Diaspora Social Network - NOT SAFE FOR KIDS!

A

Artim

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Diaspora is a free and open-source social network that bills itself as a FOSS alternative to Facebook and Google Groups, etc. Naturally it tends to attract Linux users who appreciate "free and open source." It does have some pretty cool features that Facebook doesn't offer, and it supposedly respects the users' privacy and all that stuff.

But despite choosing a language, you get posts in your "Stream" (news feed) in several languages and you scroll through alot of stuff you can't even read to find something of interest. Another downside is the fact that you really can't filter out stuff, other than "ignoring" users. But even that is unreliable.

Diaspora is not friendly to nor safe for kids. One simple conversation can elicit a barrage of profanity and insults from whoever on the network is following that topic. Even a topic as innocuous as Linux. After being stalked, belittled, and insulted both privately and in public posts, I've had enough. Maybe I'm immature (I have a good excuse for that though - I'm just a high school freshman), and maybe I'm naive (same excuse), but nothing I posted there justifies the very unpleasant experience I had in just one month on that social network.

Diaspora seems to attract alot of anarchists and other people who are hostile to many common "conservative" values and religious faith (other than nature-worship, humanism, Darwinism, and hedonism). Kids and teens who are being raised to cherish religious faith and conservative values find ourselves virtually alone in a seemingly worldwide community of people whose venomous tirades against our values continues unceasingly in our Diaspora news feed. What is it about FOSS that attracts so many anti-capitalists and haters of Christianity and it's values? I have no idea what the two have to do with each other, but I'm never going back there and I urge those of you who share the same values as I do to avoid the Diaspora social network. Especially if you're a child or a teen. When I joined there was no "Terms of Service" description nor any suggestion of a minimum age for an account. There should be. But in the absence of any such policy at Diaspora, be warned: Diaspora is no place for teens and younger kids to have an online presence.

/RANT
 


I am horribly sorry this happened to you. Please read my report which addressed your concerns & my plans to make sure this doesn't happen again to kids of any race, religion, gender, identity, etc. You are not alone & your voice did make a difference. :)
 

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'sup republican teenz, just follow my example
red+white.jpg
 
You can make your own diaspora server for your kids to share with only their friends. Its like a facebook for only your friends. and if you don't like what they say simply remove them and they go away. you can turn it on for only a couple of hours each day so that they are not there the whole day.

That's my two cents.

There is also mediagoblin, discourse, and "RED" that are very similar in function/idea to diaspora
 
Unfortunately no online site is truly kid friendly. Especially any kind of social media.
 
Sounds similar to most hacker/tech/fringe/antisocial/interesting groups you'll find online. There can be a lot of BS, but its also where the gems are. Hell, look at 4chan, which has pretty much taken over internet pop-culture now. Still it isn't where you want to go for a lighthearted debate though.

Its like a city, in most cities there are "good" (aka rich) parts and "bad" (aka poor) parts. Its not that you should never go to the bad parts, but when you do just be prepared and know what to expect.

Although I did laugh at this...
What is it about FOSS that attracts so many anti-capitalists [...]
 
@MikeyD:
"Although I did laugh at this...
What is it about FOSS that attracts so many anti-capitalists [...]"

yeah -- free (as in free beer) and capitalism are oxymorons, it seems -- ironic and humorous (maybe sarcastic?), I lmao too!
 
I've always found Diaspora to be quite civilised. But then being an atheist and having no interest in religion whatsoever, I don't follow any tags related to religion or spirituality either. So I don't see any of that kind of material in my feed. I focus more on tech, linux/free-software, programming languages, politics and music.

However, from taking a quick look at some of the stuff that gets posted on Diaspora with the #christian tag, I can understand why Artim has such a problem with the site. It's not just christians posting material with that tag. There are also other users posting material that is offensive to christians with the #christian tag. Which is more than a little off! Some of said material should also be tagged with the #nsfw tag too because it is adult in content!

And yes, there are a lot of left wing and anarchist types on Diaspora (and involved in the free software movement in general) - myself included. And the reason for that is probably because the ideals of the free-software movement are more in alignment with the ideals of left-wing politics than those of the right-wing. So naturally it will attract more liberal, left-wing types.
 
However, from taking a quick look at some of the stuff that gets posted on Diaspora with the #christian tag, I can understand why Artim has such a problem with the site. It's not just christians posting material with that tag. There are also other users posting material that is offensive to christians with the #christian tag. Which is more than a little off! Some of said material should also be tagged with the #nsfw tag too because it is adult in content!

I haven't been to Diaspora but, hey, the name is very suggestive as both nsfw and not safe for christians... Besides, atheists have even lost jobs when people realized their religious orientation, and I know of some who experienced this horrible experience myself. Also, many christians tend to make public, in massive amounts, the worst assumptions about all other religions, atheists, sexual conditions and sometimes even other christian religions (catholicism X protestantism), so I don't really see major problems in a very tiny negative reaction, statistically insignificant (unfortunately), against all that stuff.
 
Sounds similar to most hacker/tech/fringe/antisocial/interesting groups you'll find online. There can be a lot of BS, but its also where the gems are. Hell, look at 4chan, which has pretty much taken over internet pop-culture now. Still it isn't where you want to go for a lighthearted debate though.

Its like a city, in most cities there are "good" (aka rich) parts and "bad" (aka poor) parts. Its not that you should never go to the bad parts, but when you do just be prepared and know what to expect.

Although I did laugh at this...

Hey! I object to associating the wealthy with good people and the poor with bad people.
 
For some, money is always associated with value, the poor souls!
 

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