Someone recently posted asking if we had a Matrix room. I used to be opposed to hosting one because moderation can be a bit difficult. The recent Discord issues have shown more interest in Matrix lately so I guess it's worth experimenting on.
You can join the room #general:ani.social using any existing Matrix account if you already have one. But if you would like to make a new account on the server, you can DM me for a registration code. The room is public so anyone can join.
The server uses Matrix Dendrite which means that there may be some Matrix features that are not available yet.
I have been burned by this plenty of times in my self-hosting life. Nothing to be ashamed of. I don't think there will be any issues migrating at this point so early on.