Mastodawn

matrix_quest Nov 16, 2022

Y’all, if you’re getting frustrated you’re not seeing the content you want to like news or intel you need on Mastodon, you really need to shift your thinking from algorithmic social media. Follower counts don’t matter much here. Likes do not matter to post reach. Without your interaction, you will just see a live FIFO firehose. Some quick fixes:

Hashtag your posts liberally and consistently, and follow key hashtags of interest to you. Hashtags matter a ton here to being seen.

Follow and also alert on accounts you always want to see content from.

Consider using the built in RSS feature for your feeds and for specific hashtags.

Consider switching to the more advanced UI in your preferences, so you can watch multiple filtered and unfiltered feeds. Or a different mobile app.

Use Fedifinder to follow all the accounts you followed on Twitter, and sync up your follow and block lists.

Avail yourself of the multiple public lists of hundreds of journalist accounts on Mastodon.

@hacks4pancakes all good tips, Lesley

pirate moo 🐮Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes 100% this.

@apiratemoo I see some unhappy people but they are definitely thinking this is Twitter 2.0…

pirate moo 🐮Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes I totally agree. I actually love this platform because of how de-twitterized it is. It's so much more interactive and engaging. I've opened up more here then I ever have on Twitter. In part because I feel I can express myself more and hold a conversation. It feels much more accepting to neurodivergence as well, which I really appreciate.

Blue Cat Defends!Nov 16, 2022

@apiratemoo @hacks4pancakes I have had the same experience on this platform. I am really enjoying it

@apiratemoo @hacks4pancakes I feel the same! I’m also finding that I don’t need to check the bird app as much anymore. More of the people I follow have moved over here and seems to be increasing.

berko / בערקאָ Nov 16, 2022

@apiratemoo @hacks4pancakes totally agree with this!

Paul Biggar Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes is there a good way to discover hashtags across the fediverse?

Also struggling to use hashtags in the iOS app - it doesn't seem to be possible to follow them here afaict. Any ideas?

@paulbiggar the native IOS app is sorely lacking. Almost any other legit one is better.

Keith (karmajunkie)Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes @paulbiggar i’m using a small instance i built, and honestly finding the web interface to be pretty snappy

Steffen Tietsche Nov 18, 2022

Thanks for the tips @hacks4pancakes, very much appreciated by newbies like me. I am using the native iOS app. Would you have recommendations for better apps on iOS? #mastodontips @paulbiggar

@tietsche @paulbiggar Metatext seems really good but there are a lot of very different offerings, free and paid.

Stephen Paulger Nov 16, 2022

@paulbiggar I’ve been using the webpage as an app. You can add a webpage to your Home Screen from Safari using the share button and selecting “Add to Home Screen”.

@paulbiggar @hacks4pancakes I switched from the official app -> Toot! -> Metatext. Metatext is the best experience so far.

@hacks4pancakes @paulbiggar Metatext also has a trending hashtags feature.

Archie Nov 16, 2022

@paulbiggar @hacks4pancakes @psadm I’ve also swapped to Metatext after a few months of just using the browser (after trying the official app and deleting it almost instantly as it was dreadful), but can’t work out how to follow hashtags. Please will you share any tips you have?

@paulbiggar @hacks4pancakes @ArchieTheWonderDog as if by magic... https://mstdn.social/@feditips/109355263904445831

Fedi.Tips (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 image The latest Mastodon update lets you follow hashtags. When you follow, posts with a tag appear in your timeline automatically. Try following #Gardening to make posts about gardening appear in your timeline. This can be REALLY useful for discovering interesting accounts. To follow a hashtag: 1. Log in through your server's website 2. Search for hashtag 3. Click it to see its results 4. Click on 👤+ icon in top right (click again to unfollow) Posts from followed tags are visible in the apps too.

Mastodon 🐘

JHadleyC Nov 17, 2022

@paulbiggar Same problem.

Paul Biggar Nov 18, 2022

@JHadley I saw the answer elsewhere. The iOS app doesn't support hashtag following but the new version will. There are other apps that do though

JHadleyC Nov 18, 2022

@paulbiggar Thanks! Now I'm trying to use Debirdify and it will not load. Again. Keeps timing out. Last time I tried it didn't work either. Frustrating.

MLF.Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes If I can add something: also boost liberally! Since good posts won't algorithmically rise to the top, if you follow interesting accounts or hashtags *you* are an important part of introducing others to good posts.

_bka_Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes Fully agree, FIFO vs. algorithmic is the most significant difference. Following hashtags is a very nice feature, however it's hard to keep track of which hashtags I already follow, as there doesn't seem to be an overview. Does anyone know if there's an easy way to keep track?

@bka there are folks working on a glossary at least for this server

_bka_Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes That's great news, good to hear

SallyBlack Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes

#NewHere person asks "built-in RSS feature"??? How am I missing this? Where is it?
Thank you for the tips!

