Mike McHargue

Ok, #TwitterMigration folks, I see a lot of people asking, "How do I find people on other servers on #Mastodon or the #fediverse.

Well, here's my #Feditip of how I went from 1 person alone on robot.rodeo to having almost 2,000 interesting people to follow in about 8 months...

A thread... 1/x

Nov 5, 2022 at 6:51pmWeb
Show threadMike McHargueNov 5, 2022

1. Go to joinmastodon.com and look for servers with topics that interest you, or that have a lot of users. Go to those servers home pages and then follow the admin. That admin will likely boost interesting posts on that server, and as you follow people, your social graph will naturally expand into that server.

2. Go to search.twitter.com and run a search for "Mastodon." You'll find lots and lots of people posting links to their Mastodon profile. Follow anyone that interests you.

2/x

Show threadMike McHargueNov 5, 2022

3. Follow absolutely anyone who gets boosted into your timeline because they said something that interests you.

4. Go check the bio and profile of people you follow. Follow the author on any interested boost. Click the hashtags in their bio. Follow interesting people there as well.

That's all I've done, and I've found almost 2,000 interesting people since April.

BUT, you can do something I couldn't...

3/x

Show threadMike McHargueNov 5, 2022

5. Go view my profile! I boost lots of people, and welcome many others in my timeline. Follow anyone that interests you. You can also peruse my follower/followed lists. There are so many people there!

This is more work than Twitter, I get it! But the difference here is you get to build the exact social graph you want. Some machine meant to sell advertising isn't warping or influencing what you do.

The extra work has been well worth it to me. I love the community I have found here.

4/x

Show threadMike McHargueNov 5, 2022

The key thing here is that it takes time to build your social graph. It's a completely organic process.

Which serves as a really nice detox period for your nervous system as you move away from the engineered compulsion of corporate social media.

Try and enjoy it. :)

5/5

Show threadJason HullNov 5, 2022
@mike I found that even my curated list on Tw!tter wound up being a rabbit hole of darkness. The migration to Mastodon is like doing a fresh system install. Now if I could just upgrade the CPU in my brain! 😁
Show threadJason HullNov 5, 2022
@mike BTW, long shot, but a middle school friend of mine is a set designer for some Marvel films. He worked on Ms. Marvel.
Show threadMike McHargueNov 5, 2022
@hull_j I mostly worked with directors, producers, writers, and VFX teams.
Show threadJason HullNov 6, 2022
@mike Gotcha. I knew it was a long shot, almost in the vein of “you live in Texas? Do you know [INSERT NAME HERE]?”
Show threadA Republic, while we kept itNov 20, 2022
@hull_j @mike I know someone who had that happen to them, and yes, they knew [insert name].
Show threadJason HullNov 20, 2022
@arensb @mike Well, now you’ve just given me reason to do that for the next 10 years!
Show threadFrancisco RiusNov 5, 2022
@mike thanks for sharing. It is fascinating to see the large amount of interaction happening in here. I saw a stat of 40k concurrent users (but not sure if that is true) - yet the ecosystem feels more alive than other networks, mostly because most of us are not amplified algorithmically in commercial networks - so end up only interacting with a handful of friends and family who have been super turned off to social media because the toxicity and cult of personality
Show threadMike McHargueNov 5, 2022
@francisco 40k seems quite low. There are a few instances that could do that solo.
Show threadSRM_MDNov 5, 2022
@mike I was just sitting here thinking how much less agitated my brain is as I explore this new universe
Show threadMissScott01Nov 5, 2022
@mike Happy with being able to put people on lists I created. So can read just from my lists when searching for posts in certain topics.
Show threadKayJayBeeNov 5, 2022
@mike I remember being very sad when Mike McHargue left Twitter, but now he’s here at Mastodon waiting for us with all the insider tips and info, like a big brother ready to show you around campus. 😊
Show threadMike McHargueNov 5, 2022
@kjbrowning Good to see you again, Kristen. I hope you enjoy the place.
Show threadEthan TrawickNov 6, 2022
@mike if Mastodon has a chance to grow it needs to offer a frictionless UX for those migrating. Lack of mobile discoverability except in your web browser and the issue of having to copy and paste urls between servers to participate in communities are real pain points that need to be solved for.
Show threadnadin brzezinskiNov 6, 2022
@mike yup, finding it less stressful already
Show threadEve JonesNov 13, 2022
@mike thanks for the intel ✌️
Show threadAustin Channing BrownNov 18, 2022
@mike this is so helpful!
Show threadMike McHargueNov 18, 2022
@austinchanning 🥰
Show threadMark PritchardNov 5, 2022

