@doctorsidrat re:tagging this post, i vaguely remember people using #GetOnOurLawn for tips about mastodon’s culture

Personally in addition to the ones you posted, I’m a big fan of #cats & #CatsOfMastodon for cute kitty pics and #MastoArt for well, art

What are these image descriptions people keep talking about you wonder?

Worry now longer, because I got a screenshot example showing you WHERE you add it in the UI, _AFTER_ you upload the image you want to send!

Just hover over, and this layout pops out!

Voila !

#GetOnOurLawn #MastoFAQ #MastoTips

I know all of this has been said before, but probably not in conjunction and not in as much detail, so please bear with me, I'm working hard on being concise ...it's just not very effective.

The toots I've seen about this were mostly:
• avoid rage and toxicity
• toot about positive things
• you don't need to put on fake smiles, though

---

_Avoid Rage and Toxicity_

Avoiding toxicity pretty much bears mentioning, you might think. Racist, sexist, ableist and classist slurs/hate speech/argumentation, body-shaming, transphobia, homophobia...
I'll just name the most common things and leave it to you to extrapolate or ask, respectively listen to someone who tries to explain to you why one of your toots may be toxic. It happens. It happened to me and still might in the future. Some things are obvious, some aren't; perhaps because of a way we were raised and came to view something as normal. For many of us there is still room to grow, and that's okay as long as we keep an open mind and learn from the community around us.

Rage is much more difficult to avoid. News headlines that get to us, injustice we want to fight but don't know how...
Things like these are bound to make us angry. It's natural. Other social media have exploited that and fed our fear, turning anger into wrath we unleashed to sow and reap yet more fear, hate and anger. So we're asking you, before you might engage in old habits, please exhale and take in a fresh breath and a moment to think.

What would your action lead to? Are you about to @ people that might not want to be dragged into this? Are you about to boost un-CW'd content that you know makes others uncomfortable? Are you about to toot something that might lead to an escalation and/or toxic behaviour?

If the answer is yes to any of these, maybe try looking through some other answers to that toot. You might find a way to contribute something constructive instead, a good idea to spread, someone to reach out to with comfort or a new perspective on things that might help you (and others) calm down a bit, perhaps organise and get something done about it. Even if not or if you just stepped back from your computer, you would have avoided adding to the outrage and that's good.

_Post Something Positive_

This is a great way to engage with a community. Share something about your child, pet, partner*s, the bird that visited your garden, your favourite tree in the park, the interruption of your morning routine, the joke you found funny...
Possibilities are endless.
Positive things don't need to amaze people. They can be small and unspectacular and still spread smiles over your followers' faces. I'm all here for this! 😸

_No Need to Put On Fake Smiles_

This is the most important part. It's about genuineness and vulnerability. Both are welcome here, both are encouraged.
It's true, Mastodon and the fediverse aren't perfect. Not everyone feels like this is a safe space to be genuinely themselves and share freely what they are struggling with. Yet many are doing it and receiving support, validation and good advice (when asked for).

Positivity is also not supposed to be a veneer for shortcomings of any kind. We want to hear your voice, telling us what makes you feel unwelcome or makes parts of your fediverse experience frustrating or inaccessible. Engage in (CW'd) Meta discussion/Discourse and tell us what you need.

This is the kind of community many here want to build. So be yourself, reach out to others with consideration and kindness. It works!
When it doesn't you have tools that can actually do something about it. Toxic users can be reported, toxic instances can be banned or abandoned. When you need to migrate you can take all the people you're following with you. As for your followers, just give them a shout and put something up in your bio, you can make it a followers only post and pin it, even.

Before I get into rambling: the hashtags #Community #MastoTips and #GetOnOurLawn hold valuable info on how things work here and How YOU Can Make them Work For You! For everything else, feel free to ask your followers, your admin or just #AskMastodon !

I hope we can all share a good experience here and work together on creating a community that truly lives up to this designation.
#MastodonPositivity

#GetOnOurLawn

I'm seeing new users, who have only been here a day or two, reaching out and helping onboard other new users who just arrived. I love this place. I love you all. I'm legit crying right now.