Create an introductory video to diaspora* concepts and show it during registration process

Obviously the video is for those who will want to see it. Those who don't want to get any clues will remain clueless - it's their choice no one is pushing anyone. But to have an option to be introduced to some core concepts right away is very useful.

I would think even a well thought out series of pictures could help immensely with "getting" the pod concept. It doesn't have to go into great depth (since it's just a concept explainer not a tutorial) and I don't see why it needs to be animated. KISS

Okay, dunno if this is helpful or not, but I slapped together a framework, in four pathetic LibreOffice Draw pictures, of something I wish I'd seen when I was trying to wrap my head around the concept. Someone with art skills could make it pretty, or someone with a lot of art skills could even use it as a video storyboard I guess. I'm attaching both the pdf for easy viewing and the odg if anyone wants to muck with it.

@rob12: That's a good start!

Make an introductory video seems more meaningful than text. However in order to be attractive and useful, the fact that these videos are in all languages​​. Anyway, I can offer myself to the interpreter in LSF (French Sign Language) ! For the deaf community can be a strong point for Diaspora !

Hi! I've been playing around with this idea too, since I have an animator fried who was willing to do it, but then he didn't had any spare time.

However, I know some people in Argentina and Colombia that could help.

I'm also working on a new foundation landing page, which I'll send maybe tonight or tomorrow night, I've sent some mockups in the past.

We had a script for the video, it's on an etherpad somewhere but can't find it (damn urls), but basically, it was something like this (think of every line as an animation step):

What is Diaspora?
Diaspora is a SOCIAL NETWORK
it has PEOPLE
it has POSTS
it has PICTURES
and COMMENTS
and HASHTAGS
(etc)
so, you know how that goes...

So, what does make Diaspora so special?
Diaspora is DECENTRALIZED
--explanation
Diaspora is OPEN SOURCE
--explanation...
(etc.)

I'll try to find it!

I mean, it wasn't a "diaspora usage" or "features" video, it was more as a Diaspora introduction.

@hola Yes, that's exactly what I was talking about. If you could find these scripts and show how it looks, it would be great. If community thinks it's OK, you can probably ask to push into diaspora repo tree as some extra materials, or whatever the proper place developers would designate for it.

I think I'm going to get booed! :-D But you have to think a little more "Marketing". In my view there is no point in trying to federate used, it must be simple, even simplistic. You know as well as I, a regular who wants to know, look. I like to make an example and the comparison between computers and automobiles.

Admit: You have your car, you take it to the garage for repairs, but you do not know anything about mechanics, you will then be trusted in your garage. But then, you realize that scam you, then you're changing. You'll want more. You will then bring your car in an associative garage. You think it's better, you enjoy, and you made ​​more trust these strangers. But now, I still know there anything mechanical and I do not care because it does not interest me. If my mechanic associative starts to explain the process of dismantling and reassembling my gearbox explaining in details, perhaps I should say "oh my god, where am I fell" I'd be me scared. When in reality he just wanted to be nice and share my passion.

I think that if we force them to try to explain in too much detail what Diaspora is an error, against it must be remembered that users are curious. Knowing that Diaspora is free and open source, those who do not know the free and open source informed, others begin to search, inquire and learn, as we all did. It is only my vision, but I really think we need to review the home, make it much more simple and to the point in speaking only of the principal.

Sorry for the block of text !!! :-D

I agree it's important to keep this video/guide/whatever very focused on the few key concepts that are both critical and difficult for new users to understand. I would recommend AVOIDING the description of:

• generic details of a social network. Everyone already knows what sharing and comments and posts and hashtags are, etc. It's a waste of the creator and viewers time to talk about all that stuff.

• general philosophical concepts of freedom, privacy, decentralization, open source. Either you're preaching to the choir with this stuff or it just sounds like a bunch of political blah blah blah that doesn't help anyone figure out how to actually get going with D*.

The concepts that are REALLY unique to D* and REALLY hard to understand are:

• There is no central site
• Pods are run by all kinds of people who aren't necessarily associated to each other
• Pods are not organized by interest or geography
• Pods are just points of entry, and you'll get to the same content no matter which pod you choose
• The domain name of your pod doesn't much matter

Read the OP's original message again. The goal of this proposal is to overcome the "barrier during registration when people have to figure out pods choosing and so on." This is not supposed to be a dissertation on the benefits of a free and open society, or a snazzy ad campaign for how awesome D* is. It's supposed to be a clear explanation of "how the heck do I get started with this thing?" for people who are already somewhat interested.

Keep It Simple, and maybe people will actually watch it! :)