To discuss how to grow and manage communities / magazines on Lemmy, Mbin, Piefed and Sublinks
I'm super satisfied with the organic growth of [email protected]
We now have more than 500 subscribers and more than 300 weekly users. We are playing and discovering games and share the results just like intended, resulting in > 300 posts and > 2000 comments.
Everyone is super nice and there's nothing to moderate so far.
That's great, well done!
I love that community, thanks for running it!
[email protected] already has 21 subscribers after just one day🎉 I'm currently planning what kind of posts I could create for it to keep it active while the community is still forming. Once it has a few more posts, I will start promoting it in vn-developer discords as well. The people on there are still a bit unsure about the fediverse in general though.
In the long run, I'd like to create more Lemmy alternatives for existing gamedev/vndev-related subreddits that are still missing on here, but I think I'll take it slow for now
Link posts to tutorials for it, perhaps?
That would be an option, yes! I thought about posting weekly tool/resource showcases as well. I think my approach will be to post from my mastodon account, tags and all, to additionally get the attention of the microblog-peeps and ensure that the post body doesnt get lost due to federation
Currently a bit busy, will probably resume posting next week
Real life has picked up a bit lately for me, too. Hoping to devote more time to communities soon.
The german-speaking communities are being rebuilt on the new feddit.org (feddit.de is completely broken now). There was a post a couple days ago about bringing missing feddit.de communities to feddit.org.
Do you have any information about what happened with feddit.de?
There was something wrong with the database, the web frontend was only showing "server error" and image uploads where broken. The only admin moved to Asia and disappeared, nobody is able to contact them. At least that's what I've heard.
Edit: And since two days feddit.de has no dns records anymore.
Damn, that's a shame. I don't know if it's because I was using a lot of their community browser tool, but I thought they were one of the most invested in making a long-term alternative.
It was looking fine for a long time. One thing I always thought was weird is that they never accepted donations and paid everything out of their own pockets. That's why I opted for discuss.tchncs.de when I opened my account, their finances are completely transparent on the website.
Now that you mentioned, I also went to look at feddit.ch and it also seems to have been abandoned.
I honestly don't know what to feel about this.
On the one hand, it is yet-another data point supporting my hypothesis that the current server-centric architecture of the Fediverse is not sustainable. On the other hand, it seems like not enough people care. Having to move communities around because one admin just got tired of dealing with this shit should not be normalized.
Now that you mentioned, I also went to look at feddit.ch and it also seems to have been abandoned.
It has been a few months.
On the other hand, it seems like not enough people care.
People usually pick large instances that are known to be reliable
People usually pick large instances that are known to be reliable
This is remedy but not a real solution to the problem.
Feddit.org is now a non profit managed by several people, so that's definitely better.
Feddit.UK is the same I think?
Yes, in as much as we aren't formally a non-profit organisation or charity but we have a team and we don't make any money off it. It was touch-and-go for a while as the instance only had one Admin, which always makes it precarious, and they went AWOL. So we assembled a team.to.replace him, tried to get in touch and then had a new instance rolled on a new server. At the last minute he got in touch and handed everything over to us (data and domain) so we were able to keep the lights on.
Our first financial report is here. We have already raised enough that the instance is solid and will be around as long as people want it. As the money all goes through Open Collective, I could spontaneously combust tomorrow and the bills would still get paid.
Lemmy.ca went one better and have done all the paperwork.
Thank you for the insights. Ah yes, that's Lemmy.ca, I got confused
There's an interesting thread on asklemmy about the perils of trying to grow engagement: https://lemmy.world/comment/11375736. The topic is: "What would you like to change about Lemmy culture?"
On one hand I kind of get the point, on another hand I feel a need to post something every week or so so people who click on the community can quickly see the community is not dead and someone is checking at least semi-regularly.
Yeah, it's something worth further thought. Somewhat related is this comment by @[email protected] to @[email protected] on a c/Heathcliff thread about communities that are kept alive by a single poster:
This is a distinct problem I’ve discovered as someone who aims to post daily in my Euro-comics community-- that while it does gradually increase the subscriber count, it also (speculating here) tends to create a userbase that’s content to sit back and let someone else do the work.
