Ambassador @ambassador

Ethan ShollySelf-Host Weekly (18 July 2025)Commentary on <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/vibecoding" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#vibecoding</a>, software launches and updates, a spotlight on <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/Subtrackr" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Subtrackr</a>, and more in this week's <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/newsletter" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#newsletter</a> recap!<a href="https://selfh.st/weekly/2025-07-18/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://selfh.st/weekly/2025-07-18/</a><a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/selfhost" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#selfhost</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/selfhosted" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#selfhosted</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/selfhosting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#selfhosting</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/opensource" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#opensource</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/foss" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#foss</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/homelab" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#homelab</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/homeserver" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#homeserver</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/privacy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#privacy</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/subscription" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#subscription</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/subscriptions" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#subscriptions</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/app" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#app</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/apps" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#apps</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/software" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#software</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/development" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#development</a>

DrBob, Neurologist, 🧠MechanicYet More Reasons to Dump <a href="https://vmst.io/tags/Zuckerberg" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Zuckerberg</a>/Meta WhatsApp!Meta Bringing Ads and Subscriptions to WhatsApp<a href="https://vmst.io/tags/Meta" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Meta</a> Platforms Inc. will begin showing <a href="https://vmst.io/tags/Ads" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Ads</a> inside of its WhatsApp messaging service, opening a new potential revenue stream while the company invests heavily in artificial intelligence and other long-term projects.Advertisers can also pay to promote their <a href="https://vmst.io/tags/WhatsApp" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#WhatsApp</a> Channel and give it prominent placement within the Updates tab...As part of the advertising push, WhatsApp will also let Channel operators sell <a href="https://vmst.io/tags/Subscriptions" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Subscriptions</a>, meaning they can create special messages just for a group of paying customers<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-16/whatsapp-to-show-ads-offer-paid-subscriptions-for-first-time" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-16/whatsapp-to-show-ads-offer-paid-subscriptions-for-first-time</a>

StrypeyWhen I posted yesterday about Frequency, the federated photo-sharing service;<a href="https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/@strypey/114679152915697804" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/@strypey/114679152915697804</a>... various technical difficulties distracted me from the main thing I wanted to comment on. Which is the false dichotomy that digital services can either be paid for via ads, or individual subscriptions. As <a href="https://mastodon.social/@jesseplusplus" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@jesseplusplus</a> points out, the subscription model of apps can be collective rather than individual. That's the model for the Bridge Seat hosting co-op I've been working on.<a href="https://mastodon.nzoss.nz/tags/subscriptions" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#subscriptions</a>

Inautilo<a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Design" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Design</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Experiences" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Experiences</a> Adobe’s shady plan practices · “My long-term trust in Adobe has completely sunk.” <a href="https://ilo.im/164gvr" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://ilo.im/164gvr</a>_____ <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Adobe" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Adobe</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Illustrator" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Illustrator</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Photoshop" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Photoshop</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Lightroom" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Lightroom</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Subscriptions" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Subscriptions</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Photography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Photography</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ProductDesign" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ProductDesign</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/UiDesign" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#UiDesign</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/VisualDesign" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#VisualDesign</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/WebDesign" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#WebDesign</a>

CybersecKyleNice move <a href="https://ruby.social/@trakt" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@trakt</a>. Guess it’s time to leave. Grandfathering doesn’t mean anything now. Companies just want more and more. <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/Trakt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Trakt</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/Subscriptions" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Subscriptions</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/Movies" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Movies</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/TV" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TV</a>

PrivacyDigest<a href="https://mas.to/tags/VPN" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#VPN</a> firm says it didn’t know customers had <a href="https://mas.to/tags/lifetime" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#lifetime</a> <a href="https://mas.to/tags/subscriptions" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#subscriptions</a> , cancels them <a href="https://mas.to/tags/privacy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#privacy</a> <a href="https://mas.to/tags/security" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#security</a><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/05/vpn-firm-says-it-didnt-know-customers-had-lifetime-subscriptions-cancels-them/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/05/vpn-firm-says-it-didnt-know-customers-had-lifetime-subscriptions-cancels-them/</a>

AnureetI've created some 'Printable Journeys':Petals & Pause Balance Sheet for the Soul Flawed GoddessesThese are 6 month subscriptions with a curated bundle of useful and inspring printables. I designed them to help me with the phase of life I'm in right now...needing a bit of a break...<a href="https://printable-journeys.teachery.co/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://printable-journeys.teachery.co/</a><a href="https://me.dm/tags/subscriptions" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#subscriptions</a> <a href="https://me.dm/tags/onlinecourses" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#onlinecourses</a> <a href="https://me.dm/tags/teachery" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#teachery</a>

