The MacVoices panel of Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Marty Jencius, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Ben Roethig, Jeff Gamet, Eric Bolden, Web Bixby, and Jim Rea debates whether alternatives like Discord, Reddit, Mastodon, or Blue Sky could replace Facebook for groups and community interaction. They discuss ease of adoption, generational barriers, and what it takes for platforms to go mainstream, comparing them to Zoom’s rise during the pandemic. The conversation wraps with thoughts on Apple’s upcoming September event and closing connections. Get Tidy Today with Cloud Cleanup and CleanMyMac! Try 7 days free and use my code MACVOICES20 for 20% off at clnmy.com/MACVOICES. Show Notes: Chapters: 0:00 – Introduction and sponsor message 1:05 – The Facebook dilemma and community reliance 2:05 – Could Reddit or Discord replace Facebook groups? 3:10 – Community platforms and user responsibilities 4:46 – The “grandparents test” and tech adoption 6:59 – Why Mastodon struggles with mainstream adoption 7:44 – Barriers to new platforms and Facebook’s simplicity 8:50 – Lessons from Zoom’s forced adoption during COVID 9:59 – CleanMyMac Cloud Cleanup ad read 11:33 – Connections and closing plugs from the panel 21:10 – Apple’s September event announcement and predictions 23:14 – Closing thoughts and sign-off Links: The first known AI wrongful death lawsuit accuses OpenAI of enabling a teen's suicide https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-first-known-ai-wrongful-death-lawsuit-accuses-openai-of-enabling-a-teens-suicide-212058548.html Microsoft Copilot is now a talking blob on Samsung TVs https://www.engadget.com/ai/microsoft-copilot-is-now-a-talking-blob-on-samsung-tvs-204115199.html Clippy is back—this time as a mascot for Big Tech protesthttps://www.fastcompany.com/91387927/clippy-is-back-as-a-mascot-for-big-tech-protests Guests: Web Bixby has been in the insurance business for 40 years and has been an Apple user for longer than that.You can catch up with him on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, but prefers Bluesky. Eric Bolden is into macOS, plants, sci-fi, food, and is a rural internet supporter. You can connect with him on Twitter, by email at
[email protected], on Mastodon at @
[email protected], on his blog, Trending At Work, and as co-host on The Vision ProFiles podcast. Brian Flanigan-Arthurs is an educator with a passion for providing results-driven, innovative learning strategies for all students, but particularly those who are at-risk. He is also a tech enthusiast who has a particular affinity for Apple since he first used the Apple IIGS as a student. You can contact Brian on twitter as @brian8944. He also recently opened a Mastodon account at @
[email protected]. Jeff Gamet is a technology blogger, podcaster, author, and public speaker. Previously, he was The Mac Observer’s Managing Editor, and the TextExpander Evangelist for Smile. He has presented at Macworld Expo, RSA Conference, several WordCamp events, along with many other conferences. You can find him on several podcasts such as The Mac Show, The Big Show, MacVoices, Mac OS Ken, This Week in iOS, and more. Jeff is easy to find on social media as @jgamet on Twitter and Instagram, jeffgamet on LinkedIn., @
[email protected] on Mastodon, and on his YouTube Channel at YouTube.com/jgamet. David Ginsburg is the host of the weekly podcast In Touch With iOS where he discusses all things iOS, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and related technologies. He is an IT professional supporting Mac, iOS and Windows users. Visit his YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/daveg65 and find and follow him on Twitter @daveg65 and on Mastodon at @
[email protected]. Dr. Marty Jencius has been an Associate Professor of Counseling at Kent State University since 2000. He has over 120 publications in books, chapters, journal articles, and others, along with 200 podcasts related to counseling, counselor education, and faculty life. His technology interest led him to develop the counseling profession ‘firsts,’ including listservs, a web-based peer-reviewed journal, The Journal of Technology in Counseling, teaching and conferencing in virtual worlds as the founder of Counselor Education in Second Life, and podcast founder/producer of CounselorAudioSource.net and ThePodTalk.net. Currently, he produces a podcast about counseling and life questions, the Circular Firing Squad, and digital video interviews with legacies capturing the history of the counseling field. This is also co-host of The Vision ProFiles podcast. Generally, Marty is chasing the newest tech trends, which explains his interest in A.I. for teaching, research, and productivity. Marty is an active presenter and past president of the NorthEast Ohio Apple Corp (NEOAC). Jim Rea built his own computer from scratch in 1975, started programming in 1977, and has been an independent Mac developer continuously since 1984. He is the founder of ProVUE Development, and the author of Panorama X, ProVUE's ultra fast RAM based database software for the macOS platform. He’s been a speaker at MacTech, MacWorld Expo and other industry conferences. Follow Jim at provue.com and via @
[email protected] on Mastodon. Ben Roethig has been in the Apple Ecosystem since the System 7 Days. He is the a former Associate Editor with Geek Beat, Co-Founder of The Tech Hangout and Deconstruct and currently shares his thoughts on RoethigTech. Contact him on Twitter and Mastodon. Support: Become a MacVoices Patron on Patreon http://patreon.com/macvoices Enjoy this episode? Make a one-time donation with PayPal Connect: Web: http://macvoices.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/chuckjoiner http://www.twitter.com/macvoices Mastodon: https://mastodon.cloud/@chuckjoiner Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chuck.joiner MacVoices Page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/macvoices/ MacVoices Group on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/macvoice LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckjoiner/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chuckjoiner/ Subscribe: Audio in iTunes Video in iTunes Subscribe manually via iTunes or any podcatcher: Audio: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesrss Video: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesvideorss
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