We Distribute has been in operation in one form or another for the past 9 years. Our project has managed to reach thousands of people, both inside and outside of the Fediverse, to promote a vision of social media and the Web that are open, federated, and free. We have published hundreds of articles, interviewed major figures in the space, and even launched a pretty solid podcast.

That is why I’m sad to inform everyone today that the project is officially on a temporary hiatus status. We need to take a break and regroup.

Why Are We Doing This?

Although we have managed to introduce an impressive roster of contributors and guest authors, most of the work has effectively gone to a few people who make less than a few pennies an hour.

You, our readers, may have noticed that the site is facing a downward trend in our regular publishing schedule. There is still a vast body of news to cover, but our publishing flow is completely backed up, to the point that everything we report is behind schedule.

Our process has been historically reactive, with us trying to publish new articles while working through a massive backlog. The burnout in reporting on this emerging space has become severe. This is not sustainable.

It’s Not Over

This is not the end of We Distribute, but things need to change. There will still be a regular trickle of stories coming out on an ad-hoc basis, but our team needs to slow down, build up a body of articles to publish, and stick to a content calendar.

We Distribute needs a lot of help in getting to a healthy place. We need help with writing, editing, social media direction, and A/V production. We also need assistance with securing funding through donations, partnerships, and grants, and need to finish the work in establishing We Distribute Media as a 501c3, which was work we initially started in the beginning of this year.

I just want to say that I’m sorry it’s come to this. It’s been an incredible journey, but I’m beyond exhausted. If this project is to survive and grow in a healthy way, then this is a necessary step to take.

We will be quietly working behind the scenes in the short term, but we don’t know when we’ll officially be in full swing again.