M templates/thoughts.html → templates/thoughts.html

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ {{ template "nav" . }}
 <div id="main">  
 <h3>thoughts</h3>
 <h4>2024</h4>
+<li><a href="/thought/stop-using-fandom.html">stop using fandom</a></li>
 <li><a href="/thought/my-deployment-platform-is-a-shell-script.html">my deployment platform is a shell script</a></li>
 <h4>2023</h4>
 <li><a href="/thought/recover-lost-text-by-coredumping-firefox.html">recover lost text by coredumping firefox</a></li>

A thought/stop-using-fandom.html

@@ -0,0 +1,219 @@ 
+2024-06-16
+stop using fandom
+
+     fandom is a wiki website (allegedly)
+
+if you are unfortunate enough to browse a fandom wiki
+without an ad blocker, you will experience what i like
+to call "attention assault"
+
+upon opening a fandom page (for me, it was the hollow
+knight wiki), you will note the very subtle aroma of a
+1/3 page banner ad, placed ever so daintily at the top of
+the page.
+
+my ad was for furniture - ah yes, just what i wanted.
+a multi-thousand-dollar furniture purchase to go with my
+video game bug lore.
+
+i have been experiencing fandom for 1 second
+
+  i already want it to end
+
+...
+
+as i scroll down, i'm assaulted by an auto-playing video
+ad for dog food. i do not have a dog.
+
+actually, i should say adS.
+
+in the top-left corner of the video sits a little "1/2",
+indicating the presence of a second ad.
+
+and came it did. it's the dog food ad again.
+
+this content is in the middle of the hollow knight fandom
+wiki. when i scroll down, the video shrinks into the
+bottom-right corner of my screen and stalks me.
+
+after the ads finish playing, a 60 minute video called
+"honest trailers" begins playing. this must be the
+content i was so anxiously awaiting.
+
+"honest trailers" is not hollow knight related - it's two
+guys vaping & reviewing the new mario movie trailer.
+they're arguing about whether chris pratt is a good FIT
+to voice act MARIO
+
+after about 5 seconds (no, i'm not kidding), another ad
+break occurs.
+
+it's the dog food ad AGAIN
+
+...
+
+scrolling further, i reach the end of the wiki page,
+and there are two banner ads waiting, as if to bid me
+farewell after my arduous journey through this shit-ass
+website.
+
+- one 1/3 page footer ad for Ubisoft+
+- one 1/4 page sidebar ad for sunscreen
+
+i don't need sunscreen: i already want to die.
+
+        .
+      \ | /
+    '-.;;;.-'
+   -==;;;;;==-
+    .-';;;'-.
+      / | \
+        '     [0]
+
+
+          some fandom history
+
+in 2004, jimmy wales (the wikipedia guy) founded
+fandom (it used to be called wikicities / wikia)
+
+from the very beginning, fandom was about profit:
+  2004: jimmy founds wikicities
+  2006: wikicities renamed to wikia
+  2006: random venture capital firms invest $4M
+  2006: amazon.com invests $10M
+  2012: venture firms + amazon invest $11M
+  2014: venture firms invest $15M
+  2016: wikia renamed to fandom
+  2018: enormous private equity firm acquires fandom
+
+  grand total: $40M
+
+and what, dear readers, do venture capitalists want when
+they invest $40M into something?
+
+returns. at all costs.
+
+let the enshittification begin.
+
+> but wait, what does fandom actually _do_?
+
+what valuable service does fandom provide to the world?
+
+fandom generates enough money to retain a staff of 300+,
+and rent several offices, including a very beautiful
+building in downtown san francisco.
+
+as far as i can tell, this is fandom's business model:
+  1. users write wiki content on fandom
+  2. fandom displays your content on a wiki page
+  3. pelt fandom visitors with ads
+  4. $$$$$$$$ YUM YUM YUM, MONEY!! $$$$$$$$$
+
+
+many fandom communities noticed fandom degrading.
+
+at first, it was the ads. huge, annoying, irrelevant ads
+embedded directly in the content.
+
+obtrusive ads obviously sucks, but hey, adblockers are a
+thing, so we could just recommend that our users use a
+goo...
+
+!!THE MCDONALD'S GRIMACE SHAKE PROMOTION CONTROVERSY!!
+
+in 2023, mcdonald's paid fandom an unknown[1] amount of
+money to temporarily replace the mcdonald's wiki main
+page + grimace article into advertisements promoting the
+GRIMACE SHAKE.
+
+i can't make this shit up.
+
+fandom set the precedent that companies could pay them
+to make user content go *poof*
+
+what could go wrong?
+
+
+           ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢱⣆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
+           ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⣿⣷⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀
+           ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣷⣧⠀⠀⠀
+           ⠀⠀⠀⠀⡀⢠⣿⡟⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀
+           ⠀⠀⠀⠀⣳⣼⣿⡏⢸⣿⣿⣿⢀⠀
+           ⠀⠀⠀⣰⣿⣿⡿⠁⢸⣿⣿⡟⣼⡆
+           ⢰⢀⣾⣿⣿⠟⠀⠀⣾⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿
+           ⢸⣿⣿⣿⡏⠀⠀⠀⠃⠸⣿⣿⣿⡿
+           ⢳⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢹⣿⡿⡁
+           ⠀⠹⣿⣿⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢠⣿⡞⠁
+           ⠀⠀⠈⠛⢿⣄⠀⠀⠀⣠⠞⠋⠀⠀
+           ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
+          fandom shall burn
+
+wikis aren't quite like other websites.
+
+  - wiki software is largely open source
+  - wiki content authors are often technical
+  - users don't care where wikis are hosted
+
+three simple ingredients. one predictable outcome.
+
+              mass exodus.
+
+the runescape[2] and minecraft[3] communities acted
+first, migrating their treasured wikis to their own
+domains.
+
+many other wikis followed.
+  hollow knight (yay bugz!)
+  terraria
+  animal crossing
+  stardew valley
+  EVE Online
+  Factorio
+  dota2
+  ...
+  AND MANY, MANY MORE[4]
+
+over 300 wikis have migrated away from fandom, and i can
+only hope that this trajectory accelerates. nothing makes
+me happier than passionate communities showing everyone
+that a better world is possible.
+
+
+if you want to help,
+
+  1. download Indie Wiki Buddy
+
+     indie wiki buddy tells you when a fandom page has an
+     alternative community-led wiki. it's a great plugin
+     that will help you support and discover independent
+     wikis.
+
+  2. if you must use fandom, turn on your ad blocker
+  3. if you own a wiki on fandom, move it off!
+
+my offer: if you are a fandom wiki owner & you would
+          like to move your wiki content elsewhere, i
+          will offer you my expertise at $0/hour. i know
+	  lots about servers, software, and maintenance.
+	  just email me - let's get you out of fandom's
+	  ecosystem.
+
+                  stay weird
+                stay independent
+              fuck venture capital
+           long live the human internet
+
+
+                   LUV,
+                     JES
+
+
+[0]: sun ascii by jgs
+[1]: fandom is a private company & doesn't have to
+     disclose such petty details as "how much money did
+     mcdonalds give us to tear out user content and
+     replace it with marketing"
+[2]: https://runescape.wiki
+[3]: https://minecraft.wiki
+[4]: https://getindie.wiki/listings
+[5]: https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/12/24070287/fandom-wiki-generative-ai-features-quick-answers