When utilizing the “support Lemmy” drop-down menu of a specific instance, it directs users to the Lemmy project home page (https://join-lemmy.org). Is this considered to “cover all the bases” where support is needed?
I’m curious to hear from longstanding Lemmy users and admins if they have any input.
In the event that Lemmy attracts a significant number of users, I want to identify individuals or instances that may require assistance but lack a clear avenue for financial support.
For example, I have no doubt, third-party app developers may offer tip jars or subscriptions, alternative means of support. But there may be some contributors who could use support to carry the load of all of us users.
Thanks for your thoughts.
“support Lemmy” only covers the project itself. If you want to support the people hosting your instance, you have to contact them. Individual instances may have links for donating in their sidebars.
As you’re on lemmy.ml, an instance hosted by the Lemmy developers, I guess in your specific case using the linked page would be the right way to support your instance.
As you’re on lemmy.ml
This is something I think a lot of people trip up on. This community is hosted there but the user isn’t on that instane - so they would not be supported the instance they actually on… Unless I’ve missed something?
I suspected that “Support Lemmy” only supported the project. Judging by another comment, That seems like the best place to put a dollar at this point in time. That way, platform itself can improve and become more robust for all the instances. But it’s good to know that if a smaller instance is doing something I find particularly valuable, I should consider also donating support if it’s an option.
Lastly, I hope admins and members incurring the costs will talk to their communities when they need support. Although most discussions make it seem like those individuals are more than willing to host their servers as their contribution in support of decentralized social networks. I just want to consider all ways community members like myself can support projects like this, so they never feel they need to surrender to outside influences for financial gain. It may not be possible to predict or stop the future, if that were to happen. But if supporting the fediverse from the inside out has clear pathways now, It will be easier.
If, you want to support the lemmy developers, they have a donations page HERE. To note, they are working FULL TIME on this project, as is my understanding, and donations are one of the only ways they are putting food on the table currently.
If, you want to support the lemmy infrastructure (ie, the servers running the instance you are connected to), check your server’s sidebar and see if they accept donations. You may also contact the admins for your particular instance.
In the case of my server, for example- I do not accept donations. Donations, in my past experiences, leads to expectations between parties changing.
That and right now Lemmy probably needs development that benefits the whole community way more than individual servers. The network can’t work of we hit hard scalability issues, but individual instances can come and go to fill the gaps. Global improvement to the server software can result in instances getting much cheaper to run with optimizations too.
Agreed. But- what also helps a lot- is others pitching in development time to assist the project.
One thing that can also help dramatically- Is posting bounties on specific features.
Say- lots of users want… a certain feature. Well- github allows posting bounties for things such as that. So- that would entice other developers to work on said features too.
A) This is not really a question for asklemmy, this would be a better suited discussion at !lemmy@lemmy.ml
B) the Support Lemmy donations link goes to the main developers themselves. Right now, that’s probably the best use of cash- there is a lot of developing that still needs to happen to make Lemmy fully usable.
Anything donated there will not go to supporting individual instances, other than lemmy.ml (which is run by said developers). Instances will often have a sticky post or something in the sidebar explaining where to donate to help cover server costs. If you have an instance you really like, consider donating to them as well, or asking the instance owner if he will start accepting donations.
I run an instance, which hasn’t got much traction yet. It’s okay for me, if it does or if it doesn’t. At the moment, I’m financing it myself and I’m not asking for donations.
I wonder if the third party devs might end up running their own instances for their respective users. It might make sense.
The host of my instance fired up a patreon, but for now he’s also made it clear its guaranteed that sopuli will stay up, even with zero support.
That’s noble, but what if it grows beyond the admin’s capability to pay the hosting costs?
He could just… not let it? He can stop accepting new users, for one, hes manually accepting each sign-up. And presumably he’d change his tune if he legit could not afford, or no longer wanted to front, the costs. Unlike other instances sopuli is still tiny. and while it has grown, it’s nowhere near to extent of other instances.
There is a rub though: even if it is a tiny instance, if the user base subscribes to other communities on other instances, traffic increase quit a lot. It’s small enough with 200k users but it could become an issue if growth is steady. It wouldn’t be long until “home” internet connections just won’t work reliably enough for admins.
I would most likely do it like the host of your instance too. My experience in nonprofit over the last 15 years is that if you give people a clear path to give to something that provides value for them and a community, you just need a clear path to support. The costs you’ll incur doing something you believe in are accepted, and money received is just a bonus. But without an option no one can help, and they rarely ask “how can I pay for what your giving away” like I did in this post.
