The Verge and 404 Media are building out new functions that would allow them to distribute posts on their sites and on federated platforms – like Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky – at the same time. Replies to those posts on those platforms become comments on their sites.

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[–] Dariusmiles2123@sh.itjust.works 1 points 4 months ago

I’d be really happy about anything bringing more people on Lemmy and the Fediverse, so I wouldn’t complain about it.

Maybe I’m not seeing the big picture as some people seem to be scared of such a move.

[–] DamienGramatacus@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago

I love 404 Media. I wish i had enough disposable income to support them.

[–] solrize@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Wait their articles are paywalled. Are they only going to federate the clickbait teaser intros?

[–] Metz@lemmy.world -1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (3 children)

Wait their articles are paywalled.

Journalists have to pay for food and rent too. What is the alternative? ads?

The money has to come from somewhere.

[–] solrize@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

Paywalls just don't mix that well with federation. The teasers are basically ads, and why would fediverse volunteers want to propagate some company's ads? The non-federated model they are using now seems fine.

[–] mulcahey@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I didn't read Solrize's comment as saying "There shouldn't be paywalls," just asking the very legitimate question as to how they will interact with federation.

Interestingly, 404 just solved something kinda related: they developed a way for subscribers to get a custom RSS feed address, so they can access paywalled articles directly in their RSS reader. TMK, they are the first publication to do this. I imagine they would do something similar for federation. (I believe that if any of the custom RSS feeds show huge traffic numbers, 404 shuts it down, but I'm not sure)

[–] Natanael@slrpnk.net 1 points 4 months ago

I don't think that's new, you just need to throw in a personal subscription key in the URL

[–] lambalicious@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 4 months ago

The money comes from the companies that are hiring them to do the journalist work. Of course.

Let's be intellectually honest here. If a company has enough money that the boss can brand themself as "CEO" then it can pay at least living wages.

[–] Max_P@lemmy.max-p.me 1 points 4 months ago

If they do that, they can no longer complain that Meta is freeloading on them and get themselves banned by Meta like they did in Canada...

[–] Marsupial@quokk.au -1 points 4 months ago (3 children)

How about corporations fuck off? Let us have our own small slice of people own and ran Internet back again.

[–] YourAvgMortal@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

The nice thing about the fediverse is that you could start your own instance and not federate with them

[–] ekZepp@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago

...or block them.

[–] pennomi@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago

Yeah but now they have to play by our rules or get defederated. We are no longer at the mercy of profit motives.

[–] FiskFisk33@startrek.website 1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

I see no problem with this, if they federate instances can choose to pick them up or not