[simonhamp]

I've done much the same. I think ultimately when there's a solution that allows you to easily set up your own reliable 'self-hosted' solution, that will be the way to go.

Not sure if anyone has done anything like that yet.

Personal-private social networks (ultimate federation) could be the start of some really interesting innovations around proof of identity and ownership of (and ultimate value-generation from) data.

I'd love to have a tool that was able to collect data that I think would be useful/that I'm prepared to collect and may choose to share, either for me directly to reuse or as a more tangible thing that I could share as I choose.

For example, imagine collecting your browsing data in on a system that you control, completely private and secure by design but that allowed/provided tools for you to sell (safely) that data to companies. They'd get the data at a fair price, and you'd take an active part in the transaction instead of being a gormless observer as Google/Facebook sell it.

A tool to give _you_ the power to extract the value out of _your_ data.

And a platform to enable the kind of companies that have been paying billions to the likes of Google and Facebook to send a portion of it directly to you.

I find this idea quite compelling.

[virusduck]

I mentioned in another comment that ages ago I used to be cool and host my own photo sharing using Gallery [0]. I went by the website, and turns out they put the project to bed in 2014. The codebase for the latest version (which I never liked quite as much as the older ones) is still around [1] if anybody wants to move it forward. Oh, the nostalgia!

[0] http://galleryproject.org/

[1] https://github.com/gallery/gallery3