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Is it possible to view on Hubzilla the equivalent of the "explore" stream on Mastodon-based servers?

Thu, 28 Nov 2024 22:07:50 +0100

Hubzilla Support Forum

adminsforum@hubzilla.org

Feral Ferment wrote the following post Thu, 28 Nov 2024 22:08:11 +0100

Is it possible to view on Hubzilla the equivalent of the "explore" stream on Mastodon-based servers?

I am new to #Hubzilla, and feeling my way around. This is only my second post on Hubzilla.

On Mastodon-based servers, I can see an "explore" stream of trending posts. This, for example, is the "explore" stream on the biggest #Mastodon server. I don't know the exact algorithm, but I think posts that receive a high number of reposts/boosts and shares/likes are found in the "explore" stream, in reverse-chronological order. On Mastodon-based servers, this stream seems to also include posts from servers running services based on the #Zot #protocol.

In this channel, I have installed the Activity Protocol app. If I search for some term, I can see relevant posts from servers running Hubzilla, Mastodon, #Pleroma, etc. So I assume my channel is federating with servers running services based on the #ActivityPub protocol.

But if I simply look at the public stream, I only see posts on klacker.org and hub.hubzilla.hu from the past fourteen days. Is this expected behaviour?

I want to know if there is a way to view on Hubzilla the equivalent of the "explore" stream on Mastodon-based servers. If there is, what steps do I need to follow to activate it?

show all 18 comments

Thu, 28 Nov 2024 23:11:41 +0100 last edited: Thu, 28 Nov 2024 23:12:52 +0100

_jayrope

jrp@hub.kliklak.net

You are seeing the klacker.org posts only in the public stream, because that is kind of an equivalent for Mastodons explore feed on klacker.org. Given the small user number of Hubzilla servers you just don't receive all too much variety probably. Sadly there is no equivalent to Mastodons federated stream otherwise, which shows all posts of all connected servers in real-tim. It's a blast, both for speed and variety.
However your public stream is your long-time friend. The more connections you make, the more it'll fill up with posts from your connections and their connections.

• sent from #Hubzilla, in the #Fediverse.

Thu, 28 Nov 2024 23:51:54 +0100

Feral Ferment

feralferment@klacker.org

Thank you @_jayrope.

I figured that the #Hubzilla public stream and the #Mastodon explore feed are equivalent.

It is possible that my hub admin may have allowed only posts from the past fourteen days to appear in the public stream, I understand that. But I find it hard to believe that there were no posts in the past fourteen days on any Hubzilla hub outside of hub.hubzilla.hu and klacker.org. I think it is more likely that the default public stream on klacker.org is limited to the two hubs administered by the admin. Maybe my admin will join the conversation and advice. Let's see.

As for making connections, it seems like a chicken and egg problem. Without visibility to people's posts, it is hard to know that those accounts/channels exist, and you cannot connect with an account/channel if you do not even know that it exists.

Yes, I know there are "friend suggestions". But almost all the "friend suggestions" I received so far are of people who post in languages that I do not know. (To be clear: this is not a criticism of those people. In a sense, I am glad that Hubzilla seems less USA-centric than Mastodon.) And the few suggestions of people who post in one of the languages I know (English) were channels that haven't posted anything in several years. And then there were suggestions of channels which have never ever posted anything.

Anyway, let's see how it goes.

Just to get back to my original question: I take it that outside of making connections, there is no way to customize one's public stream to receive "trending" posts from across the fediverse? Not even from other Zot-based services like #Friendica, let alone from all the ActivityPub-based services? Is that correct?

I assume it's possible to connect with accounts/channels from outside of Hubzilla, say, accounts hosted on servers running Friendica or Mastodon or #Pleroma or any other #Fediverse service?

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 00:06:46 +0100

Jupiter Rowland

jupiter_rowland@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

@_jayrope Looks more like @PepeCyB has set the public stream on klacker.org to local. If it was federated, it'd be much busier, what with whom this channel is connected to. And the posts from hub.hubzilla.hu might come in through a cloned channel.

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 00:09:33 +0100

Jupiter Rowland

jupiter_rowland@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

@Feral Ferment First of all, little correction: Friendica isn't Zot-based. Zot was first introduced in the immediated precursor of Hubzilla.

Otherwise, yes, you can connect to just about everything in the Fediverse that uses ActivityPub, provided you've got ActivityPub activated (which you have).

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 00:29:25 +0100

Der Pepe (Hubzilla) ⁂ ⚝

pepecyb@hub.hubzilla.hu

@Feral Ferment

In fact, I have configured the public stream on both Klackerhub and Whoville so that it only feeds on content from the respective hub. This means that it only shows you content that comes from channels from Klackerhub, for example.

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 00:44:14 +0100

Feral Ferment

feralferment@klacker.org

Thank you @Der Pepe (Hubzilla) ⁂ ⚝ for the clarification, I had guessed as much. Is this configuration done to reduce load on your servers? Would have been nice to get feed from across Hubzilla at least, I feel.

Another question related to finding accounts to follow: If I try to use the search box for a Mastodon account (which I know exists), say Eugen Rochko's account, just as an example, I get no results. I checked this for several other accounts as well. Is that also something you have configured? Or is that a default Hubzilla configuration?

