Everyone has a hobby. More generally, everyone has things they’re interested in or passionate about. And pursuing those interests is one of the big reasons that we use the Web. The online world is a great place to connect with our fellow hobbyists and enthusiasts, to learn from them, and to share our own knowledge and accomplishments.
But so much of this happens today in online spaces where things can quickly turn sour. Big social media platforms increasingly expose us to toxic behavior. Interests groups and forums can be unwelcoming or intimidating to newcomers. These bad experiences are driving more and more people off of the open Web and into the protected enclaves of the so-called “cozy web.” Additionally, social media distractions and the pressure to keep up with posting can more often stall your progress rather than accelerating it.
Over the past year we’ve been actively exploring the idea of healthy alternatives to today’s social media. Today we’re sharing our latest experiment on the topic.
Didthis, a Mozilla innovation project, is a new app for anyone with a project-oriented hobby or personal interest. Whether you’re learning to knit a sweater, crafting a side table, or practicing a new recipe, Didthis makes it easy to keep track of your passion projects, capturing photos, links, and notes along the way and assembling your updates into a timeline that tells the story of your project. It’s a personal record of your progress, an acknowledgement of what you learned from your setbacks, and a celebration of your growth as a hobbyist.
Didthis isn’t really “social media,” at least not yet. Didthis is about being useful to you as you pursue your personal interests. We’re not following the typical social media playbook, here, and that’s intentional. Everything you post on Didthis is private by default. If you want, you can choose to share a link to your project with anyone you want: friends, family, or fellow hobbyists on social media or the “cozy web.” If people like Didthis, we’ll add social and community functionality over time, but our focus will always be on healthy interactions over virality.
For now, we’ve set up our own Discord server where Didthis users can connect with us to share feedback. We’ve also got a dedicated “show and tell” channel where Didthis users can optionally share their project updates with fellow hobbyists in our small but growing community.
You can try Didthis on the Web by visiting https://didthis.app. Our Web app works on both desktop and mobile devices. We also have an early iOS app that is available in the App Store for US and Canada (with Android to follow).
As this is still an experiment, we are eager for you to share your feedback at any time in the Didthis Discord channel. If you prefer to share more privately, you can email our entire team directly at didthis@mozilla.com.