So, psychologically and motivationally, I’m thinking it might even discourage contributors, especially since I try to research well everything I post, and usually post multiple images. Not unlike how you always add the reference comic as well as frequent bonus content… plus the funny comments, of course.
In other words, the two audiences are getting quality stuff without needing to lift a finger. Where is their motivation supposed to come from, daggit?
That's a great point, not sure what the answer is.
Hola, Rolando!
So-- I think this why any healthy community needs casual posters. I mean, it's all very well for the founders, mods & awesome posters like @[email protected] at c/SuperbOwl to post excellent content on a regular basis, but we also need people coming from the zen / beginner's side of things to post topics like 1) "Help me remember this media?," 2) "What is your opinion on X?," 3) "I need help with this issue," 4) "Hey look, here's my latest gear / shelfie / etc!"
Yes, and I'm largely stating the obvious, but how do we get there? One idea would be for the 'content creators' to turn around and post from the other direction (as above). I've actually had decent luck with that in the past, when the community was much smaller, but for whatever reason I stopped doing that. The point of course is to set an example for others to follow, but also to put our members in the position to help out the show-runners, so to speak. Let them have a turn to be the 'experts.'
Anyway, that's one idea.
I've gotten lucky to get a few regular commentors by this point. Getting post content is easy relative to how hard it is to get those comments, so I always try to make anyone that comments feel important and special for doing so.
I always try to make a response to whatever they say. Even if they just say "I like this" I can always throw in a "I'm so glad you liked it! What was your favorite part?" to let them know someone noticed their comment, and also if I can, throw in that question to try and get a second comment, since I already have them talking to me. Gotta give that positive reinforcement. My group is a bit more niche, so I can't really pose a question as a topic most times.
Owl of the Year gave people something to talk about as well, and for them to communicate with each other and not just me as they tried to win people over to their side of the voting. It really can take a bit of time, but I try to know my audience. I'm really trying to stay tuned into it now, as I think my subs have peaked.
Following all these threads with the other posters has been a big help too. It shows me I'm not alone in the struggles of building something, and I can get a feel for how others are doing what they do. That's why I always try to chime in on these things, as this is NOT a specialty of mine being social with strangers, but I want this place to thrive so I have to push myself, and I want to give support back to the rest of you to grow this beast from all directions.
Be open, meet people from other communities, talk to them, participate in their communities to give them some comments to attract others, and that's all we can do. Just keep making it the place you want to hang out at.
Right on, A6789.
In fact I recall reading you stating the body of such not too long ago, and I thought it very smart, pragmatic, and kind. Okay, let's see:
I’ve gotten lucky to get a few regular commentors by this point. So far we get semi-regular & random folks, which is cool of course, but regulars would be nice, you know?
I mean, it would be nice to share more of where we're each coming from, keep in mind our likes & dislikes, and do little 'tip of the caps' to them. I'd like that, if possible.
Gotta give that positive reinforcement.
I love that whole technique, and I salute your approach, but at the same time, Euro GN's border (or encompass) serious, heavy themes & content, and I'm afraid it would falter on the edge of being pedantic if I was to go too far in that direction.
Altho for the record, in terms of my screwups, there's me BLOWING MY TOP in the comments:
https://lemm.ee/post/37318592
Be open, meet people from other communities, talk to them, participate in their communities to give them some comments to attract others, and that’s all we can do.
Good points!
Altho A6789-- mate, you know you're allowed to change your public-facing username whilst keeping your core name for login purposes, etc.
I'm just being silly here, but whadya think, whadya think:
...
I'm glad you and that other person dealt with things in the long run.
It can be hard to find positive aspects in much of what is going on around the world, but all is not lost. There are those out there helping migrants, bringing aid to warzones, and others doing great things. For anything bad we can find, there's an opposite story to tell about those who are trying to make it better. Rather than telling the stories about the villains, let us tell stories about the heroes more.
