And that's almost as sad as Discord "forums". It's useful information that's completely siloed out from the public web.

On a positive note, posts from groups I was interested in have been targeted at my feed by the algorithm. Still not public, but least there is some sort of exposure to "passers-by"

(I know, frying pans and fires) I started a Google Group as an alternative to a Meta group that I don't want to need Mata to participate in.

local town offices mostly use facebook for news and events.

I signed up in 2023 after not using it since 2008. I can't believe how bad the marketplace feature is compared to craigslist. It's trying to get me to keep coming back and serve me different ads. I just want to see all the local ads that match my search!

Groups and Marketplace seem to be the main genuine uses in many non-US countries.