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I can't answer your question but in that vein I want to add that in general it's very easy to get sign ups on a fedi node. That's why I always preferred instanc

I can't answer your question but in that vein I want to add that in general it's very easy to get sign ups on a fedi node. That's why I always preferred instances that closely vetted new users. The more relevant number is often active users. I ran one for many years and I quickly disabled open sign-ups due to all the bots I noticed.

diggan 2y ago
Isn't it as easy to fake the sign up number as it is to fake the active users number? What makes one harder to fake than the other?
- INTPenis 2y ago
  One fakes itself, while the other requires someone to actively fake it by generating user activity. When I was active all it required was a regular login. For many years now only the active user count has been relevant in the fedi, so I assume the creator of pixelfed knows this already. I'm saying all this to say that news about user milestones mean nothing compared to the warmth and engagement regular users feel when interacting in the fedi.
  - diggan 2y ago
    I feel like I misunderstand something. Why are fake signups happening automatically? And if they do, why isn't faking user activity automatic too? Do you mean that "Active User" count is just based on login, so it's "fake" as in "the user isn't actually active just because they only logged in"? In contrast to the other number that is based on actual engagement? I'm sorry if I seem obtuse, I'm trying to make sure I understand correctly.
    - INTPenis 2y ago
      As an instance admin I can only say that there was a steady stream of sign ups from robot-like accounts, until I required accounts to write a motivation for signing up and then got rid of maybe 80% of new account sign-ups. So I'm only speculating that a lot of that 80% were automated sign-ups. Why create a bunch of fake accounts on fediverse nodes? I don't know, maybe they're used as currency later, or manipulation if the platform takes off. Who knows. These are only my observations.

diggan 2y ago

Isn't it as easy to fake the sign up number as it is to fake the active users number? What makes one harder to fake than the other?

INTPenis 2y ago
One fakes itself, while the other requires someone to actively fake it by generating user activity. When I was active all it required was a regular login. For many years now only the active user count has been relevant in the fedi, so I assume the creator of pixelfed knows this already. I'm saying all this to say that news about user milestones mean nothing compared to the warmth and engagement regular users feel when interacting in the fedi.
- diggan 2y ago
  I feel like I misunderstand something. Why are fake signups happening automatically? And if they do, why isn't faking user activity automatic too? Do you mean that "Active User" count is just based on login, so it's "fake" as in "the user isn't actually active just because they only logged in"? In contrast to the other number that is based on actual engagement? I'm sorry if I seem obtuse, I'm trying to make sure I understand correctly.
  - INTPenis 2y ago
    As an instance admin I can only say that there was a steady stream of sign ups from robot-like accounts, until I required accounts to write a motivation for signing up and then got rid of maybe 80% of new account sign-ups. So I'm only speculating that a lot of that 80% were automated sign-ups. Why create a bunch of fake accounts on fediverse nodes? I don't know, maybe they're used as currency later, or manipulation if the platform takes off. Who knows. These are only my observations.