Wandering.Shop is an Open Social Web community, operating on a Mastodon server which was instantiated in April, 2017. The purpose around which this community first gathered was to connect the science fiction and fantasy literature community, keeping writers and fans connected and collaborating during the long spells between conventions. The founding community's vision was "to have the feel of a coffee shop at a good science fiction convention: tables full of friendly conversation". This digital space is thus not limited to a "topic" but open to anyone who enjoys the vibe of sitting down for coffee with a new friend, to chat about your favourite books and watch the world from a cafe window.
Yeah, it does! There has long been a desire to develop a little bit more of a branded "look" for our instance. Alas, we're on the smaller side of the "medium" Fediverse communities, run by an informal collective of volunteers. We do not seem to have among us an artist able to provide a pro-bono package of Mastodon-ready iconography and banner graphics.
Quite possibly! We are working on a plan, and a (admittedly - small) budget to temporarily host a small, virtual "juried gallery show" to find some Fediverse-enabled artists who might like us to consider their work. From there we hope to meet a creative collaborator to help us find Wandering.Shop's "look"
Please follow the account https://wandering.shop/@proprietor and stay tuned for updates and a call for submissions when we have a proper framework ready to go. We're aiming for April, 2026 and hoping to have a creative partner by the end of June.
(Disclaimer: very rough timelines, volunteers being volunteers and all.)