Hi all, I’ve been thinking of doing this post for a while. This community can seem like a bit of a blog at times with most posts coming from me, is there anything thats missing that you think could improve this space as a community?

I’m happy for it to continue as it is if the community is performing a use people like, but how its mostly turned out wasn’t the original intention.

The original intention for this community was to be an online space for West Australian fediversers, and anybody with an interest in Perth/WA, to communicate/share WA news and lifestyle posts.

I didn’t think being a carbon copy of the Perth Reddit would be very interesting, (which is why my personal posting has always favoured very local articles and news-media outlets to give a different flavour), but I always had the full understanding that I would be just one person of a community deciding what use this space should have, and that its nature should evolve over time.

I was once told that this community is ‘my thing’ which disheartened me, because since its beginning three years ago I’ve wanted and tried to support others’ involvement and their visions of what this space could be.

I’ve never done a post like this, but recently I’ve been getting a sense that maybe there is something about this space that is unwelcoming, but I can’t see what it is, so please tell me if theres something off-putting and we can change course.

At the end of the day I want this space to be a community for WA fediversers, and people who have any interest in the state, but I can’t do that on my own.

Excited to read people’s thoughts. 🙂 Thanks for your time.

  • Gorgritch_Umie_Killa@aussie.zoneOPM
    4·
    19 days ago

    Ooh, lots to respond to here!

    First, cheers mate. I won’t lie, i feel a bit lonely posting in this community sometimes. Hut theres usually a few other posts, commenta and upvotes to let me know I’m not posting to no one, which i genuinely value 🙂

    But yeah, its an odd little milestone, thats definitely had an effect on the way I live and view things.

    I’ve not been tracking MAU that closely, interesting about the porn thing, not surprising though. Its a shame that we’re shrinking here on Lemmy. I’ve recently joined Mastodon as well, and the place is very active, the ‘firehose’ is quite cool. Lemmy is more sleepy, but that could be fine if its users like that style, not all sociall media needs to be up to the minute, changes every second.

    I think what needs happen is not on here, we need physical community outreach. QR codes on traffic lights, flyers in second hand shops and libraries, education on why using X and Reddit are part of the problem and that there is an alternative.

    Okay so this is my thinking exactly. Only, I thought Lemmy was relatively stable not shrinking so I didn’t really have a sense of urgency.

    On the issue of the wider society having no idea another option even exists, I’ve been acting.

    I have set up a working group, on Matrix Chat, with the aim to launch a Social Web Foundation to support the development, expansion, and public relations of the Social Web (fediverse, et al) in Aus, NZ, and the Pacific Islands.

    Currently its mostly me just working on the project with some support from a few other users here I invited due to me understanding that their values aligned with the project.

    Because its going to be a foundation, I eventually need at least six other (but the more the better) people to join me to file the applications. So I concluded I’d need a ‘brochure’ style website to link to, that is available to explain in detail the work and ideas behind the foundation proposal.

    So I’m finding my way about Wordpress in order to build a website. Quickly after starting that process I realised a good logo would be effective from the beginning. I’ve spent a bit of time working that out and now have it with a logo designer who I’ll be working with over the next four weeks or so to deliver a logo I think is becoming something quite unique.

    So my timeline currently looks like this,

    1. Matrix Chat Working Spaces (complete)
    2. Logo (in process)
    3. Website (beginning)
    4. Member Drive
    5. File Foundation Application
    6. Start Supporting Social Web in the Australia/Pacific region

    I don’t know if you’re from this part of the world, i recognise your username though, but if you want to join me in this project I’d be super excited to have you, let me know and I’ll private message you an invite. 🙂

    I’m also quietly emailing organisations about the social web, as I see opportunities. Its mostly independent news-media to try to get their attention on the Social Web as a functioning and valuable entity for them to use and refer to. I see a lot of complimentarity in these two entities. This hasn’t delivered much interest from those orgs yet though.

    Anyway, this is all apart from the subject at hand, its a whole other thing. They are related in the way that if we have an interesting and active community in places like this, when people come to try it, theres something here to engage with. 🙂

    • kingofras@lemmy.world
      2·
      18 days ago

      Sounds pretty good. You’re doing good work. I’m everywhere and nowhere, so wouldn’t be of much use, but thanks for the invitation and kind words.