If you really think about it, we spend loads of money on all sorts of crap that doesn't really enrich our lives.
Every morning, I'm out and about somewhere in the Fediverse on my smartphone whilst sipping my first/second/third coffee. At the moment, I'm mainly into photos. At 8.00 am, the bot behind @FotoVorschlag posts the topic of the day and I scroll through my photos to find something suitable. I've already posted many of the potential pictures on my favourite platform, Vernissage, so I end up getting lost there for a short while too, liking the latest shots from the other crazy photography enthusiasts. What does it cost me? Basically nothing… and that's the (solvable) problem…
From the very beginning, I've been drawn to the work of Marcin, the creator of Vernissage. It is far more user-friendly than Pixelfed, the Fediverse front-runner in this segment, and is also continuously maintained and actively improved behind the scenes, whereas others merely make announcements. As of today, I have published 428 photos on Vernissage.
Every month, Marcin publishes a Financial Report and his out-of-pocket costs for the project ALWAYS exceed his personal financial contribution. Now, one might object, ‘Well, that's just how it usually goes with passion projects', but it's simply unfair. I get my little dopamine kicks in the morning when 20 people have liked one of my photos, and Marcin pays for that. On the other hand, I have expensive TV streaming subscriptions from multinational corporations that I use two or three times a month. The balance just doesn't feel right to me anymore…
Decision: the subscriptions are being cancelled and I am now (probably the first) PRINCIPAL SPONSOR of Vernissage on Patreon ...
I'd appreciate it if just a few people would join me there, so that Marcin at least doesn't end up losing out. Regardless of that, I'd be happy if the project were supported by the European initiative NLNet … Marcin: Apply for a grant, Next deadline: 3 November
It's so important that niche projects like this have a future, even though I know everything comes to an end and Marcin will eventually pack up because he realises he has a life outside this. By supporting him, I just want to push that moment back a little … for my own pleasure. From one human being to another.
Syndicated from https://kiko.io/post/Money-for-something-worthwhile/
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