#ghostreplies — Public Fediverse posts

@cainmark Yeah, the fact that #GhostReplies exist and that not everyone knows about them is definitely a complicating issue in the fedi

Just so I don't get a million #GhostReplies: Yes, the show was called "Out of This World."

Hey, so if you're tempted to chime in here with something about the fact that Cory's post is on Medium: Yes, I know. Everyone can see that. Anyone who clicks through can see it's only available to those with (free) accounts.

Many, many people have made this point in my replies already. (If you can't see them, they may be #GhostReplies to you). So save your keystrokes.

If you want to see Cory's responses on this issue, they're here: https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic/110848872407127751

But please leave me out of it.

It sounds like some people might need a reminder: You may not be able to see all the responses to all the posts that you see.

Just because you don't see a certain type of reply, doesn't mean it's not happening.

It might just be happening in #GhostReplies

@xAD @gedeonm Are you aware that, due to the way the fediverse works you cannot, in fact, see all the replies to every post you see. So this may be happening in #GhostReplies that you can't even see.

I’m not sure I understand all the implications of #ghostreplies

@design_law I usually "Open original page" to see what replies are actually there. You're right that #ghostreplies are kind of annoying "feature" of how many fedi-services work.

Maybe I'm just not popular enough to get responses to anything I say, but is it really that big a problem for people, especially if they *know* that these people are probably responding in good faith and just can't see that other people have already responded? Might be annoying, but is that worth stifling conversation?

One more thought: There is at least one upside to the #GhostReplies phenomenon--namely, that I feel a lot better about ignoring incorrect/off-the-wall replies.

On Twitter, if someone said something obviously incorrect about my area of law in my mentions, I felt compelled to say something because I knew everyone else could see their misstatement and might attribute my silence (again, I'm talking about replies to me, not others' freestanding posts) as agreement.

Here, not so much.

@wcbdata Yeah, I totally hear that. I will say that, on the other side, there is at least one big benefit to #GhostReplies--namely, that I feel a lot better about ignoring a lot of them. On Twitter, if someone said something obviously incorrect about my area of law in my mentions, I felt compelled to say something because I knew everyone else could see their misstatement and might attribute my silence (again, I'm talking about replies to me, not others' freestanding posts) as agreement.

One more thought:

If you see other people posting about something you haven't seen, consider whether is may be something they're seeing in their #GhostReplies, instead of assuming it's not really a thing.

@design_law
Thank you for delving into this. I WANT to see #ghostreplies too.

I have the same issue with #ghostposts
I see an interesting reply but need context. Click & scroll up to . . . nothing.

I hesitate to ask to whom they are replying. I don't want to inadvertently annoy.

It's random,. Sometimes I see the original post & sometimes not. I often see the OP of people I don't follow (Usually merits a follow) But sometimes-I don't even get the chance.
Different instances maybe?

@design_law
Thank you for delving into this. I WANT to see #ghostreplies too.

I have the same issue with #ghostposts
I see an interesting reply but need context. Click & scroll up to . . . nothing.

I hesitate to ask to whom they are replying. I don't want to inadvertently annoy.

It's random,. Sometimes I see the original post & sometimes not. I often see the OP of people I don't follow (Usually merits a follow) But sometimes-I don't even get the chance.
Different instances maybe?

@design_law
Thank you for delving into this. I WANT to see #ghostreplies too.

Sometimes i see interesting replies but need context--so I click on the reply & scroll up to . . . nothing.

I hesitate to ask to whom they are replying b/c I don't want to inadvertently annoy--like are they getting a bunch of similar requests?

It's random,. Sometimes i see the original posts & sometimes don't. But I haven't always been a follower of the ones I see.
In this the fedi has me flummoxed.

Anyway, I'm curious: What has worked for you in dealing with problematic #GhostReplies (using currently-available tools), fedi friends?

When dealing with #GhostReplies, the original poster might want to respond by: (1) to stop the deluge; and/or (2) naming and shaming bad actors.

As to the first, I've had some luck adding replies to the original post, sort of like a P.S.

As to the second, I've seen others use screenshots of #GhostReplies effectively (at least from my POV)

So imagine this: Someone posts something.

You might feel like it would be helpful to reply with an explanation.

Unbeknownst to you, the poster might have already been swarmed with hundreds of #GhostReplies saying the exact same thing.

Imagine how that feels to the poster.

So if you look at someone else's post and see no replies, that doesn't mean there are no replies.

Those hidden-to-you replies are what I've started thinking of as #GhostReplies.

Added to this is the problem of #GhostReplies.

What do I mean by that?

Basically, due to how the fedi works, any given user won't necessarily see all of the replies to someone else's post.

(Please note: I am summarizing here. If you're tempted to reply with a technical explanation, please see the last post in this thread and just....don't.)

So, this thread by @seachanger got me thinking about #ReplyGuys and, in particular, the fedi phenomenon of (what I've started thinking of as) #GhostReplies.

https://alaskan.social/@seachanger/110724773964465488