Cendrine Marrouat - WritingDec 5, 2022
sortius

I'm noticing a lot of "I'm bored of Mastodon, I'm going back to #Twitter" posts.

In case they are genuine, here's what I've found works:

⚫ try to post content, not complaints. People want to engage with you, not your gripes

⚫ try to learn. If you're putting in an effort to be part of the community, the community will welcome you

⚫ Try to avoid posting links to tweets, definitely don't cross-post. People want Mastodon content

⚫ Reply! Reply! Reply! Everyone wants to know someone's reading and considering their content, even you

⚫ Don't lurk. Many of us check for a filled out profile, avatars, and posts, before we follow someone back

⚫ Chill. It's a big new world that doesn't serve everything up to you

⚫ Avoid the trap of rebuilding Twitter here

Feel free to link this post to people struggling with Mastodon. It's what I've found works, and may not work for everyone

Dec 4, 2022 at 9:02pmWeb
Show threadjastityDec 4, 2022

@sortius

A flaw in your argument is that If one is mainly a lurker, following back isn’t much of a consideration. Lurkers read more than they write.

Show threadsortiusDec 4, 2022
@jastity true, but then why are they complaining about not having people to engage with? 😁
Show threadjastityDec 4, 2022

@sortius

Maybe they are Not True Lurkers.

Show threadBigsmiffyDec 6, 2022

@jastity @sortius

No true lurker fallacy

Show threadEeeee WooooDec 4, 2022

@sortius actually #1 you have to follow a bunch of accounts. Like 1000. Usually those I’ve seen complaining only follow about 50 accounts!

(Edit: this was a response to someone saying they weren’t finding enough engagement on Mastodon. My advice was about how to address that in the easiest way possible for a new user. There were great observations in the other replies and I definitely suggest reading them to learn more about how others use Mastodon. And then do what you like!! Enjoy!)

Show threadsortiusDec 4, 2022

@EeeeWooo yeh, I see low effort being put into following people.

And while that can work if you just want to follow hashtags, it's definitely not the way to tell the community you're here to be part of it

Show threadMark GardnerDec 4, 2022
@sortius @EeeeWooo I saw somewhere that it starts getting good once you’re following at least 200
Show threadfsnk Dec 4, 2022

@mjgardner
At least, yeah

People are conditioned from Twitter to want a high follower to following ratio bc on Twitter "influencers" have that, largely because Twitter is *everything* and you need to filter it down.

Here it's the opposite and you start with the void

That said, it can be pretty hard to fill that void if you're on a new server and don't know anyone. I've started seeing follow bots to populate new servers again
@sortius @EeeeWooo

Show threadBlizadoDec 5, 2022
@fsnk There are tools to find Twitter people on Mastodon more easily. Helped me a bit, but only a small amount are here, but still better than nothing. Mastodon has a still too small userbase, that make it more difficult, but it can also be a chance.
Show threadRon WehrensDec 5, 2022
@mjgardner @sortius @EeeeWooo Indeed! At least as far as incoming feeds are concerned. I’m still a bit disappointed by the number of boosts, reactions but that will hopefully also improve over time.
Show threadEeeee WooooDec 5, 2022
@ronwehrens @mjgardner @sortius so a boost doesn't mean someone likes or agrees with you. That's just a like. A boost means they think the people who follow them will want to also see your post. That's a pretty high bar!!
Show threadMark GardnerDec 5, 2022

@EeeeWooo @ronwehrens @sortius Also note that when a #Mastodon user likes/favorites/stars/whatevers a post it doesn’t go out to their followers. *Only* boosts.

That doesn’t mean that favorites are anonymous, though. You can track down the post on the original server and list who favorited and boosted it.

Show threadEeeee WooooDec 5, 2022
@mjgardner @ronwehrens @sortius exactly. I'm not going to bother my followers with content just cuz I like it. I'm only going to put it in their timeline if I think that they will like it or find it useful.
Show threadMick MorrisDec 5, 2022
@ronwehrens @EeeeWooo @mjgardner @sortius that is what I like here about the contained process of favourites/bookmarking as a signal of engaging with the content (even if no need to reply is felt). Choosing to boost is a different experience altogether, about sharing for the sake of the content alone.
Show threadGabriele PollaraDec 5, 2022
@TheMickMorris @ronwehrens @EeeeWooo @mjgardner @sortius yes, agree with Mick. The liking without algorithm actually allows me to post anything that interests me. Then people can make a 2 tier decision of whether they appreciate it (like) or want it shared as well (boost).
Show threadMarie WalshDec 5, 2022
@mjgardner @EeeeWooo @ronwehrens @sortius way way too complicated for the average punter.
Show threadSRSharingStuffDec 5, 2022
@mjgardner @EeeeWooo @ronwehrens @sortius that’s how I’ve always used Tw though. RTing because I think people who follow me might want to see it. It’s helpful to be aware how many follows I could best make to get it lively here though.
Show threadTim JDec 6, 2022

