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Christine Lemmer-Webber

I'm proud of the fediverse, as it exists. I'm not responsible for it, but I don't think it's an exaggeration to say I'm one of the many people who helped make it happen. I don't need to be famous for it... being famous for it is probably even unsafe. The people who need to know, know. That's good enough. There are a lot of other people who worked on the spec, like Jessica, Erin, Evan, Amy, who don't get nearly the amount of recognition I have. I'm grateful the right people know what I did and will listen to me.

But also the fediverse, as it's rolled out, is simultaneously the best option we have for this moment in history and also not ready. It's not the long term answer. We're working on that though. Hell, I'm lucky that I got to co-found an organization that might be able to build that future.

A few years ago I was working 60 hour weeks trying to make this damn ActivityPub thing happen even though all I heard all the time was that there's no way it was going to make it. Now I'm working 70 hour weeks trying to build the next thing. I'd really like to, ya know, get it down to a plain and simple 40. But even more so, I'd like this work we're starting, for the next step of things, to survive.

And someone else will probably be known for that work, but in general... that happens. Hell, you're lucky to make an ounce of impact in this world, let again get some recognition. And recognition isn't always so great either. It can be a real curse. Especially if you, yourself, are somehow against the grain of things. But also just in general. I care more about getting things done than anything. I only need to be well known enough to get the things I care about moving forward, and that's it really.

Anyway, rant over. I've been holding this in for a while. Thanks for listening, to those who did. I'm glad ActivityPub is taking off. I'm looking forward to the future. The state we're in is just the beginning. You'll see. And thanks for being here. Thanks for making it all worthwhile, making these efforts worth their while.

19 comments | Expand all CWs
Paul Tagliamonte

@cwebber ❤️ is about all i can say, thank you for writing all this!

caleb

@cwebber 💜

*

@cwebber sincere thanks to you and everybody else involved, you enabled something really special and meaningful to many, many people

Ignacio 🇵🇸

@cwebber 💜 it’s great to read your story and to know that you’re in a position you like. I hope you achieve your goals and go back to human sized weeks soon.

Wirry Loberts

@cwebber 💜💜💜 and 💜

⦺ irick 🐁🐈⚩

@cwebber
It was a hell of a lot of fun getting here too :) The people I got to meet in the early fediverse are still some of the most interesting and kind people I have had the pleasure of interacting with.

Thank you so much for this post. I love the journey that this amazing network has taken. It's gone through it's share of uh.. pretty heated disagreements *grin* but like, wow. We helped make something that is actually providing a real and community driven alternative to one of the largest empires that information capitalism ever spawned.

I love the fact it is so blatantly queer. I feel like it always had to be, tbh. We still have our fair share of problems to address, especially as it relates to PoC inclusion, but look at this blessed mess! Look at this shared history of persons. Of the result of hundreds of deeply personal arguments, empassioned speeches in the public forum and hundreds of thousands of individual efforts to build better and better online communities for our own sake and for the sake of others.

And it hasn't ever stopped :) May the meta never die :3

@cwebber
It was a hell of a lot of fun getting here too :) The people I got to meet in the early fediverse are still some of the most interesting and kind people I have had the pleasure of interacting with.

Thank you so much for this post. I love the journey that this amazing network has taken. It's gone through it's share of uh.. pretty heated disagreements *grin* but like, wow. We helped make something that is actually providing a real and community driven alternative to one of the largest empires...

Christine Lemmer-Webber

@Irick There have been a few small times some people have tried to rally some communities that are more PoC focused on the fediverse. I think the fediverse, collectively, was not as welcoming for that as it should have been. But that doesn't mean it can't be. A decade ago, the fediverse *did* exist, but it definitely wasn't this queer. It took a real critical mass for it to happen.

I'm not in a position where I can make that happen, but I hope it happens. I hope that the fediverse can support BIPoC communities the way it's served queer communities.

@Irick There have been a few small times some people have tried to rally some communities that are more PoC focused on the fediverse. I think the fediverse, collectively, was not as welcoming for that as it should have been. But that doesn't mean it can't be. A decade ago, the fediverse *did* exist, but it definitely wasn't this queer. It took a real critical mass for it to happen.

Ludovic Courtès

@cwebber We all owe you a lot for having co-authored and pushed ActivityPub during these years.

It’s probably the case that many (myself included!) didn’t understand why it matters back then; we certainly do now. Probably it will also take time for Spritely’s impact to be more widely understood. We’ll get there!

Anyhow: thank you & the whole AP team!!

DELETED

@cwebber Um agradecimento profundo e sincero, direto do meu coração.

Obrigado!

Você fez e faz o mundo um poquinho melhor. :heart_pride: :fediverse: 🌏

Dan Fixes Coin-Ops

@cwebber <3

Juan Luis

@cwebber Wow, thanks for writing all this, you're so inspiring. Keep rocking!

Liaizon Wakest

@cwebber really wonderful thread thank you for sharing it with us. The people who know, know! You poured your soul into this place.

MxFraud

@cwebber thank you for sharing.

While I followed a little bit about bluesky, I didnt think about it from your perspective.

Personaly I'm glad you get to form your own path once again.

I'm hopeful that your future contribution will have a positive impact in my life, the same your previous ones did.

Jesse

@cwebber Thank you for sharing, and for all your hard work. As you said, there may be a lot more to be done, but I'm excited about the future of ActivityPub creating truly open platforms that can't easily be co-opted, and given how easy it is to fall into negative thinking about the future of tech and capitalism, that doesn't happen often these days.

Änn Euing 📜

@cwebber Hi, nice to meet you. I am clueless, but glad I came across your post. Thanks for your honesty. I will be looking forward to the next thing you help create. That's more than I have ever done.

garden center goth

@cwebber thank you for everything you are doing and have done. i am so grateful to have come across your work via being on here. 💜

garden center goth

@cwebber the dynamics that reduce your safety are awful. and the aspects of your identity that make you a more ready target are also the things that give me hope and confidence in your ideas. such a complicated thing to try and express; i’m doing it poorly. anyway, i hope you are caring for and sustaining yourself.

FiXato

@cwebber thank you for sharing, and for your contributions <3

Adora (She/Her) :flag_transgender:

@cwebber that was a very emotional read and I'm glad you are here with us 🥰

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