Hi @mike Thank you for this. I’ve just arrived and I’m finding everyone’s tips very helpful.

For some people, I can see everyone they follow. For others (including you) I can only see those who are using the same Instance as me. Is there something I can do to see everyone or is that a setting you’ve chosen?

Show threadMike McHargueNov 5, 2022

@markgpritchard You need to view their original profile on their instance, not the profile that is copied to yours. You can view my full profile here:

https://robot.rodeo/web/@mike

Mike McHargue (@[email protected])

1.11K Posts, 1.72K Following, 1.97K Followers · I work at Quantum Spin Studios building worlds and writing stories. I'm a bestselling author, and science advisor and worldbuilder for stuff you may have seen (like Marvel films). I'm here to meet new people and talk about nerdy stuff like #science #videogames #ttrpg #screenwriting #writing #scifi #fantasy #worldbuilding. I am #autistic and #bipolar. Also into advocacy around #climate #disability #antiracisim #lgbtqia #feminism Reclaiming being a person after being a brand. #fedi22

Robot Rodeo
Show threadMark PritchardNov 5, 2022

@mike Thank you. That works. I then need to type in my user name each time I want to follow someone. Is that normal?

(Sorry for all the #newbie questions)

Show threadMike McHargueNov 5, 2022

@markgpritchard If you click "follow" on a profile, it will ask you to create an account there OR you can copy a link to that profile.

If you paste that link into the search bar on your instance, you can direct follow in the search result.

Very clunky, so I only do it on a computer, not a phone or tablet. But, I am quite fast at it. :)

Show threadMark PritchardNov 5, 2022
@mike Thanks. I’ll keep trying and hopefully I’ll get the hang of it soon
Show threadDavid J. AtkinsonNov 9, 2022
@mike @markgpritchard Does this mean I must replicate my profile on any instance where I want to follow/interact with people?
Show threadBowerbirdNov 12, 2022
@mike Hi, could you please explain whether I need to be on more than one server (instance) or not. In what circumstance would that be useful? And if it is, how do you do it ?
Show threadArtur WeigandtNov 5, 2022

@markgpritchard @mike in most cases you can click on the profile picture to get to the original server.

Or if you are using the #Tusky app click on the 3 dots in the top right corner oft a profile an click "open in browser"

