Social Re-Network: Getting Comfortable with Mastodon

Since establishing my own Mastodon, Instance Blasius.Club for my friends, many times now I have discussed ways to welcome new users. While they are perfectly able to understand the medium for themselves, mechanisms to discover the content they would want to see on their timeline are still difficult to grasp. Moving away from automatically curated content that was designed to keep you glued to your screen is tough, so I will now collect some impulses for everyone to have an easier time getting accustomed to the Fediverse. At the end of this post, you can find all the links I found useful to start refining my content feed.

Visit the Neighborhood

This should be a given, yet let it be known that the people on your instance are probably on the same page as you. Look at what the local timeline has to offer, and skim through the connections they have already established. This is usually the starting point for everyone, as one can traverse many other instances by simply exploring what the network has to offer. What are the other instances about, and who posts there? Leave them a follow, and just see where it leads you.

Join Groups (and maybe Hashtags)

Many don't recognize that there are delightful groups out there who are doing all the curating for you. A group is an account that shares content that its subscribers consider related to some topic. If someone posts about photography, users would tag the group to share it among everyone who follows. Fedi.Directory compiled a great list of groups that should have some great pointers for new users. If you are more interested in finding actual people to follow, they also provide a directory of all kinds of people and their profiles. You might want to follow news outlets that you trust, find artists on mastodon.art, or just ask friends who they can recommend. Don't allow the platform to do everything for you.

Hashtags in the Fediverse are your entry point to connecting yourself with others. By tagging your content appropriately, people will see you on their timeline if they follow the hashtag. It's nothing new, yet years of hashtag engineering have left people mass-tagging their content to be rewarded by algorithms. In the Fediverse, people try to be concise with their tags to contribute to a clean experience that is not tainted by artificially pushed posts. There is no competition for your position in one's timeline. Accordingly, finding interesting hashtags is a great step towards filling your feed.

Reminisce about the Past

Many are scared to lose the timeline they have built over such a long time. Luckily, Twitter sucks so bad that people just keep cross-posting on other platforms. Fedifinder is a great tool to find out which of your contacts from back then are now part of the Fediverse. Just connect the tool to your Twitter account and see what happens. Beware that Twitter is being a bit of a loser by banning these services from using their API, so be quick. Also, don't forget to let people know where they will be able to see your posts from now on! Talk about your changes and show your friends the benefits of going federated.

Enjoy the Empty

This is a time to relax from the over stimulation social media has brought upon us. It's fine to not get a fresh timeline every hour. Try to get used to a more intimate and controlled experience on the internet for now. Appreciate the posts you might have brushed over, and interact with the people around you. These instances are not meant to fill the Twitter void, but to bring a new way to entertain yourself without losing your control over consumption.

Bother Admins

If you happen to feel alone on an instance, never feel afraid to ask admins for help. Let them know that the place feels empty. By relaying other instances, they are able to fill the void, so do help them! What's an instance you found interesting? Where are like-minded people? Most smaller instances have become communities, and having administrators this close to consumers is a blessing. Stay annoying.

Embrace the Adventure

As with every social medium, it's all about constant refinement. Try not to stress about your empty timeline for now, but maybe spend some of your boring hours exploring the Fediverse. I personally could spend all day just looking at the instances others have created, and this very feeling reminds me a lot of the chaotic era of the internet. Have fun with this new platform if microblogging is something you truly enjoy. Embrace the calm before the storm of people breaking it. Define who you are in these spaces, and enjoy social networking that is conscious and in your hands. Don't be afraid to migrate to other instances, and always choose the smaller one.

Fedi.Directory fedi.directory [Collection of interesting people sorted by their topic of interest]
Fedi.Directory: Fediverse Groups fedi.directory/tag/fediverse-groups/ [Collection of Fediverse Groups on all kinds of topics]
Fedifinder fedifinder.glitch.me [Web Tool for finding your Twitter contacts in the Fediverse]
Fedi.Tips fedi.tips [ALL the tips on being in the Fediverse]