The Agora

1600 readers

4 users here now

In the spirit of the Ancient Greek Agora, we invite you to join our vibrant community - a contemporary meeting place for the exchange of ideas, inspired by the practices of old. Just as the Agora served as the heart of public life in Ancient Athens, our platform is designed to be the epicenter of meaningful discussion and thought-provoking dialogue.

Here, you are encouraged to speak your mind, share your insights, and engage in stimulating discussions. This is your opportunity to shape and influence our collective journey, just like the free citizens of Athens who gathered at the Agora to make significant decisions that impacted their society.

You're not alone in your quest for knowledge and understanding. In this community, you'll find support from like-minded individuals who, like you, are eager to explore new perspectives, challenge their preconceptions, and grow intellectually.

Remember, every voice matters and your contribution can make a difference. We believe that through open dialogue, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to discovery, we can foster a community that embodies the democratic spirit of the Agora in our modern world.

Community guidelines
New posts should begin with one of the following:

[Question]
[Discussion]
[Poll]

Only moderators may create a [Vote] post.

Voting History & Results

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

TheDude@sh.itjust.works

imaqtpie@sh.itjust.works

Seraph089@sh.itjust.works

Difficult_Bit_1339@sh.itjust.works

Decidim: a governance-first platform (decidim.org)

submitted 1 year ago by jlj@sh.itjust.works to c/agora@sh.itjust.works

5 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I've just started looking at Decidim, so this may be a case of everything looking like the nail to its hammer, but, given all the posts about the mechanics of governing this instance already, I wondered whether considering a separate platform specifically designed to address many of these governance-related problems (as I understand it -- again, early days) might be in order.

Decidim might actually be more akin to a sledgehammer in this case, but I figured the point still has merit, as a discussion. There must be other solutions out there too. How does Debian make decisions, for example?

top 5 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] Seraph089@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

"Sledgehammer" is definitely the word I'd use, but it is an interesting thought. The Agora seems like it'll be plenty for the foreseeable future, but there's a hypothetical future where we outgrow it and need something that scales better.

At a quick glance, Decidim seems like it would be a decent solution if/when we need to upgrade. Free/libre with a focus on transparency is a great start, and it looks like the tools are pretty flexible.

But as a counterpoint, there's a lot to be said for keeping governance here as long as it's sustainable. Removing as much friction as possible from voting means more people will participate, and it doesn't get much easier for voters than dropping an "aye" or "nay" comment on a ballot post.

[–] jlj@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

Definitely take your point about removing friction. Thanks for having a look at the project!

[–] haxe11@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

I don't know anything about Decidim yet, personally, but I think evaluating options like this is the way to go.

[–] Contextual_Idiot@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

If we want to have secret ballots for certain votes, like defederation, or removing a mod, this may be the tool to use. I'm not sure that Lemmy has the tools to do this here, where we ensure that only this instance's users can vote. Not yet, anyway.

[–] LudwigvanBeethoven@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

Checked it out, and to be honest, it is fucking rad (excuse my enthusiastic french). It looks very polished, and – though I recognise that this might be (another) case of tunnel vision – it looks like a great fit for the Agora. Ease of voting is a potential issue, but it looks quite easy on Decidim as well – nothing a good readme can't solve (imhumbleo).