Is it possible to add a cross-posting option to Micro.blog but have that option unchecked by default?
Nope. Manton and I have gone back and forth about this. Hence I’ve to use hacks/services like Echofeed to ensure I don’t (accidentally) crosspost something to the wrong network.
My thinking on this is that if an option is unchecked by default, it will be easy to forget and then wonder why nothing was cross-posted. Having it always on by default but letting you opt-out per post is the most consistent, in my opinion.
Sounds fair but then why not present a screen like this before you hit Publish? Crossposting has been the defining feature of Micro.blog but it may not be for too long [one more example].
An extra prompt like that would add friction to posting. I’d rather the design be about posting to your blog, with the cross-posting as a secondary thing, not the main purpose.
I get that it seems like a minor thing to refocus the UI around cross-posting but I think everything should start with the blog. It’s why Micro.blog exists.
It wasn’t very long ago that we didn’t even have the checkboxes, though, so things do change sometimes.