It's the end of an era! Back in 2011, my friend Joe told me about #diaspora, an alternative to #facebook with no ads and good privacy. I joined Diasp.org, and was on it... until today, as that pod (instance) has just closed.
I am grateful to David the 'podmin' for running the pod for so long. He didn't want it to be a service, but rather a springboard for people to have control over their own data and #SocialMedia interactions. (Insert lecture about the European #socialism that built the #fediverse )
Several friends joined Diapora back in the day, I think @redfern was among them. But it never took off among my peers, not enough to displace facebook. And of course, #Mastodon later appeared, and is now far larger than D*.
Still, I have a soft spot for Diaspora. I found another pod and will stay there (too) for now. But it won't be the same, you never forget your first non-commerical social media account! I spent time looking through all my old posts and downloading photo, ah, #nostalgia! 
Aaron Koek
