The following was asked on a #Mastodon forum on #Reddit - I replied and a sort of converation started. I felt that it wa better to have the discussion where others with valuable inside could chip in so I have- with the OP's permission posted the following:

For years I have the same question:

Is it useful to create your own Mastodon instance or any other fediverse instance?

Many admins say it is a lot of work and they put a lot of effort, money and energy in it. Some even close their instance after few years, because it is just too much.

After the new political development in the USA, the fediverse got a new wave of interested people from all over the world, but the question stays.

In my opinion it makes only sense if you already have a community, like, if you're an influencer or part of an NGO or similar projects with several people, who will support you creating and maintaining it with money and own time.

What do you think and do you own an instance or work on one?