Mastodawn

Justin Jan 7, 2023

Pro-Tip: Migrating servers doesn't *have* to mean losing ALL your history ✨ it's not complex✨

- Set up a new account on your new server
- Follow your old account
- BOOKMARK your best old account posts (say 20-30)
- Perform the standard migration process, which links old and new accounts
- BOOST your OWN old bookmarked posts from old-to-new, giving you a starting timeline, then your #Introduction

Sharing as I did this back in early November when I moved 💫 and found it useful #TwitterMigration

potion_nonbinary

@Natasha_Jay Thanks for this! Bookmarking it in case I ever want to move… but I am pretty happy here so far.

Joanne Stocker-Kelly Jan 6, 2023

@Natasha_Jay Would that not annoy a bunch of people?

David Brent 📚Jan 6, 2023

@Natasha_Jay I did something similar (I skipped the bookmarking step) when I changed servers a few weeks ago, and I'm hardly a pro. 😉

oortville Jan 6, 2023

@Natasha_Jay I tried this, but I wonder if I did something wrong. When I migrated accounts to the new instance, all my migrated followers got all the re-boosted posts (which I am sure felt spammy). I boosted on the new instance before I migrated the followers, but maybe the server did the operations out of order.

Tom Delargy Jan 6, 2023

@Natasha_Jay Some of this is useful information. However, over a couple of months I've already posted almost 4,000 times. Not sure if that includes Boosts. But what if a high percentage of what I posted on this account I want to be seen by those on the new account? Switching servers when you've only posted a handful of times may be okay. But not if you are dealing with 4,000 posts. When you've done that, aren't you locked in to the server you started with?

Elisheva Meira ✡︎ 🌈Jan 7, 2023

@TomDelargy @Natasha_Jay
4000 posts is a lot to go through. Might it work to include a link to the old account in bio with an "older posts found here" kind of note instead?
Just thinking out loud in case it helps or sparks a better idea.

Tom Delargy Jan 7, 2023

@emmaaum @Natasha_Jay Boosted your suggestion as it might solve many problems. Unfortunately, when I click the link at the bottom of the page to get more info about their last account on a different instance I'm usually lucky to find a couple of toots, a couple of followers and a couple of followees. I can't believe all these people are switching from a server and don't do anything on their new one nor did on their previous one. Something must be going wrong.

sean 🌒Jan 6, 2023

@Natasha_Jay Well damn... Wish I had known this last month.

T. T. Perry Jan 6, 2023

Hey that's pretty smart!

fulanigirl has moved Jan 6, 2023

@Natasha_Jay great tip. Thanks

Scot Hacker Jan 6, 2023

@Natasha_Jay As a workaround, it's creative. But I'd really love to see a good explanation for *why* posts aren't migrated in a so-called "migration." I've heard there is some technical challenge that's not easy to solve, but what is it?

Nemo_bis 🌈Jan 7, 2023

@shacker See the #Mastodon issue tracker https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/issues/19902 @Natasha_Jay

Support post migration for already-known posts and media · Issue #19902 · mastodon/mastodon

Pitch When migrating an account to a new instance, the user should have the possibility to also migrate their own posts with their media. Because this presents all sorts of issues, such a feature s...

GitHub

Scot Hacker Jan 7, 2023

@nemobis @Natasha_Jay Excellent read, thanks. Much more complicated than I’d imagined.

william.maggos Jan 6, 2023

can't you boost the old posts before linking the accounts so they won't show up in people's timelines (and possibly annoy them)? my only question is if the old account dies (the server goes away), what happens to the boosts?

Tero Keski-Valkama Jan 7, 2023

@Natasha_Jay, should probably boost the history before migrating followers to not spam their timelines with old posts.

Douglas Phillips Books Jan 7, 2023

@Natasha_Jay good to know, but yes, that's complex.

Peter Butler Jan 7, 2023

@Natasha_Jay Fantastic idea. I was wondering if that would work, but I see no reason why it wouldn’t.

Sci-Fi Girl Jan 7, 2023

@Natasha_Jay @smartwatermelon

This sounds like great advice! I will be sure to share it! 😎

#FediTips #MastodonTips #Mastodon #MastodonMigration #TwitterMigration #Toots #NewHere #HowToMast

show 🌹Jan 7, 2023

Don’t boosted boots disappear after you then delete your old account?

DenBoschPolitiek Jan 7, 2023

@Natasha_Jay
Unless the server you were on goes offline.
For that reason it would be nice if you still could move your toots and not only your followers.

John Lusk Jan 7, 2023

@Natasha_Jay
Wouldn't those posts disappear if your old admin deletes your old account?

Scott Knowles Jan 7, 2023

@Natasha_Jay Why hasn't Mastodon created a migration tool for this? Why isn't there a tool in the app or Website you type in your current name and server! and type in new name (even the same) and server. Then the tool moves everything to new sever and deletes the old one after you verify it's complete, correct and done. If they want more users and some will change server, it's seems overdue.

