Open MAP Community

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OMC logo (original and current)

The Open MAP Community ("OMC", mapcommunity.org, founded mid-2021) is a popular chat site for MAPs aged 15 and up. Utilizing the RocketChat (Rocket.chat) protocol (currently suspended, see below), it is in effect a "closed system", in that an account can not be used on other chat sites. Thus, it is not part of the wider pediverse, but retains a somewhat younger user base similar to it.

The chat functions as a hangout, covering generally unserious, general/offtopic material. The tone of conversation has been described as tolerant towards MAPs who are members of other minority groups, but less "politically-correct" than well-known pediverse sites such as the NNIA and the MAPSupport. Generally, users of OMC are nonpolitical, lean pro-c, and do not insist on viewing their experience through a "theoretical" lens, meaning any conflicts lean personal and not political. Some users are explicitly anti-activist, although there exists a range of opinions and some active rooms for discussing "serious" and "news" topics. In it's days as an RC server OMC sometimes saw messages totaling in the low thousands per day, making it one of the most popular MAP sites on the clear web.

Over the course of its existence, OMC has produced a number of guides and blogs that function as an FAQ on topics of concern to MAPs. The site has an onion mirror and presents links to other resources. In some cases, writers unaffiliated with OMC have published blog posts using its server, although the extent to which this is a service offered to users is unknown.

The owners of OMC had embarked on an expensive hosting strategy (initially, this didn't go to plan, see below), have strict rules with respect to legality of content, and raise funds via cryptocurrencies such as Etherium and Monero.

Loss of RocketChat functionality in 2023/4

On 31 July, 2023, the site went offline unannounced, after it was revealed that it's host, Njalla had decided it was unwilling to host a pro-c inclusive chat site for MAPs. The OMC splash site returned for the third week of August, with promises to return the original chat to functionality, but at present, only a Matrix space exists in its place.

Marketing itself as a pro-privacy host, Njalla's decision was similar to that exercised by Newgon's host (which marketed itself as a supporter of "free speech") a decade earlier.

See also

External links