Jeff JarvisNov 22, 2022
The good news is that the NYTimes covers @journa.host. The bad news is that @josephbernstein gets it wrong: initial funding comes not from rich, old Columbia, but from my poor, dear Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY and the Tow-Knight Center that I direct there. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/21/style/mastodon-twitter-adam-davidson.html
From Twitter to Mastodon: What Happens When Journalists Flock Platforms

Journa.host promises to be a new “reliable home for journalists.” What happens when they move in?

The New York Times
DSCH 🎻Nov 22, 2022
Show threadChristopher Masto

@jeffjarvis “Users pick a server — such as journa.host — and can interact with other users throughout Mastodon, with exceptions. If this all sounds complicated, that’s because it is”

If that’s the benchmark for complicated, I’m worried about our survival as a species. You mean I have to open the box, pour it into a bowl, AND add milk? I can’t handle this breakfast techno-gibberish!

Nov 22, 2022 at 1:47amWeb
Show threadScott WeintraubNov 22, 2022
@masto @jeffjarvis Server picking is WEIRD. I dont want a progressive or American or gamer or techie or foodie or parent server tho I am all of those. I want a fast server. I can find all those other things regardless of server (right?). Yet speed is not really a searchable criteria.
Show threadScott WeintraubNov 22, 2022
@masto @jeffjarvis whats the argument for picking a like-you server? That local and federated feeds are more likely to show interesting posts? Thats my guess, but its not clear in anything I read. I cant even find those in the main ios app.
The act of picking a server may not be complicated, but if the logic behind picking one is difficult to grasp or is poorly explained, it becomes cognitively hard.
Show threadJeff JarvisNov 22, 2022
@scottfweintraub @masto I'm on a big server so I'm not using local or federated.
Show threadScott WeintraubNov 22, 2022
@jeffjarvis @masto i’ve looked at them a couple times finding little value. But if not those feeds, what makes different servers different, other than processing power per user?
Show threadSam MinnéeNov 22, 2022
@scottfweintraub @jeffjarvis @masto moderation policies, impact on those moderation policies for how you get filtered on other servers (NSFW and alt-right servers are often blocked), technical quality (speed, uptime, time to sync posts with other servers)
Show threadorangepeelbeef Nov 22, 2022

@scottfweintraub @jeffjarvis @masto the rules and moderation team. Number of mods to users. Which instances are banned/defederated.

And yes the local and federated timeline.

I love it over here ;)

Show threadsergio_101 has moved!Nov 22, 2022
@jeffjarvis @scottfweintraub @masto I am on the big server, too.. i never look at local or federated. The idea of being able to subscribe to a hashtag is the winner feature here.
Show threadChristopher SchmidtNov 22, 2022

@scottfweintraub I would argue that the thing you want most from a server is the ability to trust the admins to do a good job. This may be something that you can better evaluate if you share a cultural touchpoint -- I have no idea what mas.to mods think about sex work, whereas I do with union.place. You want to trust that they'll:
- Do a good job running it
- Do a good job moderating it
- Not abuse their power.

https://crschmidt.medium.com/mastodon-is-pretty-similar-to-twitter-74556103d58d

Mastodon is Pretty Similar To Twitter - Christopher Schmidt - Medium

If you are a Twitter user, the overall Mastodon experience will feel pretty familiar to you. It’s a microblogging platform. You have a box to write words in; and a timeline of words you read. You…

Medium
Show threadjust adrienneNov 22, 2022
@crschmidt @scottfweintraub YES. The absolute most important criteria for picking a server are:
a) do you vibe with their policies?
b) do they have enough moderators?
c) do they have enough capacity? (pick a small-to-medium size instance, not a giant one!)
Show threadScott WeintraubNov 22, 2022
@adrienne @crschmidt which gets back to @jeffjarvis and @masto: picking a server isnt easy.
Show threadjust adrienneNov 22, 2022
@scottfweintraub @crschmidt @jeffjarvis @masto Right, and i agree with that. But the only thing i personally can do is offer recommendations for good servers.
Show threadFrost「｜｜霜の狼｜人面獣心」🐺❄️Nov 22, 2022

@scottfweintraub @masto @jeffjarvis Community.

Have you seen the local timeline? Yeah.

