I gave it a sincere effort at the very least. While I eagerly await my launch codes, I'd like to discuss the process of joining the Diaspora.
Much has been made about Twitter's poor manner of welcoming new users. It is tantamount to Diaspora's success that they get sign-up process right, if they want to survive, or at least I say it is.
I heard about Diaspora as they capitalized on Facebook's failure to handle their security and privacy issues with any respect to their user base. I thought it was brilliant that they would offer an alternative to the abusive giant and attempt to siphon off Facebook's most discontented users.
Like many other users, I was disgusted in the manner that Facebook attempted to seize their users' data and sell the information to marketers. It wasn't the fact that they would provide the information to the highest bidder, it was Mark Zuckerberg claiming that it was precisely what the users desired.
I joined Facebook with a healthy degree of paranoia and attempted to be careful with how my page was exposed. This has become impossible as Facebook has arbitrarily changed privacy settings and the contents of my page without alerting me or requesting my approval.
So viva la diaspora! On to a new network free of self-absorbed, greedy leadership (I felt this way about Zuckerberg well before I watch The Social Network) and also free all of the contacts I've amassed and all of the content I've socially bookmarked. But a network with a firm promise to be far less evil.
My friend sent me CNN's coverage of Diaspora's debut and reminded me to give these guys a shot. I agree, the next great fad will be something different from Facebook, but let's set one thing straight: the newsfeed did not kill Myspace. Facebook users hated the newsfeed and it's launch sparked a brief exodus of users. Facebook killed Myspace because they hired a bouncer and kept out spammers--Myspace left the door open and the rest is Rupert Murdoch's loss.
So I went to diaspora.com and discovered that the programmers are being thrifty and not wasting money on the fancy .com address. They do appear on the top of the Google results and you can start the sign-up process at joindiaspora.com.
I like the selling points – sorting of contacts in groups and then controlling sharing abilities are very desirable, but where's the sign-up box?! In the first page I can see how to follow them on Twitter but not on their own site! Which service do they want me to use?
Scrolling down it appears you have to sign up for an invite. I could have used a few more reminders about how special and exclusive of a beta tester I was about to become, but this works. I'll applaud them for not making the useless error of denying the plus sign as a valid character in my email address. If you're unaware of all of the good reasons to use a plus sign when signing up for stuff, read all about it.
I switch over to my email and there it is! My very own . . . request to confirm my subscription. Maybe it's just a matter of different terminology?
Nope. I've simply confirmed that I meant to give them this email address. They promptly sent me another message saying just that. So, that's one sign up form and two emails and I still haven't been able to fill out my favorite movie quotes or relationship status.
When does the fun begin?! How long does Diaspora hope I will sit eager in anticipation without having yet used any of their services? Much has been made of the number of Twitter users that sign up for an account never to return to it again. What kind of effect does Diaspora expect this to have on their success?
While I would love to support the competition, I fear for the future of this alternative. This is not the roll-out I would have planned. Even if the debut is in its infancy, I would have included a lot more discussion of their development.
Give us a story! Let us fall in love with the process and create a dream of what Diaspora is going to be. If Twitter must be utilized, at least embed a feed of what you've posted about you product and keep me on your site.
I hope they have something up their sleeve for the next great Facebook backlash. It has been a few months since Mark Zuckerberg has betrayed the trust of his half billion users and it surely will not be long before he angers them again.
After digging through Diaspora's twitter feed, it appears invitations for alpha testers were only open for four brief days in November and that I've missed the ship. So much for escaping the evil clutches of Facebook today.
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