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    3 years ago

    I don’t expect that alone to grow this place. It may trigger a small exodus but no, not much. The removal of “left-wing” subreddits is what grew this place a lot recently, maybe also with the recuperation of formerly anti-capitalism communities like /r/antiwork, but that’s not sustainable.

    What we need is an actual community with original, valuable things. Being merely a clone (or a clone without ads and capitalist investment funding) isn’t a path to success. Federation doesn’t mean much to the typical web user. We need to have a culture actually worth something beyond “not reddit”, something creative or actually achieving something.

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        3 years ago

        Popularity is a weird thing and can happen unexpectedly. You’d be surprised how often an internet-celebrity shout-out can attract thousands.

        The hard part is retaining users from a spike in interest, we need to have actual value to whoever arrives, like original communities, quality discussion or an attractive culture. Easier said than done, but in a rather civil place like this it should be possible.