Post by @jorijn
There's been some talk about how big a Mastodon instance should grow. Ultimately it's up to the #mastoadmin to push the buttons, but from where I stand, one should not forget topics such as accountability, liability, and (financial) stability. We're helping people grow their social network and supporting businesses in reaching their new potential clients, and I feel that we're shrugging it off. 1/5
What if a network interface breaks down or a small percentage of network traffic turns wrong? New and recently born #MastoAdmins with significant user counts converge at cheap places since they're paying it out of their pocket. Technical support will be slow, and I worry that from a user perspective, this could damage the image of decentralized social media if user-facing issues take too long to resolve. 2/5
Are semi-tech-savvy admins going to practice backup restore procedures or hire #devops people with the required skill set to solve complex (scaling) issues? Will they wake up at night when their servers break down to offer continued 24/7 service to accommodate their user base that lives around the globe? 3/5
New #MastoAdmins are running on adrenaline, and I suspect they'll start getting tired very soon. We'll possibly begin seeing new and fastly grown instances announcing their early retirement soon, and I hope we'll grow despite the pain and level up our commitment. Still, I worry that not all will and that the #fediverse will have to endure short-term pain to be better off long-term. 4/5
On a more personal note: I'm limiting my instance, #tootcommunity, to 25k active users for the foreseeable future to balance all the facets outlined in this thread; so my team and I can figure out where we stand and form a solid basis as we advance. 5/5