Welcome! I'm super stoked to be here, too. And each day this community seems to grow stronger.

I agree that reddit's future looks weak. The API change was horrible. Spez's approach to the whole thing was even worse: condescending, disingenuous, and hostile.

And the more I think about it, the less I see any hope for reddit as a place I want to spend time. This isn't just one bad episode. Once the company goes public, there's going to be more shit like this. The site will slowly gut itself for perceived short-term gains, over and over again.

No thanks.

Same here! Crossing my fingers hard and commenting and posting way more than I did for years on Reddit.

You nailed it: It feels like a movement. And movements, especially nascent ones, require buy-in and work from their members. I guess that explains why I feel obligated to participate more than I did at Reddit.

I've only been on Lemmy for a day, but it's already clear no one is gonna build this out for us.

By now, we've all been around the internet long enough to know that good things never last. That's really life: Everything's impermanent. Lemmy will probably suck someday, as will much of the fediverse. But I'm grateful it's good right now and for the foreseeable future.

You're right. The fediverse is definitely in a better position to ward off the suck.

This is such an insightful and thoughtful post. It sums up exactly how I feel. I'm so over the negativity that I encountered daily on Reddit. Lemmy is a fresh start.

A few years ago, while searching for answers about how to live a better life, this simple and kinda sappy thought came to me. Maybe it seems obvious or sentimental, but I use it to guide my actions every day: Shape the world with love.

That's how I'm trying to contribute to Lemmy. And it seems like most other users are, too.

OP could get constipated by doing a bunch of opioids. Obviously not recommended.

I think you're probably right. I might even go back because /r/stopdrinking is sort of a lifeline for me, and I just don't see another viable alternative.

But I'm hoping to replace the majority of my reddit use with the fediverse.

Haha! Makes total sense. I appreciate your precision.

My knowledge of plants is mostly limited to stuff in the New Jersey Pine Barrens because I hike and paddle there often and read about it just as much. So when I think of a sundew, I'm thinking of the one I know that lives there.

(The Pines also has a cactus -- the prickly pear -- but now I'm questioning whether it's actually a cactus!)

Thanks so much. Next time I come across a cool plant that I can't identify, I'll post and tag you.

Thanks for sharing your experience. It's good to hear there wasn't a lot going on because, honestly, coming here from Reddit feels a bit like participating in some sort of digital gentrification.

That's really cool. Forgive me for not knowing proper plant language, but its arms resemble a sundew.

Awesome! This has been puzzling me. Thanks!

Don't say, "I can't wait." It's OK to be excited for something but not to wish away all the moments between then and now. Each one is precious.

I picked that up a few years ago from a Buddhist book. It helped me with so many aspects of life.

Blueberries fresh off the bush. Tis the season.

This kind of feels like the way reddit did more than a decade ago. It's not nearly as busy as when I joined reddit in 2011, but the comments feel more approachable, more engaging, more human.

That's great stuff! I really hope we can build Lemmy up so that it scratches our niche itch.

There's an unpopulated kayaking sub I found yesterday: https://lemmy.ml/c/kayaking (Not sure if I'm sharing that link correctly or in a way that makes it easy to navigate.)

I posted a photo yesterday. Would be awesome to help get it off the ground!

I feel you regarding all this. But I also have to ask: What's the weirdest plant you own? Any carnivorous ones? (I love pitcher plants -- don't own any, but I seek them out in nature regularly.)

Well said. It's something I've done often without realizing I was doing it. There's something valuable in hearing the perspective or advice of what seem like real people and not a marketing campaign.

Thank you!

Jeez. I'm sorry someone said that to you. Fucked up.

Amazing! I spent some time in Silverton in summer 2021. Everything about the area blew me away. Incredible to hike and just exist there.

New England is so cool! I've spent brief bursts of time there, mostly in urban areas, over the years, but didn't start hiking up your way until last year. Fell in love with the White Mountains last September and heading back in a couple of weeks. Also spent a few days hiking Acadia this spring. You guys have such an amazing place up there!

Wow -- I had no idea there were two sundews in the pines. I totally agree with you: This is exactly what I used to get from Reddit. So thank you. And I love a good bladderwort! I saw a bunch when I was canoeing with my wife and daughter last weekend.

So cool that you're gonna make the trip here. If you want to know about any cool spots to visit, I'm happy to share!

Off the top of my head, there's an easily accessible bog with a boardwalk called Webb's Mill (Google Maps has it by name -- it's in Forked River). I've seen a ton of pitcher plants and sundews there. Sometimes the entrance is flooded out because of a beaver dam.

Wharton State Forest has the Mullica and Batsto rivers, along with a bunch of wetlands. If you wanna take kayaks or canoes down them, Pinelands Adventures runs trips through mid-October.

Going off the beaten path is easy in the Pines, too. I have some bushwhacking spots that I love and am happy to share privately. The only problem is, I typically go when no carnivorous plants are out because the ticks and chiggers are brutal off trail this time of year.

Ah sorry for the novel. I grew up in what once was pine barrens but escaped the political designation and thus got super overdeveloped. And the culture escaped us, too -- almost no one I know has spent much time in the Pines, even though we're 20 minutes away. So I get excited when I meet a fellow traveler!

I really don't know. I definitely recall Spez saying it's safe. But it seems like we'd be wise to not trust a word he says.

I feel you completely. I spend most of my free time with my family, hiking or paddling, or reading books. It's nice to have places online to burn some time, but I'd sooner give it up than be forced into some corporate playground. The past 15-20 years have shown that it just doesn't work.

Lol it's seriously crazy how much less active this place felt a couple of weeks ago. I can't imagine what it's like to be someone who was here years ago.