There are simple services that exist that — when a user fills-out & submits a <form> on the Web that simple service e-mail someone that data.

There are simple services that exist that — when a user fills-out & submits a <form> on the Web that simple service e-mail someone that data.

These simple services are alternatives to more complex back-end with a database.

An alternative to this alternative could be — instead of e-mailing someone the submitted data, send that data via the Fediverse using ActivityPub.

ActivityPub them. (Can “ActivityPub” be a verb‽)

Probably as a private DM.

#ActivityPub #FediUX #Fedivese #FediverseUX

@reiver HUGE WARNING: ActivityPub DMs are not really very private. Modern e-mail is better if this is your intention.

@khleedril

AFAIK, e-mail isn't really private either.

Wouldn't an e-mail be about as private as an ActivityPub DM?

I.e., you have about the same level of privacy with both an ActivityPub DM and e-mail?

Or, am I missing something?

Yes and those simple services have huge problems with spam...

I suppose if those simple services implemented anti-spam and such then they wouldn't be so simple eh...

That said sometimes really simple stuff eliminates the most spam. Even a single invisible text box. If the form is sent with a value for that input, discard it completely.

@reiver why though? the great thing about email is it being asynchronous (and I mark each message as read/unread and order them in my inbox).

not everything has to be bolted onto AP

@wojtek

For the people who want to use e-mail, they can. No one is going to force them to switch.

But, not everyone wants to use e-mail.

Some (like me, and others) would prefer an alternative "rails" because of all the difficulty and problems with e-mail.

...

Also, ActivityPub is asynchronous (in that way), too.

...

In some ways, ActivityPub is a modernized e-mail.

It has an 'inbox' and an 'outbox'.

You send and receive 'messages'.

Etc.

@reiver

> "because of all the difficulty and problems with e-mail."

care to elaborate? (yes, IMAP is a dumpsterfire )

> "In some ways, ActivityPub is a modernized e-mail."

That's a streach

@wojtek

Regarding:
"""
> "In some ways, ActivityPub is a modernized e-mail."

That's a streach
"""

At its core, SMTP uses 7-bit bytes.

ActivityPub uses 8-bit bytes (like most computers nowadays).

That feels like a major modernization to me.

@wojtek

Regarding:
"""
"because of all the difficulty and problems with e-mail."

care to elaborate? (yes, IMAP is a dumpsterfire )
"""

For example, trying to get an e-mail message delivered to a GMail e-mail address from your own Internet domain running on a self-hosted e-mail server is at the very least an incredibly difficult thing to accomplish — and sometimes even practically impossible.

And, if you are lucky enough to get it working, you have to re-do over and over again.

@wojtek

Compared to that, ActivityPub is a much easier option to go with (than e-mail).

@wojtek

Also, I wrote this on it before:

@reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman: (@reiver@mastodon.social)

I have heard some people argue for moving away from Web-based social-media and returning to E-Mail for their social-media distribution needs. I think a lot of people don't realize how difficult it is to do something as simple as sending out an e-mail -based newsletter. There are a lot of hurdles in the way of your e-mail newsletter getting delivered to your subscribers. E-Mail doesn't remove the gatekeepers or middlemen. It just replaces them with Google GMail, etc #DeSo #EMail #SocialMedia

Mastodon (mastodon.social)

.