@janettespeyer I talk a little bit about why I started my own instance here https://shellsharks.com/own-my-social.

To list some benefits though...

- De-platforming / censorship resistance
- "Owning" your data
- You get a vanity Fediverse handle
- Customization
- Control (over moderation, settings, everything)
- Fediverse instances have *died* in random ways in the past (domain seizure, server backup fault, etc…). You mitigate this by running your own.

#ownyoursocial