Should you share screenshots of Fediverse content on other apps and Web sites?

[sherold@mastodon.online]

@jamesmarshall @evan ☝🏻 this

[beandev@social.tchncs.de]

@evan
No, a link is enough.

If the post is public, anyone can see it.

If the author deletes posts after a while (automatically or manually), the link becomes invalid. So that's fine.

[crossgolf_rebel@moppels.bar]

@evan@cosocial.ca no, i share links

[thelovebug@mastodon.me.uk]

@evan Yes but whilst respecting the privacy settings of the original post.

[spacebug@n3.mikronod.se]

@evan
I sometimes take a screenshot of something and send on Signal to friends if it's funny. Sometimes I share the link instead, depends on the situation. I wouldn't share on other social media (if I had any).

[centretowner@urbanists.social]

@evan assuming the post was public, sure.

How else would we convince people who use other platforms that there's actually stuff worth looking at on here?

I'd include a link to the original but wouldn't count on the viewer's platform interface to parse it.

For webpage content, I'll embed, which preserves the original author's ability to change privacy settings.

[wdjorth@mastodon.online]

@evan Yes. Though I never post anything on any other sites. Gave up on Bluesky recently. It’s never going to be truly open, decentralized, free of advertising or sponsored content to bring profits to its owners.

[manchicken@defcon.social]

@evan yes, but I would make sure I got the consent of anybody who was in the shot first. Not everybody wants to be put on blast off-Fedi, and good manners are often free-of-charge.

[virtuous_sloth@cosocial.ca]

@evan Yes, but treat the subjects of the screenshot as real humans.

[az@post.lurk.org]

@evan no - link to source!

[bignose@sw-development-is.social]

No, but it's fine to share a *link to* the post, and a representative *text quotation* from the post.

Screenshots of a mostly text medium are less accessible, less useful, and much more annoying, than directly quoting the text and linking to the post.

@evan

[faraiwe@mstdn.social]

@evan herald the good news.

[carloshr@lile.cl]

@evan No. But, if the author allows you, of course you can.

[nickapos@mastodon.oncrete.uk]

@evan Yes but only with consent and also share a link to the original for anyone who wants to follow the discussion

[evan@cosocial.ca]

Ooh! #242 sighting.

[evan@cosocial.ca]

OK, so, I agree with some of the commenters that doing this is excellent guerrilla marketing for the Fediverse. Especially if you include a distinctive username@domain handle in the screenshot. Be cool -- don't say "this is the kind of great content we have on the Fediverse, join now!!!" Just be cool.

[evan@cosocial.ca]

I agree with other commenters, though, that there are hazards. People might not be performing for the public. Holding someone up to ridicule ("look at this idiot on the Fediverse!") so they can get dragged on a platform where they can't even respond sucks.

But good content from some of our public thinkers, jokesters and aphorisers? I say go for it. Yes, but.

[evan@cosocial.ca]

@scottmichaud does it say that in the question?

[evan@cosocial.ca]

@jeremy_pm s/Should you/Should one/

[evan@cosocial.ca]

@Hipska screenshots get more attention and reach.