Hello friends!
It's been a while since I've had time to write a proper update about what I'm currently up to.
The past month has been REALLY busy, with round-the-clock work on two projects: a promotional video for the fediverse (untitled still, but debuting soon) and preparations to speak at Journées du Logiciel Libre (#JDLL) in Lyon, France, as part of a showcase of YunoHost users.
A love letter to the fediverse (in the form of a video)
In 2024 I went all in on the fediverse, quitting all social media platforms by Big Tech companies and fully focusing on the fediverse. My goal? To recapture a sense of digital sovereignty and independence.
My blog The Future is Federated - on the fediverse and its various free, open-source software - kept growing in readership and getting positive feedback. New followers would see "filmmaker" in my bio and ask from time to time: "why don't you make a video about the fediverse?"
And so I did.
Call it kismet, call it a simple coincidence, but in January 2025 I was offered to have two interns work for me on a film project - if I had one. I sure did! That's how Sam, Riyen and I got to team up to work on the fediverse promotional video.
The video is 3-4 minutes long and aims to introduce the fediverse to people not familiar with it. If all goes well, it will debut in a week's time (thus my desire to keep this update short. I've got work to do in DaVinci Resolve).
Where will I publish the video? On my self-hosted PeerTube channel of course! So if you are already on the fediverse, make sure to follow the channel here so you won't miss any video uploads.
A love letter to YunoHost
The biggest change for me over the past 6 months was learning about and starting to use YunoHost.org (a system that allows non-technical people to self-host a plethora of digital services).
On my self-hosted GoToSocial account I would often wax elegiacally about how much I love YunoHost and how it has changed my life for the better. Well, I got to know some members of the team - which is based in France - and I had the honor of being invited to speak at one of their events during the conference JDLL about how I use their tools.
It was such a special occasion - made even more special by the fact it was my first ever conference speech in French; the first time I presented since the Covid pandemic and becoming a mom; and the first time my child was in the audience. Just super special all around.
Meeting IRL the larger team of YunoHost volunteers - they're superheros in my eyes - made the day truly memorable.
In my 10 minute presentation (the video replay is available here) I mentioned how risky it is to rely on centralized services for communications... and how liberating and empowering it is to host your own social media.
If you're curious about this and tempted to take a leap, I promise with YunoHost you don't need advanced technical knowledge. Anyone could do it, like I did.
An important heads-up: YunoHost is currently running a fundraising campaign to cover their operating costs for the year. If you use their services, I would highly encourage to chip in (any euro / dollar / yen counts).
What's up next?
Finishing and releasing our fediverse film next week at a special event... and working with Sam and Riyen on a new short film that shows fediverse newcomers what to do to get started.
Onwards and upwards!
Elena
P.S.: in case you missed the latest article in my series The Future is Federated, you can read it here:
Elena Rossini
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