MichelleDec 17, 2022
Will Smith

My advice, if you're new here, is to post. I'm still working on it myself.

The late stages of Twitter rewarded us for posting less frequently and for posting the worst kind of takes when we did.

There's no algorithm here to feed, so post what you're interested in and what you're curious about. Share the things that you care about and you'll find your communities here quickly enough.

Dec 13, 2022 at 4:01amWeb
Show threadWill SmithDec 13, 2022
When I think back about my earliest days on Twitter, I found my communities by posting about the stuff I knew a lot about (computer and tech stuff mostly), the things I loved (games and food and coffee) and then I listened to the people whose lives I was curious about.
Show threadWill SmithDec 13, 2022

Two more things that were buried in replies that I forgot. Use the boost button to share stuff that's good and/or interesting. Hitting the star does nothing for promotion since there's no recommendation algorithm here.

Hashtags are super useful. Use them, search for tags for things you like, etc. Make sure you post something so your profile people who check you out an idea of what you're into. I'm MUCH more likely to follow someone here if they exhibit shared interests.

Show threadWill SmithDec 13, 2022
TBH, I'm still weirded out by the hashtag thing. On twitter, I exclusively used them for goofs or the occasional sponsored thing. Here people use them earnestly and to great effect.
Show threadfunny display nameDec 13, 2022
@will the strange thing about that is that from my perspective nobody here (aside from bots) seriously used hashtags until the latest crowd of twitter people
Show threadWill SmithDec 13, 2022
@proto That is super interesting. I don't remember it being a thing when I was here before. Maybe it's just a ritual from one of the larger instances that absorbed a bunch of people?
Show threadfunny display nameDec 13, 2022
@will could be. I mean it is good advice to use hashtags especially early on when you don't have a lot of follows/followers. it's probably in a lot of the intro-to-fediverse writeups
Show threadMathiasTCKDec 13, 2022
@proto @will it was definitely in the ones I read. On Twitter I'd used a hash tag repeatedly often so I could then refer back to some post, factoid, news article or whatever. I used #ForTheLifeOfTheRepublic today (for example) and have been ever since I read the white house archivisits letter.
Show threadMathiasTCKDec 13, 2022
@proto @will "Our fundamental interest is always in ensuring that government records are properly managed, preserved,
and protected to ensure access to them for the life of the Republic. That is our mission, and what
motivates us as we seek to uphold the public trust. I thank all of you for your dedication to that mission
and your professionalism and integrity in carrying it out in a non-political and diligent manner."
Show threadMathiasTCKDec 13, 2022

@proto @will "We will continue to do our work, without favor or fear, in the service of our democracy.
DEBRA STEIDEL WALL
Acting Archivist of the United States"

https://www.archives.gov/files/foia/2022-192-update-on-trump-administration-presidential-records.pdf

#PresidentialRecords

Show threadjudog24Dec 13, 2022
@will Do you think we will see the return of "Follow Fridays"? I can't tell if that trend on Twitter faded away because people stopped caring or because Twitter figured out methods of recommending content to users.
Show threadSiunDec 14, 2022
@judog24 @will There is #FollowFridays here along with other fun days. I always check Explore to see what day it is.
Show threadRebecca MDec 13, 2022
@will it's great because you can also follow them. I have a hashtag feed that's all handmade things and star trek and it's delightful.
Show threadAnthony PerrettDec 13, 2022
@will it’s also worth mentioning that you should capitalise the words in the hashtag to make it easier for partially sighted people’s screen readers to parse them eg #UseCapitals not #usecapitals.
Show threadNotNowOrLaterDec 17, 2022

@will

this site is hashtag driven, it is how you find content and people.

so if it is important to you, then you should definitely hashtag everything... the more hashtags the better. it ensure the greatest reach.

Show threadBroken TrolandDec 13, 2022

@will what I’ve noticed in my first couple weeks:

Give your images very good alt text descriptions. A lot of people won’t boost what you post if it has an image without alt text.

People seem about 50/50 on using content warning / spoiler headings as actual content warnings vs as a summary of the post content, but nobody on either side lectures the people on the other side that they’re internetting wrong.

Show threadMikkoDec 13, 2022

@brandonlivesin @will

Agreed. I have not come across any hateful lecturing here.

I like this place. One thing missing is the rest of the #StillUntitled team.

I miss that podcast almost as much as I miss George Carlin.

This is not FB or the birdsite and lets keep it that way.

