> But, equally, it also makes the case that a system optimised to host hundreds of thousands of people on a single instance is not also somehow magically optimised to host just one person.
IDK; one of the major backends on the #Fediverse is #Pleroma and its cousins, which despite being more efficient (thus scaling better) than #Mastodon, it's largely used for single-instance users.
What happens when you have your own Mastodon instance (just for you) where over 21,000 people follow you and when you’re following over 4,300 people?
You end up paying ~€50/month for Mastodon hosting 👀
It also opens up interesting questions: what happens when a popular account joins your instance (hint: it will probably cost the instance maintainers quite a bit… I don’t envy the mastodon.nu folks right now).
This one is for all the new people on #Mastodon: did you know that the #fediverse has more than just a microblogging replacement? And that they can all interoperate with your Mastodon account?
Check them out!
Castopod is a free and open-source hosting platform made for podcasters. Engage and interact with your audience whilst keeping control over your content.castopod.org
“Mastodon’s new sign-ups include some Twitter users with big followings, such as actor and comedian @kathygriffin, who joined in early November, and journalist @mollyjongfast, who joined in late October.”
Thanks again to everyone who's contributed to the costs of running this community! You're helping keep this space in the #fediverse independent and sustainable.
If you can afford to help support it, especially as hundreds of new people join, you can donate (and see our finances) here: opencollective.com/writingexch…
Any amount helps, and a recurring monthly or yearly donation is very appreciated!
RSS fans!
You can get RSS feeds of any specific tag in fedi.directory by adding /feed/ to the end of the tag's URL.
For example the tag for "Gardening" is at the URL:
...so if you wanted to use RSS to track all new gardening accounts, the feed would be:
fedi.directory/tag/gardening/f…
When new accounts are added to tags you follow like this, they will appear in your RSS feed.
You may be aware that there is something called the #Fediverse.
But do you know about all the different types of applications that run on the Fediverse?
I made this visual to give myself and others something to point at when explaining "the big picture".
You may be surprised by how many services beyond Mastodon there are to explore.
Download it for free here and use as you please:
axbom.com/fediverse/
That post also has links to all the different applications.
As more and more people are asking me about Mastodon I felt a need for a picture to point at, showcasing how the software known as Mastodon fits into the much larger concept of the Fediverse.Per Axbom (axbom.com)
The difference between a closed, algorithmically-curated silo like Twitter and the fediverse.
Same post.
Twitter: ~43K “followers”, 8 boosts, 58 likes
Fediverse: ~8.43K followers, 57 boosts, 106 likes
Your thousands of “followers” on Twitter mean nothing because the algorithm (i.e., Twitter, Inc.) decides who gets to hear you.
Here's an updated guide on how to use your Write.as / @writefreely blog in the #fediverse!
howto.write.as/enabling-federa…
Write.as is part of the “fediverse,” a decentralized social network powered by the ActivityPub protocol. This allows users to follow and ...How to Use Write.as
You can also directly mention other #fediverse accounts from your blog posts!
Just insert their full handle into your post, and they'll receive a notification on Mastodon, Pleroma, or wherever their account lives.
Very nice intro to the #fediverse by @aral
nextinnonprofits.com/2022/07/f…
A lot of much-needed concepts are discussed in the episode, the ones I liked most are:
- what 'personhood' means in the web
- that 'freedom of speech' doesn't mean forcing other to listen to (& agree with) you
- and that you can work on a qualitative community of followers over a quantitative community
To everyone like me new to this world, this is a simple, well-argued introduction to it.
Thank you!
Aral Balkan is co-founder of the Small Technology Foundation. He talks about the Fediverse, including Mastodon and tools like ActivityPub, for nonprofits.https://www.nextinnonprofits.com/author/steveboland/#author (Next in Nonprofits)
I spoke about the fediverse, Elon Musk, and more with Steve Boland back in July for the Next in Nonprofits podcast.
Have a listen:
nextinnonprofits.com/2022/07/f…
#fediverse #nonProfit #notForProfit #surveillanceCapitalism #peopleFarming #BigTech #SmallTech #SmallWeb #podcast
Aral Balkan is co-founder of the Small Technology Foundation. He talks about the Fediverse, including Mastodon and tools like ActivityPub, for nonprofits.https://www.nextinnonprofits.com/author/steveboland/#author (Next in Nonprofits)
This does make sense to me. As I learn more about the #fediverse I'm becoming more interested in the smaller instances. I, for one, welcome this mindset shift.
