You know what works since 30+ years on the internet for people to discuss? Without ads? Without tracking? Without ID checks? In a way where you don't have to immediately react? Where you can collect your own archive of wonderful discussions? Mailing lists. Mailing lists still are the best social networks in my humble opinion. Like and subscribe ;)
The Way Of The Elders to run a project was a website with the basic information (static pages), a code repository and a few mailing lists. announce-@, discuss-@. An optional IRC channel for fast communication, but that often turned into a cesspit of trolls. A modern approach would be static pages, a repository, mailing lists and maybe a signal group.
What I really try to express is this: In the many years of the internet, so many tools and solutions have been created that work and scale without centralised platforms. Though "they" always try to centralise. But you can build decentralised communities using battle proven tools like mailing lists and running your own mail server. Running your own Forgejo. Your own Mastodon. The internet was made to be decentralised, as was the underlying protocol, TCP/IP. So use it. Become sovereign :)

RE: https://bahn.social/@MeierUli/116006925873414629

@jwildeboer About SELFHOSTED EMAIL

Email is a good idea to solve for ourselves - even as a sentiment or practical / political action - but I need also somewhere I can go when I get stuck which will for sure happen (half-way through maybe) and past just my sentiment phase I'd need to go to the finish with someone.

I think it's getting better... or exists! ? !

Looking at #email hashtag and #selfhost / #selfhosting / #selfhosted

"Mailserver: mox is great fun."
https://www.xmox.nl/

@collective_truth @jwildeboer

I've been running mailservers for myself and for others (ISP, corporate) for about 30 years. The current best "learn-and-do" guide is @mwl 's Run Your Own Mailserver, available from https://www.tiltedwindmillpress.com

Tilted Windmill Press

Because Amazon will waste your money on executive salaries, and the author will use it to spoil his pets.

Tilted Windmill Press

@dashdsrdash

I'm very disappointed to see the e-book for self-hosting email put behind a hefty pay-wall by Michael.
Of course I understand the need to eat, but I still don't think this is in the FLOSS spirit.

@collective_truth @jwildeboer @mwl

@roy_calum @dashdsrdash @collective_truth @jwildeboer

If I didn't charge for my work, these books would not exist.

I would love to live in a society where food and shelter was guaranteed so that we could work for the betterment of the world. When that happens, I'll change my pricing.

@mwl

Thank you for your consideration on this matter.
I'm not taking issue with you or your book specifically and understand the economic reality.
My disappointment stems from a seemingly good recommendation turning out not as useful as expected.

So my gripe is not with you or your work, though I remain on the position, that setting any price-point is not FLOSS.

@dashdsrdash @collective_truth @jwildeboer