How are you doing with your communities? : fedigrow

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

I'm feeling a bit burnt out lately. I'm having fun running the Owl of the Year tournament again, but I'm a little tired of making regular posts at the moment.

A lot of stressful things are going on in my personal life, so I don't know if that's it, or if I just need a break from the specific content, or what. Maybe I'm just complaining to burn off some anxiety.

But out of my frustration and reading the post from the person in the journaling community, it got me thinking about something like a Post Exchange Program.

Either in Fedigrow or a separate comm, one person could submit a request let's say.

Community: Superbowl@lemmy.world
Posts Requested: 1
Subject: Any

One of you guys with your own community could reply with a trade.

Bun Alert System
Subject: Funny

And you could accept or pass on a post swap.

I thought it could get a fresh set of ideas into some of the communities, and if there was a kind of content I wanted but didn't have the time or knowledge, maybe someone seeing a want ad would be motivated to post.

I wouldn't mind learning about some other topics that I could research occasionally. Even if it's just find a pic you think is cool or funny, you would bring in what someone other than just yourself thinks is good all the time.

This is just like 15 minutes of thinking about it, but if anyone feels this is worth pursuing, maybe we can refine something.

It may even just be easier if some of us could partner up with other people we like their work or a subject we're interested in. Even if they aren't people that frequent Fedigrow, if a few of us or says let's pick one community a week and as a group we each toss a post or two to that community during the week.

I think a lot of us are doing the best a single person can do in there own and maybe some organized collabs could take some of these things to the next level.

Thoughts?

[-] JohnnyEnzyme@lemm.ee 3 points 4 days ago

I’m feeling a bit burnt out lately.

Lord-a-mighty, whaaaat?

Maître des hiboux, I've never seen near-anyroad what you've accomplished so far across almost ANY venue. I find it astonishing, frankly...

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

Hah, all you guys always make me feel like I'm doing something important! 😅

[-] JohnnyEnzyme@lemm.ee 4 points 4 days ago

Ahh... I suspect it's pretty-much just petty jealousy, for my part!

For example-- I happen to be nowhere near able to post on my SubLemmy as often as you and (for example) @FlyingSquid@lemmy.world do on yours. All hail, because you folks are TOPS.

(so once per day is the absolute height of my powers, and meanwhile it sometimes takes me a week to post again, particularly when I'm scorchingly butthurt)

So y'all kinda crush me in that sense, and sometimes, here and there, I just feel like a pathetic failure by not being able to get with that same spirit, or however it's best-described.

I also find that you two are pretty dang *genius* about coming up with fun, hilarious post titles, something I really admire and appreciate. Because really, it's a dang-ol' art! ❤️

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

We all admire things other people do, we've all got to find our right spot in the ecosystem.

Squid's got the time, but I think that's because of some medical stuff. Blaze does so much community work. Pseudo is always checking out all kinds of activity pub platforms trying to make the most out of all these new tools. I know there's names I recognize but I didn't necessarily read what they do because it's not my thing.

I make most of my posts ahead of time during times I'm just sitting around and post after I eat breakfast, then I can answer questions during my downtime at work while my machines are running.

It stinks you got trashed on in your own community. As soon as I opened it, I knew what it was though. People here get very butthurt on AI stuff, but I don't think what you did is bad. I don't like people that either try to make money off it or pass out off as real photos, but you didn't do that, you just tried to add atmosphere to your story.

I still feel like I stink at this sometimes too. I was worried I was going to dip down to the 3 page of the community ranks before the tournament kicked off. Now I'm almost back to the first. New subs are down, so I feel I've peaked. There's commenters I don't see come by anymore and I feel they got bored with me. Someone new will post and get way more views than my stuff. There's always something.

But I'm here doing my thing. I share what I enjoy and try to get you to enjoy it with me. It's what I'd do if we were trying to be friends in person. I just want this to be a nice place to be, do I do what I feel is conducive to that.

[-] JohnnyEnzyme@lemm.ee 3 points 4 days ago

Oh rabbits, I really appreciate that, mate. Like, things are always so much better when we have a kinder, more reasonable, more gentler setting, is it not?

