Shaun ๐ฌPssst. Is anyone out there? Trying to find ways to stay optimistic about my experience here on #Mastodon but little momentum gained thus far.
Panama Red@mralwayswrite Follow people who look interesting and engage with them. You've been on, what, 48 hours? When I first got on Mastodon (on another server), it took me about 10 days to build out a good list of people I follow. Now I'm repeating that process here on newsie.social.
@panamared27401 appreciate the insight, thank you. Any tips for how/where to find like-minded people to engage with on here? I've been trying the routes available, including searching topics and key words, but just feels like I'm coming up short and that there just isn't (yet) a lot to work with here.
Am I missing something or is that an accurate assessment?
@mralwayswrite Are you searching hashtags, or just words? Mastodon doesn't have full-text search like Twitter does, but you can search on hashtags of subjects you're interested in. In the web interface, you can pin the column that has the results of a hashtag search so that that column becomes a permanent part of your feed, too.
@mralwayswrite Also, in your settings, make sure you have ticked the box next to "Enable Advanced Web Interface" so that you can see the Federated timeline, which casts a wider net for posts and so lets you find more new people to follow.
Paula Melton@mralwayswrite It might take a bit, but a dam will break. Probably soon!
jprestonian@mralwayswrite Plenty here! Gotta follow some people to get some data in your feed, though. Is your profile filled out?
Charlene Boyce ๐@mralwayswrite for the number of folks whose bios mention Oxford commas, they should have their own instance. (I love โem too). I wonder if other languages are equally pugnacious and fetishistic about their punctuation?
Scott ๐จ๐ฆ แแแแฎ@mralwayswrite Poke around - you'll find lots of people and places that might interest you... follow lots... throw a few back... boost things you like. YOU are the algorithm here...
Heather 
@mralwayswrite can you elaborate?
Pam@mralwayswrite I suggest exploring hashtags of interest and engage in those posts and follow others who share your interests. Your timeline will get busier as you build your community.
@pm_mcdaniel great advice, thanks for that (and working on it as we speak).
Blondish@mralwayswrite Hey Shaun! I'm here! Trying to engage too. I think it just takes time. I'm following people, replying, boosting posts I like. I think it just takes time. Like all those times I started a new school when I was growing up. I have deja vu ๐
@V_GPlus competely understand if it takes some time, just felt like an emptier space than I expected upon arrival. Nevertheless, we're getting there!
@mralwayswrite I totally agree. We're all like "hi guys, can I sit with you..... ๐ฌ "
Chrissy@mralwayswrite I'm brand new, too. It's definitely been a strange experience.
Alex Palombo
Christopher@mralwayswrite Use more hashtags! #Hashtag #all #the #things! Then actually follow the hashtag links on your posts to see who else is talking about the things you want to talk about!
Check out #hockey (#Leafs? #Habs? #Sens? Gods, not the #Bruins, I hope), and #marvel, #mcu, or #spiderman, to start.
You're into #branding? Check out #marketing! And are you into any other #sports? I hear there's some #soccer (#football) happening right now.
Also, as a writer, you seem to be on a good server. Check out the local timeline there and see what your fellow wordsmiths are spitting out.
Follow people liberally. Especially people who boost/reshare a lot. Then follow people who get introduced to your timeline via those reshares, if they look interesting.
Also, unfollow people freely. If someone's filling your timeline with noise, you don't need 'em. Life's noisy enough!
And if there's a topic you're into, and you feel it's underrepresented here, be the pioneer. As a freelancer, you're used to seeing and seizing opportunities like that. And the land is fertile here right now. If things grow and become strong, you have a chance to be a foundational voice in this space for those areas.
By making heavy use of hashtags.
@Kichae I really appreciate you taking the time to share this, that's all really solid advice and guidance.
I'll have to re-think #hashtag use on #Mastodon, as I'm jaded from how they have become increasingly ineffective on other platforms like #Twitter or #Facebook. Good nudge there, thanks.
Big time sports fan, especially #hockey (and NEVER the #Bruins, as I'm a #MapleLeafs and #Blackhawks fan).
Coincidentally, I just published a #WorldCup article all about hashtags!
