GuideToMastodon

The text presents Mastodon as a distributed social networking platform, in which each instance functions independently, but talks with other instances and with other software in the fediverse. It also explains that the guide compares Mastodon with Twitter and email to situate basic use, but insists on the differences in instance, timelines, privacy, and moderation.

It gathers practical guidance on choosing an instance, migrating an account, mentioning users from other instances, configuring privacy, using hashtags, CW, images with alt text, custom emojis, search, favorites on other servers, apps, backup, and keyboard shortcuts. The text also addresses etiquette, brand presence, verification, blocking, reporting, and the limits of Mastodon culture.

Reading notes

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• Mastodon is presented as social networking software in which each site can talk to other Mastodon sites and to other fediverse services.
• The guide uses Twitter and email as points of comparison, but highlights that Mastodon does not work exactly like either one.
• In Mastodon, there are Home, Notifications, Local, and Federated timelines, and all are reverse-chronological, unless the server fails.
• The fediverse structure brings together servers with ActivityPub or OStatus, including software such as Pixelfed, Pleroma, Misskey, and WriteFreely.
• The choice of instance may depend on thematic focus, community size, and the speed of local timelines.
• The account can be redirected or migrated, but posts are not transferred to the new account.
• The username is treated as immutable; the only approximate way to change it is to migrate the account.
• Mentions of people from another instance need the full format username@instance.
• Rules vary according to the instance, and local moderators have the final say on what is allowed.
• The text describes the mute, block, and report options for dealing with unwanted users or rule breaking.
• The guide distinguishes post types between standalone posts, self-replies, and replies, and shows that the order of the chain changes the type of the reply.
• The visibility definitions include Public, Unlisted, Followers-Only, and Mentioned People Only.
• The text says that private messages and mention-only toots are not encrypted or secure.
• Following someone gives access to that person’s posts in the Home timeline and to followers-only posts, and locked accounts allow manual approval of followers.
• Even with a locked account, public and unlisted posts continue appearing in the profile and, in the case of public posts, in open timelines.
• Every profile generates an RSS feed of public and unlisted posts, which can be read by anyone.
• Hashtags serve as metadata and allow searching and following specific topics, but the text recommends moderation in their use.
• CW means Content Warning and is used to hide text about sensitive topics or long posts.
• The eye icon hides images behind a layer of sensitive content.
• Images can receive a caption and alt text, and the text highlights the usefulness of this for accessibility and OCR.
• Custom emojis are defined by instance and can be inserted by name between two colons.
• Content search exists, but post search is disabled by default and is treated as a vector for harassment.
• The text also explains why Mastodon does not have quote-tweet, presenting this as an anti-harassment measure.
• Mastodon culture is described through customs such as 🍍, AWOO, #gameing, and CWs with song lyrics or memes.
• The guide recommends etiquette practices such as using alt text, marking sensitive content, avoiding commercial spam, using CW in cross-posts, and keeping a careful tone in conversations.
• The text mentions clients and apps such as Pinafore, Halcyon, Toot! and Tusky, as well as backup with Mastodon Archiver and keyboard navigation.