Hello all,

That time of the (shorter) month again!

Communities

We've got a couple of new communities for you:

• Autism Memes
• Mod Tools (I'm trying to consolidate all the available mod-specific tools in one place. This is a local-only community for Lemmy.zip too)

Server Update

A few things happened this month.

Firstly, the smaller things - We updated to Lemmy 0.19.9 which was quick and easy. We also migrated the image database from Sled to Postgres which was relatively easy once it got going, but was not quick. But that piece of work is done now, and should result in tiny performance improvements now we have so many images.

We also implemented the Geoblock of UK IP addresses (more info here). This took a couple of goes to get it how I wanted it to work, but the UI is now blocked to UK IP addresses, and federation traffic is still allowed to and from the UK.

We've also implemented something I talked about at the end of the last server update, which I am calling "Default Blocks" (for lack of a better name) for new accounts. Basically, when a new account is created, we apply a couple of instance blocks for instances that we get the most complaints about - so far, it's Hexbear (who have recovered their domain if you're interested) and lemmygrad. Lemmy.ml was a candidate too, but there are a lot of bigger communities there and we dont really get complaints/reports from our users about that instance.

The messages a new user gets when they've signed up to Lemmy.zip, and the welcome post it links to, have been updated to reflect this, and give instructions on how to remove these blocks (in the user profile -> blocks) in the same way you'd add/remove any other block (because that's all we're doing in the background). The updated new user post is here, and we're open to feedback if anyone can think of ways to add or tweak it to make it easier for new users.

This way, I think, is the best of both worlds when we're trying to weigh up keeping new people on Lemmy compared against defederation. Obviously we're not an instance that goes wild on defederating because we want people to see the content they want to see, but this can turn some newer people away who likely would've stuck round had the onboarding experience been a little easier and clearer. With default Lemmy, there isn't really an onboarding experience - many instances use the default lemmy experience which is an email to let you know your account has been approved, if they've enabled this, otherwise you're kind of left wondering. One of the things we saw a lot of was after an application was created, the user would try to immediately log in and then reset their password, not realising (nor having read the application text!) that they would have to wait.

This is why we've put so much effort into things like a welcome email, welcome PM linking to various places such as new users posts, how to change the site theme, how to get help if you need it etc, and deny emails if we don't accept an account with the reason why and how to challenge that decision, to name a few.

This also doesn't effect existing users who signed up before we put this into testing, it's something Zippy does to the account as part of the signup process, so it won't change anything for long term accounts - It's just new accounts that will have the blocks applied.

In time, we might extend this if there are more extreme instances popping up. We might also review it for communities too, although that functionality doesn't exist in Zippy yet.

The ultimate aim is to provide a friendlier landing page for new users and an easier transition from other similar sites to Lemmy, without cutting everyone off from that content if they want to partake in it which is what Defederation would do. Defederation would also prevent users from the other instances in taking part in our content, which many do in a fair and rule-following way, and that wouldn't really be something we want to do either. So this is the fairest way we can do this, while still giving the user the choice to remove those blocks at any time as and when they wish to.

As always, happy to answer any questions in the comments.

Finally, I'm trialing out a Mastodon server at mastodon.zip (or click here for a direct invite). At the moment its entirely separate from Lemmy.zip but if it gets used we'll likely bring it under the same banner at some point.

Please don't be a lurker!

If you’re new to Lemmy.zip - WELCOME! I hope you’re enjoying your time here 😀

I am sure that long term readers are bored of reading this now, but it is really is true that the easiest way you can support Lemmy.zip is to actively engage with content here: upvoting content you enjoy, sharing your thoughts through posts and comments, sparking meaningful discussions, or even creating new communities that resonate with your interests.

It’s natural to see fluctuations in user activity over time, and we’ve seen this over the wider lemmy-verse for some time now. However, if you’ve found a home here and love this space, now is the perfect opportunity to help us thrive.

