Something to Spout about?

Bot Sentinel powers Spoutible, a brand new platform that wants to change the face of social media. It’s a community-funded project. Neither VCs nor billionaires are funding Spoutible’s development; ordinary people are. In essence it is for us by us.

Spoutible’s goal is to allow users to “spout off” lessening targeted harassment, threats of violence, racism, antisemitism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, mis/disinformation, and platform manipulation. Spoutible’s mission is to change how social media platforms operate. Changing overnight what companies have failed to tackle for over 20 years.

After getting my invite to road-test I grabbed my sought after handle and dove head first into the beta version of ‘Spoutible’. Its CEO, Christopher Bouzy, better known for his Bot Sentinel endeavours has promised a social media platform with a difference. Lofty words his detractors would argue, many of whom, after his appearance on Netflix’s recent documentary on Harry and Meghan have a lot to say about him. Having immersed myself in the beta version of ‘Spoutible’ for the last four days I can confirm Bouzy’s aspirations for the channel have been exceeded. By a lot.

Spoutible has delivered an easy to use platform with nothing to re-learn as the look and feel will remind many of Twitter. It’s a Twitter killer of sorts as many of the the hobling aspects of that platform have been addressed head on. First off Christopher Bouzy’s ego does not eclipse the needs of those who use the platform. Spoutible has prioritised the safety and well-being of its users. There’s more of a community focus which should lead to a safer and more respectful online experience.

I tested via Mac, iPhone and iPad and tried several times to break it without success. It’s like a comfortable pair of familiar slippers. Spoutible will be available for free and it wasn’t lost on me that Bouzy will launch his powermove in Black History Month. He has made history getting this far. As the first African American to helm a social media platform created at pace, he’s put down an incredible marker. From this Wednesday, 1 February, you will be able to try it for yourself. Here is what you’ll have access to:

An account name that reflects you
No need to name yourself jimmy0484746 the name of your choice is likely to be available. Get in quick to access that or a derivative thereof.

Edit Button
Users can edit spouts for up to 7 minutes after they have been sent and are allowed one edit. These limits are employed to mitigate abuse. I love this feature as someone who loves to spout from the hip, on the go and often make mistakes when spouting. I’m impressed that my previous versions can be checked if those who follow me wish to see how atrocious my spelling is.

Been road testing @Spoutible (aka the Twitter killer) for the past hour. Hats off to @cbouzy it’s absolutely phenomenal.

Editable Spouts, a familiar interface, nothing to re-learn. Best of all it’s FREE!

My handle is @ michael when https://t.co/u2ocCuXqbK launches next week!! pic.twitter.com/nIXNto1bIT

— Michael Morgan (@mikewhoatv) January 25, 2023

Bot Sentinel Rating
Every profile and spout will display the user’s Bot Sentinel rating. I like this particular feature as you are able to, using the advance settings, decide how tolerant you wish to be of those who have a troublesome rating. It’s clear Spoutible puts you in the driver’s seat regarding who you do or do not interact with.

Dark Mode
You can change the Spoutible user interface to a darker theme or like myself you can stick with the default day mode.

Verified Notable Accounts
My account is verified. On launch day a lot of accounts will be verified too. The familiar blue checkmark denotes this. Spoutible will open the verification process to everyone shortly after. I like this feature particularly in light of how disinformation has been allowed to increase since other apps allowed blue check marks to be bought by mischief makers professing to be delivering comedy.

Chronological Timeline
You will see spouts from people you follow as soon as they are spouted. You control what you see in your feed. Spoutible does not push a narrative that you should rightfully have control of.

Quoted Spouts
You can quote spouts from other users adding your own context, nuance and opinion too.

I’m roadtesting @Spoutible’s features via my iPad today and just wanted to quickly show you the edit capability, anti abuse settings and carousel function to display pictures which creatives will love!@cbouzy is just getting started, join the party>> https://t.co/SRSeP5GEdS 🐳 pic.twitter.com/5twhDJBrju

— Michael Morgan (@mikewhoatv) January 28, 2023

Private Messages
Users can send and receive private messages. The chef kiss here is private messages are encrypted.

Pinned Spouts
You can pin your spouts to your profile, you can also pin other users’ spouts to your profile too.

Enhanced Blocking
This is the engine room of what separates this platform from others. Enhanced blocking allows users to control their Spoutible experience and protect themselves from unwanted interactions. I live for the smoke users bring, respectfully of course, so my interactions will be open to anyone who wants smoke back. I love that Spoutible recognises that not everyone will be on smoke though.

Delete Replies
You can delete abusive replies to your spouts. Spoutible has safeguards in place to prevent users from abusing the delete replies feature.

Anti-Abuse Features
Spoutible have developed additional anti-abuse features to protect their users from targeted harassment and abuse.

In short at beta stage Spoutible will launched a social media platform that will be browser based until the app is launched in a matter of weeks. Spoutible has gone way above what others offer by way of prioritising the protection of its users from abuse and disinformation. By using advanced moderation tools, privacy and security features, fact-checking tools, and transparency and accountability features, Spoutible have delivered a safe and trustworthy environment for their users. It’s been a long time in coming and is something to spout about. Sign up and be part of the experience.