mastodon
Post Privacy Audience Addition - 'Instance Only' (Privacy Consideration)
Greetings. I am looking to build an instance for the privacy-minded. One function that would be most beneficial to users of the instance (once they sign up, of course) is the ability to post where the audience would be ONLY for the instance users. Such a post would not be viewable by other instances nor be federated. With this, folks of the instance would see posts, but not folks from other instances. Federated connections would, also, not be able to see posts under this privacy setting. You could consider it Unlisted+, perhaps?
Currently, the 'Change Post Privacy' options are Public, Unlisted, Followers-Only and Direct. Please add, Instance Only (or just Instance) to allow posts to be viewable by instance users, only.
With this, folks of the instance will see this level of instance-only private posts.
There is a 'Followers-Only' option under the 'Change Post Privacy' option where only followers of an account would be able to read posts with that option selected. This is a tick above that. It is between 'Followers-Only' (only viewable to folks that follow an account) and 'Public' (where everyone sees it whether they follow the account or not). This would place selected toots with this privacy option into the category of being viewable to folks of the instance and not quiet let loose out in the world.
Because of the 'Followers-Only' option, already in production, there is no clear issue directly against it.
Followers can be on remote instances, so “Followers-only” isn't a subset of your proposed “Instance Only”.
The inclusion of other instances is an inclusive function(more granular) of the upper level function. Followers-Only is a subset.
You mean “Instance Only” would make your post visible to your instance and your remote followers? This could work but it's not obvious.
Also, there would be value in instance-only posts appearing in the local timeline and instance-only posts that would not.
Yes.
The goal is instance-only posts appearing in the local/instance timeline. When 'Instance-Only' is selected, it would not post at the federated level.
I think instance only/local only would be a great idea for small communities for all the reasons listed on the HomeTown fork.
The only alternative would be to remove all federation which seems against the idea of Mastodon in the first place
Wow, I'm resurrecting something from the grave... But yes, "instance only" is useful when the instance is made by a specific group of users that want to discuss things between all of them.
One point of being able to run our own instance is we can have our own little community and then share with the federation our things to whoever is interested. And the federation can reach us individually.
Another case use is when an instance admin wants to post something related to the instance, that does not interest the whole federation if made public.
My 2c. ;)