Fitx0 Jan 8, 2023

@Natasha_Jay but that will leave your old account active and able to be followed still, am I right?

Becka Berhanu Jan 9, 2023

@Natasha_Jay great idea. Bookmarking this!

Joel de Bruijn Jan 9, 2023

@Natasha_Jay
Is it possible to migrate from a Mastodon to an Akkoma or Pleroma instance this way?
Because its API(?) triggered I was thinking if other platforms dont support the API it would be impossible ?

Chris is.Jan 9, 2023

@Natasha_Jay Bold of you to assume I HAVE best posts!

Blewkow Jan 9, 2023

@Natasha_Jay thanks!

@Natasha_Jay Also I like to make my first post on a new account just a link back to my old page so people reading my history can follow the link back to see the rest of my post history

@Natasha_Jay that sounds awful

Aswath Rao Jan 9, 2023

@Natasha_Jay I wonder whether this is an executive decision or are there technical reasons for this limitation. I am not able to think of one. After all a server can pull the post and followup comments by the old instance (in case the cache has been cleared) from the corresponding original instances; so the old instance can pass on the req data to the new instance.

[MOVED to chitter.xyz] Okesska Jan 9, 2023

@Natasha_Jay so you cant just transfer posts to the new account?

Abid Nevesinjac Jan 10, 2023

Also easy #video #tutorial https://bihlink.com/watch/?v=BpI-SplOXVE

How To Easily Migrate your Mastodon Account to Another Server without losing your Followers - BiH Link

You have Signed up to Mastodon, but after using it for a bit and understanding it better, you have chosen to make the switch to another server as your main one. How do you migrate your profile without losing any followers? How do you get those with the old profile link to find your new account? This guide walks you through that step by step. 😁👌 Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/paul-yudin/summer-bumble

BiH Link

Robspodcastmug Jan 28, 2023

@Natasha_Jay THIS is the root I needed. I do love the folks here at home.social but to be part of tenforward or another trek instance is me.

Robspodcastmug Jan 28, 2023

@Natasha_Jay do you leave the old account active or delete it? What’s the best thing to do at that point?

Robspodcastmug Jan 28, 2023

@Natasha_Jay thanks again for this tip. Going to be very helpful as I look at switching instances.

Giselle's very old account Jan 31, 2023

@Natasha_Jay
This toot looks very useful thank you!

@alexandra you might be looking for this kind of advice?

Truth Or Consequences ✅ 🇺🇦Feb 5, 2023

@Natasha_Jay I joined another server, as back-up, when mastodon.social was having an apparent DDOS attack.

Taina Feb 9, 2023

@Natasha_Jay Oh thank you! You have literally saved my already spent spoons for this operation.

The Life of Brian Feb 9, 2023

@Natasha_Jay Why would someone move to a new server? Serious question. Is it to meet new people? To get a larger audience? I joined this server because it an instant 'in' to Mastodon. I'm happy with how things are going but I kind of wonder what I might be missing.

Plumy Feb 10, 2023

@Natasha_Jay Ok but if the old account get deleted for Inactivity then we lose it all, correct ?

Ursidinoj/The Bjornsdottirs Feb 10, 2023

@Natasha_Jay This only works if the OG server is staying up.

Michael Downey 🧢Feb 10, 2023

@Natasha_Jay Also don't forget about

https://github.com/kensanata/mastodon-archive

GitHub - kensanata/mastodon-archive: Archive your statuses, favorites and media using the Mastodon API (i.e. login required)

Archive your statuses, favorites and media using the Mastodon API (i.e. login required) - kensanata/mastodon-archive

GitHub

DNA schedule Feb 10, 2023

@Natasha_Jay there should be a migration app to make this into a first-class workflow. A lot of people say "don't stress, you can just move your account!" but then people find out that's not trivial and stress anyway.

Dawn Tåke 🌙

@Natasha_Jay
I've been doing this but have run into the lovely wrinkle that this server isn't showing boosts. Someone else I follow here mentioned it too, so it's not just me. Its great. >.>

Uli Kusterer (Not a kitteh)Feb 25, 2023

@Natasha_Jay Does that work if the old instance closes down? AIUI those boosted posts become unavailable when that happens, no?

Ben Feb 26, 2023

@Natasha_Jay Does that mean that if I delete a post someone has boosted, the “boost” is still visible?

Adam Lipkin Feb 27, 2023

@Natasha_Jay This is fantastic and I wish I'd seen it a week ago. Bookmarking it for next time (which I hope never happens).

Melissa BearTrix 🏳️‍⚧️Mar 16, 2024

What if I have 44k of favourite toots ... Giggles

Hugz & xXx