The Social Smolnet(ploum.net)
ploum.net
The Social Smolnet
https://ploum.net/2026-03-20-social-smolnet.html
17 comments
> there's a far more positive community when people have a shared interest
Even old fashioned web forums and email listservs are still thriving in some niches and work this way.
I think reddit fails here because it's too frictionless. Requiring a little bit of intentional action to join or subscribe keeps out a surprising amount of drive-by trolls.
HN is pretty big now and has its share of trolls and bots but because it doesn't use social media accounts it's not nearly as bad as Facebook or Reddit.
Even old fashioned web forums and email listservs are still thriving in some niches and work this way.
I think reddit fails here because it's too frictionless. Requiring a little bit of intentional action to join or subscribe keeps out a surprising amount of drive-by trolls.
HN is pretty big now and has its share of trolls and bots but because it doesn't use social media accounts it's not nearly as bad as Facebook or Reddit.
is it because I was young? I still believe phpbb forums were the best!
How does reddit use social media accounts?
You can log in/sign up with existing social media oauth credentials and don't need a "reddit account"
> It seems like social networks that stay small and focused can maintain a fun and productive environment that degrades over time in larger networks
I would love to find some good social networks for myself but discovering them is hard and I don't have the free time to dig like I used to to find the hidden gems
I would love to find some good social networks for myself but discovering them is hard and I don't have the free time to dig like I used to to find the hidden gems
> 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.
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/
[1] https://dokie.li [2] https://solidproject.org/
Just bring back bulletin boards with mods
They are still around here and there.
https://www.telnetbbsguide.com
https://telnet.org/htm/places.htm
Hell, I got a few rounds of Trade Wars in on one of them a while back.
https://www.telnetbbsguide.com
https://telnet.org/htm/places.htm
Hell, I got a few rounds of Trade Wars in on one of them a while back.
try gemini://bbs.geminispace.org
> with blogs and email, we already had a decentralized social network
Yes, coupled with a good WebFeeds solution and we are practically there !
Yes, coupled with a good WebFeeds solution and we are practically there !
[deleted]
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."
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/