The idea of setting up my own instance is appealing... but I don't think I fully understand the required investment yet.
and if you take that line of thinking even a bit further to its _real_ conclusion… you arrive at the idea behind peer 2 peer networks— where every #fediverse client is a server.
p.s. i'm not saying this is or should be the goal, just pointing out how lines of thinking don't always end where one thinks they do 
We should have a few BIG landing-pad servers for new people, always.
"Find a nice server" is an impossible first step.
"Make an account on any of these big servers, it doesn't matter which. Later when you notice all the most interesting people hang at x.y, move there. No biggie." is what the advice to new users should be, IMO.
@ericbuijs We have to be very careful about setting privacy expectations: there is no #privacy in the #ActivityPub protocol/#mastodon/the #fediverse.
mastodon.ar.al/web/@aral/10925…
Dear #TwitterMigration folks, an important tip on #privacy on the fediverse: There is none. This is a public medium; please treat it as such.Aral’s Mastodon
Food for thought: The bigger mastodon.social gets, the less successful the #fediverse is.
Sadly, the fundamental design of Mastodon mirrors the design of Big Tech (a server architecture that can support hundreds of thousands of “users”) and thus inherits its success criteria.
I feel it’s time we at least started thinking about what the web would look like if we all had our own place on it and what it would take to get there from here.
We should not be optimising Mastodon so it can handle more people per server. We should be optimising Mastodon so it incentivises more serves with fewer people.
(And if you take that line of thinking to its logical conclusion, you arrive at the idea behind the Small Web: ar.al/2020/08/07/what-is-the-s…)
#decentralisation #federation #fediverse #SmallWeb
Today, I want to introduce you to a concept – and a vision for the future of our species in the digital and networked age – that I’ve spoken about for a while but never specifically written about: The Small Web.Aral Balkan
The #TwitterMigration needs to spread out to other #Fediverse platforms and respective servers. Those receiving the bulk of registrations are going to be stretched out [time and financially].
I think this list/site is a good landing page for the #Fediverse - fediverse.info/explore/project…
If I may suggest, re: project list, maybe using familiar words as such “Twitter-like”, “FB-like”, “Goodreads-like” can be helpful too, instead of just “microblogging” (which more likely only us techies understand).
Dear #screenwriters of the #fediverse! Welcome! During this #twittermigration I have made a quick and dirty little Google Form that fills out a spreadsheet to help you find other screenwriters! I will keep this in line as much as possible, but I do get busy...
Form: forms.gle/gw2nAyYzYNjfFHt38
Sheet: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…
If anyone has any issues with either let me know and I'll take a look at it!
Form Responses 1 Timestamp,What is your full instance handle?,What is your preferred penname? ,What are your preferred genre(s)? 11/1/2022 2:11:01,@penscratch@writing.exchange,penscratch,all of them 11/1/2022 2:11:51,@itobiasgray@mastodon.Google Docs
There’s lots of new traffic on Fosstodon where we run the MoaParty #fediverse account.
Consider supporting their work hub.fosstodon.org/support/
I wrote a nano tool that tries to extract the #Fediverse accounts of your #Twitter followings: fedifinder.glitch.me/
It searches for the patterns @user@host.tld, user@host.tld and host.tld/@user in the screen name, description, location and URL field. It displays them to you in the correct format for easy copying as well as a CSV download that can be imported to #Mastodon.
New version: fedifinder-backup.glitch.me/
This is mostly for the #twitterMigration set (welcome! have a 🍍!) because it 
keeps coming up:
You're right, it's a glaring absence, but it's not a new absence, and it's not going to change. Eugen is Mastodon's BDFL, and he's not going to add quote tweets. I know it's frustrating when you're so accustomed to that interaction pattern, but getting snarky and annoyed is not gonna help your argument.