I was worried I was going to dip down to the 3 page of the community ranks before the tournament kicked off. Now I’m almost back to the first. New subs are down, so I feel I’ve peaked. There’s commenters I don’t see come by anymore and I feel they got bored with me. Someone new will post and get way more views than my stuff. There’s always something.

Wait, what???
Ah, okay, I think I get you right there? But bloody-hell (and muvvle-fluffle) mate, absolutely NO-ONE would be able to keep up with that schedule..! (like, is that a TRUE reason to beat yourself up?)

It's like... you set records that should NOT be able to be broken, and then you break them!

Mssr-- you make me proud across a perfect LATITUDE of reasons, cheesy as that may sound, haha. Yet... well... come on. *When* exactly do you get to recognise yourself, right?

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

When exactly do you get to recognise yourself, right?

"Real me" is a quiet introvert with no sense of self esteem and medicated but still existing major depression. So... never! 😅

You guys get my professional face. I'm here doing my job. It gives me focus and purpose I need. I got all this research to share with you because I'm rather hermit-ish and would rather be learning than doing most things.

When you guys tell me I'm doing good, I do believe you. But my wiring doesn't let me tell me that. I don't beat myself up about it so negatively anymore, but it keeps me pushing forward constantly.

I try to make my shortcomings work for me. I'm glad I get to make so many of you happy. This is more attention and a bigger audience than I would have ever believed I'd have or would have wanted. But I'm not anyone extraordinary, I'm just trying to be the best me.

[-] JohnnyEnzyme@lemm.ee 2 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

Late reply, but I appreciate your honesty, there(!)
(er, you might also have noticed that I was having a strong drink while commenting, hehe)

Also, I feel like I can certainly understand you to an extent, in that CFS/ME has crushed much of my self-esteem, such that I've felt for ages that I need to overcompensate, leading me to be rather perfectionistic and not satisfied with 'making the average effort.' Which is kinda dumb, since energy is arguably the biggest thing I lack compared to most others. But yeah, also with a bunch of chronic depression & anxiety to go along with that.

Anyway, I admire the way you understand yourself in these ways, seemingly treating yourself both kindly and pragmatically, if I understand correctly. 🙂

Ah, and now I have some found art to post on the 'Super Bowl' sublemmy...

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 2 points 9 hours ago

We've all got to make the best of the hand we're dealt. I try to keep the attention on the positive here, because I feel we currently need it more than ever, but I won't act like I'm immune to the negative myself. I think it's crucial we make it ok for people to share problems and the ways they've found to get help with things.

Especially here, we're building something new, and I want it to be a happy and helpful place. A supportive net culture feels rare these days and I want to foster it all I can.

[-] JohnnyEnzyme@lemm.ee 2 points 3 hours ago

There’s commenters I don’t see come by anymore and I feel they got bored with me. Someone new will post and get way more views than my stuff. There’s always something.

Whups, I missed this the first time around, but I mutht say (hah, Ed Grimley moment)-- a community in which all content starts with a wonderful owl picture (whether its followed by a bunch of interesting facts or not) is both amazing to me, yet also rife with the potential for members / subscribers to leak out the door if they're not personally engaged, wildlife fans, or major owl-fanciers themselves. Something like that, I suspect.

But anyway yeah, I think I GET you about the psychological competition-thing, even if we tend to manufacture it mainly inside our punkin' ol' heads. Personally I don't really have that problem across the Lemmysphere, but (and some may burn me at the stake for this) I still do post to Reddit sometimes, and it can be completely hit-or-miss, even if (IMO of course) I've found something cool and unique that completely suits a sub, then it gets outcompeted by a dang ol' meme, or just plain ignored. Altho TBF I think there's a post-threshold in most subs, in that one must #1 be subscribed, #2 have sufficient comment karma, and #3 have adequate post karma. Also, there might be a moderator-approval queue!

Oh rabbits, I set out here to respond to your direct comment, but in checking the full comment chain, got fasctinated by an earlier one. Not to mention, it seems like your ORIGINAL comment was directly about vote-share trades, or something like that?

