Starting new social media platforms

It is important to have a clear idea of what you aim to accomplish when starting a new social media platform. This page outlines a rudimentary checklist:

1. Have a community that requires your platform.
2. Have clear reasons why existing platforms do not suffice.
3. Have clear requirements.
4. Have a clear structure outlining the goals, authority, what's expected, conflict resolutions, and disciplinary consequences.
5. Draft a charter, constitution, goals, mission statement, or purpose (or whatever you want to call it) to be clear about your intentions.
6. Draft a rough roadmap of where things can develop. Include the realistic as well as your ambitious dreams.
7. Draft a short list of black and white hard rules that must be followed.
8. Draft a longer list of grey area guidelines with as many examples as necessary for clarity.

Community

1) Have a community that requires your platform.

If you don't already have a community it will be nearly impossible to just grow one.

If you intend to recruit from existing communities, make sure you're offering superior services, solutions, and reasons to migrate - and consider the community distraction, division, damage, fallout, and unexpected consequences. Is it really worth the risks?

You may have to present the case for migrating. You should be clear and open about the pros and cons.

Reasons

2) Have clear reasons why existing platforms do not suffice.

Valid example reasons:

• to avoid the evil technocracy
  • we should not depend on the technocracy
  • we should not support the technocracy
  • we should not provide our metadata to the technocracy
  • we should not be exploited by the technocracy
• we need autonomy
  • more control over our own data
  • more control over our platform
  • more control over our rules/guidelines
  • more freedom
  • more privacy
  • more security
  • self-management
  • self-regulation
• we need defense from censorship, misinformation, sealioning, shills, spam, trolls, etc.
• we need FOTPACHIES management
  • Fair, Open, Transparent, Peaceful, Accountable, Consistent, Honest, Inclusive (everyone gets a say in how things are run), Ethical, Social management
• we need technical solutions
  • we need open-source software (transparent & verifiably safe)
  • we need to decentralize
    • spread out and distribute away from a single/central point of failure
  • we need to develop and support alternatives
  • we need to know who controls our platform

"We" = community.

The community must take priority over individuals' egos.

Questionable example reasons:

• I can be a better leader
• I know better
• I must censor "wrongthink"

Requirements

3) Have clear requirements.

In addition to the reasons above...

Functional requirements may include some of the following:

• chat (open and/or private)
• forum
• groups
• media
• organize content (rank, tag, vote)
• private chats and/or private messages
• sharing
• wiki

Technical requirements may include some of the following:

• backup and/or download
• compatible (Windows/Mac/Linux, PC/mobile, etc)
• customize (CSS, dark/light, preferences, settings, themes, etc)
• expand (addons, bridging, extensions, modular, etc)
• organize content (categories, classifications, meta-tags, subjects, topics)
• support (open-source development community)

Structure

4) Have a clear structure outlining the goals, authority, what's expected, conflict resolutions, and disciplinary consequences.

More soon.

Intentions

5) Draft a charter, constitution, goals, mission statement, or purpose (or whatever you want to call it) to be clear about your intentions.

More soon.

Roadmap

6) Draft a rough roadmap of where things can develop. Include the realistic as well as your ambitious dreams.

More soon.

Rules

7) Draft a short list of black and white hard rules that must be followed.

More soon.

Guidelines

8) Draft a longer list of grey area guidelines with as many examples as necessary for clarity.

More soon.