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 --------- Ulka Athale RIPE NCC -- To unsubscribe from this mailing list, get a password reminder, or change your subscription options, please visit: https://lists.ripe.net/mailman/listinfo/ripe-list