Sorry, A6789 (oof, or do you have a preferred handle?), but I'll try to get back to the interesting things you pointed out just above, and maybe your original concept. 😅

Sorry sorry!

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

I'm still mainly getting used to be the conversation starter I guess instead of the one joining in. Things are going to be hit or miss, but I've been learning to just roll with it and adapt. I picture it kinda like a comedian honing their set.

I do have a fairly stable group of followers. I remind myself they have other things and interests probably more relevant than owls sometimes, plus people just come and go.

If I had known I was actually going to be someone recognizable I would have picked a better name. I know I can change it, but after this long I have brand cache now... 😝

[-] donuts@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

Hey, just wanted to say your posts lighten up me and my partner's day. I always send the threads to her so she can take a break from work and look at the cute or funny owls.

She really loves the posts but she doesn't have an account so she will never engage with the content I'm afraid. So let me say it here and now: thank you for making our day better :)

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

As long as the message is getting out and people are having fun, that's all I want to see!

I'm always glad to hear the posts make you guys happy. There's less and less content I end up engaging with as we all get more frustrated with a lot of current events, and I am glad that the people sharing that stuff are keeping us informed, but it does get to be a lot.

I try to always give you something happy or hopeful to keep your spirits up. I'm very glad to hear I'm still having success in that! I appreciate all of you!

[-] Blaze@feddit.org 3 points 5 days ago

I like the idea!

[-] hono4kami@slrpnk.net 1 points 5 days ago

I'm thinking of adding "Question of the Week" type of thread to !publictransport@slrpnk.net

[-] hono4kami@slrpnk.net 2 points 5 days ago

Also, I'm still not sure what type of posts succeed the most. Whether it's discussion/question posts, photos, or posting links from other websites

I also try to engage in the comment section after posting

[-] Blaze@feddit.org 1 points 5 days ago

You still don't want to contribute to !trams_trolleys_streetcars@lemmy.blahaj.zone? That community already has 717 subs and 888 active users per month?

[-] hono4kami@slrpnk.net 2 points 5 days ago

I prefer to have my own community, I already have my own vision/preference on what I want the community would be like

I've said this before:

I wanted something like Skyscrapercity forum but on Lemmy, or something similar to r/transit.

(As a context, in Skyscrapercity is a discussion forum about infrastructures in the world, underrated website)

Public transports are not limited to trams, trolleys, and street cars. It also includes trains, high-speed rail buses, etc. And my vision for this community is that I want the community to be discussion-oriented. For example, the accessibility of a public transport, the obstacles of building one, the ticket price, the effect it has on the city, integrations between modes, etc. Take a look at https://reddit.com/r/transit for example.

To be clear, I'm not saying that !trams_trolleys_streetcars@lemmy.blahaj.zone is a bad community, it just has difference purpose, as far as I can understand. I'll probably try to crosspost some of the post there.

[-] Blaze@feddit.org 2 points 5 days ago

You do you, but from experience it might be tiring to keep a community active as a single person. There have been several examples of people in the past setting up a community, trying to keep it alive for a few weeks, and then giving up because they never got traction. Shouting into the void has a real effect: https://slrpnk.net/post/8982899

I want the community to be discussion-oriented. For example, the accessibility of a public transport, the obstacles of building one, the ticket price, the effect it has on the city, integrations between modes, etc.

Then there's probably an overlap with the "fuck cars" community

!fuckcars@lemmy.world - 5.2k monthly active users
!fuckcars@lemmy.ca - 1.1k mau
!fuckcars@lemmy.ml - 1.3k mau

You might want to promote your community there, but be ready for them to invite you to join their communities rather than them joining yours.

Anyway, good luck, we'll probably see each other around here in the coming weeks!

[-] squirrel@discuss.tchncs.de 18 points 1 week ago

!dailygames@lemmy.zip is self-sustained by now. A lot of regulars are posting games every day. With 600 monthly users I can sit back, play some games myself and watch the community thrive.

[-] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 days ago

is self-sustained by now

With 600 monthly users I can sit back, play some games myself and watch the community thrive.

Well done! That's definitely a nice feeling!

