💬 Discussion | Alternative to Facebook Groups #762

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2019-02-12T17:18:16Z

Mikaela commented

2019-02-12 17:18:16 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

The two features I miss the most from Facebook are events (https://github.com/privacytoolsIO/privacytools.io/issues/754) and Groups as somehow many different groups have ended up there.

Do you have any suggestions on which privacy friendly open source services provide similar features being a good competitor to them?

I can only think of Loomio and Hubzilla, but I am not sure if either is a good match.

The two features I miss the most from Facebook are events (https://github.com/privacytoolsIO/privacytools.io/issues/754) and Groups as somehow many different groups have ended up there. Do you have any suggestions on which privacy friendly open source services provide similar features being a good competitor to them? I can only think of [Loomio](https://www.loomio.org/) and [Hubzilla](https://zotlabs.org/page/hubzilla/hubzilla-project), but I am not sure if either is a good match.

👍 1

Atavic commented

2019-02-14 18:16:26 +00:00

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👍 for Hubzilla, or GNU social... or pump.io + forks?

:+1: for Hubzilla, or [GNU social](http://savannah.gnu.org/search/?words=gnu+social&type_of_search=soft&Search=Search&exact=1#options)... or [pump.io](https://github.com/pump-io/pump.io) + forks?

strypey commented

2019-04-05 19:21:16 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

UseNet? Email lists? It depends exactly what you want from your groupware. Having not used FB since about 2010, I have no idea what their Groups UX is like. Loomio is great, but it's a decision-making platform. If you just need a discussion forum, not polls, Discourse is pretty good. The LiveJournal fork Dreamwidth.org has public and private blogging groups. If subreddits meet your definition of "groups", there's a bunch of free code Reddit clones, including Voat. If you want a simpler news/link sharing board, there's the Hacker News clone lobste.rs. Minds.com might have group functionality (haven't played with it much yet).

The fediverse apps (like GNU Social, pump.io, Mastodon etc) are more like Twitter, with anyone chatting with anyone (unless you've muted or blocked them). They don't currently have group functions (unless you run an un-federated instance for your group), although this is coming. Two apps have been announced, Prismo and Anancus, that aim to create a federated replacement for Reddit using the federation standard ActivityPub, used by Mastodon and about a dozen other federated social web apps. Once these are up and running, there will be a stronger motivation to implement groups functions in the other AP apps.

EDIT: fixed links

[UseNet](https://www.invidio.us/watch?v=wNlsMKUQSo4)? [Email lists](https://www.coactivate.org/projects/permaculture/mailing-list-software)? It depends exactly what you want from your groupware. Having not used FB since about 2010, I have no idea what their Groups UX is like. Loomio is great, but it's a decision-making platform. If you just need a discussion forum, not polls, Discourse is pretty good. The LiveJournal fork Dreamwidth.org has public and private blogging groups. If subreddits meet your definition of "groups", there's a bunch of [free code Reddit clones](https://fossbytes.com/best-open-source-reddit-alternatives-free/), including [Voat](https://github.com/voat/voat). If you want a simpler news/link sharing board, there's the [Hacker News clone lobste.rs](https://github.com/lobsters/lobsters). [Minds.com](https://github.com/Minds) might have group functionality (haven't played with it much yet). The fediverse apps (like GNU Social, pump.io, Mastodon etc) are more like Twitter, with anyone chatting with anyone (unless you've muted or blocked them). They don't currently have group functions (unless you run an un-federated instance for your group), although this is coming. Two apps have been announced, [Prismo](https://prismo.news/) and Anancus, that aim to create a federated replacement for Reddit using the federation standard ActivityPub, used by Mastodon and about [a dozen other federated social web apps](https://git.feneas.org/feneas/fediverse/-/wikis/watchlist-for-activitypub-apps). Once these are up and running, there will be a stronger motivation to implement groups functions in the other AP apps. EDIT: fixed links

Mikaela commented

2019-11-04 12:39:27 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

I want to close this due to inactivity and as I closed the sibling #754.

I think the closest to answer the original question may be the Reddit clones and we even have a page listing them https://www.privacytools.io/providers/social-news-aggregator/

I want to close this due to inactivity and as I closed the sibling #754. I think the closest to answer the original question may be the Reddit clones and we even have a page listing them https://www.privacytools.io/providers/social-news-aggregator/

Mikaela commented

2019-11-18 11:31:25 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

Gup.pe is possibly worth following.

[Gup.pe](https://gup.pe/) is possibly worth following.

strypey commented

2019-11-19 18:58:15 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

Friendica also has federated groups and I heard from one of the Feneas folks today that their public groups are federating over ActivityPub, which means in theory they could be compatible with Guppe and other apps doing federated groups over AP.

Mikaela commented

2019-11-20 10:48:12 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

Reopening and assigning to me in case we want to add a section for this to social media.

strypey commented

2019-11-27 19:26:58 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

FYI The discussion about federating event info over ActivityPub, as a potential replacement for MeetUp and FB events, has started up again on the new SocialHub:
https://socialhub.activitypub.rocks/t/federated-events/305

FYI The discussion about federating event info over ActivityPub, as a potential replacement for MeetUp and FB events, has started up again on the new SocialHub: https://socialhub.activitypub.rocks/t/federated-events/305

bkil commented

2020-11-29 01:59:01 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

You can do group chat with Matrix as well. Groups (so called rooms) can be have various privacy settings to support for use cases for both invite-only private groups and public ones. Threading of replies would also be possible.

You can do group chat with [Matrix](http://matrix.org/) as well. Groups (so called rooms) can be have various privacy settings to support for use cases for both invite-only private groups and public ones. Threading of replies would also be possible.

Mikaela commented

2020-11-30 13:59:00 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

I don't think Matrix compares to this as I don't know any forumlike clients or clients with even threading. I have mainly seen instant messaging clients and there may have been one using it as a micro/blog.

bkil commented

2020-11-30 14:33:55 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

I mean, threading is coded into the protocol and from the time instant you press reply, the references will be tied together. From that point on, it is a matter of UX how you display it. Element intersperses the replies, but quotes the original and makes the reference clickable. I don't think it would be that difficult to display replies on a separate column similar to Slack if there was demand.

Anyway I just wanted to put it out there, I agree that Friendica's group feature would be much more fitting from a high level perspective.

Not sure what the exact use cases are that we would like to solve. Would you perhaps like to enumerate these? I'm not sure that many commenters here use Facebook or Groups. Maybe you could find this relevant then:

https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy

I mean, threading is coded into the protocol and from the time instant you press `reply`, the references will be tied together. From that point on, it is a matter of UX how you display it. Element intersperses the replies, but quotes the original and makes the reference clickable. I don't think it would be that difficult to display replies on a separate column similar to Slack if there was demand. Anyway I just wanted to put it out there, I agree that Friendica's group feature would be much more fitting from a high level perspective. Not sure what the exact use cases are that we would like to solve. Would you perhaps like to enumerate these? I'm not sure that many commenters here use Facebook or Groups. Maybe you could find this relevant then: - https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy

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