I occasionally think about changing my name, or at least coming up with an alt account for when I express my opinions rather than doing my work on Superbowl, but this is me at this point. I try to keep it civil and avoid anything controversial, but I think I'm on with who I am and how I present myself here. Just as IRL, not everyone will like me or my opinions, but that is ok as well.
For anything bad we can find, there’s an opposite story to tell about those who are trying to make it better. Rather than telling the stories about the villains, let us tell stories about the heroes more.
Hmm, I like your kindly, rather philosophical nature, too!
Rather than telling the stories about the villains, let us tell stories about the heroes more.
Oh, settle down there... We're all heroes & villains at the end of the day, didn't you get that memo?
I've mainly just been enjoying the stories from the It Could Happen Here podcast where they talk about their personal experiences working at the border. I've learned so much about the conditions there and learning about all the different people trying to come here despite what happens to them asking the way.
I'd much rather hear from those people helping than hearing more about Texas politicians making things worse. They also provide resources to learn how to get involved to help make things better. The news just tells the drama without providing any kind of answers or help, but there are stories of positivity to be found.
But... why is it even a QUESTION of extending some decency and goodwill, in such case? Illegal immigrants is NOT a real issue in the USA. In fact, it's a critical shortage.
Sorry, I'm a bit pissed-off. @[email protected]
I feel bad because most of the people posting on [email protected] seem to be really good at it and I am pretty obviously nowhere near their level of skill. I also do not see many posts made by people around my skill level. But hey, at least it's Fediverse engagement and I do try to help keep that up. Writing this comment also made me think that perhaps a lot of Fediverse hobby communities have skilled people and beginners are perhaps too scared to post because they don't see anyone else just starting, so being the beginner asking for help might actually be valuable.
perhaps a lot of Fediverse hobby communities have skilled people and beginners are perhaps too scared to post because they don’t see anyone else just starting
This is a GREAT point IMO, and I think it's good to never to forget it. Even as smashingly common as it is.
Because ultimately, we're going to make the Fediverse work because we pay attention to details like this, whereas Reddit is just sort of organised mechanisms at this point, mais non?
@[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected]
P.S. And yes-- I doubt we're ever going to come close to Reddit (or other pop-mediums) in terms of total userbase and/or pop-engagement, but to me, folks who make sites like this work are preserving a sort of 'last chance for humanity to stave off corporate ownership.' Our last chance to deliver a nice little FUCK YOU to late-stage capitalism, if you like.
Sorry for my language, mateys.
If people are manage hobby communities, I really suggest to have planned weekly threads where people can share their progress. Might be less scary to beginners.
You can use https://schedule.lemmings.world/auth/login
Interesting. Is this a third-party service to make scheduled posts on your behalf? Is it from your own account? If so, how do they manage security?
That's a plugin managed by @[email protected]
I usually have mods account that I use for this. I trust the tool with those creds, worst case scenario the account gets compromised and I set up another one.
Very true. We often feel we aren't very good at things. We'll always be behind some people, but we're also ahead of others as well, and we forget that. I always think I'm at a dead end in piano, and my teacher tells me to knock it off because I'm way ahead of where normal progress is for an adult student. So while I may feel I'm at a tough point, it's because I'm constantly challenging myself to improve, not just sticking at my current level.
Even with my Lemmy content, I knew maybe more than your average person about owls, but now after a year plus of reading about them every day, I feel much more established in my knowledge of them.
Hobbies are all about fun and gradual improvement. Progress pics can be an important part of that. As long as the community treats everyone nicely, beginner work should be complimented.
Even in something like knitting, I never got far at it and just made maybe a half dozen basic scarfs, but I got consistent comments about my ability to keep even tension, which kept me motivated.
In regards to overall growth of Lemmy, I look at us as the instances being the mom and pop shops vs the commercial conglomerates of Reddit and Facebook. I don't want or need to be that big to feel successful. I'm close to getting 3k subs, and that's more people than I ever imagined to have listening to me. We don't need to be all things to all people. We can coexist with other platforms. I imagine some might even prefer my rendition of Superbowl to the Reddit one. You get solid photos and facts, but you're not overwhelmed with too much stuff that you need to scroll and read forever.