Your reasoning about why quote tweets should be a standard feature, and how screenshotting a post is basically the same so why make it harder, and how it's not always for dunking, sometimes it's friendly or contextual, is not new to the discussion. Please, if you're going to weigh in, read up on the history first, and maybe read this more recent analysis from @graue.
If you desperately need quote tweets, try another #fediverse hub like Misskey or Fedibird. You'll still be able to keep up with Masto buddies, and you can quote-tweet to your heart's content!
A year ago I wrote about Mastodon’s improvements over Twitter’s lacking protections against abuse and harassment. Development in that area has not been standing still, and it’s about time we do another comparison.Official Mastodon Blog
Für alle die #neuhier sind und begeistert bemerken, dass es hier im #Fediverse keine #Werbung und #Tracker gibt, habe ich noch einen #App-Tipp:
#YouTube ansehen ohne Ablenkung und Nachverfollgung vom #Algorythmus – NewPipe x SponsorBlock
Installiert wird es auf #Android über @fdroidorg und das @IzzyOnDroid Repo.
📺 github.com/polymorphicshade/Ne…
A fork of NewPipe with SponsorBlock functionality. - GitHub - polymorphicshade/NewPipe: A fork of NewPipe with SponsorBlock functionality.GitHub
Getting started with Mastodon 🌤️
Read:
fedi.tips/
Find people:
fedi.directory/
fediverse.info/explore/people
1. Boost good posts to your followers
2. Search hashtags to find stuff that interest you
3. If you're never posting anything people won't find and follow you
4. Add a profile image to make life more colorful 
5. Generate an invite link and send it to your friends
6. Ask questions
I’m basically only keeping my Twitter account around so as not to break over a decade and a half of links on the web but I thought it might be an idea to pop over there today and state the obvious:
Okay, so... I have a bit of an announcement.
I've created a website for FediFollows which has all the accounts I've ever recommended (that are still working!) organised into nice topics and tags:
You can browse the main directory or the top 100 tags page. (Also considering adding an "all tags" page, if there's demand.)
Please let me know what you think! Any feedback very welcome 🙏
(This is why I haven't posted in a few days! 😅 )
I've done a website for my @FediFollows account which lists lots of interesting accounts to follow on Mastodon and the wider Fediverse.
There are a couple of video-related categories including lots of @peertube and @owncast accounts you might be interested in:
fedi.directory/tag/live-stream…
If you're wondering how to use the site, it's explained in the Help page:
fedi.directory/how-to-use-this…
#Fediverse #Videos #Video #LiveStream #PeerTube #OwnCast
Interesting accounts to follow on Mastodon and the Fediversefedi.directory
I've just come across #Hylo - does anybody on the #fediverse have any experience using it? Looks interesting #opensource
In any case… #LinkedIn is the only mainstream social network I still have an account on, and I think I won’t leave anytime soon.
The only alternative I know (vutuv.de) is light years behind both in terms of features and participation.
What about a federated alternative? I am so curious to imagine a LinkedIn on the #Fediverse 👀
Hey Fediverse!
The @owncast project could really use some help! 🙏
At the moment the lead dev @gabek is having to handle an awful lot at once. The platform would be much more sustainable if there were more people on the team.
Everyone who wants to help is welcome, but of course there are some specific areas where help is especially welcome:
Please get in touch with @owncast or @gabek if you want to help out!
For those who don't know, OwnCast is a Twitch-style livestreaming and chat service for the Fediverse. You can follow OwnCast accounts from Mastodon etc and you will see a post in your timeline when the account goes live. There's a site about it at owncast.online and a directory of featured streams at directory.owncast.online
Boosts welcome!
A #Funkwhale instance for #FridaysForFuture groups and #ForFuture alliances.
First podcast being hosted is @futureonair with the #Introduction episode here:
forfuture.fm/library/tracks/1/
It's in #German and by @FridaysForFutureAT.
Microblog.pub is a lightweight self-hosted single user Fediverse server which can be followed from Mastodon etc.
You can find out more info at:
The official account disappeared for a while but it's now back at:
@dev
As the account notes, it's just been rewritten with version 2.0 of the software, so you may need to unfollow and then refollow.
(Having said that, I haven't been able to actually follow the account, it seems to work at first but then gives a "follow request" message? Have you managed to get this to work?)
