Breaking things and learning how to fix them is a big part of owning a home lab. It can be frustrating but the learning experience is worth it

If you're planning to download media, check out the Server Wiki. It has guides on setting up all the software to automate the process.

Most Usenet providers offer secure connections so I don't know if it's necessary, but I use a VPN.

I'm seeing the same. My instance was upgraded last night, now the front page reloads everytime I go back. Testing on Firefox on Android, not sure of other setups.