I don't usually simp for companies (even lefty ones like ASSC) but if we want Cohost to exist as an ad-free space with little to no need to reach for VC funding, those of us who can pay, probably should.

we're not the product here, and it's a centralized service (unlike the balkanized fediverse), which is incredibly rare in our current tech environment. we have something good going on here, during a once-in-a-decade opportunity, with the network effect kicking in piece by piece.

and the thing I would hate the most is for this place to get sold, under duress, to some hedge fund, because the creators can't afford to keep the servers blinking. if more of us subscribe to their service, it will let Cohost exist as a true alternative to Fediverse, Tumblr, and of course, Twitter, without hemorrhaging money and burning out the staff who run this place.

this isn't meant to shame anyone who doesn't want to or can't pay for a subscription. I just feel a small ray of hope about this place after nothing be despair about the general state of the internet for years, and I want to see it last as long as possible. so I felt compelled to write a public appeal.

anyway, have a good weekend. remember to make fresh popcorn for the tire fire going on at birdsite.