Gargron likes to go "oh your server doesn't matter!" – and it seems like he's trying to get rid of the local TL, to erase our communities and make it so it really doesn't matter – but, poke your snoot into the local TL and you'll see the other critters on your server. If it's a server for something you like, heyy, people!

(Also you can always have alts on different servers. It's not only allowed but actively encouraged. :3)

Show threadScott WeintraubNov 22, 2022
@masto @jeffjarvis @frostwolf but im assuming i cant have a feed combining all the locals of all my alts.
Show threadFrost「｜｜霜の狼｜人面獣心」🐺❄️Nov 22, 2022
@scottfweintraub @masto @jeffjarvis Oh, nah.
Show threadScott WeintraubNov 22, 2022
@frostwolf @masto @jeffjarvis i would think an app could do that, unless theres some tos it violates.
Show threadFrost「｜｜霜の狼｜人面獣心」🐺❄️Nov 22, 2022
@scottfweintraub @masto @jeffjarvis Yeah I think it's less TOS and more that just no one's bothered. :3
Show threadFrost「｜｜霜の狼｜人面獣心」🐺❄️Nov 22, 2022
@scottfweintraub @masto @jeffjarvis Instances don't tend to really /have/ ToS in the traditional sense anyway, just "be nice" rules.
Show threadalapiteNov 22, 2022
@scottfweintraub @jeffjarvis @masto How is this any harder than picking an email host? Just as a wide variety of vendors for email appeared over the years to cater for all sorts of preferences, I’m sure Mastodon instances will eventually pop up for those willing to pay for speed above all else - assuming there’s a big enough market for that.
Show threadScott WeintraubNov 22, 2022
@alapite @jeffjarvis @masto The servers aren’t presented as fungible commodities. I dont think the mastorati are considering the potential anxiety load inherent in how server selection works.
Show threadexcited for the mastodon riseNov 22, 2022
@masto @jeffjarvis if all those people had never used email, maybe I could believe them
Show threadJon (now at neuromatch.social)Nov 22, 2022

@qkslvrwolf @masto @jeffjarvis

Many instances silence (aka limit) mastodon.social. Some are talking about defederating. Some but not all instances publish lists of what instances they're silencing or limiting, some but not all admins have discussions before institituting blocks and announce when they do.

So the question of "can I see posts from Jeff if I'm following him" is actually pretty complex and I haven't even gotten to the federated feed yet.

It's a lot more complex than email.

Show threadJon (now at neuromatch.social)Nov 22, 2022

@qkslvrwolf @masto @jeffjarvis

Case in point: https://journa.host/@MikeDiGirolamo/109372964730317047

Mike DiGirolamo (@[email protected])

On Friday, November 17th, I suddenly lost 30 -40 followers. I thought "well this must be a bug in the code." No. Aus.social blocked journalists.host. Many good friends of mine who followed me can no longer see my posts, and I can't see theirs. As a journalist who is moving to Australia, and will be based in Australia for the foreseeable future, this is immensely disheartening and a problem I did not foresee happening joining Mastodon. It's disheartening. (1/2)

Mastodon
Show threadMarcelo SoaresNov 22, 2022
@qkslvrwolf @masto @jeffjarvis there is no more didactic analogy than email. You have an email from work, that doesn't mean you can only talk to people from work, it only tells people where you're talking from
Show threadBrutus BelfastNov 22, 2022
@masto @jeffjarvis Be patient with new users. Some concepts that are second nature to us are new to others.
Show threadChristopher MastoNov 22, 2022

@brutusbelfast @jeffjarvis This blew up (my poor $6/month masto.host is overwhelmed) so I want to acknowledge: 1. I'm aware the new user experience IS complicated; 2. I'm aware there are concerns WRT racism, marginalization, etc.

I reacted to the specific wording of one particular sentence, which seemed like it said a thing is complicated without describing any complexity. Also trying to make a funny.

No comment on the article or other aspects from me, here, now.

