[ripe-list] Mastodon for the RIPE Community

Dear Michael, all,

We had two main questions with setting up our presence on Mastodon -
whether we should run our own server, and whether this should be open
to the community. Running our own server offers some benefits like
greater control and the ability to set our own moderation policies.
This, of course, comes with the need for RIPE NCC staff to invest time
and effort in maintaining this server, regardless of whether we
restrict it to staff or open it to the RIPE community. Having looked
into this in more detail, we felt that having a verified RIPE NCC
presence on Mastodon was more important than waiting for the right
moment to launch our own server, even if we were to restrict it to
RIPE NCC staff.

Regarding the ethics of being on Twitter, or any other social media
platform, we need to consider the risk of our absence. The official
RIPE NCC accounts have nearly 20,000 followers and social media
remains an important way for us to reach people who might not be
reading our emails. No longer maintaining an active presence leaves us
open to the risk of copycat accounts (which has been a concern ever
since Twitter changed its verification system), and might make us less
accessible to the many people and organisations who continue to use
it. We have a responsibility to remain open and reachable.

By launching a Mastodon server, we are trying to develop alternative
channels for people in our community who no longer want to use
Twitter. If and when the balance of followers shifts, we can revisit
which platforms we choose to put our efforts into.

Regards,

Ulka

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Ulka Athale
RIPE NCC