Posting hints and tips about Mastodon and the Fediverse ๐
There are lots of answers to common questions about Mastodon and the Fediverse on my website at https://fedi.tips. If you can't find your answer, @ or DM me and I will try to help! There's no such thing as a silly question!
For new people wondering why Mastodon is on thousands of servers instead of one:
-It helps protect us all against Elon Musk scenarios. It's very difficult for anyone to buy a network made of thousands of independently owned servers. (It's the same reason why no one owns the world's email network, because there are so many independent providers out there.)
-If your server misbehaves (or sells out to a malevolent billionaire), you can move your account to a different server, or even to a brand new server. Decentralisation means you're never trapped on a site you hate.
For new people wondering why Mastodon is on thousands of servers instead of one:
-It helps protect us all against Elon Musk scenarios. It's very difficult for anyone to buy a network made of thousands of independently owned servers. (It's the same reason why no one owns the world's email network, because there are so many independent providers out there.)
Sooo... wow... okay a lot of people shared the previous post! Welcome again to all the new members!
It might be good if I clarified how Mastodon works, as some people think they need to sign up on multiple servers etc.
Short version: You do not need to sign up on multiple servers! Don't have FOMO! One server works fine!
Longer version:
Mastodon is a federated network, which means it's made of lots of independent servers that talk to each other.
And... everyone uses federated networks all the time! You probably use them so much you never even think about it ๐ฎ
Telephones use a federated network, so does email.
You only need one phone to call anyone anywhere. It doesn't matter if they're on another phone company or in another country, because all phone companies are federated together into a single network.
That's how Mastodon works. You get an account, and you follow people you're interested in, and they appear in your timeline. It doesn't matter if they're on another server.
Sooo... wow... okay a lot of people shared the previous post! Welcome again to all the new members!
It might be good if I clarified how Mastodon works, as some people think they need to sign up on multiple servers etc.
Short version: You do not need to sign up on multiple servers! Don't have FOMO! One server works fine!
9. There is no overall owner of Mastodon, it's a collection of thousands of independent servers each with their own owner and set of rules.
10. There are no venture capitalists or cryptocurrencies or tokens or coins or web3 or NFTs or anything like that on Mastodon. Servers are entirely owned and paid for by their admins, and they rely on donations to keep going. Please be nice to them, they're doing you a favour by building this lovely corner of the internet.
9. There is no overall owner of Mastodon, it's a collection of thousands of independent servers each with their own owner and set of rules.
10. There are no venture capitalists or cryptocurrencies or tokens or coins or web3 or NFTs or anything like that on Mastodon. Servers are entirely owned and paid for by their admins, and they rely on donations...
If there's anything you want to know, if you have any questions, reply to this post or send me a message and I will try to find the answer ๐ค (And don't worry if you think it's a stupid question, there's no such thing!)
If there's anything you want to know, if you have any questions, reply to this post or send me a message and I will try to find the answer ๐ค (And don't worry if you think it's a stupid question, there's no such thing!)
People new to Mastodon, are you confused by all the different sites and servers you can sign up on?
Don't be, it's really easy!
You know email, right?
With email, you go to an email provider, sign up and they give you an address. Then, when someone wants to email you, you tell them your address. It doesn't matter if they use a different provider, because all the providers talk to each other.
Well Mastodon is the same, but with social media!
You can sign up on any Mastodon server and you'll get an address with that server's name at the end, something like @ username @ server
For example, I signed up on mstdn.social and my address is @ feditips @ mstdn.social
People who signed up on other Mastodon servers can interact with you by @-ing this full address. You can see people's addresses on their profile page (see the attached image for an example).
Mastodon servers are also known as "instances". It doesn't matter which word you use, they are the same thing.
People new to Mastodon, are you confused by all the different sites and servers you can sign up on?
Don't be, it's really easy!
You know email, right?
With email, you go to an email provider, sign up and they give you an address. Then, when someone wants to email you, you tell them your address. It doesn't matter if they use a different provider, because all the providers talk to each other.
You don't need an account on all of these in order to interact with them.
