Mastodon is notoriously a difficult place for new users to establish themselves and learn their way around.

Allen

@Skyrocketocelot @jstevenyork Oh, and if you haven't yet, add a profile picture. People are more likely to interact.

I specify if you haven't yet, because the nature of federated social media means some changes don't propagate quickly to other instances. It's possible you already have a profile picture and I simply can't see it yet.

Federated networks are quirky, but I'm quite fond of them.

Hannah Siberia

@allenstenhaus @Skyrocketocelot @jstevenyork Hi, I am new, so, sorry if this is repetitive, but how do I know what instance I am on?

aimee

@jstevenyork curating my feed has definitely been a bit of a learning curve! i’m so used to algorithms throwing things at me automatically, and i’ve realized just how intentional you have to be about seeking out and following accounts on mastodon

J. Steven York RESISTS

@HannaSiberia @allenstenhaus @Skyrocketocelot
That depends. Are you reading on the web, or a browser? If I browser, click on your profile picture and check the URL of the page that takes you too. Like mine is: https://mastodon.social/@jstevenyork
Where mastodon.social is my instance. If you're on an app, then the answer is probably "it depends." Let folks know which app and on what kind of operating system and device or computer, and hopefully somebody here can help you.

Natasha Nox 🇺🇦🇵🇸

@Nalyd620 @jstevenyork Remember you can follow hashtags here, not just people. That way you can fill your timeline with interesting stuff rather quickly.

We really miss a good onboarding wizard… and the official app is still way worse than necessary.

Natasha Nox 🇺🇦🇵🇸

@jstevenyork @HannaSiberia @allenstenhaus @Skyrocketocelot Do some Mastodon apps hide the full username? 🧐 That would be absolutely awful.
Below a screenshot how it looks in Tusky (Android app).

Natasha Nox 🇺🇦🇵🇸

@twoglances @jstevenyork Indeed. It's kind of cathartic though, doesn't feel so… idk, loaded?
You can fill your timeline really fast though following hashtags. Just follow "Caturday" and "CatsOfMastodon" and your timeline immediately explodes.

aimee

@Natanox @jstevenyork haha i can imagine that. i guess i’m finding it harder to find ppl/posts related to more niche interests and topics. or sometimes i find interesting accounts and realize they haven’t been active in months or years

Mastodon Migration VOTED

@jstevenyork

Welcome newcomers!

@FediTips is a great place to start.

For a few tricks on growing your engagement start this thread here: https://mastodon.online/@mastodonmigration/113443367389262381

Also here are some posts with follow recommendations:

Mastodon Migration (@[email protected])

Here is a short random list of Mastodon accounts who often post perspective and opinion: A.R. Moxon, Verified Duck @[email protected] Cory Doctorow @[email protected] mekka okereke @[email protected] Dan Gillmor @[email protected] Augie Ray @[email protected] Robert Reich @[email protected] Ben Royce @[email protected] Madeleine Morris @[email protected] Catherynne M. Valente @[email protected] Randahl Fink @[email protected] Kevin Rothcock @[email protected] Jeff Jarvis @[email protected] Heidi Li Feldman @[email protected] Lana "not a poet" @[email protected] #Tips #MastodonMigration

Mastodon (mastodon.online)

Mastodon Migration (@[email protected])

Here are a few Mastodon accounts that boost a lot of good politics, news and opinion posts: @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] Following these booster accounts will expose you to a lot of great content. You might want to put them in a list and select the toggle to remove them from your home feed. #tips

Mastodon (mastodon.online)

Mastodon Migration (@[email protected])

Mastodon (mastodon.online)

#tips #MastodonMigration

The Yangsi Michael Dillon

@Natanox @Nalyd620 @jstevenyork turns out people are the onboarding wizard, like we are doing in this thread

Kai Rüsberg :mastodon:

My most important tip to new users:
Follow at least 500 accounts and 10 favourite hashtags. Then Mastodon starts working for you.

J. Steven York RESISTS

@twoglances @Natanox
I miss a lot of the niche stuff on Twitter too. Things like that to some extent require numbers that Mastodon doesn't necessarily have yet. But it also requires somebody to get it started. If you have an interest or hobby you cant find, make a hashtag, make some posts announce it, and ask people to share. Good luck.

Natasha Nox 🇺🇦🇵🇸

@anantagd @Nalyd620 @jstevenyork That's great and all, should be an addition though. I know quite a few people who're confused by Mastodon (the official app hiding information doesn't help in this regard). Hell, even my brother didn't fully grasp it through UI/UX and initial interactions alone, and he's an IT professional. If he doesn't there clearly is something amiss.

The Yangsi Michael Dillon

@Natanox @Nalyd620 @jstevenyork Learned helplessness is a thing.

Natasha Nox 🇺🇦🇵🇸

@anantagd @Nalyd620 @jstevenyork Absolutely! However bad UI/UX is too. As I said, my brother works in the field. I looked at the official app myself, it's bad. Eugen / the Mastodon gGmbH made quite a few bad decisions in this regard.

The Yangsi Michael Dillon

@Natanox @Nalyd620 @jstevenyork point I want ro make: I fled here from X in 2022. I never noticed any friction in signing up or whatever. I did start at mastodon.social and quickly left it, bounced around instances for a while before landing somewhere decent. This bit is indeed full of friction. And really, the secret is: follow as many people as you find interesting. And hashtags. And the homefeed will soon fill.

Natasha Nox 🇺🇦🇵🇸

@jstevenyork @twoglances I think it's also a discoverability problem we have. There should be a better way to search for hashtags and accounts talking about certain topics. Fixing this however should happen on a low level so the information gets properly federated across the Fediverse - this takes a lot of time to get it right.

Natasha Nox 🇺🇦🇵🇸

@anantagd @Nalyd620 @jstevenyork That's indeed the way to do it. Still, it would be good if the app would tell users about this as well as convey how instances work for example (even by simply comparing it to email providers).

Aside from problems with learned helplessness, this would absolutely help a lot of people who need it: Seniors, children, disabled people, tech illiterates (ain't always their fault) etc. More accessibility is always better, as long as there's a skip button for you & me.

aimee

@Natanox @jstevenyork definitely this as well! as someone currently learning about the importance of discoverability in user experience, i’ve been curious about other people’s thoughts on mastodon’s whole onboarding experience… i thought i was just being a silly goose the first couple of days, but i was relieved to see fellow users express their confusion 🥴

J. Steven York RESISTS

@twoglances @Natanox
Not just you at all! It's not THAT hard, but it requires taking the right steps and having some patience, and by default, Mastodon pretty much just leaves new users flailing around at the dark. Either the software needs to go better, or the community needs to get better (or both), and that's what I've somehow found myself the advocate for this week. But this week I'm a man in need of a mission, and this will do!