[-] JohnnyEnzyme@lemm.ee 8 points 1 week ago

Wow, that's awesome! Subscribed!

Myself, I'm working on formatting a huge list of my favorite online games, a project which I've been refining for years. Assuming I understand your sumlemmy correctly, I'll have to post it there and see if anyone has anything to add...

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[-] can@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 week ago

I recently linked !nowhereelsetoshare@sh.itjust.works in a comment for the first time. Brought in about 25 news subs and hit 600 subscriber milestone.

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[-] Libb@jlai.lu 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Trying to revitalize !journaling@sh.itjust.works. So far, after maybe 3 weeks regularly posting stuff, I'm still the sole poster but members have started commenting which is already great and very encouraging. I've also noticed a few new subscribers joining the community, at least 10 (I forgot to note the initial number so it's probably a little more than that), which I find very encouraging too.

That being said, I have zero idea what I'm doing (and how well), I just want to try. I asked for the community 'lead' (is that how I should say?) because, well, it had been inactive for a year or so. And because no one else asked for it. And because as a lifelong journaler myself I know how useful (and so much more than that) keeping a journal is. It was so sad to see it not moving at all, I wanted to give the community a chance to grow and become more active.

I've discovered Fedigrow this very morning and it feels like it's exactly the place I didn't now I urgently needed to find. I've started reading a few discussions and already grabbed a few cool ideas. Thx :)

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[-] MrPoopyButthole@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 1 week ago

I have high hopes for !lemmy_top_shelf@lemmy.world

I think bringing attention to the posters people enjoy is a nice pat on the back to those who make our time spent scrolling worthwhile. Its also a nice punt for the communities the nominees post in.

[-] Libb@jlai.lu 3 points 6 days ago

That's a nice idea, subscribed!

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

I voted, and not just for myself! 😅

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[-] Blaze@feddit.org 8 points 1 week ago

Happy to help !AskUSA@discuss.online grow

Thank you @OpenStars@discuss.online @m_f@midwest.social @admiralpatrick@lemmy.world and @Anticorp@lemmy.world for volunteering to mod it!

[-] OpenStars@discuss.online 6 points 1 week ago

You are very welcome, and thank you for helping it grow!:-)

[-] JohnnyEnzyme@lemm.ee 7 points 1 week ago

First of all, thank you so much Blaze for your relentless dedication to the Lemmy project. I continue to be impressed and grateful, both. ❤️

TBH, I'm also a combo of pissed-off and disappointed by how relatively few Redditors put their "fuck spez" energy in to trying to help Lemmy grow, instead seeming to expect it to be a ready-made substitute for Reddit, prone to tantrums / bitchiness when they encountered minor difficulties. And I'm also disappointed by the actual Lemmings dedicated enough to stay, yet still seem completely content to sit on their arses, not contribute much, and take casual pot-shots at stuff that wasn't 'up to standard.' Take a recent post of mine, for example: (yes it's my pity-party, and I'll cry if I want to, lol)

https://lemm.ee/post/48617161

As the founder of the community and main content creator, I must say the downvotes hurt on that one! I was also getting accused of going off-topic (I wasn't) and just 'pushing a button to create the content' (it was more like the reverse).

So in some ways I've created a situation in which my users (kinda joking here, kinda not) are bloodsucking parasites who don't care about my efforts if and only unless they happen to fancy it. Really, that's perfectly fine with me up until they swarmed on the downvote button.

But whadya gonna do, right? I can't just assume peoples' reactions, and I'm not here to tell others what to do. So in the end, I wound up sulking for a week, then getting back to content creation, and I feel like that's pretty reasonable in the end. Win-win, so to speak. I guess. Maybe..?

The real problem of course is that I don't know how much longer I'm going to be around (significant health issues, and now just living in the USA during the coming administration), and I'd very much like to get our sublemmy running better with user-generated content before I check out.

Hroom, hroom, hroom, as Treebeard might say...

[-] OpenStars@discuss.online 1 points 6 days ago

Most people, it would seem, are children. Or at least act like it, unable (or unwilling) to see past the nose on their own face.

