On this page I’m sharing a sample of the online spaces where I’ve been active, and where virtual communities get built.
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Table 1: Comparing Platforms
Each row profiles one platform — what it’s known for and how/when folks might use the system, how much effort it takes to get started, and where a library, archive, or museum might use it.
| Platform | Best For | Barrier to Entry | Institutional Use Case | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facebook ★ | Broad public reach, event promotion | Low | Programming announcements, community groups | 3.07B monthly active users (Meta Investor Relations) |
| Instagram ★ (mobile only) | Visual storytelling, Short-form video | Low | Skits, Behind-the-scenes content, even follow-up content | ~2B monthly active users (Meta Investor Relations) |
| Twitter/X ★ | Real-time updates, public discourse | Low | Rapid alerts, public announcements | No official figure disclosed since 2022; most recent third-party estimate (Sprout Social) puts daily active app users around 125M |
| Pinterest ★ | Visual reference collections | Low | Reading lists, exhibit mood boards | 631M monthly active users (Pinterest Investor Relations) |
| YouTube ★ | Long-form and archival video | Low–Moderate | Recorded programming, oral histories | 2.5B+ users (Google Blog) |
| WordPress.com ★ | Blogging | Moderate | The institution’s home base | N/A — publishing platform, not a social graph |
| Second Life ★ | Immersive exhibits, persistent virtual spaces | High | Virtual collections, long-term exhibits | No official figure disclosed; independent tracking (Daniel Voyager) estimates ~500K monthly active, 25–45K daily concurrent |
| Discord | Ongoing small-group community | Low–Moderate | Book clubs, research communities | 200M+ monthly active users (Discord Company Page) |
| Job posts, Professional networking | Low | Professional development, alumni engagement | 1.3B+ registered members (LinkedIn Pressroom) | |
| Niche-interest discussion, searchable reference | Low | Subject-specific communities, patron Q&A | 126.8M daily active uniques (Reddit Investor Relations) | |
| Bluesky | Alternative to Twitter/X | Low | Decentralized social feed | ~43M registered users (Bluesky Social) |
| Patreon | Creative projects needing specific engagement and/or support | Low–Moderate | Sustaining ongoing creative or research projects directly through supporters | 10M+ monthly active patrons, 286,000+ creators (Patreon company data) |
Table 2: Policy & Safety Reference
A closer look at how each platform actually approaches user experience and safety — its stated rules (the Terms of Service), its safety resources (often provided for parents), and what (if anything) it discloses publicly about enforcement (Transparency Reports). Where a platform is missing a transparency report, that’s noted too.
| Platform | Moderation Model | Privacy Posture | Policy Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facebook / Instagram | Centralized; AI-assisted ranking plus human review under one set of Community Standards | Default public visibility on Pages; granular controls on personal profiles | Terms of Service Community Standards Transparency Report |
| Twitter/X | Centralized under X Corp; combination of machine learning and human review | Public by default; minimal granular control | Terms of Service Safety Center Global Transparency Report |
| Centralized; Community Guidelines enforced via machine learning plus human review | Boards public by default; secret boards available | Terms of Service Enforcement Policy Transparency Report | |
| YouTube | Centralized; three-strikes channel policy, enforced globally | Public/unlisted/private per video | Terms of Service Community Guidelines Transparency Report |
| WordPress.com | Centralized, but distinctive: a human Trust & Safety reviewer evaluates each report individually rather than auto-removing content | Fully within the site owner’s control | Terms of Service Trust & Safety Transparency Report |
| Second Life | Centralized ToS/Community Standards, enforced primarily through user-filed abuse reports | Avatar-based; real identity separable by design | Terms of Service Community Standards No public transparency report |
| Discord | Hybrid: platform-wide Trust & Safety team plus server-level self-moderation | Server-level; visibility controlled by server settings | Terms of Service Safety Center Transparency Hub |
| Centralized; automated detection plus trained human reviewers under one Professional Community Policy | Public professional profile by default | User Agreement Professional Community Policies Transparency Center | |
| Layered: sitewide Reddit Rules plus community-specific rules set by volunteer moderators | Pseudonymous by default | User Agreement Content Policy Transparency Center | |
| Bluesky | Decentralized; “composable moderation” — no single company decides what all users see, moderation services are chosen independently by users | Public by default; portable identity if you leave the platform | Terms of Service Community Guidelines No standing public transparency report found |
| Patreon | Centralized; user reports plus automated detection reviewed by a Trust & Safety team, with a Creator Policy Engagement Program that solicits creator feedback before guideline changes | Creator pages public by default; patron identity/payment info kept private | Terms of Use Community Guidelines Transparency Report |