If you're new to Mastodon (and the Fediverse) you might have a lot of questions:

How many followers do I have on Twitter compared to Mastodon? 8,583 followers on Twitter, 1,324 on Mastodon

Are you more notable on Mastodon than on Twitter? No, I'm more notable on Twitter.

Did you do anything special to make people want to interact with you? No.

Is the difference always consistent? Yes, I always get more interaction on Mastodon -- even on small accounts with small instances.

There have been some blue checks on Twitter who claim there's no audience on the Fediverse, so don't bother joining.

However:

1. They're blue checks on Twitter, there's no blue checks on Mastodon
2. Most blue checks haven't actually tried

What Mastodon reveals about Twitter is a big lie: that follower counts is an important metric.

No, it's not.

If you have 1 million followers but no one interacts with you, what does it matter if you have 1 million followers?

When I had 10 followers on this Mastodon account, I had more interactions than I had on Twitter.

On my other accounts, I have more interactions than on Twitter.

Most active users on the Fediverse have more interactions than on Twitter.

By now, you're all probably wondering, "What's the secret sauce to interactions on the Fediverse?"

Three things:
1. Keep posting interesting things
2. Reply to people about interesting things
3. Be generous and friendly

A big mistake a lot of people make when coming to Mastodon is believing their arrival entitles them to conversation.

No, it doesn't.

Fill out your bio. Upload a profile pic. Make an introduction.

LEARN about the people in your home feed!

Further tips to help your interactions on the Fediverse:

1. Read bios. They explain how people want to be approached
2. When in doubt, use a CW. You might think they're stupid, but they're important.
3. Don't go looking for dunks!

When looking to interact on the Fediverse, culture is something *important* to understand.

A big component of the Fediverse community has been LGBT+, furries, the neurodivergent, and tech workers.

These folks have built the Fediverse.

When interacting on the Fediverse, it's important to understand that interactions are not a game.

This isn't about metrics. Yeah, I showed you metrics -- but this isn't about numbers, it's about actual human-to-human (not bot) connections.

Don't be racing to bolster those Fediverse metrics. Nobody here gives a damn about your followers.

What they actually care about is if you're being a genuine human to them.

If they sense bullshit, they'll sod off.