If you want to support us in a different way than financially, then actively interacting with the instance helps us out loads.
If you’ve gone to the trouble of creating an account, then come and be part of the Fediverse! Please don’t be a lurker! 😀

Donations

Lemmy.zip only continues to exist because of the generous donations of its users. The operating cost of Lemmy.zip is over 60 euros a month ($60, £50) and is mostly funded by the community!

We keep all the details around donations on our OpenCollective page, with full transparency around income and expenditure.

If you're enjoying Lemmy.zip, please check out the OpenCollective page, we have a selection of one-off or recurring donation options. All funds go directly to hosting the site and keeping the virtual lights on.

We've also put up a link to our Ko-Fi page where you can donate via paypal instead of using a card. All Ko-Fi donations will be totalled up and added to OpenCollective each month for transparency. I've added a link in the sidebar, but you can also click the image below to go there:

We continue to have some really kind and generous donators and I can't express my thanks enough.
You can see all the kind donators in the Thank You thread - you could get your name in there too!

Please remember, traditional social media is only "free" to you because they sell your data. We don't do that - if you want to support independent social websites like this one and you value your privacy, please consider a small donation. It really does help.

Graphs

The bit you all really want to see. All over 30 days unless otherwise stated.

CPU:

RAM:

File storage:

Image storage (lifetime):

Cloudflate stats - overall:

Requests:

Bandwidth:

Unique visitors:

Country traffic:

So that's it for this month - if there is anything else you'd like to see I'm happy to share it if I can.

Next month's update may be late or missing entirely, and I may not be around as much for the next couple of months - I am expecting my first child around March/April and I think I might have slightly less time than I do now for a little bit! 😀

The site is in good hands with Sami and Druid, so please do reach out to them or in the matrix chat if you need support with anything.

Thanks,

Demigodrick

Demigodrick

2025-02-08 15:01:55

Important News - Geoblocking of the UK

Hi All,

Some sad news, but it has become apparent in order to safeguard the longevity of this site, there are no options left other than to cease allowing people from the United Kingdom to access Lemmy.zip.

Just to reassure everyone else right at the start - this ONLY affects users from the UK accessing Lemmy.zip. There is no effect on everyone else, and nothing in your Lemmy experience will change.

Due to the implementation of the Online Safety Act, we will be restricting access to Lemmy.zip to UK users starting 15th February 2025 —one week from today.

Why is this happening?

Lemmy.zip is hosted in Finland, and we have always strived to operate with respect for privacy and in line with all applicable laws. However, the UK’s Online Safety Act presents significant legal and operational challenges for small, independent fediverse sites, just like this one. The Act’s vague and overbearing requirements, combined with the potential for disproportionate and extreme fines, force us to make this decision to protect both the site and its users.

This law impacts a wide range of content with vague or conflicting definitions, and as a volunteer-run site, we cannot ensure full compliance. We do not wish to compromise your privacy or force you to verify your identity through intrusive age checks, which is the only method allowed under the Act. Therefore, we have no choice but to block access from the UK.

This won't impact on federation, nor accessing the communities from an instance that tries to comply with (or ignores) the Act. Obviously if you're from any other country in the world that isn't the UK, this won't apply to you at all.

If this affects you, then you are able to export your data (subscriptions etc) from your profile settings, and import them on to another instance (Feddit.uk is a good shout for brits!)

Unfortunately this is also brought about by my personal circumstances as the site owner - I'm not in a position to just ignore the Act like many are. Complying with the act would mean we would either have to implement Age Verification for all users to access the site, or we would have to disable NSFW entirely, which means communities that use NSFW tags for spoilers or content warnings also wouldn't be accessible.

For those curious, UK users will instead be directed to this page when they try access the site.

This has been a really hard decision to make, and I fear many more fediverse sites that are somehow linked to the UK will need to take this step in order to protect themselves.

If this is overturned by the courts in the UK, then the block will be removed as soon as possible. I have my fingers crossed.

Happy to answer any questions in the comments.

Demigodrick.

Lemmy.zip and the OSA

^uk.lemmy.zip