Just wanted to say thanks to the host of this instance.
The mini essay was a great idea. I definitely believe it will keep out at least some level of the riff and the raff. As much as people may dislike the idea of a gatekeeper, I believe it will make and keep the community much more fun, friendly, and useful.
I feel much more at ease on this service than on Reddit. I don’t feel like I’m arguing with bots and trolls. Or dealing with bad actors and agitators. I’m discussing things. Reading the actual articles. And not doom scrolling. The nature of this service seems more organic.
Again. Thank you for your time and service to this (hopefully) growing community.
I think that friction plays a useful role in many processes and circumstances. In this case, the “entrance essay” may have a role in managing growth. If the old theory about vandalism being a side effect of boredom is correct, then it might at least filter out the lazy disrupters.
Re: de-federation. To me, the whole point of a federated system is to allow “super communities” to form. That is, each person finds a home among the various instances and the collective that forms (or the admins fostering the growth of the kind of community they desire) makes and breaks connections to other instances to meet larger objectives. Neither federating nor de-federating should be undertaken lightly and neither action should be considered more or less important than the other.
Note: when I say “finds a home,” I don’t mean a single or even necessarily a primary instance. Each of us contain multitudes, and explicit federation with other instances is a pretty blunt instrument.