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Flohmarkt - a Fediverse replacement for Facebook Marketplace
(codeberg.org)
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this post was submitted on 02 Feb 2025
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The name has already made this nonviable for the average person
We have to stop sending end users to software solutions for web admins. We don't send them yo "nginx" or "apache", after all.
Someone throw up a website using this software and give the site a sensible name, and then direct users to that website.
Flohcebook Marktplace
Fleabook
Just call it Floh Market or just Floh. Flow Market or Just "Flow" would be good too.
I like just "Floh", even if it does just mean "flea" in German.
Flohcebook mohktplohce
Fleabuch Maktplatz
You wanna pay for that hosting? No? Okay then.
Does it? If you set up an instance for your local community/city/whatever, and name it something that makes sense for your intended userbase, I think it would be fine.
It goes from "I sold my couch on FlohMarkt" to "I sold my couch on Local Ottawa Marketplace" for the 'normies' out there. They're not going to care about the underlying software so long as their couch gets sold.
Do recommend a DIY local advertising strategy if trying to get something like this running, though - posters at IRL flea markets, adverts in small community papers for antiques and collectibles, crossposts/links to postings on stuff like MaxSold/Kijiji/Craigslist/GumTree/FB Marketplace/[insert online marketplace operating in your area] by first adopters, that kind of thing.
Focus on the current primary use case of centralized marketplace services (buying shit from your neighbours), then introduce the "Oh yeah, we've also set it up so you can see postings on Local Toronto Marketplace, Local Kingston Marketplace, Marché Local de Montréal" etc. from there.
I really, really think talking to people in terms of specific instances over the overarching platform/protocol is a way around 'normie' confusion about the Fediverse when first trying it, then getting exposure to how it works in practice will help them understand the nitty gritty stuff better. Is this problematic in some cases, like with Lemmy? A little bit, yeah. For something like FlohMarkt? I think less so.
('normie' in quotes 'cause I'm not the biggest fan of the term, but it's a useful shorthand)
This! It's just the name of the software, not sure why everyone's getting so worked up about it.
I think it's a brilliant use case for federation, hope this sees some adoption!
It's not that bad. It's just German for flea market. And English speakers shouldn't have an issue with at least "Markt". Not far from a cognate.
Definitely better names but I think the bigger hurdle is getting the critical mass to get something like marketplace to work in the fediverse even with the perfect name.
Yep. It’s kind of annoying when people see everything through an “english” lense and assume anything that isn’t made to work for english speakers won’t work…
Op has a point. Even English names that succeed internationally are somewhat bound by the ability of speakers of other languages to spell and pronounce the name. Y'all are here acting like what they're saying is hateful or something...
Its even more important to use various word from various language.
English as default also resulting American culture as the most prominent culture.
Newer generation are more acceptable to outside culture, so this will be work. Not to forget, the rest of non-English society already operate in multi language society and get exposed for various culture.
Years ago, people heavily localized Angliscize a lot of Asian media, but now, people are more accepting foreign naming convention. Just take a look at various FOSS porject in Japanese, Hindi, Persia, or Finnish.
No one is saying you cannot have a good German name. Uber is an American company. Shit company but great name. Comes from German and translates to other linguistic communities fairly well
Uber isn't a German word tho?
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/uber
Right, über is a word. "uber" is very much not. The points aren't decoration or a pronunciation guide, they signify a different letter.
It's like saying that Spanish people call their country Espana.
Are you really going to argue this? Those accent marks aren't in all languages, which is mainly why they removed them. If you want to claim this isn't from the German word then you need to explain where it came from.
Removing the accent marks makes it such that the word isn't German anymore, just German-inspired. It would have to be written "Ueber" instead.
You know, like a Mr. Böing founding the company Boeing.
And yet I always knew that it came from german and when I looked up the etymology that was confirmed correct. I honestly have no idea why people want to have a "conversation" like this
Not only is the etymology on my side, search engines also easily find several articles saying the company Uber got their name from a German word.
Inspired, yes. But uber is still not a German word.
Imagine if I founded a company called "Tougt" and claimed this is an English word. Not inspired by, is. Who needs the letter 'h' anyways?
I fail to see how it matters that a word commonly known as "german" is not directly German but instead is one step removed.
They could have just as easily pulled another easy-to-grok word from German and slightly changed the spelling.
Those arguing about this technicality here are missing the point.
'uber' is an English word with a German ethnology. 'über' is a German word. That's like saying iceberg is German. u and ü are different letters. They are pronounced differently and change the meaning of words (e.g. 'Schuppe' means scale, 'Schüppe' means shovel)
...I don't know what point you're making. The word came from german, and the changing of the letter only goes to my point. The word was easily simplified to be used outside of German.
You're in a thread complaining about a software using a German name for it's German meaning (Flohmarkt means flea market). Your example for a 'good German name' is an English word that has German origins. Don't you see how those are different?
I think you're splitting hairs and it's not helpful. I have only ever known "Uber" as a German word and you saying it isn't one won't change my or others' experience of it as such.
Not only is the etymology on my side, search engines also easily find several articles saying the company Uber got their name from a German word.
Uber is a loan word. Doesn't matter how your perceive it, that doesn't make it a more German. So is iceberg.
There is absolutely no way in which this even matters a slight bit. In-fucking-sufferable and entirely self unaware.
You're in a thread complaining about a software using a German name for it's German meaning. Your example for a 'good German name' is an English word that has German origins.
Also, the founders are Canadian and American, not Germans
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uber
german looks notoriously complicated for people who dont speak it
The sentence structure is kinda wonky coming from English, but the vocab isn't bad. There are tons of cognates.
what some people don't get is that "flea market" is also a bad name. floh just makes it look and sound worse and it's harder to parse let alone understand and therefore remember.
But telling a friend about this starts with the name. Simple names are easier. And that would just start with making it short. Single syllable being best.
Like eBay, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon?
"Facebook" is an equally alienating name if you don't know English. But I agree, German is difficult!
I can't understand why every other fediverse name is so stupid as to be off putting to the average user.
Seems to me pretty much an even spread of how good the names are
For other Fediverse software:
Lemmy is a stupid god awful name.
The first result you get on google is a dead singer. Every other search you will have him on the front page instead of what you're trying to find. Contrast this to searching for something from reddit.
Case in point guitar reviews lemmy vs guitar reviews reddit
Oh look, the Queen of Naming has spoken! Everything should just be named "Facebook something" or "Twitter that".
wow what an interesting sarcastic remark about something the op never said.
Uber.
it's not that it's German (or whatever), it's that it looks and feels like it's gibberish. it's incredible how little this is understood.
Uber is an easily read, easily pronounced, widely understood, positive sounding trochee. it's a perfect brand name.
flohmarkt is 0 for 5.
Even Floh is a bit better 😕 .