I’m liking the vibe here so far, but i’m still confused about the whole server/“ instance “thing ??

[mrgrumpymonkey@mastodon.social]

@david @3janeTA @anxietynectarr That's the best part. Lonely? Create your own instance. Now you are lonely on Mastodon.

[zutalorz@haunted.computer]

@anxietynectarr

100% agree that using hashtags is the way to go
Also, the thing about Mastodon, is when it’s at it’s best its low pressure
so you could take your time and enjoy it that you can take your time because that’s the whole point of this place

[mrgrumpymonkey@mastodon.social]

@anxietynectarr Follow hashtags. Love cats? #CatsOfMastodon Love flowers? #BloomScrolling Want dogs? #DogsOfMastodon You a Linux user? There's a #Linux hashtag for that. Search for a word, and check the hashtags section. This will get you started with a general feed of content. If it's to much, follow a few of the channels using said hashtags and unfollow the hashtag. Rinse and Repeat until you are satisfied. There's a Trending tab you can use to see what's "relatively" popular.

[thefathippy@mastodon.world]

@anxietynectarr

Welcome! Give @FediTips a follow, or check out their website: https://fedi.tips

Heaps of useful info, including https://fedi.tips/which-server-should-i-join-how-do-i-find-out-more-about-a-server/

They don't recommend mastodon.social for new users, & explain why in another tip. That's ok, if *you* don't like it, it's easy enough to change, & how is yet another tip.

[kobold@orthographieanarchist.de]

@david @3janeTA @anxietynectarr @picklebot let me fix that for you.

[meadow@lgbtqia.space]

@anxietynectarr
I used to be on beige.party which I enjoyed a great deal. I promise, it's not a cult.

But then my egg started cracking, so I've been on lgbtqia.space for a while since and been happy.

One can also check https://joinmastodon.org/servers for a listing of servers which meet platform standards, but asking around as you are is often the most effective.

[kobold@orthographieanarchist.de]

@anxietynectarr Find a good hashtag, like #bloomscrollling or #fedibike or .. or .. or .. and you will find tons of like minded people. Follow them and follow back. If somebody annoyes you, block them and there is a hashtag for that, too #fediblock

[jens@social.finkhaeuser.de]

@anxietynectarr Yeah, mastodon.social is a bad choice, I'm afraid. Find an instance where you like people, and ideally the mods seem nice.

[jamie@gamerstavern.online]

@anxietynectarr This 3 minute video has a very helpful explanation of what Mastodon instances/servers are. Hopefully it helps you.

https://tilvids.com/videos/watch/wx2iLhD3pTipbKFJKLyx5t

[mrgrumpymonkey@mastodon.social]

@anxietynectarr Welcome to the, relatively, open part of the web, where things sometimes don't make sense. It's a learning experience to be sure. An experience that might cause you to become curious on how this all works, and make attempts to create your own thing within the Fediverse. It's scary out here. You never know what's lurking about the next corner. One thing that isn't lurking though, is ads. Anyway. Welcome! Welcome to the dark side. We have cookies.

[kotking@blorbo.social]

@anxietynectarr you have lots of replies in this post, so you can pay attention to name handles. Just the ability to talk between different servers is biggest fun part of it. Honestly, best way to find which one you would like to move (you will lose post history but will redirect your followers and follows to new account) is to talk with people and check server rules. Some are less strict while others more protective so different places for different needs.
https://fedi.tips/transferring-your-mastodon-account-to-another-server/

Have fun, enjoy exploring and you can move more than once if you ever feel instance not fitting your needs.

[ravensrod@mstdn.social]

@anxietynectarr Don't worry about it, just follow anyone who looks vaguely interesting, you can drop the ones who aren't later. No one gets hung up on the number of followers ego trip here. You can change instance later when you get used to how things work .

[ravensrod@mstdn.social]

@anxietynectarr Forgot to mention, beware of rogue squirrels.

[silmathoron@floss.social]

@anxietynectarr have a look at https://fedi.tips and follow @FediTips for nice explanations and tutorials (as well as a curated list of nice servers)

[mdt@mast.lat]

@anxietynectarr welcome

[brib@bribstodon.xyz]

@anxietynectarr There was one point in my life where I jumped around servers before I decided to self-host.

Luckily trying a server for a week isn't something with a huge cost as it's not too difficult to move. Main downside is that it takes some time (about an hour iirc) and you don't get to transfer your messages.

https://fedi.tips/transferring-your-mastodon-account-to-another-server/

[laxsill@social.spejset.org]

@anxietynectarr great that you ask! In my experience, the two important things about which server you're on is what local feed you're getting and what kind of content moderation the server has (and maybe cool the server is). I picked a local one that matches my politics. You can search servers here https://joinmastodon.org/servers

[holliek72@mastodonapp.uk]

@anxietynectarr It takes a while to work out the whole server / instance thing, so don't worry if you haven't worked it out after a couple of days.

Using https://fedi.garden might be one way to check out other servers, either by signing up, or checking out the server feeds (live feeds) if they show them.

However, you need to follow a lot of people (and hashtags) to populate your personal feed regardless of where you are. About 200 people is a good start. Just click on people's profiles, check out what they post, and follow them if they look good to you. You can always unfollow later if need be.

[mdione@en.osm.town]

@anxietynectarr personally I don't mind, really. I read both the local and my home feed as if it was the same thing. The instance I joined is related to a project I like, but thanks to federation I interact with people from anywhere

The only reasons I would migrate are: a) to an instance with a bigger toot limit; b) if my instance got so overrun with a**holes and/or SPAM that everybody else decided to defederate it.

[anxietynectarr@mastodon.social]

Thank you everyone I’m shocked I haven’t ran into someone mean … yet lol seems like this is more chill than Reddit