Speaking as a noob trying to see if I can respond from another server... Hi!
I spun up an instance for a friend group, to test it out, and while I think no one has a real clue what's going on, it's nice to have something new and positive. And since I or a friend control the server, no worries on the perverse incentives of the internet giants.
So, yeah, hopefully we can learn, and hopefully the ecosystem can grow.
I already deleted my 3P app and was looking for an alternative. I wanted to be the one that ripped that band-aid off so it could scab up early. So far I'm liking these Lemmy servers. They are my polysporin :p