I'll have to re-think #hashtag use on #Mastodon, as I'm jaded from how they have become increasingly ineffective on other platforms like #Twitter or #Facebook. Good nudge there, thanks.
Big time sports fan, especially #hockey (and NEVER the #Bruins, as I'm a #MapleLeafs and #Blackhawks fan).
Coincidentally, I just published a #WorldCup article all about hashtags!
@Kichae the length of your post also got me thinking that I need to allow myself to realize we're not as limited in that regard here.
That said, it seems I ran out of space long before you did. Do you have access to longer posts?
That said, it seems I ran out of space long before you did. Do you have access to longer posts?
@mralwayswrite At least for the time being, hashtags are *super* effective here. Mastodon won't let you search the body text of a post, only hashtags. This is, in theory at least, to help make people only as discoverable as they want to be.
And yes, some servers are running modified versions of Mastodon, which have tweaks such as higher character limits, differences in how media is handled/displayed, formatting options (markdown, HTML tags, etc.), or even the ability to flag posts to only be visible to users using that server ("local only" posting).
Hell, some people are using completely different platforms, which have radically different sets of limitations. If you've ever wished you could have the conversations of Twitter, but the interface of Facebook, that's a thing you can do here (via Friendica servers, e.g. https://venera.social/). Or if you're an electro-cyber teen who's never grown up (and also maybe always identified closely with cats?), there are platforms that interoperates with Mastodon for you, too (see Misskey, CalcKey, e.g. https://kitty.social).
There's a lot to take in 'round here if you're willing to let your eyes bleed.
@Kichae have already started to take in a lot more than I had been initially, thanks to people like you engaging on that post of mine, and it's been great.
Hoping the momentum continues, for all!
Hoping the momentum continues, for all!
Christina Binkley โ
@mralwayswrite I'm here! Welcome!
@ChristinaBinkley thanks for that!
Lira@mralwayswrite Hi! Find people to follow, interact and follow hashtags too!
Suggestion (explore here):
https://github.com/nathanlesage/academics-on-mastodon
Suggestion (explore here):
https://github.com/nathanlesage/academics-on-mastodon
@lira hey! This is great, thank you!
@mralwayswrite You're welcome! This helped me a lot to have a feed that I was excited about! Good luck!๐
Drea@mralwayswrite hereโs whatโs helped me:
1. Follow hashtags of things you are interested in. If you follow them, they will appear in your home feed
2. Comment on posts and follow people. Again, use hashtags to do that.
3. Follow people on different instances from yours.
4. Poet and use hashtags generously so others can find you.
5. Look at your home feed but also the federated timeline as the latter will broaden your world.
1. Follow hashtags of things you are interested in. If you follow them, they will appear in your home feed
2. Comment on posts and follow people. Again, use hashtags to do that.
3. Follow people on different instances from yours.
4. Poet and use hashtags generously so others can find you.
5. Look at your home feed but also the federated timeline as the latter will broaden your world.
@andricheli great list and very much appreciated! A common theme seems to be proper and generous #hashtag use, which is something I'll definitely be more cognizant of moving forward.
Luis Osorio ๐ชฌ@mralwayswrite You created quite a good conversation here. That's what this is about and I think that's the best part.
@soyluisosorio I was thinking the same, in that it was nice to see the response and engagement that generated. Certainly couldn't have presumed it would, based on my initial perception of #Mastodon, so it's that much more fitting that it did.
Good to see that quality conversations can occur here, without having to battle an #algorithm to be heard.
Good to see that quality conversations can occur here, without having to battle an #algorithm to be heard.
Clare ๐ปHi ๐
Check out my Pinned toot for a few ways to find people and topics to get things going on here - hope it helps ๐
@CGBrooding hey there, thanks for that!
Bronwyn Clee@mralwayswrite definitely agree with the previous two tips re using #hashtags to find #connections This place is way more #inclusive with loads of #safestreets to explore #connectionsmatter
@bronwynclee I appreciate you reinforcing that advice, definitely seems like a major area I need to be taking better advantage of.
Richard Bairwell (ND stuff)@mralwayswrite If you have an account on the blue bird site, use https://debirdify.pruvisto.org/ and/or https://fedifinder.glitch.me/ to try and find the people that you used to follow there.
@rbairwell thanks for this, much appreciated.