@EeeeWooo @ronwehrens @mjgardner @sortius I remember when the birdsite introduced notifications for being favourited / retweeted and started displaying numbers for them. A lot of us hated it, and said it would lead to popularity contests and an unhealthy obsession with numbers instead of conversation.

Before that, you had to use Favstar or similar if you wanted to know who or how many had favourited or retweeted things, and it wasn't necessarily seen as a good thing to do.

Show threadTim JDec 6, 2022
@EeeeWooo @ronwehrens @mjgardner @sortius For the first couple of years or so after after I joined, favouriting something was purely private unless someone came along and looked at your favourites. It was just a bookmark. Retweeting was manual so the original tweeter would see it as a mention, but that was it. Then Twitter started going on about "metrics" and everything went downhill.
Show threadEeeee WooooDec 6, 2022

@timtfj I agree. The whole thing got out of hand and really prone to being used to manipulate people. In the extreme it was used for “psychic driving”. I watched “them” (be good to know who) practice on the occupy people. And then MAGA. Which is all psychic driving. I tried to get folks to understand but people don’t want to know. They still don’t.

Anyway. Now I look at Moss pictures. And cats and dogs. And sunsets. It’s much better here.

@ronwehrens @mjgardner @sortius

Show threadTim JDec 6, 2022
@EeeeWooo It is. Even if you're theoretically not interested in the numbers, you're still affected by seeing them. I like the fact that here, I mostly boost or like something without having any idea whether anyone else has or not (except the one who put it in my timeline). It's just "Oh, I like that" or "Hey, look at this!". No peer pressure from the numbers.
Show threadHitsu YonaiDec 6, 2022
@EeeeWooo @ronwehrens @mjgardner @sortius
a bar you cleared with ease !!!!
Show threadAndreu Casablanca 🐀Dec 5, 2022
@mjgardner @sortius @EeeeWooo I'm following only 67 (for now), and it's already good. Slower than Twitter, but with higher density of awesomeness per message.
Show threadElysia MachtDec 6, 2022

@mjgardner @sortius @EeeeWooo I find it fairly difficult to efficiently read in a way where I could engage with people if I follow many more than the 60 or so I'm already now at. If it's 100s, you don't see anyone consistently to KNOW them either.

Tolerance levels vary greatly & I had more than enough to read the first day already.

What I lack is _specific_ content I like & am into if only 2-5 ppl like something & it's not easily to be found here. Specific, not just befriending anybody near.

Show threadMark GardnerDec 6, 2022
@ElysiaMacht I saw a suggestion earlier today to manually curate lists for different circles of friends. Keep your inner circle small so you can see everything, and only dip into your home feed when you want to see the most recent stuff from everyone you’re interested in even if you miss stuff.
@sortius @EeeeWooo
Show threadKatzentratschenDec 6, 2022
@mjgardner @ElysiaMacht @sortius @EeeeWooo I'm following about 200 folks at the moment, and I'd love to follow more. But unlike Twitter it's not possible to read accounts via lists while muting them in your home feed. The latter is the first feed you see every time you open the app and therefore the most important one by design. One should be able to curate it in the same way you can curate lists – or to set a list as home feed instead of default "your followings" feed.
Show threadMark GardnerDec 6, 2022

@katzentratschen Have you tried simply bookmarking a list on the web?

Also, there is no “the app.” There are many that work with #Mastodon. One may work better for you. This isn’t like Twitter where a single company kneecapped third-party developers by only exposing a restrictive API.

