There are a lot of different interesting front end projects. These let us access our home servers via an app or an alternate webpage front end.
#Icecubes#Mona#Tusky#Elk are a few examples of #Mastodon front end projects. Many of these have some unique features that vanilla webpage Mastodon doesn't yet.
We can always access our servers by just typing their address in to an internet browser to get the regular webpage frontend too.
Everything is all connected, these are just a few examples of additional ways of navigating & experiencing. So we can use several routes, depending on need, mood or device. Regardless of which frontend we use, our account(s) remain the same so it's safe to experiment and try things out. #Help#HelpThread#Welcome#New#Newbies#NewHere#FediTips
Ch.14 #Content
If there are subjects I don't want to deal with I can set filter words in my profile settings which will stop certain topics.
#Fediverse & it's different platforms + software have masses of clever tools, & different ways to adjust access & content.
We can communicate with people all over the Fediverse platforms seamlessly. Crucially we have masses of control over how & who we interact with. Block words, turn off boosts (eg by account), mute accounts, block accounts, block whole servers, shift servers ourselves.
We own this place, we control our experience. Nobody is inserting stuff in our timelines because someone paid them to modify what we see & find.
I waited a decade & half? for an edit button on a major corporate media silo (#Twitter). When it finally arrived it required a monthly fee, and by then I had already left some time ago!
There are tons of clever people making things all the time on the #Fedi. This is part of it's strength. The #Fediverse actually innovates much faster and also in more interesting iterations and directions than the monetization driven corporate social media silos. Decisions made for users, are better for users, than decisions made for shareholders.
Ch.16 #Visibility
Having more followers does not make my posts more visible.
Following fewer people does not make my posts more visible.
Receiving faves does not make my posts more visible.
Ch.17 #Design
Some very clever people have been building this place, and they did not build it to monetize us, but to make people's connections better.
The code here is all open source. Without advertisers, shareholders, CEOs, venture capitalists.
There is no reason to make us anxious or aggressive. To make us click more, scroll faster or argue with each other. There is no1 to trade clicks & scrolls & posts to for ad$.
Everything runs on donations & volunteer time + skills.
CH.20
I realise #Fediverse is an evolving co-operating culture with it's common underlying protocol (#ActivityPub) linking many things. No 1 platform is trying to lock up all my attention in their walled garden to see their ads.
I can have several accounts, I can use several platforms. I can keep my circles, but I'm also free to move around & try new things as they emerge.
On phone or tablet or desktop, I can have many apps, but also a simple browser window will let me access the #Fedi in it's different flavours.
Ch.22
The different platforms work together, they communicate and evolve together.
It's more than fine to play around in the different platforms. It's actually a liberating thing, to not be locked to one platform as we were before.
Having all these options might sound complex, but using Fediverse community social is not like choosing a corporate social media platform. Your friends messages and communication spread across the community of platforms in the Fedi. It's not choosing 1 platform over another or getting stuck.
This site is a nice overview for some of the different Fedi platforms and what they do in co-operation, which corporate sites do apart.
Ch.21
If we are after a particular feature that maybe we liked elsewhere, just ask if that feature is available! People are super helpful here and someone will come along to tell us all about options. #FediHelp is a great tag for that.
There are a lot of different front ends to use with your account/s. Some are apps we install to use with our Fedi accounts, some are browser based. Many of the Fedi's platform have all kinds of cool things in the settings too. #Help#Welcome#New#NewHere#SocialMedia#TwitterMigration#FediTips#Newbies
Ch.24
On the #Fedi a far greater variety of topics of conversation happen. This is because there aren't algorithms trying to 'drive engagement' by click-baiting us toward a narrow set of extreme takes about today's small range of topics/conversations.
There are various ways of seeing trends of conversation, on our local server, various trending hashtags access, like explore sections or trending widgets in our chosen front end.
PSAish post. If you seen an introduction post, even if nothing in their post speaks to you personally… boost the motherfucker. #Newbies#X#TwitterMigration#Mastodon Gratuitous goofy cat pic of Fred and his medieval doppelgänger included for obvious traction reasons😉And ya know lol just cause I love Fred 🥰 #Cats#CatsOfMastodon#FredTheWonderCat#Histodon
If you hear stories about #JohnMastodon, they're not real-- well, maybe not.😏
Just remember: There is no algorithm here for people who do not follow you to find you. The best way to have your toots seen is by using lots of hashtags (like these👇👇👇 ).
Be sure to follow @feditips for more helpful #newbie information.
Tips for #newbies, my contribution for upcoming #JoinMastodonDay
I wanted to list the 5 first things one should do after joining an instance:
Choose an app (or use the browser)
Setup your language(s)
Add a profile photo (cat, or other 😉)
Send an # Introduction post & follow people who boost/fav you
Check the different timelines to find more people to follow
These will be on our instance's wiki and announcements, in a slightly more developed way. Any suggestions or replacements? 🙏
How do you welcome people on your instance?
In my opinion, the future growth rate of the #Fediverse will chiefly depend on 4 factors (hypothesis):
the ease with which #newbies can find the best fit of platform and instance, as well as content.
if the speed of growth can be matched with the evolution of intra-instance and inter-instance moderation procedures and "institutions" to moderate cultural clashes
the ease of account mobility, preserving the built...