On the other hand, if I type "Gargron" here in this message, with an @ symbol before it, it shows Eugen Rochko's account as the autocomplete option. Still trying to figure out things.

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 00:51:02 +0100

Feral Ferment

feralferment@klacker.org

Thank you @Jupiter Rowland for correcting me. I have read some of your posts/articles about Hubzilla and about rest of the Fediverse, and learnt from them.

Had thought of connecting with your account, but then remembered you mentioning in one of your articles that you do not accept connections unless they overlap with your specific interests; so I didn't.

I seem to be stuck at not getting the search box to show any Mastodon accounts (and maybe accounts of other services, doesn't seem to suggest your account either), as I mentioned in another comment to my administrator.

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 00:52:15 +0100

Der Pepe (Hubzilla) ⁂ ⚝

pepecyb@hub.hubzilla.hu

@Feral Ferment The search in the ‘Directory’ app only searches for channels in the grid, i.e. in the Hubzilla network (do not limit the search to your own hub... there is a switch).

In the search in the stream, however, you will then find posts in which the user is mentioned or which originate from him. You can then use this to connect with them.

P.S. I have sent you a direct message... Have you seen it yet? 😉

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 00:58:05 +0100

Jupiter Rowland

jupiter_rowland@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

@Feral Ferment I do accept connections unless they're clearly to harvest followers.

But if I follow someone back, that doesn't mean I actually follow them back. If they've got a lot to say, but nothing interesting for me, I don't give them permission to send me their posts.

Speaking of which, here's some good advice: Don't set your channel up so that everyone can always send you their posts. What you allow everyone, you can't deny certain connections other than by ignoring or Superblocking them. And if you stay on Hubzilla, and if you get more and more connections, your stream will end up more and more cluttered with uninteresting stuff.

So first, set up a couple of contact roles. At least one for those whom you want to grant permission to send you their posts. Turn that permission on in the contact role. Also, one in case you want to keep someone's posts out without keeping everything else from them out. Do not turn the "send posts" permission on in this contact role.

Next, give these contact roles to your connections.

Finally, adjust your channel role so that everyone can no longer send you their posts.

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 01:05:44 +0100

Feral Ferment

feralferment@klacker.org

@Der Pepe (Hubzilla) ⁂ ⚝, I have replied to your direct message, thanks.

As for search, I am talking about the magnifying glass symbol at the top right of the page. The one that shows "@name, #tag, ?doc, content" on clicking. Even if I type a complete Mastodon address (which I know exists) and press "Enter", it shows me no results. This seems to be the case irrespective of whether the rest of the page is the network stream, or public stream, or friend suggestions.

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 01:08:13 +0100

Feral Ferment

feralferment@klacker.org

@Jupiter Rowland

Thank you for all the advice. I will need some time to digest it, assimilate it, and then act on it. Maybe a couple of days. :-)

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 01:18:31 +0100

Jupiter Rowland

jupiter_rowland@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

@Feral Ferment I think if you want to search for user accounts/channels unknown to the hub, this only works on the Connections page and not in the general search.

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 01:24:06 +0100

Feral Ferment

feralferment@klacker.org

@Jupiter Rowland, doesn't work there either, checked just now.

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 01:34:05 +0100

Feral Ferment

feralferment@klacker.org

@Jupiter Rowland, @Der Pepe (Hubzilla) ⁂ ⚝,

As far as I can figure out at the moment, the only way to follow a known Mastodon or Pleroma or another ActivityPub-based account seems to be:

Search for some hashtag that you know the account of interest has posted on.
The search brings up all posts related to that hashtag, including the posts from the account of interest.
Select the relevant post, select the poster account, and connect to it.

Seems a round-about way of connecting.

Most likely, I must be missing something obvious.

In any case, I need to wrap up my Hubzilla exploration for the day. Will be back later.

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 09:14:02 +0100

Jupiter Rowland

jupiter_rowland@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

@Feral Ferment There's a much easier and more straight-forward way that doesn't involve any search:

Find out that user's profile URL or ID.
Go to the Connections page.
Click the green "Add" button at the top of your list of connections.
Enter either the ID (without the leading @) or the URL.
Confirm it.
A dialogue should pop up in which you can configure the connection.

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 02:12:28 +0100

Feral Ferment

feralferment@klacker.org

Great.

Told you I must be missing something obvious.

Will check this out.

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 03:15:41 +0100

Feral Ferment

feralferment@klacker.org

@Jupiter Rowland, this is about your advice regarding setting up contact roles and channel role. I have set up a new contact role (cannot send posts) in addition to the default one (can send posts).

But where do I change the channel role so that everyone can no longer send me their posts? I am not seeing that option in the settings page for the channel.

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 08:53:12 +0100

Jupiter Rowland

jupiter_rowland@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

@Feral Ferment You can choose a preset channel role in the channel settings, first setting right at the top. As for what they're roughly like, see @Der Pepe (Hubzilla) ⁂ ⚝'s rewrite of the Hubzilla help. I think there's a table somewhere that compares the presets, setting by setting, but I can't find it.

If you want to have a non-preset channel role, first set it to Custom. Then go to the privacy settings. You'll find a button in the bottom right that takes you to the individual configuration of your channel role. A warning pops up which is justified because you can break a lot in the custom channel role if you don't know what you're doing. Accept, and you'll have all channel role settings listed, and you can adjust them all individually.