I guess the other thing is whether the general public actually care that much about Facebook’s privacy policy? I think most people’s incentive to move is if a great number of their social network also moves, and from what I’ve read of Diaspora its meant to exist on top of social network sites like FB and Twitter.

Anyway, I’ve appreciated the Twitter links. I’m still on the site for various reasons, but it’s made me re-evaluate how I should be using the website.

LiveJournal doesn’t work in this context (it’s a fine place to publish essays, rants and digressions) because it doesn’t connect you with many people (maybe 10% of my friends use it). Twitter doesn’t do that either because its an unfiltered stream of information, dominated by whoever’s shouting the loudest (a hashtag killfile would be a fine addition for a twitter client). It also doesn’t provide any real directory, and I’m seeing about 20% or less coverage, with less than 10 dominating the tweets.

I don’t think Diaspora will progress beyond a niche for the reasons you give, plus the fact that it has no obvious new feature and will, by the very act of being “ethical”, limit its ability to grow the userbase.

Anyway, I firmly believe that everyone has a right to use (and create) any kind of software/service that they want (with the obvious exceptions). That’s why I oppose things like the Great Firewall Of Oz/China. In some ways, social networking is like drugs - grown-ups of all ages have a right to make their own good and bad decisions about what they choose to use.