Show threadMark PritchardNov 5, 2022
@art4 @mike Thank you. The computer and phone experiences seem quite different
Show threadKarenNov 5, 2022
@mike this is so helpful. Thank you 🙏🏼
Show threadMike McHargueNov 5, 2022
@klsmd12 My pleasure.
Show threadEthan TrawickNov 6, 2022
@mike This shouldn’t be more work than Twitter. You can have high discoverability, good UX without the advertising machine. These concepts are not mutually exclusive.
Show threadAdrian BallNov 9, 2022
@mike great advice Thankyou
Show threadmildlydivertingNov 10, 2022
@mike oh, this is super interesting. I remember looking at the way twitter changed onboarding to be about suggesting people to follow years ago - about when Stephen Fry hit 1m followers, so.. 2008/9ish? - and thinking how the subtle move from organic interaction to listening to broadcasts was going to affect the feel of the community.
Show threadwarsawmouseNov 5, 2022
@mike funnily, I just saw somebody advising new AO3 users coming off of algorithm-run site how to find works they'll like, and the it was basically the same advice. (substitute bookmarks for boosts)
How fast did the Algorithm made us forget...
Show threadDanny MonaghanNov 10, 2022
@mike I never thought to use hashtags in my bio 🤦‍♂️ Off to edit that now.
Show threadMatt GarfinkleNov 5, 2022
@mike @jentaub so far, it’s much more difficult than that
Show threadMaryann 🌻Nov 5, 2022
@mike good tip. Thanks. I was wondering how to do this. Easy. #fediverse #mastodonservers
Show threadAlex GizisNov 5, 2022
@mike great advice except it's joinmastodon.ORG
Show threadMike McHargueNov 5, 2022
@AlexGizis 🤣
Show threadJeff Eckman 🥁Nov 5, 2022
@mike brilliant!
Show threadTristen Grant 🖌Nov 5, 2022
@mike I'm on mastodon.social but am an artist. Should I switch to an art instance or is following good enough?
Show threadPrentiss Riddle 🎛Nov 5, 2022

@mike

Warning: I tried to visit joinm▮▮▮▮▮▮▮.com [redacted] and I got sent to a malware site of some kind. Not sure what's going on but my guess is the domain was hacked. I'm not going to try it again.

Show threadPrentiss Riddle 🎛Nov 5, 2022

@mike

But I forgot to say: that issue aside, great tips! Thanks.

Show threadHenkka LaukkaNov 6, 2022
@mike It seems to be joinmastodon.org, not .com 😁
Show threadEddie Coldrick 💻Nov 6, 2022
@mike Hi Mike. The link is actually joinmastodon.org not .com. I think the .com is actually a spam site! Great thread!
Show threadBen ToewsNov 7, 2022
@mike joinmastodon.com looks to be a malware site. I think you meant .org
Show threadMike McHargueNov 7, 2022
@bento I did.
Show threadBen ToewsNov 7, 2022
@mike Sorry. I wasn't just trying to point out a mistake, but thinking you might want to edit the post so folks don't inadvertently go to a malicious site.
Show threadMike McHargueNov 7, 2022
@bento I'm worried edit and repost would break the thread. That's why I haven't done it.
Show threadGustav GatuNov 7, 2022
@mike Isn't it joinmastodon.org? the .com-address is something else entirely, unfortunately.
Show threadDennis W. ForbesNov 13, 2022

@mike - I have a 1 user Mastodon server (I have very low networking ambitions and it just scratches an itch), but as one word of warning on this: I followed just 8 accounts and over a two day period my server instance had pulled and cached over a GB of data. While by itself that isn't a concern and is a small amount, from a scaling perspective it was a bit foreboding and has given me pause on follows.

Just wanted to mention this so that people keep an eye if they decide to go solo.

Show threadThe MentorNov 5, 2022
@mike some good advice here thanks Mike. Would be great if it was a bit more seamless to do this from within the mobile apps. Using iOS at the moment and the discovery/exploration feels a little limited. Imagine a number of people coming across from the bird will be on a similar form factor and needing to switch to another device feels like a lot of friction.
Show threadRoy S. 🇨🇦Nov 5, 2022
@mike This is a helpful thread, thanks Mike!
Show threadCedarBough SaejiNov 6, 2022

@mike I learned this from Twitter: I also periodically running Debirdify. This find ANY my follows who have added a mastodon tag to their twitter bio and dumps them as a CSV. I can then import them into Mastodon.

IMPORTANT: Make sure you add your OWN Mastodon handle to your twitter bio. https://pruvisto.org/debirdify/

Show threadPiemantronixNov 6, 2022
@mike helpful advice, thank you!
Show threadDave without DafNov 9, 2022
@mike I’m new, how do I see the rest of the thread?
Show threadIan CawleyNov 10, 2022
@mike I just want to switch servers I don’t want to be on mindly