Over the years I have self-hosted a ton of stuff for people on the internet. So much, in fact, that I started a little non-profit to sort of make it “more official”. I love to help people, and people are truly grateful when I set something up for them. So I continue to do it. That being said, it can get expensive.
Funding is the biggest risk we face, as users, if we want to see the fediverse be a good long-term solution. Lemmy instances, be that .world or otherwise, do not have VCs backing them that can burn money for years on end like other tech startups. They are either able to pay for the services, or they don’t exist.
So, I implore you: please consider donating to any of the fediverse instances that you enjoy. Shifting the internet’s collective mindset towards paying for the social services we use could really be the beginning of something special.
Here are links to the .world Patreon and Open Collective:
I donate to lemmy net and mastadon world. I think donations will work in the short term, but in the long term a more sustainable model will need to be created. Hopefully a model that does not damage the integrity of Lemmy.