Matt Baer

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Last Notes

2026-07-18 18:25:22 UTC

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The new WriteFreely user moderation features are up as a pull request now! Any feedback is welcome! As soon as we get that, I'll put out our v0.17.1 release.
https://writing.exchange/@writefreely/116942358055397806
#note1ql0…duyw

2026-07-18 15:32:45 UTC

In case you missed it, there was a critical #WriteFreely release sent out yesterday -- all admins should upgrade as soon as possible.
I'm working on another release today that patches one regression and makes it easier to clean up spam users on affected instances.
https://writing.exchange/@writefreely/116937920745292055
#fedidev #WriteFreelyDev
#note16gd…j8u0

2026-07-09 21:11:57 UTC

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We've already had to adjust our content retention settings to stay within our storage limits -- we currently delete content older than 5.5 years, which isn't ideal for an instance that's been running for 9 years. Still, our database grows constantly, currently exploding past 220 GB.
If you have any leads on a host that could accommodate us at a decent price, it'd be much appreciated!

2026-07-09 21:08:52 UTC

Can anyone recommend some relatively affordable managed #Mastodon hosting?
We've been with the absolutely fantastic Masto.host since starting Writing.Exchange in 2017, but it's become prohibitively expensive -- especially for a community of only ~250 active users, as our hosting costs are about to increase another $50 to $589/month this month.
#MastoAdmin #WritingExchange

2025-09-11 19:59:37 UTC

Every blue moon I go on Substack just to see what's going on. Now the starting point is their "Notes" section. But I just clicked one and it opened a blog post-length essay. Truly cursed.
You're a blogging platform! And you're letting people "microblog" a full essay for some unwitting reader to consume as this badly-set wall of text?

2025-05-05 16:35:46 UTC

Hello again 👋 I'm back, getting caught up and back to work on [@write_as](https://writing.exchange/@write_as ) & @npub1p6k…khwm. More updates soon!

2025-02-27 22:17:10 UTC

Our #WritingExchange community has been running for almost eight years! But as our little writing space has grown, so have our hosting costs.
Many members of the community have contributed to help keep this space sustainable -- if you have, thank you so much!
But after catching up on our accounting today, we're essentially back at $0 in our Writing Exchange fund, with only 45% of our annual hosting costs covered by current donors.
https://opencollective.com/writingexchange

2025-01-31 18:49:48 UTC

I'll be talking about @npub1p6k…khwm at #FOSDEM tomorrow at 15:00 in the Social Web devroom, UA2.118. If you're around, stop by and stay for the many other great talks going into the evening!
https://fosdem.org/2025/schedule/event/fosdem-2025-6017-federated-blogging-with-writefreely/
#SocialWebFOSDEM #FOSDEM2025 #WriteFreely

2024-10-12 12:18:04 UTC

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Maybe it's devs implementing the C2S side of #ActivityPub, or a multi-protocol client, or built-in browser support for the #fediverse. Maybe we need a single entry point to the fediverse, with a smooth interface, easy setup, and a server behind the scenes.
Either way, making "decentralization" central to the user experience here is keeping a ton of people off the network.

2024-10-12 12:11:59 UTC

Reading (on Threads) about why people like #bluesky over #mastodon, and most seems to boil down to usability / wrestling with servers.
Have to agree. And it's why I still think we need a good #fediverse client as an entry point.

2024-09-28 02:15:50 UTC

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n.b. this was a "dispelling the illusions" post, not a "welcoming our new Meta overlords" post, btw

2024-09-28 02:07:37 UTC

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And there should probably be some more transparency. And it can absolutely be alienating, especially to long-time fedizens.
But it doesn't exclude similar efforts from *everyone* building this space. It doesn't crush those fighting for what has made this place great in the first place.
The fediverse is everyone's, and we should all recognize that. Don't lose hope. Keep on building the web we all want to see.

2024-09-28 02:06:44 UTC

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E.g. the days of every fedi platform needing to be open source (as you'd get dogpiled for back in 2018) are gone. Proprietary platforms and major corps like Meta are joining, and they're collaborating with other major fedi platforms behind the scenes to take this all mainstream.
But that's what's happening right now, just so everyone knows.

2024-09-28 02:04:20 UTC

The fediverse is a strange place to be sometimes. It's an open network where progress happens in fits and starts in random, often hidden, pockets. And the rest don't often hear what's really going on. In the 6 years I've built on #ActivityPub, we've all had to fight for some kind of coordination.
Especially re: the new #SocialWebFoundation (which I've backed as an outside supporter via my tiny company [@write_as](https://writing.exchange/@write_as )), you can see something new is happening.