@ElysiaMacht @sortius @EeeeWooo

Show threadKatzentratschenDec 6, 2022
@mjgardner @ElysiaMacht @sortius @EeeeWooo Oh my. The mastosplainers have arrived.
Show threadfsnk Dec 4, 2022
@sortius
also hashtags are only populated from the people/instances your server knows about so one server might see a couple hundred people talking on a hashtag while another sees 20
@EeeeWooo
Show threadSunny Willow 🌞Dec 4, 2022

@EeeeWooo @sortius

I saw one a few days ago with only 27 accounts she was following complaining no one was engaging with her. So I gave her some tips on following hashtags and posting and pinning an intro post. Then I followed her. She never followed me back. 😂

Show threadHelenaHahnBasquetDec 4, 2022

@sunnywillow @EeeeWooo @sortius

So I'm trying to move beyond my lurker comfort zone, but I feel like there's so much to learn that I don't have anything meaningful to contribute. Like, is there anyone who *really* wants to see pictures of my elderly disabled cat?  

Show threadsortiusDec 4, 2022

@HelenaHahnBasquet @sunnywillow @EeeeWooo you'd be surprised. So many people just want others to engage with.

I don't care if people aren't interested in tanks, or computer games, or cooking, or whatever, I post anyway. Some get engagement, others fly off into the ether, but it shows people I'm here 😁

Show threadrob HAS MOVEDDec 4, 2022
@sortius @HelenaHahnBasquet @sunnywillow @EeeeWooo I post about a whole array of topics that interest me... and some of it interests others, but rarely will someone else be interested in ALL of the same things I am. So I add hashtags to the end of all my posts; it helps others find the content if it's of interest to them, but it also means people who follow me can filter out the hashtags of content that definitely doesn't interest them. Oh, and hi by the way 👋
Show threadEeeee WooooDec 4, 2022

@stokes excellent. Everyone should really be using hashtags. I also have a myriad of interests. I am using lists to organize the accounts I follow. I try to only boost maybe 20-30 things a day. Write maybe 10 incl posts and replies. And then I like everything I like. People need engagement and the likes are that.

The thing is here it is okay to just be yourself. No grand strategy. Unless you like doing that!!

Show threadrob HAS MOVEDDec 4, 2022

@EeeeWooo 100%. I do the same things. I have so many lists! 😂

When I first migrated here, I saw quite a few people saying that liking posts "doesn't do anything" (as in they meant there's no algo running off it) but I knew from the get-go that it totally does something; it lets the OP know that you liked their content! I guess some people find feeding the algo hard to leave behind.

Be yourself. Wise words. This is the place to do it.

Show threadEeeee WooooDec 5, 2022
@stokes how are you adding people to lists? Not all the apps have the function. I make the list on my iphone on the web version. But so far I can only add people to those lists using metatext. I am feeling quite incompetent. Lol.
Show threadrob HAS MOVEDDec 5, 2022
@EeeeWooo Haha, oh it's not just you! I use Tooot on my iPhone as well as Mammoth (actually my preferred app but it's still in beta so it's not fully functional yet) and neither currently let me create lists or add people to them; I can view the lists on both though. I just use the web version for managing my lists.
Show threadrob HAS MOVEDDec 5, 2022

@EeeeWooo Well, only hours after saying that, Tooot just released an update with full list management – you can create/edit/delete lists and you can add/remove users you follow to lists from their profile, or even from an individual post.

The same functionality is coming to Mammoth but it's not there yet. Also, keep an eye out for Ivory when it's released (also currently in beta); it'll likely be very good as it's from the team behind Tweetbot.

Show threadLaura GouldDec 5, 2022
@stokes @sortius @HelenaHahnBasquet @sunnywillow @EeeeWooo Thanks for this did not understand that using hashtags could help others in this way :)
Show threadrob HAS MOVEDDec 5, 2022
@JizoGarden @sortius @HelenaHahnBasquet @sunnywillow @EeeeWooo No problem! Mute those hashtags! 😄
Show threadCrazy PonyDec 5, 2022

@sortius @HelenaHahnBasquet @sunnywillow @EeeeWooo

I never was on Twitter, but on lots of different and niche places

A thing that has very exhausted me over more than one decade is the feeling that interaction always tends to concentrate to a small number of people that have lots and lots of active followers and feedback

Others like me, not on the front of the popularity race, are getting much less replys and very rarely engagement from others

it feel like posting into a black hole

Show threadEeeee WooooDec 5, 2022

@crazy_pony

so I think this “black hole” feeling is because we are not in the habit of being courteous and curious… if someone follows me or favorites one of my posts, I will go and look at their last ten-twenty posts and favorite one that is interesting. If they have something amazing I will boost it.

If we all did that we would a) see lots of cool stuff and b) nurture other mastodonians

But I ain’t the boss. :-)

Do what feels good.

