Ruth Mottram
How to use Mastodon
Lots of people have asked me about mastodon, and lots of people have said they've found it difficult. SO I wrote a post, because I believe we should think carefully about where and how we engage, and who benefits.
With big thanks to @feditips
@micron
and many others for the suggestions
FediTips has moved!
@Ruth_Mottram @ditol @vicgrinberg @micron
Yup, enabling full text search is included in tip 6 about making your account more discoverable 👍
Here's a guide on how to make your posts searchable by their entire contents:
https://fedi.tips/how-do-i-opt-into-or-out-of-full-text-search-on-mastodon/
Ruth Mottram
@ditol @vicgrinberg @feditips @micron should be in the preferences menu.
Ditol
@vicgrinberg @Ruth_Mottram @feditips @micron
If one has to actively enable it, where is this setting to be found?
Dr. Victoria Grinberg
@Ruth_Mottram @feditips @micron love this! One thing I would add, especially to academics, is to consider enabling search for one's account (assuming that one is on a server that allows that). For being part of a scientific discussion that would be important and one needs at least to be aware that this is a conscious choice here and not automatic.
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@MichaelBishop @Ruth_Mottram @micron
Bear in mind Mastodon is a volunteer-built project where almost all contributors are unpaid, there are a handful of freelancers on hourly tasks, and only one person actually gets a regular salary (the CEO) who is on €3k a month.
There are no ads, no trackers, no data is being sold.
They're having to choose priorities with very few resources, so most effective way to help situation is to contribute in some way either with resources or skills.
Michael Bishop ☕
@Ruth_Mottram @feditips @micron
The lack of a clearly marked direct messaging feature is one of my complaints. This platform isn't as intuitive as others that have adopted some standardized UI/UX features. It does make it a bit challenging for the general user base and could limit the services ultimate growth.
Eye
@Ruth_Mottram @feditips @micron
Thank you for doing this. Will share it with my friends who quickly gave up on the Fediverse 👍
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@grb090423 @Ruth_Mottram @micron
Hey there, if it's any use, I'd be glad to provide assistance to anyone who wants some help with getting started.
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@MichaelBishop @Ruth_Mottram @micron @ruud
By the way, I'm sorry, reading back again I didn't mean to imply your criticism was invalid. I'm not saying that volunteer projects get a free pass on everything.
I answer a lot of questions in a row on here so I sometimes do answers a bit too quickly.
Michael Bishop ☕
@feditips @Ruth_Mottram @micron Yes, I know and understand. We can't expect them to do it all for free. I do appreciate that it is free of ads, trackers and data sharing. @ruud had mentioned how I can make suggestions through Github. I will make a few and then find if there are ways in which I can contribute somehow. I have done web design/developent for the past 25 years but not sure I have the skills to contribute here. Maybe have to offer my financial donations.
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@micron @Diana_mammalecology @Ruth_Mottram
For what it's worth, this place is a LOT easier to use now than it was a few years ago. For example the only Mastodon web interface was the multicolumn one, which some people love, but others (including myself) find very confusing.
The developers are getting there, but you have to hang around here for a bit to notice the evolution happening.
Martin
@Diana_mammalecology @Ruth_Mottram @feditips Given time they will. Remember non of this was started out of commercial interest, all because those developers believed it was important to do it or liked doing it. With the explosive growth the task for many has grown manyfold, still they are continuing. So support them with patience and if you can with money. In the long term this guarantees you a platform that is not at some point going to shit out of commercial interest or the whim of one person.
Diana Fisher
@Ruth_Mottram @feditips @micron Good- but I think people should not be finding this platform difficult, developers/ admins need to make it simpler by fixing things that are hard
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@micron @Diana_mammalecology @Ruth_Mottram
I think when things are new they seem more difficult and complex.
Most people are so used to centralised social media, it can seem complicated/weird when you try federated networks.
But once people get used to it, it becomes much easier, as shown by how many use email, phones etc which are also federated networks.
Martin
@feditips @Diana_mammalecology @Ruth_Mottram I don't even argue that anymore. I don't think the complaint that the fediverse is complicated is a rational one in most cases.
Eye
@feditips @Ruth_Mottram @micron
That's really very kind, thank you so much.
They aren't on here (yet? 🤷♀️ ) but I'll have a chat with them and let them know about your offer to assist.
👍
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@grb090423 @Ruth_Mottram @micron
If this helps at all, there's a quick video which many new people have found useful:
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@brianstorms @Ruth_Mottram @micron
Choosing a provider is what you do when you use email or telephones or supermarkets etc etc etc.
I know people aren't used to having a choice on social networks, but they are capable of handling choice in other parts of life. It just takes a bit of time to get used to it if it's new to you.
Brian Dear
@Ruth_Mottram @feditips @micron
"Choose a server and sign up" is the great barrier to entry for mass adoption of Mastodon, imho.
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@patillas @Ruth_Mottram @micron
Just to clarify, your posts don't disappear when you switch servers. They still exist on your old server, and when people click to see who wrote them they will be redirected to your new account profile.
patillas
@Ruth_Mottram @feditips @micron Thanx for sharing! But for me the decisive point is #1 and the last sentence. I‘ve moved once from one server to another server and it was a really bad experience. I‘ve lost my complete timeline! I would never do that again. From my POV you should wisely choose the right server.
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Fair enough!
patillas
@feditips @Ruth_Mottram @micron Yes, but that was not what I want. I‘ve also deleted the old account for reasons.
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