![\"Backyard](\"4ebb74e700bc.jpg\")
TL;DR: I get conflicted about hosting & running a community site
\n\n\n\n\n
Last fall, we bought a house with a pond in back. At first, I didn't really\nwant it. I had a notion to fill it in, maybe replace it with a fire pit. By\nspring, we decided to keep it.
\nIt's not a large pond - 6' x 7' x 2' and roughly butterfly-shaped. It's got a\nlittle turtle that spits water pumped up from a filter box on the bottom. The\npond liner is hard plastic, like a kiddie pool, covered in gravel and rocks to\nadd a more natural look. The whole arrangement is probably 10 years old.
\nIn March, I drained it, cleaned it, refilled it, started the fountain again.\nAs I got busy over the next weeks, I discovered the liner had leaks - mainly\ncracks from the aforementioned rocks over many seasonal cycles of freeze &\nthaw. I had to keep adding water to maintain the level: if it dropped below\nthe fountain's filter box, the pump made horrible noises as it ran dry.
\nI got tired of wasting water. So, I turned off the pump and let\nthings go while I researched next steps. It was about a week before I acquired\na new rubber liner - and then another few days of rain before I had a sunny\nweekend day to work on it.
\nAs it turns out, that's just enough time in May for a not-quite-empty backyard\npond to transform into a murky swamp teeming with wriggling life. Mostly\nmosquito larvae, but there were plenty of other things I didn't quite\nrecognize. So, I cleaned the whole thing out again, starting over with the new\nliner. It's back in business again - the water's stayed put and been clear for\na week so far.
\nTL;DR, Here's the thing about a pond in your backyard: It's a responsibility.\nWater and debris collect. It attracts wildlife - some kinds less desirable\nthan others. Left unchecked, it becomes a smelly, stagnant soup that can\npresent hazards to yourself and your neighbors.
\nThinking about this reminded me of something else: A few weeks ago, I was\ntinkering with setting up Mastodon instances. I bought some cheap domain\nnames, set up some virtual hosts on my hobby server. They're all working - but\nI stopped short of opening up account registration.
\nI was suddenly aware of a feeling of anticipated responsibility. Each of these\nMastodon instances would be backyard ponds. I'd have to keep the pumps\nrunning, make sure to skim debris. I'd have to monitor for wildlife setting up\nhomes in and around them. I'd have to work to keep these things from becoming\nhazards to myself and my neighbors. Hell, I could even be exposing myself to\nlegal peril through what I might inadvertantly enable through neglect.
\nAnd, for what? The pond in our backyard has been a nice feature. I've spent a\nfew hours by it with my laptop. My wife seems to like it fine. Maybe some\nfriends & neighbors will enjoy gathering around it this summer. In contrast,\nthe prospect of hosting social media watering holes for internet randos - let\nalone acquaintances and friends - fills me with dread.
\nSo, that's me. I'm not going to stand up a public Mastodon instance unless I\nconvince myself that taking on the responsibility will pay off. I haven't\nimagined a good scenario yet.
\nBut, what about other folks?
\nConsider the generous admins who run instances of Mastodon & GNU Social &\nPostActiv & everything else that participates in the OStatus federation. Those\nfolks all have their reasons and I think they've accepted the responsibility\nto keep their ponds running clear. At least, with consideration for varied\nlocal definitions of \"clear\" in codes of conduct and whatnot.
\nBut, what about Twitter and Facebook and Reddit? Hell, what about companies\nrunning servers for multiplayer games?
\nDo these folks not feel any of the dread & responsibility I felt even\nconsidering setting up my own ponds online? Their ponds smell swampy. Their\nfiltration pumps are not great. They leave things unchecked, because treating\nthe water would eat into (or completely wipe out) the value extracted from the\nwildlife. The usual excuse is expense and difficulty, with an occasional lazy\nhandwave at \"radical free speech\" as a rationalization.
\nBut, could I get away leaving my pond as a Petri dish? I suspect the\nneighbors - and maybe the local authorities (including my wife) - would have something\nto say about it. That said, I'm not sure who or what could nudge these pond\nowners into cleaning up their water. Maybe there'll be some laws - most likely\nineffective or disastrous. Maybe all the valuable wildlife needs to migrate\naway - but we all seem not to mind the stinky water enough to leave yet.
\nMaybe we need more ponds run by people who care - and who get rewarded for the\neffort. More cooperatives and more volunteer efforts. Maybe some actually for\npay! Each on smaller scales, because people can only take care of so much\nwater & wildlife. But, I don't have great ideas on how to make this happen. I\nguess that's what inspired me to tinker with Mastodon instances - I'd like to\nsee cleaner ponds. I just fall short of actually wanting to take on the\nresponsibilty. Or feeling like I'm the right guy to do it.
\nAnyway, I guess that's a fuzzy realization I've had: In more traditional\nsocial gatherings - like house parties or conventions - there's so much\nemotional labor and organizational effort that chews up value. In trying to\nmechanize things, the whole ad-supported social media industry seems powered\nby as little care as possible to extract as much value as possible. In a\nsense, the value is skimmed from monetized neglect - not monetized eyeballs.\nFeels to me like the whole structure will fall over if we ever really figure\nthat out or decide this sort of thing is no longer acceptable in a society.
\nIs that a good conclusion? Not sure. Still thinking.