@sortius @HelenaHahnBasquet @sunnywillow

Show threadChuffMeisterDec 6, 2022
@crazy_pony @sortius
Perhaps people are close to the event horizon and it’s just taking time for the missives to achieve escape velocity?
https://astro.umaine.edu/10-fun-facts-about-black-holes/
10 Fun Facts About Black Holes - Versant Power Astronomy Center and Maynard Jordan Planetarium - University of Maine

By Amy Lyons What exactly is a black hole? Put simply, a black hole is a spot in the universe where there is a large gravity pull. Now, here are 10 fun facts about black holes! 1. You Can’t Directly See a Black Hole. A black hole is called a black hole because of it’s …

Versant Power Astronomy Center and Maynard Jordan Planetarium
Show threadLori S Dec 4, 2022
@HelenaHahnBasquet @sunnywillow @EeeeWooo @sortius I sometimes feel this way, being a natural introvert. I’m tipping my toe in.
Show threadSunny Willow 🌞Dec 4, 2022

@Lsstaub @HelenaHahnBasquet @EeeeWooo @sortius

I took a bit before I made my introduction, just getting a feel for it. Take your time. Follow hashtags of things you like and you'll find people to engage with when you're ready. 🙂

Show threadMyDogIsFunny💉💉💉💉😷Dec 4, 2022
@HelenaHahnBasquet @sunnywillow @EeeeWooo @sortius yes! I want to see all the animals! And something nice you saw on a walk. Or hear your thoughts on the movie you watched. Or something funny you heard from a neighbor. It is like getting to know someone in real life.
Show threadHelenaHahnBasquetDec 4, 2022
@MyDogIsFunny Since you asked, I hereby present Bella, 16.5 years old, disabled since birth - spinal deformation that impacts her rear legs so she hops like a bunny. Vet said she might live ten years, if we're lucky. He's retired now. She's determined to outlive us all.
Show threadSunny Willow 🌞Dec 4, 2022

@HelenaHahnBasquet @MyDogIsFunny

Beautiful! ❤️

Show threadMyDogIsFunny💉💉💉💉😷Dec 4, 2022
@HelenaHahnBasquet Bella is beautiful thank you for sharing. Eva is 13, sometimes 13 going on 2 (Walkies?!), sometimes 13 going on 20 (when her two back knees, both replaced, are acting up). Her snout turnd white when she was 7, the year she tore both ACLs and had to get new knees.
Show threadPippi & ObiJuan PupsDec 4, 2022
@MyDogIsFunny @HelenaHahnBasquet master level mlem!
Show thread🌻Knaughty🌻Dec 5, 2022
@MyDogIsFunny @HelenaHahnBasquet
My baby had to get new knees. Her first surgery was just before she turned 1. The first picture is after the vet cleared her to full puppy duty from 1st surgery. The 2nd is her now, she will be 7 in January.
Show threadKate BrandenDec 4, 2022
@HelenaHahnBasquet @MyDogIsFunny She's gorgeous!
Show threadJust RandyDec 4, 2022
@HelenaHahnBasquet Look at that beauty! Great job, Bella. Keep going strong!
Show threadJust RandyDec 4, 2022
@HelenaHahnBasquet Helena, she really is such a cutie. She looks kind of tiny, too. Or is that just a trick of perspective?
Show threadclarkiestarDec 4, 2022
@HelenaHahnBasquet @MyDogIsFunny aww. What a gorgeous story and a gorgeous girl
Show threadAbby NormalDec 4, 2022
@HelenaHahnBasquet She’s absolutely beautiful!
Show threadPatriciaDec 4, 2022
@HelenaHahnBasquet @MyDogIsFunny I enjoy pet photos a great deal, now that I no longer have a cat. They're part of your family, after all 
Show threadDonncha Ó CaoimhDec 4, 2022
@HelenaHahnBasquet she's lovely! We have two cats, mother and daughter. Mommy Cat must be around the same age as Bella, and she is very wobbly on her feet.
Until two years ago she never came into the house but now she sleeps inside 90% of the day. Still can't touch her as she'll take the hand off you!
Or chihuahua is the only non cat creature that can get closer to her!
Show threadLīgaDec 4, 2022
@HelenaHahnBasquet @MyDogIsFunny you're a good cat mommy. She's gorgeous.
Show threadMaria ReynoldsDec 4, 2022
@HelenaHahnBasquet She's so cute!! I have a disabled dog, although no one told her that! She has 3 legs, one of which has a tumor. But she is so sweet and happy at the moment!