JD Long ✅Dec 16, 2022

algorithmic choices I would like to experiment with in my mastodon feed:

1. show me boosts, but hide any particular boost that I've seen more than 2 times

2. show me responses in context of the thread... i.e. no click needed to figure out the context

3. not strictly part of the feed logic, but I'd love quote toots. Because I want to boost but with some context around why I find something interesting

Show threadJD Long ✅Dec 16, 2022
4. if someone I follow is getting lots of discussion from other folks I follow, I'd like that post to bubble up my feed. Notice the emphasis on doing this only if the engagement is in my network
Show threadKarandeep SinghDec 16, 2022

@Cmastication Wonder if this customization is possible at the app level (I don’t see why not) vs. at the instance/server level.

But I agree, having options for timeline customization would be nice down the road.

Show threadJD Long ✅Dec 16, 2022
@kdpsingh I have some intuition around this but not 100% sure. But I would think some fair bit of this could be done at the client level. Maybe not all...
Show threadKarandeep SinghDec 16, 2022
@Cmastication I mention this because the Mammoth app allows users to view “trending posts” so it seems like other customizations may be possible at the client level.
Show threadJay LyerlyDec 16, 2022

@kdpsingh @Cmastication Usually this kind of algorithmic stuff is done on the server because it has access to all the data. Clients, especially mobile, are optimized to download as little data as possible so they’re fast.

Consider a really simple algorithm that always loaded @Cmastication toots at the top. The client would need to download your whole timeline to find all those posts. Basically, you’d need to mirror everything on your client and keep it in sync. So slow, big and error prone.

Show threadKarandeep Singh
@jaylyerly @Cmastication Thanks, that makes sense!
Dec 16, 2022 at 6:38pmMammoth