This project will develop a set of resources that articulate the spirit of Scuttlebutt and all its awesome potential, but targeted to people who are not developers or technological hobbyists. With these resources, our network is accessible to a larger group-- who can get onboarded and active without needing to understand github, node dependencies, or the malleable and nuanced definition of a pub.
These resources would proudly display our existing, beautiful solarpunk weirdness, so people are drawn to the culture of this community as much as to the promise of its tech.
We create a set of videos, articles, and other illustrative materials that succintly articulate what scuttlebutt is, why it's unique, and why someone would want to join. We would also create an equally rich set of materials that help people once they've joined, to help them make sense of the space and quickly feel at home. These resources would all live on scuttlebutt.nz, in a revamped homepage. In this way, there's a simple link a SSB-er can give to friends interested in this 'verse, but offer an entrance that isn't overwhelming with tech docs.
While the resources would work together to give a nuanced, helpful introduction to our 'verse; they would also be designed to work on their own and without any context. In this way, each piece could be shared through the old internet's existing channels as interesting standalone pieces, but they would lead people to scuttlebutt.nz and all the other riches to be found there.
There's millions of people with computers who quality as "non-technically minded". I do not think we should try to make materials that would speak to any of these millions. Instead, we should focus on the types of non-technical people we'd love to have in our community now, and focus our language to them. This aims for a slower, more organic growth that builds upon our awesome, emerging culture.
I've written up a list of personas that I think fit the type of people we should direct our efforts to. It can be found here: Personas
If you think there is someone missing from that list, please feel free to make a pull request!
Click the link to travel to this resource's page within the REPO. Each one is is various states of "done-ness"
A 30 second to 1 minute video that enthuses upon the core values, concepts, and awesome things of Scuttlebutt. It's intent is to invite folks to learn more within the site (or by travelling to the site, if they see the video on some other network). For that reason, it is less concerned with exactness than with spirit, and is the most 'markety' of our resources.
A simpler homepage for scuttlebutt that succintly explains the spirit of our community, and offers an entrance to both dev and non dev resources. The page is designed for better navigation and keener cultural aesthetics.
A quick and simple addition to our homepage that shows, in handy GIF form, what is going to happen once Patchwork is done installing and you join SSB.e
A series of articles/resources that explain how simple functions like sending messages or posting statuses happen within centralized models. These articles detail the overlooked technical processes, and business diescions, required in a centralized system. Through this context, a user can better understand what makes SSB different and why it's important.
Individual Resources:
Understanding Centralized Models: How to Post an Effective Tweet
A friendly guide for the current Scuttlebutt member who wants to invite their friends onto the 'verse. It details the best ways to onboard folks when in the same room and on the same network. it also details the best ways to throw a super good party.
An easy-to-miss stumbling block for our clients is not knowing how to properly write messages in them. Markdown is common in tech, but not as common outside of it. Producing an ssb- specific markdown style guide, that can be incorporated into our clients, would help people confidently post.
SSB is it's own beautiful thing, which means it's kinda like (but not quite like) a bunch of other things. This small guide compares SSB and its current clients to other well-known messaging/socializing platforms. This way someone can have the right context for what to expect(and get excited about) in SSB.
This identification has gained an incredible life within the scuttleverse, and it is a relatively new genre/marker within the larger world. This article outlines how we define solarpunk and how it's expressed within the network (from Spider-Farm to Dominic coding ssb on a solar-powered computer to our practical discussions of airship manufacturing and governance without oppression)
This would be a video/article about how to post, and what to post. How to subscribe to a channel, and what a channel means. The difference between public and private posts, Some popular topics to check out, and other encouragement to help new folks express their unique selves within our unique 'verse.