Brendan O'Connor
@bhoconnor.bsky.social
From the blue mtns of the Shenandoah Valley. Deep-running love for American & Irish folk music, solidarity politics, breakfast of all kinds, & economix. Integrating my 15+ years of comm. organizing into a PhD in community psych. https://linktr.ee/bhoconnor
Thanks for the word back w/both of those Tommy, interesting…looks like you might be on an IG hiatus, saw those links don’t work right now?
Thnx for the perspective tho, look forward to continuing the convo…
Thnx for the perspective tho, look forward to continuing the convo…
September 28, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Thanks for the word back w/both of those Tommy, interesting…looks like you might be on an IG hiatus, saw those links don’t work right now?
Thnx for the perspective tho, look forward to continuing the convo…
Thnx for the perspective tho, look forward to continuing the convo…
One follow-up for now, what’s the not crossing the river twice piece? The other two seem more obvious…
September 23, 2025 at 2:34 AM
One follow-up for now, what’s the not crossing the river twice piece? The other two seem more obvious…
Nice, all that sounds real interesting Tommy—will have to talk some more about it over a bite or a drink next time I’m up visiting my folks and we both got some time.
I love the sound of being about things that change opposed to static things…
I love the sound of being about things that change opposed to static things…
September 23, 2025 at 2:33 AM
Nice, all that sounds real interesting Tommy—will have to talk some more about it over a bite or a drink next time I’m up visiting my folks and we both got some time.
I love the sound of being about things that change opposed to static things…
I love the sound of being about things that change opposed to static things…
Nice, late to the show here, but what’s process philosophy / theology Tommy?
September 18, 2025 at 2:46 AM
Nice, late to the show here, but what’s process philosophy / theology Tommy?
Or that there aren’t good platform co-op models for this kind of entity?
I think you mean the former and not this, but just trying to check
I think you mean the former and not this, but just trying to check
August 27, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Or that there aren’t good platform co-op models for this kind of entity?
I think you mean the former and not this, but just trying to check
I think you mean the former and not this, but just trying to check
Thanks for the dialogue. But yeah, do you mean in the sense that, for a social media entity that like Bluesky didn’t start w/a platform co-op type model, that it’s hard to know an alternative stakeholder model short of that?
August 27, 2025 at 1:05 AM
Thanks for the dialogue. But yeah, do you mean in the sense that, for a social media entity that like Bluesky didn’t start w/a platform co-op type model, that it’s hard to know an alternative stakeholder model short of that?
Got ya I follow, though yeah not building from the ground up can be a death knell sometimes in some of my experience and missteps in co-ops and other spaces…
Also hard to not feel like those who own it wouldn’t always feel like talk of changes to their ownership is a low priority, you know?
Also hard to not feel like those who own it wouldn’t always feel like talk of changes to their ownership is a low priority, you know?
August 23, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Got ya I follow, though yeah not building from the ground up can be a death knell sometimes in some of my experience and missteps in co-ops and other spaces…
Also hard to not feel like those who own it wouldn’t always feel like talk of changes to their ownership is a low priority, you know?
Also hard to not feel like those who own it wouldn’t always feel like talk of changes to their ownership is a low priority, you know?
Got ya, nice. Yeah, I think you mean the economic ownership of social.coop too, if so that is the kind of thing that comes to mind in terms of your Q of “how economic value will [or could] flow on this network,” but please correct me if I’m misunderstanding there…
August 23, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Got ya, nice. Yeah, I think you mean the economic ownership of social.coop too, if so that is the kind of thing that comes to mind in terms of your Q of “how economic value will [or could] flow on this network,” but please correct me if I’m misunderstanding there…
(which of course is easy communicating in snippets as we are 😅—maybe there have been / shld be some public forums on these Q’s around @bsky.app )
August 22, 2025 at 4:03 AM
(which of course is easy communicating in snippets as we are 😅—maybe there have been / shld be some public forums on these Q’s around @bsky.app )
But good communication still feels like a ways from what the platform co-op movement seems to have in mind ya know? Not trying to be funny, but feel like I may be missing something w/how you’re thinking about it…
August 22, 2025 at 4:02 AM
But good communication still feels like a ways from what the platform co-op movement seems to have in mind ya know? Not trying to be funny, but feel like I may be missing something w/how you’re thinking about it…
Tho I’m far from one who feels democratic orgs means you vote on everything, & most functioning co-ops of course don’t do that.
Anyways, the origin story of Bluesky is not a traditional cooperative one in terms of funding or design
Anyways, the origin story of Bluesky is not a traditional cooperative one in terms of funding or design
August 22, 2025 at 4:01 AM
Tho I’m far from one who feels democratic orgs means you vote on everything, & most functioning co-ops of course don’t do that.
Anyways, the origin story of Bluesky is not a traditional cooperative one in terms of funding or design
Anyways, the origin story of Bluesky is not a traditional cooperative one in terms of funding or design
Can you help me understand what you mean a bit more @ntnsndr.in ? If Bluesky was a co-op, it sort of sounds like you’re suggesting they not worry about democratic practices like voting? But that feels core to the practice of economic democracy.
