Table of Contents
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OMN is a trust based project
The idea is to use human moderation of flows as a feature to spread federation wider. Each flow has to first be created then is either trusted – ie they are going to keep posting good stuff, or moderated that sometimes they post good stuff.
So the system only scales if human beings reach out to each other to build trust links. If everything stays on moderation, then the workload soon becomes unmanageable or the site is overrun by irrelevance or spam. In both cases, the site sesses to be useful. This is a core feature of the network to push human scale federated trust communities.
The only way to get a useful site is to build a big healthy community (with wide groups of admins and moderators) or a small focus trust group based on quality choice of connections. Both are good outcomes, and what the #OMN is about building.
If we build in automation, then we will have lots of middling quality sites that are borderline useful. A signal-to-noise issue. There will be less motivation to spesherlise and the network will likely fail because of this.
Less is more is a core of the project. The #geekproblem is the desire to improve the network with better tools
Spam and low quality posts have to find a way to flow into the network, and when they are in they need to then flow to the quality parts of the network.
The problem we face is that there might not be any sites allowing new content in… so this will lead to the need to set up more outlying sites and spread the network wider and narrow the focus of these new sites to keep admin down, spreading the network wider and narrowing the focus etc.
You see an organic growth of base sites narrow/local/subject to middle sites regional/topic to top sites outreach/mainstreaming.
The bottom sites feed up to the top sites both by quality tags subject feeds and aggregation of editorial articles. In both cases, these directly link back to the bottom content sites.
The traditional value pyramid is reversed – the top sites are easy to set up and admin, but hard to add value to. The middle sites are the core of the project sifting and adding value vier aggregation. All the true value lies at the base where the publishing happens
https://unite.openworlds.info/indymedia
Human tech – OMN
To build the framework of an #OMN site, there are – 5 functions (#5F)
The network is made of pipes and holding tanks with different end connectors. The idea is that every part, in abstract, is understandable by a normaliseish human being.
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link/subscribe to a flow – plumb a pipe in, on, the end/beginning of the pipe can be other functions
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trust/moderate flow – through flow or to the holding tank, then though a sieve to shift the flow to different pipes.
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rollback – empty, remove that content to a point in the flow or remove objects from the flow.
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edit metadata – add to the trailing tail of the data object, this will change how data is sieved and is the main function in aggregation news.
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publish content – add an object to the flow (you can maybe edit this object or not)
The is then the storage tank, which is a database.
That’s it the rest is UX and UI think of it as macaron for news publishing.
TAKENOTE: the is nothing original in this, its how our plumbing, our electrical grids and even the neurons in our brains work and fits into the #nothingnew that is a core of this project.
Next step in the #OMN
The majority of #mainstreaming #openweb tech projects have the assumption that human nature is a fixed thing and that every project has to be built in reaction to the 40 years of neoliberal #deathcult that we all live in now, as this is the “only” human nature visible. They completely miss/ignorer the social nature of people in groups in this look back at the 20th century, and we have clearly different views of human nature as examples to build society. Call it social democracy, call it communism, call it what you like. We DO NOT have to build tools in relation to the #deathcult, and we clearly should not base “hope” on tools that are built in this relation.
Mastodon, ActivityPub and the Fediverse took a small #stepaway from this mess. The #OMN takes the next step away. For the rest, #compost and #shovels come to mind.
The #OMN is a simple #KISS social tech project.
All these projects work off the same core code/workflow of tagging and editing metadata.
#Indymediaback is the news part of the project. This is to grow journalism from the grassroots and to make our news mainstream.
#Makinghistory – is the archiving project. This is to preserve and grow our history from the grassroots and make our history mainstream.
#Friendsandfamily – is the social networking project. For family/affernerty groups to move away from the mainstream #dotcons and to nourish the grassroots.
All the projects are #4opens and federated.
Makinghistory a OMN project
DRAFT of #makeinghistory
This is exactly the same #OMN project and workflow as the #indymedia project – just a different template on top. We need to work to add this tag function. The Witches Cauldron open activist archive
The #WitchesCauldron
The open activist archive is a data “commons” based on the #4opens and motivated by the #PGA hallmarks.
We are aiming to create a data soup of metadata enriched digital items hosted on redundant federated network of hosts/servers around the world. The project will start by hosting the majority of the content from the expo on http://archive.org
Anyone can be part of this federated network which will be built out using the tools of the Open Media Network #OMN and #KISS to facilitate DIY is at the core of the project.
In this, as a general statement, we REJECT arrogant “expert’s” and “better” technological solutions that move us away from this core #KISS and #DIY ethos of The Witches Cauldron project. Simple and human scale, or we will #FAIL should be in our minds as new people grow the project.
OMN idea of indymedia reboot
Did some images for #OMN idea of #indymedia reboot
The idea is to keep it simple to push the control balance from the geek to the users. To use existing tools to build an open network, then let the users decide how to use it. This is the “news” part of indymedia the privacy focused activist part is needed as well. Plugging in tor and scuttlebutt provides that side. In the end it's just human moderated flows and actually technological neutral, anything can be hub/peer on the network. It's just like the underlining tech of the internet and web itself.
Simple. And if you look at the Fediverse, all this already exists.
THIS IS THE FIRST (EDITED) overlord draft
Introducing OMN: A Trust-Based Project for a New Digital Ecosystem
In an era of information overload and digital chaos, #OMN emerges as a trust-based project with a simple goal – to empower people and communertys in shaping online experiences. It champions a fundamental principle: trust built by human connections is the key to a healthier, more effective digital landscape.