Because they all use the ActivityPub open protocol, you can (for example) use a Mastodon account to follow someone on PixelFed or vice versa. That's why they are collectively known as the Fediverse, because they federate together at a technical level.
Also, this is an incomplete list, there are many other Fedi projects out there such as @funkwhale or @inventaire that are not direct alternatives but are their own thing.
You don't need an account on all of these in order to interact with them.
Because they all use the ActivityPub open protocol, you can (for example) use a Mastodon account to follow someone on PixelFed or vice versa. That's why they are collectively known as the Fediverse, because they...
As you may have seen, @pixelfed has made changes to its software so that it is now compatible with most Mastodon apps.
This means (if the new feature is working correctly!) you can log into your PixelFed account on a Mastodon app, as long as your PixelFed instance has updated to the latest version of the software. Ask your instance admin if you're not sure.
The Mastodon app compatibility is brand new so it may have bugs. The PixelFed team has asked people to let them know if they have any problems.
As you may have seen, @pixelfed has made changes to its software so that it is now compatible with most Mastodon apps.
This means (if the new feature is working correctly!) you can log into your PixelFed account on a Mastodon app, as long as your PixelFed instance has updated to the latest version of the software. Ask your instance admin if you're not sure.
Are there any developers out there interested in making a Film & TV review/discussion platform for the Fediverse?
Almost every time I've mentioned the Fediverse's excellent book platform @bookwyrm (https://joinbookwyrm.com) there have been people asking whether a film/TV version would be possible.
Does this sound doable to devs? Maybe it could use wikidata (https://www.wikidata.org) for film data the same way BookWyrm and @inventaire do with books?
If you know someone looking for new Fediverse ideas, could you pass this on to them?
Are there any developers out there interested in making a Film & TV review/discussion platform for the Fediverse?
Almost every time I've mentioned the Fediverse's excellent book platform @bookwyrm (https://joinbookwyrm.com) there have been people asking whether a film/TV version would be possible.
Does this sound doable to devs? Maybe it could use wikidata (https://www.wikidata.org) for film data the same way BookWyrm and @inventaire do with books?
The quickest way to find them is by adding ?min_id=0 to the end of your public profile address. The very oldest post will be at the bottom of that page.
The quickest way to find them is by adding ?min_id=0 to the end of your public profile address. The very oldest post will be at the bottom of that page.
You don't need to use your real name on the Fediverse. Call yourself whatever you want, and the rest of us will be happy with that.
Interestingly, a very long time ago YouTube used to carry a warning specifically telling people not to use their real name online, as it could allow unwanted intrusions into people's privacy.
Then, strangely, the warning disappeared after Google purchased YouTube... ๐ค
You don't need to use link shorteners on Mastodon. All links count as 23 characters no matter how long they really are.
Also, links on Mastodon stay in the form you wrote them. This is much better for privacy than Twitter.
Twitter quietly changes all posted links to go via Twitter's domain t.co so they can track people. This doesn't happen on Mastodon or the Fediverse.
You can see this hidden conversion in Twitter by hovering your mouse over a link there, the link appears to show a normal address but Firefox and other browsers will indicate the true t.co address in the bottom left corner of the screen. If you try this same check on Mastodon or the Fediverse, you will see your links stay just as you wrote them.
The Fediverse has a podcasting platform called @Castopod which has accounts that can be followed from Mastodon etc. People can also comment, like or share individual episodes. More info at:
The Fediverse has a podcasting platform called @Castopod which has accounts that can be followed from Mastodon etc. People can also comment, like or share individual episodes. More info at:
Mastodon and the Fediverse does NOT use NFTs or blockchain or cryptocurrencies. No one is on here trying to get rich, no one is promoting anything.
The Fediverse (which Mastodon is part of) is a federated computer network spread across thousands of independently owned and operated servers. The millions of people on the Fedi can interact with each other regardless of which server they signed up on, because the servers talk to each other through federation.
Federation is a proven and stable way to make a network, it's how telephones and email work for example. It's how social networks should be.
We aren't trying to break anything or compete with anyone. There are no shareholders or venture capitalists. Instead, we work together, donating time or money, and collaborate to make a better social network for its own sake.