Something like half of my posts have more downvotes than upvotes, and I have earned a distinction of having some of the most heavily-downvoted posts in some communities histories (oops, that's no longer true, um... yay?). Then I'll frequently have the highest-upvoted comment (or even more often 2nd or maybe 3rd, among very large posts even) within very many posts. Go figure. Either way I'm just being me, seeing what I see and liking what I like, and sharing it occasionally if I have an inkling of a thought that others might enjoy it (often I'm wrong:-).

So people are fickle, especially en mass. I can't say to ignore them bc you do as you please, but I can say do your art for YOU. People a decade from now may enjoy it, but that too will be irrelevant, if you are finding fulfillment in the doing.:-)

[-] Blaze@feddit.org 7 points 1 week ago

Yes, I saw that post, the reception was quite hostile

my users

Could also be people coming from All, so not members of your community

[-] JohnnyEnzyme@lemm.ee 6 points 1 week ago

Could also be people coming from All, so not members of your community

Yup, and on the flipside, I suspect this is also a 'fortunate zone of discovery' that we can enjoy these days across Lemmy.

For example, on Reddit, there's barely a chance your sub will be randomly seen on ALL unless it's fairly big and well-established. Which is why I tend to urge people to make the community they want to succeed right now and here on Lemmy. Don't complain; do it!

Because in future, that opportunity may no longer be there to catch so many ALL viewers, assuming I'm right in that.

[-] Elevator7009sAlt@ani.social 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

It sure would be nice to have a different upvote/downvote culture. Not sure how to foster that.

Upvote for helpful, funny, otherwise valuable contribution.

Downvote for incivility, spam, off-topic, incorrect.

Note I never said agree or disagree. I upvote a lot of things I disagree with that add to the conversation. Although I also admit I stay far, far away from any political or serious discussion. I think what I am proposing is literally just original Reddiquette (it still is that, it is just that a lot of people do not follow it).

I do not think I can add anything to the upvote/downvote conversation for your specific post that the users have not already said on it. But I do appreciate you clearly marking off AI-generated content as such, and you putting effort into the community.

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[-] Emmie@lemm.ee 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Lemmy was interesting in the first months but then the fundamentals won and it just looks like worse Reddit. Techies got their orange site, hobbyists never left Reddit, what we have here is anarchists mostly and politics which sucks. All servers feel too political because it was founded on politics. It was founded by commies and that probably will forever reflect in taste of its dramas and annoyances. It has monotonous flavour without this kind of spice of neurodivergency that produces very interesting content. It was there in first months but then those people just went away who knows where.

Also Reddit on its own as a social formula is kinda shit, it got big more against the chances than because it is somehow inherently good imo

[-] OpenStars@discuss.online 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

If it helps to share my perspective: I almost left the Fediverse entirely after Kbin.social fell apart and my only options were to either move to Lemmy, return to Reddit, or go literally nowhere (online I mean, so I would e.g. read books and play games irl, basically touch grass, but avoid social media entirely - it's not nearly as difficult as people say, I've done it a good fraction of my life actually, bc I know I have an addictive personality and especially a corporate run one would feed into that).

So I decided to give Lemmy a try, despite knowing it was run by tankies. And while I suck at posting content that people enjoy, I tried in my own way to make people feel more welcomed by commenting on existing posts, to make them more lively.

Though when I commented in ChapoTrapHouse@hexbear.net that at least Biden had lowered gasoline prices, and while that was not everything it also was not nothing, and did help the poorest people who need that, I got replies for WEEKS and WEEKS afterwards. And then again for a similar comment made in lemmygrad.ml (my instances apparently at the time had defederated from neither). It was very toxic, and I don't need that shit in my life. Literally nothing - as in no social media - would have been preferable.

But then I noticed that nearly all of the toxicity that I saw at the time was coming from the big 3 tankie instances. Since leaning that, my experiences on the Fediverse have greatly improved!

Note this has nothing to do with "politics" and everything to do with CONSENT to receive their bullshit, alternative-fact takes shoved down my throat (continuing for WEEKS and WEEKS at a time - who does that!? outside of those instances I mean). And to be fair, if that's how they want to be then okay then, you do you, except: it would have been nice to have been warned?

