For a healthy fediverse ecosystem, I think we will have to provide multiple choices for users, allowing people to choose their own experience.
Because ultimately, not everyone wants the same thing and different people have different interests. I respect that some people want a completely non-commercial experience. There are options for that.
There are also people who would like to sell their artwork, do freelancing work, promote a side gig, or even start their own business so that they are not dependent on giant corporations. There can be a place for them too. No one says you have to follow everyone on the fediverse or join a commercial server, and bad actors can be blocked.
Small single user, friends & family, or small community servers can probably survive on donations because they are small by design. But they have to actively ask for donations or membership fees unless they want to be dependent on one benefactor, usually the administrator.
Larger servers run by cooperatives, associations of members, or small businesses will probably have to have some sort of formalized revenue source such as donations, membership fees, premium services, etc. They also could cover expenses by providing related services like web hosting, customization services, information products, coaching, consulting, etc.
Common infrastructure can be funded by individuals and server administrators, but if they can't pay their own bills, they aren't going to donate to someone else. So we have to be okay with people asking for contributions or fees. Otherwise we will just wind up with tiny servers and giant servers and nothing in between.
Re:
https://social.wedistribute.org/objects/62f45f54-1eb5-4d04-a102-a8073ea9f18c