Show threadTae KimDec 13, 2022
@will @rlegg I still star often to show the author I appreciated the post
Show threadRyan LeggDec 13, 2022
@firstadopter @will I do the same. Stars for posts I enjoyed. Boosts for posts I want to spread.
Show threadNachohaDec 13, 2022
@will Hmm, What does the star actually do then?
Show threadWill SmithDec 13, 2022
@nachoha It's just a nice way to say "Hey, I saw this and liked it" to the person who wrote the post.
Show threadGinger BellDec 17, 2022
@will thanks for the tips
Show threadAJHDec 17, 2022
@will By "boost" do you mean reblogging?
Show threadPetronisDec 18, 2022
@will what does the boost button look like?
Show threadWill SmithDec 18, 2022
@druskisa it’s different depending on the client or website you use. It looks like the RT icon on Twitter by default I believe. (A circle made up of two arrows pointing at each others tails)
Show threadJim JonesDec 13, 2022
@will Yep. This. Mastodon reminds me of my early Twitter days. I followed a lot of different types of people and engaged in more discussions. Now that is what I am doing here and it has been nice.
Show threadJim JonesDec 13, 2022
@will You can also just reply to other people's posts. Let them initiate the conversation and just engage with it. People like feeling like they are heard. It's nice and you'll meet cool people that way.
Show threadDream A Little  Dec 13, 2022
@will I wasn't on Twitter much but I did the same on FB
Show threadpokysharpyDec 13, 2022
@will Oh man, coffee Twitter... I need more of that in my life. Is James Hoffman on here yet?
Show threadJennoDec 13, 2022
@will @pokysharpy cofftodon ?
Show threadWill SmithDec 13, 2022
@pokysharpy I haven't found him, but if you do, please let me know!
Show threadAnders LanzénDec 13, 2022
@will this is what I've always done on twitter, even though nobody ever interacted with those tweets in the last few years. As opposed to shit posting. That generates huge interest. It's a very sad algo that reinforces arrogance, narcissistic superficiality, cynical doubts in humanity, and ultimately self and societal destruction. So it feels pretty good to leave..
Show threadSamDec 17, 2022
@will @lanzen Agreed, I’m hoping the decentralized nature of this place fosters more community and real conversation, and less of the shit posting
Show threadRyan LeggDec 13, 2022
@will wondering if people will care is a difficult hurdle as well - that’s always my struggle with this stuff
Show threadWill SmithDec 13, 2022
@rlegg They won't! That's OK. Be your weird self into whatever you are into, and eventually you'll find the one other person who is into the same stuff!
Show threadRyan LeggDec 13, 2022
@will true. There *is* an entire podcast about pens after all
Show threadAlexDec 13, 2022
@rlegg @will I assume there are many, I’m guessing you are talking about Pen Addict with Myke Hurley?
Show threadRyan LeggDec 13, 2022
@alx @will that’s the one. There’s always room for niche interests to be delved into to Will’s point
Show threadMathew KaneDec 13, 2022
@rlegg @alx @will There are multiple... I just recently got into #fountainpens this last year and have spent quite a bit of time listening to The Goulet Pencast.
Show threadSmerks1109Dec 13, 2022
@will @rlegg #hashtag seems to be important here too.
Show threadRyan LeggDec 13, 2022
@Smerks1109 absolutely. Far more important than the #birdsite since there isn’t an algorithm
Show threadDiggles B.Dec 17, 2022

@will @rlegg There is a feeling of “if I’m not cultivating a carefully planned and profitable persona, then I’m just wasting my time”.

Posting for posts’ sake seems like a relic of some previous age, but it also seems healthier? And more fun? And maybe it had always been around. Like, the journey is the destination, enjoy throwing content out into the void, until someone picks it up.

Show threadChopinsHeart ⚛️ Dec 17, 2022

@rlegg @will

It’s true. And don’t be afraid to say the things about your interests that might be important; Communication is community.

Allow others to know you.

Show threadHolly 🚀⚜️Dec 13, 2022
@will it’s like old Twitter. I like it but it’ll take me awhile to get used to doing that again. 😄
Show threadWill SmithDec 13, 2022
@absolutspacegrl That's it. I also eat out a lot less now, so they opportunity to post a cool sando is a little more rare.
Show threadGreg WhiteheadDec 13, 2022
@will also, boost things you like so that others will see them (favorites don’t make posts more visible)
Show threadStatmonkey 🙊Dec 13, 2022
@will Excellent advice .
Show threadDanetteb2Dec 13, 2022
@will also use #Hashtags
Show threadTsumami Dec 13, 2022
@will yeah but this is why mastodon is basically just millions of random accounts talking into a void with zero interaction with other people. “Keep posting!” doesn’t do much for people who don’t want to use this as an online journal.
Show threadWill SmithDec 13, 2022
@tsumami That's what you're supposed to use hashtags for. People actually use them here, not just brands.
Show threadSiunDec 14, 2022
@will @tsumami Gee, I don’t feel like its a void at all. I’ve been here just a short while but have had great conversations and discoveries. I think part of it is that we have to be our own algorithm - reading intros and saying hi, asking a question, etc. When Artemis 1 launched, I joined a whole bunch of folks cheering it on, shared news from Chinese protests & reactions to White Lotus - It reminds me of the joys of Usenet but without the command line. 😉
Show threadpokysharpyDec 13, 2022
@will Feels like remembering how to ride a bike instead of shitting on other people's bikes.
Show threadJennoDec 13, 2022
@will also hashtags are actually a thing here
Show threadWill SmithDec 13, 2022
@Jennorocks Oh yeah, I forget about that. I still feel kind of dirty when I use them.
Show thread3TANDec 13, 2022
@will thanks for this info. I’ll try my best
Show threadIan.BurnetteDec 13, 2022
@will And *boost* content you like. I follow several accounts just because they're out here boosting content that I also find interesting. Boosting is a huge part of how posts make their way from server to server.
Show threadEd RossDec 13, 2022

@will

@jamesthomson

For example, this thread

https://neurodifferent.me/@edaross/109505966227389835

Ed Ross (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 image And then I told #ChatGPT to add colour and a background along with a speech bubble with a message from itself

Neurodifferent Me
Show threadAdam WhaleyDec 13, 2022
@will Good take. For a lot of us Twitter became a consumption-only model, but building new communities requires new behaviors. And honestly, seeing what everyone is up to is what makes starting over fun.
Show threadWill SmithDec 13, 2022
@themop That's exactly where I'm at.
Show threadProgGrrlDec 13, 2022
@will Yup… This place is (refreshingly) a lot like early Twitter say 2006-12, where it was mostly just normal individuals saying whatever was going on and chatting. News and Entertainment folks weren’t on there yet and it was what we made it. Advertisers didn’t care back then.
Show threadSiunDec 14, 2022
@ProgGrrl @will Yep … and here, hopefully, we will let celebs etc know that they can just be normal folks here too … or we’ll ignore them since we’re having fun talking to each other.