What is happening in Norway, and how do we spread it?

heartbreaker@lemmy.world to Linux@lemmy.ml – 774 points –

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Serious question for you all. I too wish to see Linux use increase. I also want to see corporate social media die. I am thinking of requiring my students to create Lemmy accounts for a Lemmy group i create.

Do you think this might move folks away from essy corporate os and social media? How do You see it giving wrong?

I like the idea, but a lot of people resent being made to create accounts on random services. We know that Lemmy is good because we're here, but it might put them off the idea.

Depending on the age of your students, you might have to be careful about the fact that NSFW content is freely available here, and check the terms of your instance to see if they're allowed to make accounts in the first place e.g. on most social media and forums you have to be 13 or over.

requiring my students to create Lemmy accounts

No. Nobody likes registering accounts for random services because an authority figure told them they had to, I feel like if it were me I would do the bare minimum of interacting that I was required to and never look at the service again out of resentment.

I like it! Even if the majority of em completely abandon the accounts afterwards, it’ll increase the visibility of a fledgeling platform AND it’ll show a few folks that alternative social media platforms exist.

I mean, shit, if lemmy can suit my needs there’s no reason it shouldn’t work for at least some of em.

I remember a teacher requiring us to use Matrix for a coding class. We still mostly used Discord, and after that class ended, we never used it again.

You and I have a reason we use Lemmy: we don't want to use Reddit and want the Fediverse to grow. Simply forcing your students to make Lemmy accounts won't do anything, in fact it might make them hate it (Oke boomer).

Eh, just because you can't make a horse drink water is no reason not to lead it there.

"hey there's this thing called lemmy, check it out some time" <- leading a horse to water

"ok you have to register an account on lemmy, it's part of your grade" <- shoving a hose down the horse's throat and cranking the spigot

Exactly. I remember when my favorite teacher said "This is a textbook. Check it out sometime".

yes because having assigned reading material directly and specifically relevant to the subject of the class is exactly the same as registering for a website full of shitposts and propaganda bots. remember when you got all that spam from opening your textbook, and there was an entire chapter calling you out for being a little bitch?

that's the stupidest comparison i've ever heard.

but in this case its not water, just a niche community

Haven't seen this in the other comments: Coolness factor. If you're a successfully popular teacher, i.e. "cool", then your students will likely want to participate in whatever it is you suggest.

However, if they don't see you as cool, you might have difficulty, and might even put them off the platform. This is not something that can be fixed easily, and trying to be cool is about as uncool as you can get.

(Making it mandatory will work, of course, but how you go about that could determine whether they choose to stay on the platform once you're done. This was kind of covered by OP talking about Matrix in another comment here.)

Good points. I need to be very thoughtful before i procede. Thank You.

I would rather say that help questions can be posted there. That way its not forving anyone to do anything