Issue #15

Bluesky social network & social media for activists

Daniel Krueger
May 12, 2023

Welcome back to TheBetterWeb newsletter!

This is the round-up of my Better Web week. Five links show you what, in my opinion, has been important for change makers in the last few days.

I write about tech, tools, and politics for a progressive world. If you are an activist or trying to make the world a better place, I provide you with information and references for your daily business.

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And here we go.

1. What happened this week?

Bluesky is having a moment

Bluesky is a decentralized social network backed by Jack Dorsey, aiming to create an open-source standard for social media. It is currently in a closed beta phase and has gained popularity, with over 375,000 downloads on iOS and becoming one of the top social media apps on the Play Store. Bluesky differentiates itself from other platforms by developing its own protocol and offering customizable moderation levels and algorithms. More on that here.

At the moment invitation-only policy, so if someone has an invitation, I’ll be happy to receive 😃

The Morning After: Jack Dorsey-backed Twitter alternative, Bluesky, is having a moment | Engadget

The biggest news stories this morning: Bank of Canada asks for public feedback about a national digital currency, Jack Dorsey-backed Bluesky is having a moment, We get the first trailer for Chris Nolan's 'Oppenheimer'..

www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-jack-dorsey-backed-twitter-alternative-bluesky-is-having-a-moment-111559853.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAGrG8SngUvzfb6hQbkwDnkKHZsxkwtVynUBNngQkIhnHEs61a6PQMP3FAe7tX39Y-qkN6-D3s0DtBradumy3WChGLaakMFMoILEyJuCrbSFxdGNBYZQt4DtLXQRfIAHAtD1ZnMlXsjBUkTU3G6DSidaVPFCduIbvr7WO_fAljDUK

2. Campaigning I

Planning a communications campaign? Read this.

Here five questions are asked and answered. If you're planning on communicating right now, be sure to read this.

5 Questions to Ask Yourself When Planning a Communications Campaign - ILGA-Europe Hub

If you’re planning a communications campaign, these five fundamental questions can help you agree a strategy

hub.ilga-europe.org/campaigning/5-questions-to-ask-yourself-when-planning-a-communications-campaign/?utm_source=activisthandbook.org

3. Campaigning II

Social Media for activists

After theory comes practice. Here are concrete tips for your social media work. You can learn how to unleash the power of social media activism. You will also discover how to go beyond hashtags and make a difference. There are also tips for authentic engagement, effective communication, and meaningful action.

Social Media Activism in 2023: How to Go Beyond the Hashtag

If you plan to use your social channels as a platform for advocacy and activism, follow these tips to show up authentically and make a real difference.

blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-activism/#4_Be_human

4. WTF?

India bans 14 apps

This was already a topic in last week's issue: India is becoming more and more restrictive towards apps that don't give the government insight. The Tutanota blog sums this up well and lists all the banned apps. And again, at Acter, we use Element and we like it!

India first democracy to ban encrypted messaging apps on massive scale.

Only days before Press Freedom Day, India banned apps for secure communication because of "terrorists" use.

tutanota.com/blog/posts/apps-banned-india

5. Online Privacy & Security

Best password managers

Protecting identity and data is essential today, especially for change makers. Passwords are a particular vulnerability. For example, here are the 200 most common passwords of 2022. It's an online security horror list. 😱😱😱

You can do better. All you need is a password manager. Here are the top 5 according to Wired.

The Best Password Managers to Secure Your Digital Life

Keep your logins locked down with our favorite apps for PC, Mac, Android, iPhone, and web browsers.

www.wired.com/story/best-password-managers

Just nice!

1965 Skateboarders

Photographs of skateboarders are really nothing special. But I've never seen photos from the 60s with skateboarders before. Back then skateboarding was something new. These are great b/w photos from New York. 😍😍😍

Skateboarding: Photos From the Early Days of the Sport and Pastime

LIFE.com looks back at the early, anarchic days of a quintessentially American pastime -- skateboarding -- though the lens of Bill Eppridge.

www.life.com/lifestyle/skateboarding-photos-from-the-early-days-of-the-sport-and-the-pastime

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See you next week!