Mastodon and the Fediverse does NOT use NFTs or blockchain or cryptocurrencies. No one is on here trying to get rich, no one is promoting anything.
The Fediverse (which Mastodon is part of) is a federated computer network spread across thousands of independently owned and operated servers. The millions of people on the Fedi can interact with each other regardless of which server they signed up on, because the servers talk to each other through federation.
PixelFed uses the same federation protocol as Mastodon, which means Mastodon users can follow people on PixelFed and vice versa. You can try following a PixelFed account right now such as @Iancylkowski or @JoseMel or @connyduck
You can use PixelFed through a web browser, and there are also free open Android apps like @PixelDroid and FediLab (@apps).
PixelFed uses the same federation protocol as Mastodon, which means Mastodon users can follow people on PixelFed and vice versa. You can try following a PixelFed account right now such as @Iancylkowski or @JoseMel or @connyduck
Alternatively, if you are looking to run your own site, get a plan from Stux's independent hosting service @Stuxhost (https://stuxhost.com).
Stux runs lots of free libre services to help people looking for privacy (https://services.mstdn.social/), and has done for years. However, servers mean energy bills, and energy has got expensive lately, so now Stux needs our help!
Hello FediTips users!
I don't have any donation links and don't normally ask for donations.
However, the person who hosts my Fediverse account has been hit with extremely large energy bills lately ๐
If you appreciate FediTips, could you show some love to the hoster @stux who makes FediTips possible? โค๏ธ
If you're used to centralised networks like Facebook, you may be wondering why Mastodon and the Fediverse are spread across thousands of sites. Why not just have a single site where people sign up?
There are many important reasons, but maybe the most important is this:
Networks on single sites tend to be bought by bad people when they get popular ๐
It happened to Instagram (bought by Facebook), it happened to Whatsapp (bought by Facebook), it happened to YouTube (bought by Google). It can happen to ANYTHING built entirely around one site.
No matter how much you trust the people who run a site, when someone offers them billions of dollars they may just take the money.
Decentralised networks, where there is no central site, are much more resistant to buyouts.
No one owns the global email network, thousands of indie players like @Tutanota and @protonmail are able to offer alternatives, and if one provider behaves badly you can switch to a different provider.
If you're used to centralised networks like Facebook, you may be wondering why Mastodon and the Fediverse are spread across thousands of sites. Why not just have a single site where people sign up?
There are many important reasons, but maybe the most important is this:
Networks on single sites tend to be bought by bad people when they get popular ๐
Human rights mean a lot to me. I joined the Fediverse to make the world a nicer place. My efforts are pathetically small, but hopefully make at least a tiny difference.
I used to recommend Lemmy very strongly, thought the people who develop it were nice folks interested in making the world better too.
However, recent discussions with the developers has changed my mind completely.
Lemmy's developers say "we are strictly against all forms of oppression (including genocide), and dont allow anything that promotes or supports oppression" and "We definitely are very staunchly against bigotry or persecution of minorities, and are strict about banning that".
This is difficult to fully reconcile with what actually happens on the developers' own instance, and those they feature.
Sooo... wow... okay a lot of people shared the previous post! Welcome again to all the new members!
It might be good if I clarified how Mastodon works, as some people think they need to sign up on multiple servers etc.
Short version: You do not need to sign up on multiple servers! Don't have FOMO! One server works fine!
Longer version:
Mastodon is a federated network, which means it's made of lots of independent servers that talk to each other.
And... everyone uses federated networks all the time! You probably use them so much you never even think about it ๐ฎ
Telephones use a federated network, so does email.
You only need one phone to call anyone anywhere. It doesn't matter if they're on another phone company or in another country, because all phone companies are federated together into a single network.
That's how Mastodon works. You get an account, and you follow people you're interested in, and they appear in your timeline. It doesn't matter if they're on another server.
Sooo... wow... okay a lot of people shared the previous post! Welcome again to all the new members!
It might be good if I clarified how Mastodon works, as some people think they need to sign up on multiple servers etc.
Short version: You do not need to sign up on multiple servers! Don't have FOMO! One server works fine!
@feditips Finally! Freedom!