\n\n\n\n", "body": "**TL;DR**: I get conflicted about hosting & running a community site\n\n\n\n\n\n## An Unintentional Community\n\nLast fall, we bought a house with a pond in back. At first, I didn't really\nwant it. I had a notion to fill it in, maybe replace it with a fire pit. By\nspring, we decided to keep it.\n\nIt's not a large pond - 6' x 7' x 2' and roughly butterfly-shaped. It's got a\nlittle turtle that spits water pumped up from a filter box on the bottom. The\npond liner is hard plastic, like a kiddie pool, covered in gravel and rocks to\nadd a more natural look. The whole arrangement is probably 10 years old.\n\nIn March, I drained it, cleaned it, refilled it, started the fountain again.\nAs I got busy over the next weeks, I discovered the liner had leaks - mainly\ncracks from the aforementioned rocks over many seasonal cycles of freeze &\nthaw. I had to keep adding water to maintain the level: if it dropped below\nthe fountain's filter box, the pump made horrible noises as it ran dry.\n\nI got tired of wasting water. So, I turned off the pump and let\nthings go while I researched next steps. It was about a week before I acquired\na new rubber liner - and then another few days of rain before I had a sunny\nweekend day to work on it.\n\nAs it turns out, that's just enough time in May for a not-quite-empty backyard\npond to transform into a murky swamp teeming with wriggling life. Mostly\nmosquito larvae, but there were plenty of other things I didn't quite\nrecognize. So, I cleaned the whole thing out again, starting over with the new\nliner. It's back in business again - the water's stayed put and been clear for\na week so far.\n\nTL;DR, Here's the thing about a pond in your backyard: It's a responsibility.\nWater and debris collect. It attracts wildlife - some kinds less desirable\nthan others. Left unchecked, it becomes a smelly, stagnant soup that can\npresent hazards to yourself and your neighbors.\n\n## My Mastodon Mania\n\nThinking about this reminded me of something else: A few weeks ago, I was\ntinkering with setting up Mastodon instances. I bought some cheap domain\nnames, set up some virtual hosts on my hobby server. They're all working - but\nI stopped short of opening up account registration. \n\nI was suddenly aware of a feeling of anticipated responsibility. Each of these\nMastodon instances would be backyard ponds. I'd have to keep the pumps\nrunning, make sure to skim debris. I'd have to monitor for wildlife setting up\nhomes in and around them. I'd have to work to keep these things from becoming\nhazards to myself and my neighbors. Hell, I could even be exposing myself to\nlegal peril through what I might inadvertantly enable through neglect.\n\nAnd, for what? The pond in our backyard has been a nice feature. I've spent a\nfew hours by it with my laptop. My wife seems to like it fine. Maybe some\nfriends & neighbors will enjoy gathering around it this summer. In contrast,\nthe prospect of hosting social media watering holes for internet randos - let\nalone acquaintances and friends - fills me with dread.\n\nSo, that's me. I'm not going to stand up a public Mastodon instance unless I\nconvince myself that taking on the responsibility will pay off. I haven't\nimagined a good scenario yet.\n\n## What's My Motivation?\n\nBut, what about other folks? \n\nConsider the generous admins who run instances of Mastodon & GNU Social &\nPostActiv & everything else that participates in the OStatus federation. Those\nfolks all have their reasons and I think they've accepted the responsibility\nto keep their ponds running clear. At least, with consideration for varied\nlocal definitions of \"clear\" in codes of conduct and whatnot.\n \nBut, what about Twitter and Facebook and Reddit? Hell, what about companies\nrunning servers for multiplayer games?\n\nDo these folks not feel any of the dread & responsibility I felt even\nconsidering setting up my own ponds online? Their ponds smell swampy. Their\nfiltration pumps are not great. They leave things unchecked, because treating\nthe water would eat into (or completely wipe out) the value extracted from the\nwildlife. The usual excuse is expense and difficulty, with an occasional lazy\nhandwave at \"radical free speech\" as a rationalization.\n\nBut, could I get away leaving my pond as a Petri dish? I suspect the\nneighbors - and maybe the local authorities (including my wife) - would have something\nto say about it. That said, I'm not sure who or what could nudge these pond\nowners into cleaning up their water. Maybe there'll be some laws - most likely\nineffective or disastrous. Maybe all the valuable wildlife needs to migrate\naway - but we all seem not to mind the stinky water enough to leave yet.\n\nMaybe we need more ponds run by people who care - and who get rewarded for the\neffort. More cooperatives and more volunteer efforts. Maybe some actually for\npay! Each on smaller scales, because people can only take care of so much\nwater & wildlife. But, I don't have great ideas on how to make this happen. I\nguess that's what inspired me to tinker with Mastodon instances - I'd like to\nsee cleaner ponds. I just fall short of actually wanting to take on the\nresponsibilty. Or feeling like I'm the right guy to do it.\n\nAnyway, I guess that's a fuzzy realization I've had: In more traditional\nsocial gatherings - like house parties or conventions - there's so much\nemotional labor and organizational effort that chews up value. In trying to\nmechanize things, the whole ad-supported social media industry seems powered\nby as little care as possible to extract as much value as possible. In a\nsense, the value is skimmed from monetized neglect - not monetized eyeballs.\nFeels to me like the whole structure will fall over if we ever really figure\nthat out or decide this sort of thing is no longer acceptable in a society.\n\nIs that a good conclusion? Not sure. Still thinking.\n\n\n\n\n",
"parentPath": "./content/posts/archives/2017/2017-06-01-backyard-pond",
"path": "2017/06/01/backyard-pond",
"summary": "TL;DR: I get conflicted about hosting & running a community site",
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"prevPostPath": "2017/02/02/operation-anxiety",
"prevPostTitle": "Operation: Social Anxiety Edition",
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