J. VandekerckhoveNov 7, 2022
Sanjay Srivastava

Hey fellow mastodon n00bs!

You may have heard there's no algorithm here. Yes there's no a centrally managed algorithm. BUT:

There *is* an algorithm. It's a function of chronology, your individual following and filtering decisions, and - this part's important - the collective behavior of your first-degree network.

That means YOU are part of EVERYONE ELSE's "algorithm."

Please:
* Boost good stuff
* Set replies "unlisted"
* Use CWs for anything others might want to choose to see or not

1/2

Nov 7, 2022 at 5:10pmWeb
Show threadSanjay SrivastavaNov 7, 2022

I am still getting used to this stuff too! Especially learning when to use CWs. We'll all learn.

But let's not try to transplant Twitter's norms and climate over here wholesale.

For example, for USAians, a lot of us will probably want to discuss the election tomorrow. I probably will too. A good way to start with the CW habit would be to use it for all those posts.

That norm seemed to be working well for the people already here, let's see if it can for us too.

2/2

Show threadDavidNov 7, 2022
@sanjaysrivastava does excluding politics help the good people more than it encourages bad views? insulating delusional people with the wrong politics from exposing their delusions degrades the quality of a social network.
Show threadDavidNov 7, 2022
@sanjaysrivastava we need delusional people in power to display their delusions through mistakes.
Show threadMichał "rysiek" Woźniak · 🇺🇦Nov 8, 2022

@drdrowland and they absolutely will, whether we ask them to use CWs or not.

Your question is akin to saying: "should we really expect people to knock before they enter other people's apartments? we need robbers to expose themselves by not knocking" and that's just upside down.

We need people to feel safe in their homes. Knocking helps. Robbers would ignore that anyway.

We need people to feel safe in their timelines. CWs help. Even if fash ignore that.

Use CWs.

@sanjaysrivastava

Show threadDavidNov 8, 2022
@rysiek @sanjaysrivastava so we shall see if this situation really is as bad as waiting for people to break into our homes I guess
Show threadHans ZaunerNov 8, 2022

@sanjaysrivastava

One nice thing about the CW function is that it really helps your followers to keep timelines tidy and easy to scan for relevant content - irrespective of any sensitive content.

Show threadVince BuffaloNov 7, 2022
@sanjaysrivastava How does one set replies to unlisted? I've looked for this option but cannot find it (perhaps it's a per-server thing?)
Show threadSanjay SrivastavaNov 7, 2022
@vsbuffalo IME it depends on the interface, not necessarily server. On my web interface it's the little planet in the post box. On the Toot app (iOS) you can make "set replies to unlisted" a default
Show threadVince BuffaloNov 7, 2022
@sanjaysrivastava Thanks, got it! Somehow completely missed this.
Show threadSanjay SrivastavaNov 7, 2022
@vsbuffalo Yeah it took me a while to figure that one out too
Show threadSarah Rose CavanaghNov 7, 2022
@sanjaysrivastava thanks for this, I was looking everywhere!
Show threadJ. VandekerckhoveNov 7, 2022
@sanjaysrivastava @vsbuffalo I think the default Android app doesn't have this option. I use Tusky.
Show threadRob 🏳️‍🌈 Rartsy HumanistNov 8, 2022
@sanjaysrivastava @vsbuffalo OK I see this now. Always look before asking a question, right? (There was other content on this thread that completely derailed my ability to think productive thoughts!) So now my question is WHY doing this is good? I'm sorry if I sound obtuse. Why specifically replies? What is bad about being listed and good about being unlisted? Is it to do with CW type material? (I respect CW very much!)
Show threadSanjay SrivastavaNov 8, 2022
@RMiddleton Here you go... https://mas.to/@sanjaysrivastava/109304520274808223
Sanjay Srivastava (@[email protected])

@[email protected] If your reply is public, it'll show up in your followers' feeds, usually out of context (because it won't be next to the post it's a reply to). Unlisted posts don't go to feeds, but they're still accessible to people looking for them (e.g. if someone clicks the top post b/c they want to see the conversation, they'll see the replies)

mas.to
Show threadRob 🏳️‍🌈 Rartsy HumanistNov 8, 2022
@sanjaysrivastava just a bit further down in the same thread! 🙃 thank you for your patience!
Show threadChristoph SchillerNov 7, 2022
@sanjaysrivastava is there a way to set replies 'unlisted' by default?
Show threadSanjay SrivastavaNov 7, 2022
@schiller061 The Toot app on iOS has that as an option in settings. I haven't found anything like that on the web interface (if it exists, please tell me because I'd definitely use it!)
Show threadChristoph SchillerNov 7, 2022
@sanjaysrivastava On the web interface I found a way to not display responses in my home feed (see pic below), the Android app does not seem to have this feature (or I haven't found it).
Show threadPaolo PalmaNov 7, 2022
@sanjaysrivastava finding out I can’t unlist using the mastodon app but can unlist for the web browser version 🫠
Show threadPaolo PalmaNov 7, 2022
@sanjaysrivastava so I think unlisting is app dependent—unlisted posts still appear on my TL using the mastodon app. There’s also self-moderation tools that people might consider:
Show threadmarkNov 8, 2022
@paolo_palma @sanjaysrivastava fwiw the Metatext app has been much better on the iPhone
Show threadIhar RazanauNov 7, 2022
@sanjaysrivastava could you, please, explain why unlisting the replies is a good practice?
Show threadSanjay SrivastavaNov 7, 2022
@razanau If your reply is public, it'll show up in your followers' feeds, usually out of context (because it won't be next to the post it's a reply to). Unlisted posts don't go to feeds, but they're still accessible to people looking for them (e.g. if someone clicks the top post b/c they want to see the conversation, they'll see the replies)
Show threadIhar RazanauNov 7, 2022
@sanjaysrivastava great, thank you for the explanations
Show threadCassandraNov 7, 2022
@sanjaysrivastava Do you mean that each time I do a toot like this one I'm writing right now, I should click on the... snowglobe-looking thing until it turns into an open lock?
Show threadSanjay SrivastavaNov 7, 2022
@Cassandra In a nutshell, yes. Though there may be appropriate times for exceptions. Some replies could probably make sense doubling as a standalone post appearing on your followers' feeds
Show threadCassandraNov 7, 2022
@sanjaysrivastava Thank you. I will try to remember.
Show threadstibNov 8, 2022
@sanjaysrivastava turns out the real algorithm was the people who we met along the way
Show threadNarwhalNov 8, 2022
@stib @sanjaysrivastava underappreciated toot!
Show threadRob 🏳️‍🌈 Rartsy HumanistNov 8, 2022

@sanjaysrivastava I think I agree fully with your points; the only one I'm confused on is "Set replies 'unlisted'" -- I know that I could go elsewhere to research that info, but conversation is what we're here for, right?

...when both parties want it and respect each others wishes!
(I just made my first Block of someone on this site based on an attitude that I saw as unsurmountable and argumentative for no good reason.)

Show threadJeroen BosmanNov 8, 2022
@sanjaysrivastava interesting, was wondering about that. Do you know of any documentation on the mechanism and implications on the kind of 'algorithm' you describe here?
Show threadClaireCNNov 8, 2022
@sanjaysrivastava thank yiou for those suggestions. All very useful. Unfortunately, it appears “unlisted” is not available on the app. :/