You nailed it: It feels like a movement. And movements, especially nascent ones, require buy-in and work from their members. I guess that explains why I feel obligated to participate more than I did at Reddit.

I've only been on Lemmy for a day, but it's already clear no one is gonna build this out for us.

Same here! Crossing my fingers hard and commenting and posting way more than I did for years on Reddit.

I think you're probably right. I might even go back because /r/stopdrinking is sort of a lifeline for me, and I just don't see another viable alternative.

But I'm hoping to replace the majority of my reddit use with the fediverse.

Welcome! I'm super stoked to be here, too. And each day this community seems to grow stronger.

I agree that reddit's future looks weak. The API change was horrible. Spez's approach to the whole thing was even worse: condescending, disingenuous, and hostile.

And the more I think about it, the less I see any hope for reddit as a place I want to spend time. This isn't just one bad episode. Once the company goes public, there's going to be more shit like this. The site will slowly gut itself for perceived short-term gains, over and over again.

No thanks.

That's one thing Reddit doesn't somehow grasp: They outsourced their brand experience a long time ago when they were late to building an app of their own. To me and many others, reddit definitely is reddit is fun. There's no putting that genie back in the bottle.

By now, we've all been around the internet long enough to know that good things never last. That's really life: Everything's impermanent. Lemmy will probably suck someday, as will much of the fediverse. But I'm grateful it's good right now and for the foreseeable future.

This kind of feels like the way reddit did more than a decade ago. It's not nearly as busy as when I joined reddit in 2011, but the comments feel more approachable, more engaging, more human.

You need to capitalize the "G" in "Government" in every use. Thought that was bizarre years later when I realized it was incorrect and that I was anti-government.

You're right. The fediverse is definitely in a better position to ward off the suck.

I've been getting a feel for Jerboa today. It's nice.

One thing I'm having trouble with: When a reply to a comment shows up in my inbox, I don't see a simple way to respond. I've been going into the thread and finding it manually.

Do you, or does anyone else, know if there's an easier way to respond from the inbox?

I might be overlooking something very obvious...

Jeez. I'm sorry someone said that to you. Fucked up.

I feel you completely. I spend most of my free time with my family, hiking or paddling, or reading books. It's nice to have places online to burn some time, but I'd sooner give it up than be forced into some corporate playground. The past 15-20 years have shown that it just doesn't work.

This brings up a good question: Do we really want everyone we can get?

On one hand, it'd help flesh out fledgling communities and keep threads and feeds more active.

On the other hand, the more people who come here, the more likely we are to see lower-effort, lower-value, and even counterproductive content and comments.

There's probably some magic number, an adoption level where communities thrive but are not watered down. I have no idea what that is, though.

That's really cool. Is my perspective off or is that a huge drop of water?

Also, I'm a sucker for a ground coated in pine needles.

This is the best answer. For a long time, VCs were willing to load up all sorts of startups and growth-stage companies with cash. But that changed last year. Suddenly, some investors found it made more sense to park their money in less risky, less time-consuming opportunities. That included stuff like bonds. Higher interest rates and an economy in crunch mode made the need to make money now more important than before.

Lol it's seriously crazy how much less active this place felt a couple of weeks ago. I can't imagine what it's like to be someone who was here years ago.

I definitely see some casual stuff on the subreddit. Maybe not memes, but certainly stuff about mocktails and a lot of humor.

Tbh, if this instance ends up becoming a replica of the sub, I'd be thrilled.

You know, I think you're right that they're mostly tucked inside the typical sort of /r/stopdrinking thread and also the daily theme threads.

I could see them working here as their own threads! My gut says they didn't often get their own threads on the subreddit because the user base was so big, often welcoming people in crisis. This is smaller, and it's a chance to try things.

I totally get the frame of mind needing to be right for the heavy threads.

For me, the absolute best part about the subreddit is the community's disposition. It's just a genuinely nice and supportive corner of the internet. The lack of hostility and judgment is so important.

If we can do that here, that's a huge win. And I have a lot of faith, especially because that's kind of how Lemmy seems to roll in general.

Something something pork roll versus Taylor ham. Am I doing that right?

Just kidding. Stoked to be here!

Wow! That's awesome. Keep it going! And IWNDWYT.