Show threadBrutus BelfastNov 22, 2022
@masto @jeffjarvis I wasn't trying to judge you. If anything, I completely understand where you are coming from. Last Thanksgiving, I had to explain to my mom that the monitor and computer are two different things. Multiple times.
Show threadLarry Nov 22, 2022
@jeffjarvis @masto yes, that part caught my eye, too, as I keep seeing that talking point on other sites. Putting aside how inaccurate that statement is, I assume that what *really* bothers them, is the fact that they can’t completely reconstruct their followers list from the twitters.
Show threadByron TauNov 22, 2022
@masto @jeffjarvis It's not that the sign up process is arduous — it's more that even trying to identify a server that fits for you and what you want to do and is admitting members takes a lot of time. I am still not sure I choose right.
Show threadJeff JarvisNov 22, 2022
@byrontau @masto Oh, come on, people are smart. Give them credit. I do. https://medium.com/whither-news/on-joining-mastodon-d539eed5e41a
On Joining Mastodon - Whither news? - Medium

An academic friend asked for help joining Mastodon. I wrote a detailed email in response that I thought it might be useful to others. I’m also going to teach a master class in Mastodon at my school…

Whither news?
Show threadChristopher MastoNov 22, 2022

@jeffjarvis @byrontau Porque no los dos? People are smart _and_ your explainer is 2300 words.

I don't think "you sign up with a server and then can talk to anyone on the network" is the complicated part. But plenty of smart people are legitimately confused and often put off by what happens afterward.

I have had a great experience so far, but I don't speak for everyone. Or, indeed, the folks who need to be spoken for.

Show threadTaliNov 22, 2022
@masto I seriously can't understand why people keep making this out to be something you need an advanced degree for
Show threadDavid RobbNov 22, 2022
@masto @jeffjarvis it's not that that's what the benchmark for complicated is for the species as a whole, it's just that journalists are not accustomed to having to think about things in more depth than going to a single website.
Show threadMr. Pataphor, Dadaist DadNov 22, 2022
@masto @jeffjarvis What do you mean, "I opened the box at the wrong end?". 😂
Show threadBrian WooleyNov 22, 2022
@masto @jeffjarvis
Show threadscrew_dogNov 22, 2022

@masto @jeffjarvis

"Users pick a provider - such as gmail.com - and can exchange emai with other users throughout the internet, with exceptions. If this all sounds complicated, that's because it is"

Show threadscrew_dogNov 22, 2022

@masto @jeffjarvis

This is not to denigrate those who find it complicated, but rather to point out that it is not *intrinsically* complicated, just that the Mastodon = Twitter analogy doesn't always help

Show threadJeff JarvisNov 22, 2022
@screw_dog @masto Yes and the thing to do -- what I tried to do in my post -- is to make it less complicated for them, to help.
Show threadLee FifeNov 22, 2022
@masto @jeffjarvis the problem is the "pick a server" part.
That's much easier to understand understand after you're in mastodon than when you're trying to enter...
Show threadpodkaynelivesNov 22, 2022
@masto @jeffjarvis I always loved reading the instructions for my hairdryer: "do not use in the bathtub". You have to wonder...
Show threadVirtue signal 💉💉💉🇺🇸 🇺🇦Nov 22, 2022

@masto @jeffjarvis

That's basically what I've been saying this past week... Its a basic Internet literacy issue and these critics want to toss that all out in favor of "clicky on big icon in app store".

Show threadNik Nov 22, 2022

@tasket

I'd argue it's not internet literacy. I'm exceptionally internet educated, and I had no idea how to recommend a server for my wife. (I'm on one run by a podcaster I like that's populated by fellow nerds.)

Which server has the best community for my wife? Where will she find a place to discover voices about medicine, politics, and academica? Where will she most easily discover people like this to follow?

I still don't know how to evaluate this meaningfully.

