Day 1 on Mastodon and I already love that there's no algorithm screaming at me What should I know as a newbie?

@Katherinesalom Hier mal ein Post den ich kürzlich ganz gut fand (bzw. der Link auf einen Blogpost): https://www.metacheles.de/digital-independence-day-wie-mich-der-wechsel-ins-fediverse-veraendert-hat/

Ansonsten: Willkommen und viel Spaß hier

@Katherinesalom I mean, spend hours just reading https://fedi.tips/ but also, follow hashtags that interest you! #Books #Bookstodon and #Accessibility are some of mine, but I would also browse and read what people put in their #Introduction and #Introductions posts

@Katherinesalom

Hashtags are key, put them right at the bottom of your post with a line feed separating them from the rest of the post, that way many Clients put them in neat boxes. Also CamelCase them for readability. One of my favourite hashtags to follow is:

#SilentSunday

@WeirdWriter How do I message people here

@Katherinesalom I second the “subscribe to hashtags” thing.

Once you’re comfortable here, learn to use lists to organize your follows. Each list has an option to hide posts from your home feed, so you can break the firehouse up into individual, um, garden hoses that are easier to catch up on. I use one for just news so I can read it only when I want to.

Also, use alt text for your images. It’s more accessible and some people will only boost you if you include it.

@Katherinesalom Follow absolutely anyone you think might be interesting. Unfollow anyone who you no longer find interesting.

Boost and like all the things. Boosting other people is what we have for an algorithm here. Liking posts lets a poster know that you appreciate them.

If you're coming from other social networks, try to not post or boost ragebait.

Don't pay attention to the numbers (follower count, shares, replies, etc.) They are also not driven by an algorithm.

You post to them, but change the privacy settings to "Private Mention" before you post. @Katherinesalom @WeirdWriter

And welcome! @Katherinesalom @WeirdWriter

@Katherinesalom Like private message them? I am blind so I don't know the visual interface, but there's a button that says post visibility. Click that, select, private mention, or I think it's called, direct message, and that will be a DM but you can also click into someone's profile and hit direct message there. This page may have visual instructions https://fedi.tips/who-can-see-my-posts-in-mastodon-how-do-i-send-dms-in-mastodon/

@Katherinesalom Follow everyone who amuses you even slightly, I wind up following three people every time I sign in

@Katherinesalom

Different servers have different cultural norms, sometimes nearly contradictory, and sometimes I have to think about balancing them. But this is a reflection of life, different people have different needs.

Related, posts by any but very very popular people spread in bursts and hiccups from server to server.

I think of it as being very neighborhood-y. Not one town square, lots of them.

@Katherinesalom

@Katherinesalom Follow hashtags.

@NoRestfortheWicked @Katherinesalom

I cannot improve on this advice! Perfectly stated.

Do take your time. One way I found interesting people to follow, was to check the follows of an account I already like.

The wider your interests, the more dynamic your feed.

@Katherinesalom
Did someone say hashtags already?

More seriously: it's a great way to discover nice content. You can sort them in lists, so you don't have to see everything every time you open mastodon. I have one for politics, local, comics, weather nerds and general.

Lastly: sometimes you get rogue posts abusing hashtags. Block and move on, engaging is a waste of time.

https://fedi.tips/how-to-use-the-lists-feature-on-mastodon/

Yep, and also, well, I gotta jet, but I'd also follow accounts such as @FediTips and their linked accounts in their bio. I'd especially follow hashtags such as #FediTips @DoomsdaysCW @Katherinesalom

@NoRestfortheWicked @Katherinesalom ...
+ install linux, start selfhosting, buy meshcore radios, punch nazis, publish photos of moss and cats and you're almost done with the initiation ritual

@po3mah
Pssst, don't tell her the secret arts yet!
@Katherinesalom

@troublewithwords @Katherinesalom

As noted, follow freely and unfollow freely.

My own addition is don't hesitate to Mute or Block people who are annoying you frequently. It is just avoiding people where interaction isn't making anyone's life better. It is not declaring them Unspeakable Monsters

Katherine Salom

1. Spend time on your Local feed. It’s the easiest and most direct way to see what the people around you are talking about or sharing.

2. Mastodon isn’t your only option, and you might find a different platform suites you better. Friendica, Catodon, Sharkey, Hometown, etc. all have different layouts and user experiences, while accessing the same people and content. Once you feel comfortable in the space, it’s worth looking at whether you want to engage with that space in different ways.

3. Follow hashtags.

4. There are other services on the network that operate very differently from Mastodon that are worth checking out for more focused usage. For instance, there’s a photo/image sharing platform called PixelFed that feels like Old Instagram. You can follow PixelFed accounts from Mastodon (or Catodon, or Friendica, or…), but it’s often better to engage with PixelFed via PixelFed. Then there’s BookWyrm, which is a GoodReads alternative, FunkWhale, which people use for sharing music and podcasts, Lemmy or PieFed, which are Reddit-like platforms, and NodeBB, which is a traditional bulletin board. All of these are on the same network, so you can get content from them, but they’re not necessarily best accessed from Mastodon.