Dude (hehe, sorry), you seem so young and smart (which you are of course), whilst I'm a tired, middle-aged man.
In regards to overall growth of Lemmy, I look at us as the instances being the mom and pop shops vs the commercial conglomerates of Reddit and Facebook. I don’t want or need to be that big to feel successful. I’m close to getting 3k subs, and that’s more people than I ever imagined to have listening to me. We don’t need to be all things to all people. We can coexist with other platforms.
Excellent points, thank you for that. <3
Nay, I'm in my 40s. I'll take the smart compliment though! 😜
Oh yeah, it's always good to feel the neeiiiighhh!
I'm still your boss, though, see. SEE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLnZ1NQm2uk
Nah, I love your work. Please keep on, keepin-on! <3
I think it's okay to show beginner level stuff, everyone started one day
My motivation is trying to help the Fediverse grow and knowing it needs posters.
I try to post in most communities I'm in, although there's a few where I am incredibly new or my interest in the topic is super casual and I'm just an onlooker watching something I really don't belong to. In those cases I just sit back and consume the mod's content because I really have nothing to offer besides maybe a private message amounting to "I see your effort, thank you".
[email protected] is doing really well, especially with memes, over 100 subscribers and lots of posting from others.
[email protected] is also doing well but less active and I’m having to deal with some off topic posts.
Lesson learned on trying to mod [email protected]: Mbin accounts do not play nice with dealing with reports, or changing the sidebar or logo of a community on Lemmy. Lemmy accounts will not play nice with dealing with reports (I forget if they let you change sidebar or logo) unless your Lemmy account is on the same instance as the community. I now have a lemmy.world account, very clearly branded as Elevator7009sAlt.
[email protected] now has a couple subscribers which is nice. Trying to figure out how it talking to Mastodon works out. Recently discovered that when I explicitly make a for-Mastodon post on Mbin/Kbin by hitting "Add new post", it also federates to Lemmy… with the first few words as the title. Imagine a Tweet as a thread, with the first few words as the title… yeah, not nice. Have to keep that in mind. Also, link posts I make federate out to Mastodon but any text I put in the body gets wiped which is just sad. The title gets posted twice, once alone and once with the hashtags next to it. I cannot even link to the link post on Mastodon to demonstrate this. All options that might give me the link, even one that looks like a link to the Mastodon post, instead sends you to the Steam page I linked in the link post. Also saw that marking spoilers does not work on Mastodon. Wondering whether I should quit trying to play nice with Mastodon and stop having the magazine tagged. Probably.
I suck at it. Just created AMA Requests for people to request other people to do an ask me anything post. I have no clue how to mod or anything or promote it. And I cannot find a book or website on how to do it.
Hey there! First of all, there's no book or anything that I know of. Second, the way you refer to your community is like this: [email protected]. Quick question: are you planning to run the AMAs yourself?
Well I have been asking other users and hate to message the ADMINs. But currently yes. I just searched for my comunity and it did not show up. I thought it was a really cool thing we could bring or steal from Reddit and ask like um nurses, doctors, web developers, mods, admins a bunch of different questions because I do not think I am the only one migrating over here that liked the casualama or the just AMA. But on my community all are welcome. But I will try my best to do the best for the users. I posted in new commonites looking for help or for people post or know how to promote. I am not asking to spam it but just get the ball rolling and get other people with knowledge that other people are curious about just to ask a question without fear of being downvoted or whatever.
Well to begin with, I suggest adding a description of your community somewhere in that community, so people know what it's about and what to expect of it. if only so visitors know whether they should subscribe or not.
I don't think people mind that you ask for help. Here on [email protected] is a great place to ask. You may also want to try [email protected]. Just make a post telling people what you have in mind and asking for help or guidance. Ideally you'd also find someone to work along with you. I'd help you myself but I don't know anything about AMAs and my time's full up.
Great advice
I just thought that Ask Me Anything community would attract people to lemmy. People can make requests and its up to the mods or anyone to help get them to come over and have a discussion with their user base.
Edit: probably not what you were looking for, but still
Lemmy devs did AMAs a while back on [email protected]