Michele FenzlDec 19, 2022
Seema Jayachandran 

Advice for new folks: Complete your profile info -- at least your name, ideally some bio info and avatar -- before you import your contacts to start following people on here.

The notification a person gets when you follow them is the salient moment to be followed back. But I'm getting notifications of new followers where I just see a handle I don't recognize and the default elephant. I'm sure some of those are people I know and would follow back if I realized who they were.

Dec 19, 2022 at 4:10pmWeb
Show threadScott M. Dec 19, 2022
@seema_econ ya, I went out of my way to use my same avatar photo, background and name so people would be more likely to recognize me
Show threadecongirlDec 19, 2022
@seema_econ +1
Show threadDan PhifferDec 19, 2022
@seema_econ tbh this should be a nudge the software offers when you try to import followers
Show threadRairiiDec 19, 2022
@seema_econ you might want to check on the remote server if applicable too, sometimes a new user's avatar doesn't get cached on your server straight away
Show threadDavid Ubilava Dec 20, 2022
@seema_econ This is a very valuable post. It is also a very promising one -- it has 134 boosts and 158 favorites after 9 hours. That constitutes "viral" in my books. A feature that has been seemingly missing on this site. Which is just the function of users, of course. Things are trending in the right direction!
Show threadSeema Jayachandran Dec 20, 2022

@DavidUbilava I was also struck by how much boosting this got compared to anything else I posted -- I should have snuck in a plug for my research at the end of it! 😅

I wonder if it's because it's a tip about Mastodon so relevant to every instance/user. I am on Post, and my 2 most "viral" posts over there were helpful tips for using the site...

Show threadDavid Ubilava Dec 20, 2022
@seema_econ Yes, I think content matters. Which is great. Stuff that matters gets "promoted."
Show threadSilverVale👩‍🦳🌍Dec 20, 2022
@seema_econ thank you for your suggestion. However, personally, I decided to get rid of my previous followers/followed (with few exceptions) and start fresh on Mastodon. By the way, I've been in "that place" yesterday after 1 month I left, and there's hate and bullying everywhere. It's scary how much the "owner-lifestyle" (and words and actions) can influence ppl attitude. Food for thoughts. For ppl who think.