1mo ago

What's the best general-interest Lemmy instance?

Looking to make a change i think.

65 comments

Quick tip for moving accounts:
Export your profile from your current account, then import into the new one. Keeps subscriptions and even saved comments/posts, but doesn't include any of your post history. Its in the settings of the web app, when you are logged in.
Just make sure the next server you use has at least Lemmy 1.9.5 (I think) which was the first version with that functionality.
- Which frontend does this apply to?
- Wish there was a way to save our content though
  
  Why? It's still there, just under the old account

I've enjoyed lemm.ee
- I'd definitely add a +1 to lemm.ee
  The admin is open and honest, he's got a clear set of goals, which is to make lemmy accessible - nothing more, nothing less.
  Lemm.ee doesn't participate in the whole "federate vs non-federate" drama or crippling features (ie: removing downvotes) because it goes against their ethos/mantra.
  There are instances that lemm.ee defederates from, but they are usually due to extreme vore, cp, or other content that could expose lemm.ee to some legal problems.
  
  I just checked the list at https://lemm.ee/instances
  The only blocked entries are Threads and burger/burggit, which is defunct. I was not able to search defend.xyz to see who is blocking them.
  For anyone considering it, just be aware that it will be a much less filtered experience. Most instances block lemmygrad, hexbear, etc. Most also block porn.
  You will likely want to set up your own instance blocks
- "Enjoyed" is a big word. I haven't had a single bad experience with this instance since I joined Lemmy.
- Updoot
- Second

I’m pretty fond of SJW
- I was gonna look for a social justice warrior instance lol
- I second this. Variety of communities, not generally a creepy or racist shithole, mostly neutral politics and moderation, shit just works
- The main alt I use for the family TV is on SJW. Federated with basically all of the other mainstream instances but no porn.
  
  No porn is appealing. Nothing against porn but I read Lemmy in public a lot and i hate playing whack a mole with nsfw communities.
  
  Lemmy on the TV? That's a thing? How? Why?

Pick one of the top 50 or 100 ones at random, just avoid lemmy.world and lemmy.ml, they are larger than they should be.
I am currently using discuss.tchncs.de, you can try it out.
Lemmy's introduction website is good at this btw:
https://join-lemmy.org/instances?topic=all_topics&language=en&scroll=true
- I'd choose one at least somewhat near yourself. It'll improve latency, and it's your window to the world, so you'll always feel that latency when browsing.
  There's probably some webpage out there that will measure load times, if you don't have tools yourself.
  https://lemmy.fediverse.observer/ or https://mbin.fediverse.observer/ will geolocate your IP and try to show a list of geographically-nearby instances; not quite the same thing as network latency, but correlated.
- Yeah discuss.tchncs.de has been serving me well so far too. I don't really know how it compares to other instances because I haven't had a previous account elsewhere.
- What's up with world? I've seen that there are a lot of complaints going on about it, but what is the underlying problem?
  
  It's popular.
  
  Have a look at !yepowertrippinbastards@lemmy.dbzer0.com
  A few threads mention LW mods powertripping
  
  It's reddit. As in reddit right now reddit. Just without the ads.
  Also the entire point of federated networks is decentralization, if any one instance is too big, it risks snowballing into the only populated instance.

yeah, lemmy.world is a good starter server. To find your next one:
look here to see the relative server sizes (sort by "MAU" = Monthly Active Users): https://fedidb.org/software/lemmy
look here to see who is defederated from each other: https://defed.xyz/
- Also, consider going past the first page on FediDB and picking a smaller instance. I'm not knocking the big instances (I volunteer my time to two of the biggest, after all). It's just that the whole point of this Fediverse experiment is for things to be distributed. Going by the numbers on FediDB, fully half of all monthly active Lemmy users are concentrated on the three largest instances.
  
  the whole point of this Fediverse experiment is for things to be distributed
  I strongly disagree with this. This point is that it CAN be distributed, not that it needs to be.
  That's like saying the whole point of making divorce legal is so that everybody gets divorced. It's the option that's the important bit.
- yeah, lemmy.world is a good starter server
  I agree with you, I ditched it when they started blocking the piracy communities though... I am unsure if they undo that movement as of now...

Most instances to be honest. Just make note of the blocked instances and see if they don't block anything you wish to see.
Unless you want local to be diverse, that is.

I'd avoid anything federated with Hexbear or Lemmygrad.
- Why? You can block instances from the user side, why bother if the main instance is federated with them?
  
  It's weird to be in a comment chain where you're not seeing the replies that other people are seeing.

I recommend just signing up for another instance or five.
IMO, there's really no reason to "move" on Lemmy. If you see an instance that looks interesting, sign up for it. Spend some time there and poke around and see how it's different (they're all at least subtly different, since they all have different sets of federated instances and subscribed communities). If you see another one that interests you, sign up for it too. Keep going like that and eventually you'll find yourself settling into one or maybe a few not because you took a guess or followed someone else's recommendation, but because they simply turned out to be the ones you liked best.
I have no idea how many instances I've signed up for over the last couple of years - a couple of dozen at least. Of those, I generally have three or four that I use the most, though the specific ones have changed, as some of my earlier favorites have gone notably downhill or have shut down and new favorites have arisen.
All that said, overall I've been most satisfied with this account - Sopuli.xyz. I also spend a fair amount of time on dbzer0, lemm.ee and Fedia.io (which is notable because it's not Lemmy, but mbin, which is an entirely different piece of software that offers all the same basic functionality of Lemmy, but is formatted a bit differently, and in many ways is actually better than Lemmy). I have a .world account, and in fact it's my oldest account, but I find myself using it less all the time.
- The problem with that is that if you're someone who comments in a lot of threads, you have to keep switching between the accounts to see if someone responded to you. I made a second account when .World was dealing with all the attacks, but I find I rarely use it for that reason.

I've been thinking about switching over to Lemmy.today

What’s wrong with lemmy.world though? It’s the biggest general server and will probably outlast most others.
- Not liking what I've seen from the moderation lately.
  
  As in their heavyhanded defederation?
  Lemmy.sdf.org
  Or sh.itjust.works are good with a (very) light touch on the defederation trigger
  
  The administration or the moderation? Either way, if that’s your issue, then you know which criteria to look for, on a new server.

try this instance im using. its general purpose and easy to sign up.

I like 'Reddthat'; it's smaller size makes it feel cozy and responsive to their community. I have accounts on multiple instances, but reddthat is what I'm using 95% of the time

Lemmy Shit Post is the best for just a laugh and with little political nonsense

You're already on it. 🤦‍♂️

65 comments