When I started on Mastodon, people would advise me to “only Boost posts.” Since there’s no algorithm that places a value on Favorites, “only Boosts have value.”
I disagree completely.
When people Favorite my posts, they unwittingly introduce themselves to me. I have discovered some very interesting people that I may not have if they didn’t Favorite my posts.
If you're transferring your Mastodon account to another server, don't use the "Archive Request" button for transfers.
This button is not used in the transfer process, it's only there for you to download a copy of your data for personal use. The archive produced by this button cannot be uploaded to Mastodon.
THREAD: I made a series of images for an Instagram post I made about migrating to the fediverse. I figured I'd share with anyone else who wants to use, so I included some blank template versions too. DM if you'd like the Adobe Illustrator file so you can make your own edits. And please,comment if I got anything wrong so I can correct it.
Just a reminder, please do add alt text descriptions to your images, videos and audio clips. It will make them accessible to people with visual or hearing impairment.
You'll also get a lot more boosts if you add descriptions, because a lot of people only share posts that have descriptions.
If you forget, don't worry, you can edit your post afterwards to add it 👍
It can take a while to get into the habit, so there's a bot to help you remember at @PleaseCaption
One of the most under-used features of Mastodon is audio. You can attach audio files to your posts, they can be in MP3, OGG, WAV, FLAC, AAC, M4A or 3GP formats. They can be any length, as long as the file size is under 40 megabytes (some servers may have even higher limits).
I've attached an example audio file to this post, you should be able to play it on most interfaces and apps.
(Music is "Modern Technology" by Mokka Music, used under Creative Commons Attribution licence)
PeerTube, the Fediverse's alternative to YouTube, is normally associated with video. However, you can also upload audio files directly to PeerTube. It will accept lots of audio formats including .mp3, .ogg, .aac, .flac, .wma etc.
You can optionally upload an image file as a thumbnail. If not, audio files will show a black screen by default.
As many of you know, the third party iPhone/iPad app Metatext is no longer being maintained as the lead developer had health issues. However, there is now a community-maintained version of the app called Feditext. You can follow the latest news about it at:
If you are annoyed by people who boost too much (like me 😁 ), you need not mute them! Just go to their profile and choose behind the 3 dots "hide boosts from @ xy". This is also the easiest way to get only original posts by a followee.
Because it's part of the Fediverse, you can follow OwnCast accounts from Mastodon etc, and when they go live you will see a post in your timeline to let you know.
For example, the RetroStrangeTV livestream can be viewed at:
If someone recommends an account to follow and it looks blank to you, it probably isn't actually blank! It probably just looks that way when you view it from your server.
If you follow the account, future posts will start showing up on your server.
It is confusing, but there are really good reasons why it happens. You can read more about it (including how to check what a profile really looks like, and how to prevent your own profile looking blank) here:
Every server has its own website where you can log in and use all its features. The web interface is excellent, and it usually gets the latest features before the apps do.
Your server's website address will usually be the same as its name, for example the website for the server kind.social is at https://kind.social
The website works on both computers and phones. (If you're using the phone version, click # to see the search box.)
Do you need help with using Mastodon and the Fediverse? Especially if you're a beginner or unsure about techy things?
You can ask by messaging me or replying to this thread, and I'll try to help or find someone else who can help. Don't worry if a question seems silly or basic!
You can also look things up on the guide at https://fedi.tips, which has an "essentials" section at the top and a complete list of answered questions below that.