👋 Hello from another week in Rosieland! I'm switching things up a bit. More on that soon.
🌈 This week in Rosieland
In the meantime, here's the latest from me this week...
- Making every interaction count [Article]
- Networks that support communities [Community Example]
- Lost connection [Reflection]
- Fandom is wonderful. Fandom is ugly. [Reflection]
- Community flywheels build upon what complement each other [Article]
- Never has it ever been so important to... [Reflection]
🧠 A list of AI moderation ideas, ranked by me — Everything in Moderation
This week Alice Hunsberg decided to rank the recommendations in the Oversight Board's new report on balancing automated content moderation with human rights. You know, just for fun, as one does. 😃
🦊 Midwest FurFest: Inside the wild world of the furry fandom
Imagine 15,000 "furries" in a community gathering over a weekend, where half of them are dressed head to toe in colourful furry animal costumes. This article dives into what makes Furry culture and community.
Furry culture, Snickers agrees, was “born out of internet culture. Born out of queer nerds,” he says. “If you have someone who’s queer, and the nerdier they are, there’s an exponential curve that goes up with the probability of being a furry.” He says it attracts people “who are definitely neurodivergent, who are outside the mainstream, who are outliers. And it’s fun. You meet a lot of very, very interesting and often smart, talented people.”
🌶️ A bit of WordPress community drama
It's interesting to see these things happen (when it's not your own community!). I don't really have enough insight into WordPress to comment on the situation.
Matt Mullenweg calls WP Engine a ‘cancer to WordPress’ and urges community to switch providers says TechCrunch. It's rude not to give back says Mullenweg.
Mullenweg criticized the company — which has been commercializing the open source WordPress project since 2010 — for profiteering without giving much back, while also disabling key features that make WordPress such a powerful platform in the first place.
Also note, the drama is building up: WP Engine lawyers have now sent a cease and desist letter to Automattic refuting Mullenweg’s allegations and asking him to retract his comments.
And then here is a community member's perspective:
7️⃣ My 7 Key Lessons for Building Connected Coworking Communities — Bernie Mitchell
Here are seven things to avoid and practical steps to help build better coworking spaces and communities—because community is the key!
19 Things You Can Do With a Roofless Building or an Empty Lot — Becky McCray | Strong Towns
Whilst this piece focuses on empty spaces in your local town, you can also expand the ideas to empty spaces anywhere.
📰 News
Aisha Malik
Sarah Perez
Paul Sawers
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