@SaysDana
https://axbom.com/mastodon-tips/
For newbies on Mastodon, this article really clarified a bunch of stuff for me. I’m still figuring out the whole thing, but I hope you find this as helpful as I did.
10 quick Mastodon tips

There has recently been a huge rush of people trying out Mastodon. This is also noticeable in the number of people reading my earlier Mastodon Guide. I wanted to take this opportunity to provide a brief list of usage tips that I wish I had at hand when first setting

Axbom • My Next Heartbeat
Nov 20, 2022 at 11:21amWeb
Show threadMel LeeNov 21, 2022
@Saysdana Thank You. I bookmarked this so I hope I can find it again. This was a really helpful article as were the embedded articles.
Show threadj2dumfounded Nov 21, 2022
@Mellee @Saysdana I don’t know about anyone else, but on the iOS the Notes application is a really great way to store data. In fact I have a folder called #DATA and a Note called Mastadon in it.
Show threadMel LeeNov 21, 2022
@j2dumfounded @Saysdana Oh! I use the notes app for so much, especially at work. I like that I can dictate notes and then refer to them later for my documentation. I also use it to save articles and even pictures of where I parked. Good idea for saving data from mastodon.
Show threadTina  Nov 21, 2022

@Saysdana Ok. This finally makes sense to me now. TY

"Federated = everyone on your instance plus everyone on other instances followed by someone on your instance. The bigger the instance, the higher the potential for “noise” in this timeline."