Tracy HallFeb 22, 2023

@notjustbikes

Lists. Use lists. Separate the high-volume from the interest.

Be your own algorithm.

Show threadNeatNitFeb 22, 2023

@video_manager I sorted (some of) my followed accounts into lists. After doing that I basically never opened the lists again - they are so inconvenient and out of the way it's almost insulting.

To make it worse, lists don't work retroactively -- i.e. if I make a new list now called "People who don't spam" and add some of my followed accounts to it, the list would still be empty - I have to wait until they post something new. So I can't easily judge whether the list is what I want it to be.

Show threadTracy HallFeb 22, 2023

@neatnit

"out of the way" - unless you pin them in the Advanced Web Interface (or equivalent)

Show threadNeatNitFeb 22, 2023
@video_manager Honestly the lack of instant feedback for the list's resulting "vibe" is the bigger concern to me.
Show threadTracy HallFeb 22, 2023

@neatnit

You didn't have instant feedback the day you started. You didn't have everything the day you started Twitter, either.

Show threadNeatNit
@video_manager What? I genuinely don't understand what you tried to say here.
Feb 22, 2023 at 9:27pmWeb
Show threadTracy HallFeb 22, 2023

@neatnit

Expecting a new experience to instantly have the feel of something you've used for any length of time is an unreasonable expectation. You don't start using ANYTHING - Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, AOL, UseNet- with the final experience. Why demand Fediverse/Mastodon instantly create your experience for you?

Show threadNeatNitFeb 22, 2023
@video_manager You misunderstood, or perhaps I didn't explain myself properly. I am talking about how a list I make today won't show me what it would have looked like today if I had made it a month ago. It doesn't work as a filter to the home feed. And that really dissuades me from using that feature.
Show threadTracy HallFeb 22, 2023

@neatnit

No it *doesn't* filter the home feed. So? Create one list with the stuff you want to "just see flow", another you want to focus on, and turn OFF (unpin) the home feed. Voila! Filtered.

Show threadNeatNitFeb 22, 2023
@video_manager try this right now - make a NEW list, add 3 or 4 of your followed accounts to it, and see what you get - a big fat nothing.
Show threadTracy HallFeb 22, 2023

@neatnit

How full was your home feed 30 seconds after you joined Mastodon?

Show threadNeatNitFeb 22, 2023
@video_manager wow this is like talking to a wall
Show threadTracy HallFeb 22, 2023

@neatnit

So you're saying your home feed showed you a long list of toots for you to evaluate the instant you joined Mastodon?

Show threadNeatNitFeb 22, 2023
@video_manager I'm going to sleep. If you want to know what I mean I suggest you actually read what I wrote above. Every word - there weren't many.
Show threadTracy HallFeb 22, 2023

@neatnit

At no point whatever have I said otherwise.

So What?

Wait. Let it get populated. You put accounts on that list for a reason. I have to assume you had a *reason* to do so, and an *expectation* of what the results would be. Do you somehow doubt your own choices?

As analogy, a new mastodon account won't have anything in their home timeline until they follow accounts - i.e. add accounts to a *LIST* - the following list - AND new toots come in.

How is this different in any way?

Show threadTracy HallFeb 22, 2023

@neatnit

Also, your home feed the first day you started didn't look like your home feed now. Did you abandon Mastodon the first day because of it?

Show threadNeatNitFeb 22, 2023
@video_manager I don't know how else to phrase it but you haven't understood what I'm talking about. Maybe we should try looking at this again tomorrow.
Show threadBryan HanselFeb 23, 2023
@video_manager @neatnit my understanding is that when you add someone to a list, their old toots don't show up in it. Only the toots that they make after they are added to the list show up in the list. The downside to that is that if you want to see what the list will look like, you can't until the people in the list make new toots. The ideal situation would be if lists pulled in old toots, so you could see what the list will look like and remove people that don't fit in it.
Show threadTracy HallFeb 23, 2023

@bryanhansel @neatnit

You ***choose*** who to put on a list. You ***already*** have expectations of what the list will contain. You don't trust your own ***choices***?

Show threadBryan HanselFeb 23, 2023
@video_manager @neatnit because you don't see ***every*** toot all the ***time***, you won't know if your ***choices*** are what you ***want*** until it is ***populated***.