What if There was No Telegram, Messenger or WhatsApp?
With the increasing concerns about online censorship and privacy, what would happen to communities like the PHA if popular social and messaging platforms were taken down or had their accounts removed?
Ample Good Alternatives About
The answer is that communities can build their own platforms using free, open source software. The best is undoubtedly the Matrix toolsets, available since 2015. These proven messaging and community forum tools run on private webhosts or networks, configured for local or international user groups. These robust systems can more easily be optimised for individual sector needs, already used by healthcare, defense, corporate and education communities worldwide that seek better security and privacy.
A skilled developer with a linux/hosting background can quite quickly build these community platforms with private or public rooms and groups, somewhat similar to Telegram, Signal, Google Chat and WhatsApp platforms, but avoiding any corporate/government controls that could track user activity, censor or take it down.
Element is the Matrix protocol messaging app I recommend for practitioners and their clients. It combines the usability of consumer-grade apps like WhatsApp and Signal with enterprise functionality typically associated with apps like Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Slack. This combination makes Element appealing to both coworkers and customers. Additionally, forum features can be added for educational ‘long-form’ discussions, allowing users to index or tag topics for easier searching and cataloging, all key features to help grow any community.
The other big thing working in the Matrix ecosystem is the ability to interconnect with most existing platforms to ease migrations. Plus we’ve the amazing all-in-one chat app beeper.com available. Read review
Exciting times ahead…