Kai Klostermann

@hacks4pancakes How do I follow #hashtags in @Tusky ?

@odddev @hacks4pancakes @Tusky sadly I don't think you can in tusky. You can in the desktop app whalebird though.

Kai Klostermann

@orangepeelbeef @hacks4pancakes @Tusky There is at least a merged pr.

https://github.com/tuskyapp/Tusky/pull/2642

Add support for following hashtags by Tak · Pull Request #2642 · tuskyapp/Tusky

Addresses #2637 Adds a follow/unfollow toolbar item to the hashtag list activity when instance responds to the new api, and gracefully does nothing when an instance doesn't support it yet. Tested w...

GitHub

Kai Klostermann

@orangepeelbeef @hacks4pancakes @Tusky Just downloaded Tusky Nightly and it's indeed available there

@odddev @hacks4pancakes @Tusky confirmed thanks for the hot tip:)

Abdulhakim Abdi, PhD 🇸🇪🛰️🌍Nov 17, 2022

@odddev @hacks4pancakes @Tusky On the Android app it's Account Preference --> Tabs, then add all the hashtags you want to follow.

Kai Klostermann

@hakim @hacks4pancakes @Tusky Oh neat, but that's more of a workaround.

Keith Tharp Nov 22, 2022

@odddev @hacks4pancakes @Tusky Do it on the browser. Once you follow a hashtag there it will show up in your feed on your chosen app

Kai Klostermann

@KeithTharp @hacks4pancakes @Tusky I downloaded Tusky Test with nightly builds. The feature is available there. 😁

Fuzzbizz Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes I feel dumb but how do I follow a hashtag?

@Fuzzbizz Hello!

I’m using the web interface and when clicking on a hashtag, an icon appears on the top right similar to the “follow” for people.

Hope this helps.

JackalLantern Nov 16, 2022

@h3rb1 @Fuzzbizz that interface to follow a hashtag does not appear in the app

@JackalLantern Hello, I didn’t mean to add confusion.

I mentioned “Web interface” which is visiting the site on a browser (or mobile browser) not a traditional “app”.

The instance needs to be on 4.0 version as well, for the hash tag follow feature to appear.

Fuzzbizz Nov 16, 2022

@h3rb1 thanks!

Richard Bagshaw

@hacks4pancakes as a new user here this was incredibly useful, thank you 🙏

Koamalu Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes What is Fedifinder?

@koamalu https://fedifinder.glitch.me/

Fedifinder

Fediverse accounts of your X/Twitter followings

Cindy Conaway Nov 17, 2022

@hacks4pancakes @koamalu
Thanks so much! I see my list but do I have to subscribe to each one individually now?

Glen Mastodon ☠Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes the only twitter feature I really miss is finding details about a news breaking event as fast as any journalist. Oh well, such is the price of having a happy place

@hacks4pancakes thanks for the amazing tips, I was in need of such mastodon 101 💗

Samuel Van Ransbeeck Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes What do you mean with the built-in RSS reader and specific hashtags? Is there a list of suggested hashtags?

Juliefaithmcmurrayart Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes I realise that too. Almost immediately I did a post people replied and I replied and everything bloomed. :-) lots to see and do here. It’s great.

Sue Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes
Thanks for the tips very helpful. I like that this site is not algorithm obsessed.
#Politics
#writing
#NHS
#Art
#Animals
#ClimateNow
#Photography
#Coffee

chow Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes And what I’ve learned the last two weeks since joining. Put your hashtags at the end of your post and capitalise each word. That makes it that much easier for the visually impaired who have to rely on reader software.

#hashtag #MastodonTips

Dony Benedict Nov 16, 2022

@chow @hacks4pancakes You don't actually need to put your hashtags at the end of the post, from what I have read. Just follow CamelCase.

Kevin Thomas ✅Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes thank you very helpful!

FelineFan 💙💛Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes thanks for this. So new to Mastodon and finding my feet ( albeit slowly). How do I SEE comments for those accounts I am following? Thanks

SoapyFMF Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes Thank you. I'm new. Though I use Federated I don't seem to get much aside from anime posts and foreign language posts.

MarkG Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes

How do I avail myself of the multiple public lists of hundreds of journalist accounts here on Mastodon?

@hacks4pancakes Lists in columns in the Advanced interface is the way to go, â la Tweetdeck

Neilski Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes Thanks for this!

Mika Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes thanks I'll get round to it it's all new for me but working all time gives me not much time to fully explore Mastodon, I'll get there eventually but the joy of working in retail this time of year is a more work than me time I'm afraid xx

Jim Parkin Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes any specific lists you recommend? I use them on Twitter but haven't here yet.

tom4okstate Nov 16, 2022

@hacks4pancakes wait, built in rss feature? Can you follow any rss and have it show in your timeline?

@tom4okstate @hacks4pancakes no, you can use an rss reader to read a mastodon user’s public timeline at https://<MastodonInstance>/@<UserName>.rss