Honestly next up is a signal group for members and you sold me 
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Wouldnāt the problem with Signal be that weād be using our real names? Itās not like every has two devices to set up Signal on if they are already using it as their primary IM with people in their lives.
Iād much rather it be a Delta Chat or SimpleX or XMPP app where you can show the same username as you have here for uniformity and simplicity. Let Signal be as it is as your main chat app (because I do use my real name with people I chat with on it)
Also, what point exactly would a chat app with members serve? Is it to simply have another place to talk about privacy stuff or did you want it to be for another reason?
I think IM groups might be quite problematic,
- Member mix overlaps with the forum, unless it serves a totally different purpose, which cannot be catered by the forum, otherwise it does not generate enough value to justify the additional works as well as drawbacks listed below
- Portion of discussion topics might be channeled to the IM instead of the forum, as the IM group is paid member exclusive, meaning it is excluding unpaid members, which seems do harm more than good.
- IM groups are much more challenging / labour intensive to moderate.
- IM platform related issues (e.g. If select popular platforms then it could be challenging for some people as they need to find a way to hold multiple accounts on the same device / if select niche platform then might seem unattractive)
I have some wild āperkā ideas
a) Suggest and vote the use and priority of use on funds (Donāt really think it is possible but it makes donors feel more involved (as they actually are)
b) Exclusive annual / semi-annual physical events (like Bar night)
c) Exclusive tours (of course joiners need to pay for themselves, asking PG to fund it is obviously nonsense)
d) A chance to design next Mech
Sorry for using point forms, I understand it might seem a bit unfriendly, I simply think it would be more readable.
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Donāt we already have a Matrix chat? Just make an invite only group there I suppose.
itās a members only for a reason. If we allowed everyone we would reach the group limit already.
You donāt need to use real Names on signal.
I have 2 signal accounts, one that uses my pseudonym, the other is my personal. And I use just my one primary Android phone lol.
I use the pseudonym/online one for signal groups like Techlore.
Also you can always just hide your phone number and set a username and also use a username on the display name.
In my experience of another group, While it can get political sometimes, more often than not discussions are good, And since itās a members only group thatās less of a problem and moderation will exist.
For now I am not really in favor of private group chats. Privacy Guides is first and foremost a knowledge sharing platform, and information thatās shared privately is information lost IMHO
I would really prefer people seek advice in Privacy > Questions and share stories in Privacy where everyone on the internet can benefit from the answers, as opposed to having these discussions on Signal.
Canāt rule anything out forever, but thatās kind of where Iām at on this for now.
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