On Tue, May 19, 2026 at 4:34 AM Matthew Brown <[email protected]> wrote:
> Two data points:
>
> Python Software Foundation is still on X:
> - 2x more followers than in 2021
> - 5x fewer interactions on the average post than in 2021
>
> Rust stopped posting to X a year ago and removed links from its website
> - People still talk about Rust

And they argue against the RFC, not for it.

PSF still on X with 2x more followers -- that's exactly the case for
staying. X-wide engagement has changed: different algorithm, different
audience, different content. That's not "the platform is worse",
that's "the platform is different". Lower engagement per post doesn't
mean lower value if followers and reach are still there.

> Rust stopped posting to X a year ago and removed links from its website
Rust has momentum that has nothing to do with social media strategy.
PHP doesn't have that luxury. We're trying to repair perception, not
manage hype.

And these aren't isolated cases. TypeScript, Go, the Apache
Foundation, the Linux Foundation, and many others actively communicate
on X. The pattern across language and OSS communities is presence, not
retreat.

Another data point: we have actual analytics on what platforms drive
engagement to php.net. For April 2026:

| Social Network | Visits |  Share |
|----------------|-------:|-------:|
| YouTube        |  5,373 | 33.66% |
| Reddit         |  2,915 | 18.26% |
| X/Twitter      |  2,102 | 13.17% |
| StackOverflow  |  2,068 | 12.96% |
| Facebook       |  2,048 | 12.83% |
| LinkedIn       |    675 |  4.23% |
| Telegram       |    205 |  1.28% |
| Hacker News    |    166 |  1.04% |
| Vkontakte      |    154 |  0.96% |
| Sourceforge    |     98 |  0.61% |
| Instagram      |     58 |  0.36% |
| Mastodon       |     37 |  0.23% |
| Workplace      |     16 |  0.10% |
| V2EX           |     15 |  0.09% |
| Bluesky        |     14 |  0.09% |
| Threads        |     12 |  0.08% |

Among text-based platforms suitable for project communications, X
drives more traffic than LinkedIn and Mastodon combined. An active
account would expand reach.

That's the kind of analysis the policy RFC encourages producing going
forward: https://wiki.php.net/rfc/social-media-policy

-Roman

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