fediverse journey though so my understanding of it is kind of limited.
Regarding the profile picture, yeah I agree.
Randahl Fink
in reply to Petr Janda • • •@petrjanda I think you are right, that people who want the instant gratification experience of Instagram might not have patience for Mastodon.
But I see that as a feature: On Mastodon, you get what you choose.
CharlieActual
in reply to Randahl Fink • • •Randahl Fink
in reply to CharlieActual • • •Leeloo
in reply to Randahl Fink • • •A profile picture rarely tells me anything about whether I want to follow someone or not. Their post history does.
Also, why follow back? Just because someone likes my Linux rants doesn't mean I'm interested in their posts about gardening.
millennial fulcrum
in reply to Randahl Fink • • •Jürgen Hubert
in reply to Randahl Fink • • •I think even more important than a profile picture is filling out some text in their profile, or adding an introductory post.
This is not a dating site, after all - I care about what other users write, not what they might or might not look like. ;)
Bigfood
in reply to Randahl Fink • • •Well, I have the default picture for one reason.
I don't really want other to fallow me.
Also I set my posts to not be searchable.
I'm not here to entertain other.
Ilka 🌐
in reply to Randahl Fink • • •