 Going viral is overrated* - a mini-thread (*prays this post doesn’t end up on Explore) Yesterday one of my toots (about the need to bust the myth that there is no engagement on the Fediverse) ironically went viral. It was the top post on Explore for hours and ended up getting 255 boosts, 494 likes and dozens of comments (as of now). And you know what? It made me realize that ✨ there’s something beautiful in staying small ✨ because you can build genuine connections with others… (cont’) 10 comments
3. I never had that problem before and I have a newfound appreciation for toots that “stay small” - because you can genuinely engage with others that way. I have been learning so much on the Fediverse thanks to the generosity of others… and I’ve enjoyed getting to know many of you here. These kinds of genuine interactions are impossible when you have an avalanche of comments coming at you every few minutes. (Cont’) 4/4 So ✨ small is beautiful ✨ and those who complained to me yesterday that they saw little engagement: that can be a good thing! You can build real friendships that way. Organically. So, to conclude: visibility is a privilege that I am grateful for, but there’s real value in staying small, too, because you can build beautiful relationships that way — without all the noise  @_elena The calm and clarity of a timeline where boosts are hidden and one only reads the thoughts of those one chose to follow. How little time it takes, freeing me to move on with my day, having caught up with those with whom I decided to rely on.  @_elena thank you for this thread. Having had a few high-popularity toots myself, this matches my experience well. When my follower count reached a certain level I've noticed that when I respond in a thread, especially a thread that happens to be controversial and polarizing, that might bring a bunch other people to also reply – potentially leading to a pile-on of sorts. So I switched my default post visibility to "Quiet public". That helped a lot, and felt like the responsible thing to do.   @_elena Also, the third time you respond to the same thought fielded by a different person, you just won't feel the same earnest engagement as the first time. You kind of want to refer to a different sub-thread, and that feels like you're not giving people what they deserve just because they saw your post later? It kinda sucks, really. |
Gregory's Server
2.
When one of your posts goes big, you are inundated with comments by strangers - super smart comments here on the Fediverse - and it’s so hard to reply to everyone…
I’m still playing catch-up.
This is frustrating and it makes you feel guilty - because a stranger took the time to write a long, thoughtful response to something you had posted.
You feel rude… and the constant steam of new comments makes the task of replying Sisyphean.
(Cont’)