The Power of Human Moderation
OMN is not just another platform; it's a fundamental rethinking of how digital communities should function. Each "flow," or content stream, undergoes a critical process. First, it is created, and then it faces a crucial decision: is it trusted, meaning it consistently provides valuable content, or does it require moderation due to occasional issues?
The strength of OMN lies in its reliance on human moderation to nurture trust and foster productive connections. If everything remains under constant moderation, the system becomes unwieldy, and the platform loses its usefulness. OMN's core mission is to facilitate the growth of human-scale federated trust communities.
Less is More: Quality Over Quantity
OMN's philosophy embraces the idea that less is more. Automation, while tempting, leads to a proliferation of mediocre content that drowns out valuable insights. The network encourages specialization and depth, ensuring that every contribution holds its weight.
The battle against spam and low-quality posts is part of the network's DNA, and it seeks to slow pathways for such content to flow into the network while directing it away from quality hubs.
An Organic Growth Model
OMN envisions an organic growth model that starts with grassroots, narrow, and localized sites. These feed into middle sites, which further refine and aggregate content. The top sites provide a broader reach but depend on the foundation of quality content from the bottom sites. It's a reversal of the traditional value pyramid, where the most value resides at the base.
The platform's simplicity is its strength, akin to the underlying structure of plumbing and electrical grids. It's all about the flow of information, guided by the hands of users.
Human Tech - OMN
The framework of an OMN site is built on five essential functions, simplifying complex processes:
Link/Subscribe to a Flow: Connect content streams, starting or ending at different points.
Trust/Moderate Flow: Assess and direct content through the network.
Rollback: Remove or shift content within the flow.
Edit Metadata: Enhance data objects to improve content aggregation.
Publish Content: Contribute to the network's flow.
All these functions converge in a database that stores the content, making OMN a user-friendly news publishing tool.
Next Steps in the OMN Project
Unlike mainstream tech projects, OMN rejects the notion that human nature is static and solely a product of the last 40 years of the current neoliberal era. It seeks to offer an alternative perspective, one that isn't built in reaction to the existing system but instead envisions a more social, people-centric approach. While other projects may have taken small steps in this direction, OMN aims for the next significant leap.
With a commitment to simplicity, #4opens, and federated networks, OMN's various projects – from Indymedia to Making History – all share a common foundation.
Making History – A Part of the OMN Project
The Making History project follows the same principles as Indymedia, offering a platform for preserving and growing grassroots history. It's an essential piece of the puzzle in making our history more accessible and mainstream.
The Witches Cauldron: An Open Activist Archive
The Witches Cauldron is an open activist archive, following the principles of the four opens and inspired by the PGA hallmarks. It's designed to be a decentralized data repository, distributed across a network of hosts worldwide. The project values DIY and simplicity, rejecting overly complex solutions that divert from its core ethos.
OMN's Vision for Indymedia Reboot
In the quest to reboot Indymedia, OMN emphasizes simplicity, control, and user-driven choices. The project aims to balance the dominance of tech experts with the needs and preferences of normal people. It prioritizes affective activism, incorporating tools like Tor. At its core, OMN is all about human-moderated content flows and technological neutrality, making it adaptable to various purposes.
In many ways, OMN's vision aligns with what's already happening in the Fediverse. It's not about reinventing the wheel but about putting users in the driver's seat of their online experiences.
Second DRAFT (overlord)
Introducing OMN: A Trust-Based Project for Federated Networks
In the ever-expanding digital landscape, where information overload and spam are commonplace, there's a crucial need for a trust-based project that emphasizes human moderation and community cooperation. Welcome to OMN – a unique initiative that aims to leverage the power of human moderation to foster federated networks and genuine online communities.
The concept is simple: every piece of content, known as a "flow," goes through a trust-building process. When users create content, it's either trusted – indicating a consistent track record of quality contributions – or moderated when the content varies in quality. This dynamic approach ensures that the system scales effectively by encouraging users to build trust links with one another.
Without this human touch, a network's workload quickly becomes unmanageable, or it's overwhelmed by irrelevant or spammy content, rendering the sites useless. This core feature of OMN is designed to encourage the growth of human-scale federated trust communities.
To maintain a useful site, two key outcomes are possible: the creation of large, diverse communities with a broad spectrum of admins and moderators, or the establishment of smaller, tightly-knit trust groups focused on quality connections. Both outcomes are valuable and central to the essence of #OMN.
While automation might seem tempting, it risks creating countless middling-quality sites, leading to a signal-to-noise problem. In the end, this could undermine the entire network. OMN's philosophy is rooted in the idea that "less is more" – a deliberate move away from the #geekproblem of endlessly improving tools.
OMN addresses the challenge of managing spam and low-quality content by allowing them to flow into the network and then guiding them away from the quality areas of the network.
One unique feature of OMN is its organic growth model. New sites may need to be set up to allow new content to flow in, spreading the network wider and narrowing the focus. This leads to an ecosystem where base sites feed into middle sites, which in turn feed into top sites, creating a robust network interconnected by quality tags, subject feeds, and editorial articles.
Surprisingly, OMN inverts the traditional value pyramid: the top sites are easier to set up and manage but hard to add value to. The core of the project lies in the middle sites, where content is sifted and aggregated. The real value, however, remains at the base where content is created.
OMN operates on the principle that there is nothing entirely original in its approach – it draws inspiration from how plumbing, electrical grids, and even the neurons in our brains function. This embraces the concept of #nothingnew as a fundamental pillar of the project.
In the next step of the #OMN project, the focus is on stepping away from the dominant ideologies of the 20th century and building social technology based on a different vision of human nature. Unlike other projects, #OMN is all about simplicity and decentralization, emphasizing people and communerty control and social connections. It's an invitation to break free from the confines of the past and shape the future of online communities.