question for #MastoAdmin #FediAdmin — how IS the money side of things going for y’all? are you paying for it all out of pocket or are your users helping out? is this a hobby (that you invest in) or a side job (that provides some extra pocket money) for you? what are the numbers looking like?

because i see so many articles claiming that it’s impossible to run a social media service and not charge your users or bombard them with ads, but i see preciously few instance admins actually ask for help with costs other than hiding a donation link somewhere you can find it if you go looking. so what’s the truth?