A LARGE part of what is turning people away from the Fediverse is its toxicity. And the lack of features such as proper labeling of communities isn't helping any. The desktop web UI shows the sidebar, which would have explained to me that ChapoTrapHouse is all about dunking onto liberals - OOOOHHHH, so maybe I don't want to make a comment there that isn't 100% trashing Biden? Good to know, thanks! - but the mobile web UI does not do that, e.g. for posts found via All, and neither does a good many apps such as Voyager.

It's not ready for a mainstream audience yet, technologically speaking. Hence most hobbiests remain on Reddit, or else literally eschew social media altogether. That's better than the alternative - apparently - i.e. coming here and getting "dunked on", like the above commentor talking about being so heavily downvoted. We are not very welcoming here, hence people don't want to come here. I know that 100% of the people I've recommended to try it have not liked it. It's going to take some work to clean ourselves up if we want hobbiests to feel like Lemmy is worthwhile for them. (And frankly I expect it will never happen, but I am putting my hopes into PieFed, or Sublinks if it revives, bc PieFed already has features that make it welcoming, like showing the sidebar text below every single post - mind you its Notifications feature is barely functional so it is not ready for a mainstream audience either, but the fact that such welcoming features are already present is heartwarming! ❤️💕:-)

[-] Elevator7009sAlt@ani.social 4 points 1 week ago

I have managed to actively avoid politics during my time here, although on most servers it does require ignoring Local and always ignoring All—far too many communities to block. ani.social has a very safe Local to check for avoiding politics, it's just anime and manga.

Because it's not just explicitly political communities that are chock-full of politics, they are also in meme communities. Someone posts some depressing "relatable" meme and the comments will have people saying "yeah I hate [politician they believe caused the depressing thing in the meme]" or something like that. Whether they have a point or not, and even when I outright agree wholeheartedly it is exhausting. Certain communities post news about their specific topic which sometimes intersects with politics and so that attracts political comments too.

But I can say with the active political avoidance tactic I do pretty good. I will check out new communities via !newcommunities@lemmy.world and sometimes check an instance's community list and browse random posts on a community that mildly interested me, that is how I still get content discovery.

Also, the problem is the number of users. Neurodivergence is, as far as I know, not the statistical majority. Finding 1 neurodivergent in 100 people is a lot easier than 1 neurodivergent people in 3. I'm neurodivergent, I also stick to the things I'm interested in here. So I am probably a lot harder to find unless you share my interests.

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[-] hitstun@fedia.io 6 points 1 week ago

My niche little !FloatingIsFun@fedia.io is doing OK. We are no longer the largest magazine on Mbin, recently surpassed by !Hydrogen@fedia.io and !Greece@fedia.io . I'm starting to feel a little burnout and I might start posting there less and in other communities more. I did recently did some sidebar trickery to add images that only appear in Lemmy and Piefed, to compensate for not having a proper banner on those platforms.

!Resist@fedia.io isn't my community, but it's grown fast over the past month. @Nougat@fedia.io is doing a great job collecting information that will be important to protesters in the coming years.

[-] Blaze@feddit.org 5 points 1 week ago

Trying to keep !pokemon@lemm.ee and !dragonball@ani.social active as well

[-] JohnnyEnzyme@lemm.ee 4 points 1 week ago

Funny, I'd have thought both would be hugely popular no matter where.

[-] Blaze@feddit.org 2 points 6 days ago

Football is the world sport, !football@lemmy.world is very quiet

[-] JohnnyEnzyme@lemm.ee 1 points 6 days ago

From what I've seen, most sports subs here don't do well here a 'tall. I imagine it's likely because there's already such a landslide of sports news, content and discussion venues at other places.

So really, what can a sports sub offer here that isn't available elsewhere? That said, I appreciate how a few mods & die-hards try to keep the flame alive on Lemmy.

[-] Blaze@feddit.org 5 points 1 week ago

Nice start for !lotrmemes@lemmy.dbzer0.com

[-] Blaze@feddit.org 4 points 1 week ago

!football@lemmy.world is voting for a potential move to another instance. I hope it will, still posting there in the meantime

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