@masto @jeffjarvis

Show threadAnother white guy on MastodonNov 22, 2022
@inik @tasket @masto @jeffjarvis I had a similar issue. My wife wanted to join but also didn’t want to go through (at the time and soon to be many more) 7,400 instances to find one that matches her interests and didn’t know where to even start looking. I see it as the classic command line UI issue people used to talk about with Linux. I too was lucky because I just joined the instance for the podcasts I listen too.
Show threadSarenNov 22, 2022
@Rendfest @inik @tasket @masto @jeffjarvis I see what you all are saying. I guess it depends what approach you take to finding your community on Mastodon. I did not look for a server that would be my community. I just looked for a general interest server based on location and language and one that had good rules and was not too big. To build community, I started by looking for the people I enjoyed following on Twitter.
Show threadJeff JarvisNov 22, 2022
@saren @Rendfest @inik @tasket @masto Same here. My communities are spread all across Mastodon, just as they are across the internet and world.
Show thread…here for the creativity…Nov 22, 2022
@jeffjarvis @saren @Rendfest @inik @tasket @masto I think changing my mindset about what social media is “supposed” to look like (having gotten used to centralized platforms) has helped me to grasp the vastness of it. Things had become so limited elsewhere and I was (sadly) comfortable there. Mastodon can be overwhelming in the beginning but it’s liberating, from my point of view.
Show threadSarenNov 22, 2022
@catacosmosis @jeffjarvis @Rendfest @inik @tasket @masto I agree! I follow enough of my old Twitter follows to feel like I have everything I used to get over there PLUS I have found a bunch of new people to follow that I probably never would have encountered on Twitter. It’s like I still get the best parts of the old world I was on plus a whole new universe to explore.
Show thread…here for the creativity…Nov 22, 2022
@tasket @jeffjarvis @inik @Rendfest @masto @saren Hahaha! Yes! I am thoroughly enjoying it.
Show threadAnother white guy on MastodonNov 23, 2022
@catacosmosis @jeffjarvis @saren @inik @tasket @masto Yes! Thank you for articulating this the way you have here!
Show threadDaryl GibsonNov 22, 2022
@saren @Rendfest @inik @tasket @masto @jeffjarvis same here
Show threadKenny MayneNov 22, 2022

@saren @Rendfest @inik @tasket @masto @jeffjarvis

Exactly how I jumped in and felt it to be a successful venture.

Show threadNonieNov 22, 2022

@saren @Rendfest @inik @tasket @masto @jeffjarvis

Easy way to find out if the people you follow on #Twitter are here:
https://debirdify.pruvisto.org/

Debirdify

This is a web app that helps you find out which of the people you follow on Twitter are on Mastodon/in the Fediverse already and follow all of them easily.

Show threadVashNov 22, 2022
@saren @Rendfest @inik @tasket @masto @jeffjarvis Same here. And following some hashtags to hopefully connect with things that interest me like #BlackMastadon and others. Still working on hashtags here.
Show threadMarisa PontiNov 22, 2022
@saren @Rendfest @inik @tasket @masto @jeffjarvis I did the same. I found an instance that let me join, it is large but not too large, and from there I looked for people I can share interests with and also joined the STS list
Show threadDebra AdamsNov 22, 2022
@tasket @OpenEd @inik @masto @Rendfest @jeffjarvis @saren Hi. What is the STS list?
Show threadMarisa PontiNov 22, 2022
@teco22222 @tasket @inik @masto @Rendfest @jeffjarvis @saren Science and Technology Studies list for researchers interested in this area - https://jwyg.github.io/mastodon-sts/
sts mastodon

A list of STS accounts in the Fediverse

Show threadDebra AdamsNov 22, 2022
@OpenEd Thank you so much Marisa. I have a BA degree in Science, Technology, & Society from long, long ago, so I'd love to follow your group. Much appreciated!
Show threadEsther Lim Nov 22, 2022

@saren @Rendfest @inik @tasket @masto @jeffjarvis this is definitely how I approached it (well, I was lazy and just picked the Australian instance) but it’s been fun finding interesting ppl and hashtags to follow.

That said, user experience should aim to be as friction free as possible (just like with voting or vaccinations, any barrier no matter how small will turn ppl away).

Especially recently, if you go to the join page, there’s a limited # of servers accepting new ppl and I know at one point there were zero servers that showed up for Asia Pacific. Add to that if you are a minority and worry about harassment etc your moderators are a big factor, so I feel like there are legitimate barriers and not just “tech illiteracy”.

Show thread(((JaneinNJ)))Nov 22, 2022
@saren @Rendfest @inik @tasket @masto @jeffjarvis Hope more Twitter people migrate over. Dismayed not to find accounts here that I loved following there. @MichaelBechschloss being one.
Show threadSpider From MarsNov 22, 2022
@saren @Rendfest @inik @tasket @masto @jeffjarvis
I totally agree. You speak from my soul. That is exactly how I approached Mastodon. And I'm very happy with my decision.