The Failure of #Mainstreaming – What Comes Next?

https://hamishcampbell.com/the-failure-of-mainstreaming-what-comes-next/

It should be easy to see that all that the current #mainstreaming is failed.

The valid question is what to do about this, it's just as relevant in our #openweb reboot as it is outside in the real world

https://hamishcampbell.com/?s=mainstreaming

Some thought provoking ideas about the open social web with @mike and @chrismessina .

Via @_elena

https://pca.st/episode/3141fffd-4a49-4784-b512-dfd8be55f607

https://rights.social./bill-of-rights this is exactly the same project and process as the #4opens just more liberal/capitalist friendly. And no teeth... it's an appeal to people - where the original and much older #4opens is that and more importantly it's a way of judging devs #KISS

The real thing is here https://unite.openworlds.info/Open-Media-Network/4opens

phhwww... #nothingnew comes to mind, though diversity is good, the project needs to link, this is basic #openweb

A part of this might be that it’s interesting to see that the right-wing are picking up the real problems and mess on the left and then using it to forward their own ideological agenda. The need for #netiquette to mediate hostility on the #openweb https://hamishcampbell.com/the-need-for-netiquette-to-mediate-hostility-on-the-openweb/

The issue with #FOSS tech development

The failure of many #FOSS projects is a failure to move from theory to practice. The issue is that developers work in isolation, disconnected from grassroots needs, and get lost in perfectionism rather than delivering functional prototypes.

The #geekproblem dominates, many coders prioritize control, abstract debates, or self-contained experiments over practical, usable tools for real-world communities. This is why projects stall: they are not built with activists in mind. Meanwhile, centralized platforms continue to consolidate power, because they offer simple, accessible, and functional solutions, despite their deep flaws.

To break this cycle, we need:
* Practical iteration—build rough, working solutions rather than endless theorizing.
* #4opens culture—embrace open process, standards, and real collaboration.
* Bridging solutions—tech that activists can actually use, not just developer-driven experiments.
* Funding models beyond #NGO traps—so projects remain independent and sustainable.

The fight for the #openweb is not only about resisting #dotcons but creating alternatives people can and will use. Can we move beyond abstraction and actually make history?

Development - Next Steps for #OGB

The #OGB (Open Governance Body) is a native #openweb project to enable decentralized, transparent governance for grassroots media and activist networks. However, like many open projects, it faces significant development roadblocks.

Currently, the challenge is moving beyond theory into implementation. The stalled dev work at http://unite.openworlds.info highlights the common issue: lack of dedicated developer focus. The problem isn’t just writing code; it’s building a bridge between activist needs and functional, people-friendly tools. The #geekproblem looms large, developers work in isolation, disconnected from real-world social movements, or they get caught in perfectionism instead of delivering working prototypes.

What #OGB needs is practical iteration: a rough, working proof of concept, rather than endlessly debating the ideal model. The project requires coders willing to work openly, embracing the #4opens (open source, open standards, open process, open data). The biggest blocker? A culture that prioritizes control over collaboration.

The development side of #MakingHistory

Building radical alternatives is not just about ideas—it’s about infrastructure. The #makeinghistory project is grounded in the messy, often frustrating work of creating tools that actually function for real communities. We’ve spent decades watching #dotcons centralize power while open projects stumble due to lack of focus, infighting, or simply being too obscure for everyday use.

#Makinghistory means stepping outside the cycle of dead-end open-source projects that never reach real people. We need bridging solutions, funding models outside the #NGO trap, and devs who understand grassroots needs. It’s not about innovation for its own sake, it’s about making the #openweb function better as a lived alternative.

This is where the real fight is. Not in reaction, not in abstraction, but in building tools people can and will use.

The development of #IndymediaBack

The reboot of #Indymedia (#IndymediaBack) is about reclaiming grassroots, open, and radical media infrastructure outside of the control of corporate platforms and #dotcons. However, the development side has stalled due to the same issues that have stalled other #openweb projects, lack of sustained coder engagement, resistance in centralized funding, and the dominance of closed silos.

The challenge is building tech that works for activists, not just developers. The original Indymedia relied on early open-source tools. This means moving beyond tech-fetishist projects that scratch a developer’s itch while ignoring real-world community.

A trust-based federated publishing network is the goal. The #OMN (Open Media Network) framework already outlines how to create syndicated media flows using #4opens. The stalled dev site at http://unite.openworlds.info needs committed developers who care about media as a movement, not just a tech experiment.

Without serious investment in #DIY, people-friendly, open-source alternatives, activists will remain trapped inside the #mainstreaming of social media platforms. The question is: can we finally push through the #geekproblem and make this happen?

What software do activists need?

https://hamishcampbell.com/what-software-do-activists-need/

Capitalist paths have shaped wide spaces in the #openweb into a landscape to prioritize profit over public good, leading to the current mess of exploitation, centralization, surveillance, and inequality we face today. Capitalism is the logic of the #dotcons https://hamishcampbell.com/capitalism-is-the-logic-of-the-dotcons/

"No real commitment from “allies”, the move to the #openweb was ignored by the #mainstreaming left who stay on the #dotcons…The liberal crowd loves theory, but often won’t do the hard work of actually shifting paradigms, this leaves in place structural hostility to #DIYCulture, PEOPLE ARE SO TRAINED TO CONSUME RATHER THAN CREATE & MAINTAIN that even the “alternative” spaces get stuck replicating the same individualist consumption patterns."
From: @eliasulrich
https://hachyderm.io/@eliasulrich/114245314539691549

wow „No code from other browsers. We're building a new engine, based on web standards.“ - awaiting session by #AndreasKling on # SotB2025 #browser #dev #ladybird #OpenWeb

https://ladybird.org/

Just learned about #openvide today. Did you give it a try? What's your experience like?

https://openvibe.social/

Community support needed to keep this site online https://hamishcampbell.com/support-needed-to-keep-this-site-online/ Tech-minded? If you enjoy tinkering with WordPress configs and want to lend a hand, drop me a message! Let’s keep this #openweb native space up and running reliably.

Community support Needed to Keep this Site Online

https://hamishcampbell.com/support-needed-to-keep-this-site-online/

Struggling for a Real Alternative

https://hamishcampbell.com/struggling-for-a-real-alternative/

#Techshit Hype – #NothingNew

https://hamishcampbell.com/techshit-hype-nothingnew/

I have been walking this path for 30 years as an #openweb organic intellectual, technologist, and part of the #OMN. It’s not easy, and it’s not as simple as clicking “sign up” and walking into a ready-made community https://hamishcampbell.com/its-not-easy-and-its-not-as-simple-as-clicking-sign-up-and-walking-into-a-ready-made-community/