There’s a different way to use the Internet - and I like it.
I recently came across a format for social media, and online posting in general, which I found to be quite compelling - especially in today’s online environment. It’s called POSSE, which stands for Publish (on your own) Site, Syndicate Elsewhere. You can read all about it here.
In a nutshell, instead of posting content to various platforms directly, you would post it to your own site, then post links to that content. I think this illustration sums it up quite well:
(Credit: Tantek, 2012)
As I understand it, the concept has one primary benefit for me: The content I produce - and choose to share - would not be tied to any one platform; I like the idea of having control over my content.
Having my content free of ties to any one platform is really appealing to me. Honestly, this is the idea that really grabbed me when I read the article linked above (again, here), and I can guess why; I read it shortly after deleting my Reddit account following the recent (as of writing) controversy around policy changes.
My reasons for deleting my Reddit account are not relevant to this piece. What is relevant is the fact that I had years of content I generated which was tied to that account alone. When I deleted my account, all of that content was gone.
Yes, I could have gone through and saved everything, re-posting it elsewhere, but that would have been less than ideal, and not the point. The point is that the POSSE system would have allowed me to delete my account, while all of the content I had produced over the years would have endured on my own site; the only things gone would have been the links from Reddit to my site, and any comments/interactions I had with other users there.
When looking for a new platform to replace my Reddit habit/addition, I had wondered what the point was… What would stop this new platform from turning into something I was no longer interested in participating in, going out of business, or any other event which might render my content deleted - either by my own choice or out of my own control?
With POSSE, I could begin to re-build a library of my own online content, while ensuring it would endure regardless of where I chose to post and share it. Rather than post my content directly on Lemme, X, Mastodon, or any of the other options out there, I would post links to my content. I get to participate, while ensuring my ability to leave a platform, add a new one, or anything in between. Admittedly, this approach won’t work on all platforms, as links aren’t always allowed, they won’t show properly, or other issues, but using it as a fundamental base for how I approach many of my interactions and contributions online is one I’m quite excited to try.
Something I was pretty adamant about when I started this site is the idea that I was going to write about anything I wanted to. No limits on topics, no minimum length, and no holding back on my perspective.
I think POSSE might fit my needs perfectly…