August 22, 2025 at 3:53 AM
Can you help me understand what you mean a bit more @ntnsndr.in ? If Bluesky was a co-op, it sort of sounds like you’re suggesting they not worry about democratic practices like voting? But that feels core to the practice of economic democracy.
Then like most any co-op, we could vote on Board reps for members, & workers for workers. Certain decisions would be circumscribed for the Board, certain for member-wide votes…
Like other multistakeholder models, attn. would of course have to be given to % of seats on the Board, who else is on, etc
Like other multistakeholder models, attn. would of course have to be given to % of seats on the Board, who else is on, etc
August 22, 2025 at 3:46 AM
Then like most any co-op, we could vote on Board reps for members, & workers for workers. Certain decisions would be circumscribed for the Board, certain for member-wide votes…
Like other multistakeholder models, attn. would of course have to be given to % of seats on the Board, who else is on, etc
Like other multistakeholder models, attn. would of course have to be given to % of seats on the Board, who else is on, etc
Hmm, interesting Q Nathan…I guess I wonder if there has been thought—for this or other social media cooperative-ish concepts (whether exit to community framing or otherwise)—to having members pay to be member-owners, and same for workers who want to be worker-owners…
That would have some $ flow…
That would have some $ flow…
August 22, 2025 at 3:43 AM
Hmm, interesting Q Nathan…I guess I wonder if there has been thought—for this or other social media cooperative-ish concepts (whether exit to community framing or otherwise)—to having members pay to be member-owners, and same for workers who want to be worker-owners…
That would have some $ flow…
That would have some $ flow…
Nice, good stuff! Be neat to hear anything that comes to mind or any thoughts on their approach to governance / legal structure that you’re open to sharing
August 17, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Nice, good stuff! Be neat to hear anything that comes to mind or any thoughts on their approach to governance / legal structure that you’re open to sharing
2b of 2: ... on the Board and such a small number (4 it looks like), and as I asked before, whether you have considered some other structures like cooperative ownership, workers and users on the Board, etc.?
August 16, 2025 at 11:01 PM
2b of 2: ... on the Board and such a small number (4 it looks like), and as I asked before, whether you have considered some other structures like cooperative ownership, workers and users on the Board, etc.?
2a of 2: Do you all have a place where you could share about how you decided the business structure (eg, public benefit corp), why, the details of why certain folks are...
August 16, 2025 at 11:01 PM
2a of 2: Do you all have a place where you could share about how you decided the business structure (eg, public benefit corp), why, the details of why certain folks are...
1c of 2: ... I think this could be powerful to consider (eg, the Univ. of CO Boulder's Media Economies Design Lab is a leader in this space and I'm sure would love to connect around these points if you haven't: www.colorado.edu/lab/medlab/).
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August 16, 2025 at 11:00 PM
1c of 2: ... I think this could be powerful to consider (eg, the Univ. of CO Boulder's Media Economies Design Lab is a leader in this space and I'm sure would love to connect around these points if you haven't: www.colorado.edu/lab/medlab/).
1b of 2: ...possibilities of worker and user-ownership such as a multistakeholder cooperative, and a certain number of seats on the Board to allow substantive, ongoing input from those groups). I know this is a little beyond the scope of "Community Guidelines" per se, but...
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August 16, 2025 at 11:00 PM
1b of 2: ...possibilities of worker and user-ownership such as a multistakeholder cooperative, and a certain number of seats on the Board to allow substantive, ongoing input from those groups). I know this is a little beyond the scope of "Community Guidelines" per se, but...
1a of 2: I hugely appreciate you all are asking for input! I would appreciate seeing a bit more about how Bluesky itself as a company is run, including the formal roles that are or may be able to be incorporated for users and workers (eg, I see you all are a Public Benefit Corp., but are there...
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August 16, 2025 at 10:59 PM
1a of 2: I hugely appreciate you all are asking for input! I would appreciate seeing a bit more about how Bluesky itself as a company is run, including the formal roles that are or may be able to be incorporated for users and workers (eg, I see you all are a Public Benefit Corp., but are there...
@ntnsndr.in sorry to hit you up so soon again, but have you taken a look at this feedback form, &/or been in any formal convos w/Bluesky? Seems like they'd do well to connect w/you & the @medlabboulder.bsky.social
I'll paste a couple of my pieces of input here in case you or others have thoughts.
I'll paste a couple of my pieces of input here in case you or others have thoughts.
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August 16, 2025 at 10:57 PM
@ntnsndr.in sorry to hit you up so soon again, but have you taken a look at this feedback form, &/or been in any formal convos w/Bluesky? Seems like they'd do well to connect w/you & the @medlabboulder.bsky.social
I'll paste a couple of my pieces of input here in case you or others have thoughts.
I'll paste a couple of my pieces of input here in case you or others have thoughts.