Marcus "MajorLinux" SummersIt should not be difficult to unsubscribe!FTC sues Uber over difficulty of canceling subscriptions, “false” claims <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/04/ftc-sues-uber-over-difficulty-of-canceling-subscriptions-false-claims/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/04/ftc-sues-uber-over-difficulty-of-canceling-subscriptions-false-claims/</a><a href="https://toot.majorshouse.com/tags/FTC" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#FTC</a> <a href="https://toot.majorshouse.com/tags/Uber" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Uber</a> <a href="https://toot.majorshouse.com/tags/Subscriptions" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Subscriptions</a> <a href="https://toot.majorshouse.com/tags/Tech" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Tech</a>

Marcus "MajorLinux" SummersPlex and Jellyfin are looking better and better each day.Max implements $8 extra member charges on all subscription plans <a href="https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/max-implements-8-extra-member-charges-on-all-subscription-plans-195228707.html?src=rss" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/max-implements-8-extra-member-charges-on-all-subscription-plans-195228707.html?src=rss</a><a href="https://toot.majorshouse.com/tags/Max" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Max</a> <a href="https://toot.majorshouse.com/tags/WB" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#WB</a> <a href="https://toot.majorshouse.com/tags/Subscriptions" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Subscriptions</a> <a href="https://toot.majorshouse.com/tags/Streaming" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Streaming</a> <a href="https://toot.majorshouse.com/tags/Tech" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Tech</a>

TutaWorried you miss Easter? 🐣 Subscribe to calendars quick & easy with Tuta Calendar's feature! 📅To add subscriptions:1. Click on the + in your calendar 2. Select From URL 3. Enter the URL for a calendar subscription ICS file 4. Click Subscribe 5. Enjoy 😉 Have you given it a try? <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/TutaCalendar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TutaCalendar</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Subscriptions" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Subscriptions</a>

3dcandyStreaming subs falter – price rises? <a href="https://www.3dcandy.live/2025/03/streaming-subs-falter-price-rises/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.3dcandy.live/2025/03/streaming-subs-falter-price-rises/</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/boost" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#boost</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/streaming" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#streaming</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/subscriptions" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#subscriptions</a>

Kevin Karhan :verified:<a href="https://lgbtqia.space/@meadow" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@meadow</a> <a href="https://transfem.social/@ReignOfRaining" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@ReignOfRaining</a> I never liked <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/subscriptions" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#subscriptions</a>.Only <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/offline" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#offline</a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/PhysicalMedia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#PhysicalMedia</a> are safe from <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/Enshittification" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Enshittification</a> and <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/theft" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#theft</a> by the publisher!

Lee PerryI've been subscription slashing tonight: analytics, MastoHost (back to mastodon.scot), Kagi, Zwift, BikeTerra. All great, but not critical and I want to free up budget. New meta page coming. <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/subscriptions" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#subscriptions</a> <a href="https://lee-perry.co.uk/microfeed/2025-03-13-subscription-culling" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://lee-perry.co.uk/microfeed/2025-03-13-subscription-culling</a>

Regina KammerThe Amazon Boycott Where you can get ebooks, audiobooks, and paperbacks and not support billionaires. <a href="https://reginakammer.com/the-amazon-boycott/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://reginakammer.com/the-amazon-boycott/</a> <a href="https://mastodon.world/tags/ContemporaryRomance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ContemporaryRomance</a>, <a href="https://mastodon.world/tags/Ebooks" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Ebooks</a>, <a href="https://mastodon.world/tags/HistoricalRomance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#HistoricalRomance</a>, <a href="https://mastodon.world/tags/Paperbacks" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Paperbacks</a>, <a href="https://mastodon.world/tags/Politics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Politics</a>, <a href="https://mastodon.world/tags/Retailers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Retailers</a>, <a href="https://mastodon.world/tags/Romance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Romance</a>, <a href="https://mastodon.world/tags/Subscriptions" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Subscriptions</a>

Kevin Karhan :verified:<a href="https://fosstodon.org/@mike" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@mike</a> no, this is intentional, just like any other <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/DarkPattern" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#DarkPattern</a> use designed to nudge <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/TechIlliterates" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TechIlliterates</a> into <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/Office365" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Office365</a> and ither <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/subscriptions" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#subscriptions</a>!

Michael T Babcock<a href="https://mastodon.green/@alberto_cottica" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@alberto_cottica</a> <a href="https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@pluralistic</a> I'm a big fan of RSS+Atom and also Mastodon for the ability to read what I've subscribed to at my own convenience instead of being pushed updates. <a href="https://floss.social/tags/RSS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSS</a> <a href="https://floss.social/tags/subscriptions" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#subscriptions</a>

ner3yI have updated my Defaults and Subscriptions pages. So if you want to have a look, you can do so. 😉<a href="https://ner3y.me/defaults/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://ner3y.me/defaults/</a> <a href="https://ner3y.me/subscriptions/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://ner3y.me/subscriptions/</a><a href="https://social.lol/tags/defaults" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#defaults</a> <a href="https://social.lol/tags/subscriptions" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#subscriptions</a>

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