Erin KissaneDec 16, 2022

I haven't had time to write a real thing but I'm seeing a ton of new people, so here is my quick/dirty advice for people just arriving:

1. Just use the website at first. Third-party apps are great, but they often lack important features and may act weird when server loads are high, which they are during big migrations from Twitter. I started understanding a lot more when I switched to the web version.

#TwitterMigration #Safety

Show threadErin KissaneDec 16, 2022

2. Picking the right instance matters, but not for the reasons listed in most Mastodon documentation! Topics matter much less than filters you want applied over the gaping maw of the unmoderated internet.

Assuming you do not want to live your new life on the federated equivalent of 4chan, pick an instance with clear, strong mod rules and a nice big blocklist to keep the nazis and trollfarms away. (You can find this stuff on the About page for most servers.)

Show threadArran
@kissane Hi, the whole interface about federation is a bit opaque to me. Is it possible to switch instances?
Dec 16, 2022 at 8:49pmWeb
Show threadIαn has moved accountDec 16, 2022
@arranrp @kissane
Yes. Not only can you sign up for a new instance, but there is a button to migrate your old followers/following to your new instance. Relatively seamless. Read up on it first to be sure.
Show threadErin KissaneDec 16, 2022

@arranrp It is! But you can't take your posts with you—you open a new account and then migrate your follows and followers following a slightly arcane but googleable process I won't attempt to summarize.

It's clunky, but not difficult.

Show threadTom ParslowDec 16, 2022
@arranrp Yes, there’s a migration tool in the settings that lets you move between instances. It copies over your followers and follows and sets up a redirect I think. It doesn’t copy over your existing Toots (your posts) though. Tbh I’ve not really noticed what instance I’m on, I just follow the people I follow and it seems to work fine.