So far, I will have to say, a lot of my Fediverse experience has been frustrating. Between being blocked by random instances for no reason (which is thankfully not as much of an issue now, as I've had a greatly diminished profile since I left Gab, even though it did grow after I founded CounterFedi), to instances going down (RIP ost.social, kafuka.me and more), I see only two long-term solutions for Fediverse use:

  1. Use a big instance. Like, a flagship such as mastodon.social, gleasonator.com, or a popular one like spinster.xyz, mstdn.social, freespeechextremist.com, and more.

  2. Self-host.

What I've been doing so far has been joining small instances, because I think joining bigger ones helps the whole network lean into a more centralized format. But, I've also found that smaller instances are less reliable.

For example, I typically have two active Fediverse accounts: a public one, and a private one. I have a few other accounts from instances I have left, which I really need to delete lol.

The instances for both of those two main accounts are dead. But, I have backup accounts. However, the instance for one of those backup accounts just went down, and the other backup account is on an instance that happens to be very broken.

I don't want to contribute to centralization, so I'm loath to use a big instance. And clearly relying on others to host smaller instances reliably has not been the move. Therefore, the only path forward for me is to self-host.

Granted, this will not be easiest for me, primarily because I do not have the funds for new hardware right now. But, I have been developing a plan, cost estimates, etc.

I have always been championing the Fediverse as something for use. Moving forward, I will be championing the Fediverse as a place to build. We don't need more FSEs, more Poasts, more mastodon.socials. We need more NASes, more timcast.clubs (RIP). Instances should be formed around tighter, specific groups, run reliably with people who have the tools necessary to get off the ground quickly, and stay running long-term.

I think what the Fediverse is missing is the former. I see few tools, if any, to get an instance off the group quickly, especially for non-techie aspiring admins.

I plan in the future to build something that will allow someone to install an instance quickly and easily. I cannot guarantee that it will be as easy as setting up a PLEX server, but I'll make it as close to that experience as possible.

The future looks bright bois, but for now I agonize as I am unable to focus on creating what I desperately yearn to build.