Hi everyone. I’m taking a brief moment away from working on the project to address something important.
Recently, I have received a number of hostile messages, including actual death threats, regarding the lack of visible 'app progress' (Concordia is a foundation project before it is an app), as well as messages sent when we are not able to respond to developers or teams immediately. These messages have been weighing on me heavily to the point where I often avoid logging into these accounts unless I am actively working on the project, and it has begun pushing back my motivation and desire to work on something I genuinely care about.
I need to be very clear that this kind of behaviour is completely unacceptable.
I also want to be transparent about something: I never expected Concordia to grow or gain attention as quickly as it did. The response has been much larger than anticipated, and we are currently working through a very large number of asks, messages, and emails.
So far we have received over 500 messages from developers, teams, and community members who want to get involved. We genuinely appreciate the interest and support. However, it takes time to work through this volume of communication. We have already begun reaching out to some people and are currently prioritising emails while we organise communication channels.
Concordia was never intended to be an immediate replacement for existing tools. There are other applications and projects currently in development that may serve as more immediate solutions, and I will soon be making a post highlighting as many of these projects as possible — amplifying community tools is another goal of the Concordia Project.
From the beginning, the goal of Concordia has been to carefully plan and build a strong, sustainable foundation before beginning full development. The intention is to create tools that can exist long-term, supported by stable teams and reliable infrastructure, rather than rushing something into release that may fall apart later and leave many plural systems without support.
I understand that many people are feeling anxious and upset about the situation with Simply Plural, and now with Octocon going down as well. That concern is completely valid, and one our system is struggling with as well. However, I am not affiliated with these projects and do not have any influence or control over what is happening with them. Anger or frustration about these situations should not be directed at myself or anyone on the Concordia team. In fact, this type of pressure and hostility is often part of what leads developers to step back from projects in the first place.
I have also seen a number of other development teams in the community recently facing the same kind of harassment and pressure. It is honestly horrible to witness, and it is a major reason why many people eventually leave projects like these entirely. When people who are volunteering their time and energy are met with hostility instead of patience, it makes long-term community tools much harder to sustain.
It is also important to understand the circumstances under which this project is being run. Concordia is currently being developed by a very small team. I am also a physically disabled, highly dissociative polyfragmented system living with ME/CFS, and I am currently navigating the possibility of homelessness while also caring for my family. This project is something I care deeply about, but it exists alongside very real life responsibilities and health limitations.
When the project was first announced, many members of the community encouraged us to take our time and avoid burnout. That is exactly what we are trying to do so that this project can remain sustainable.
Constructive feedback and community interest are always welcome, but harassment and threats toward the people working on this project are deeply harmful and will not be tolerated.
If you support Concordia, or any projects alike this, please understand that meaningful and sustainable development takes time. Our goal is to build something thoughtfully and responsibly so that, when it does exist, it can truly last. Please meet teams behind any of this applications with compassion and understanding for what goes into these projects.