Brian SniffenApr 10, 2023
Gwen Snyder is uncivil

I know I'm a broken record on this, but I so wish Mastodon had a simple mechanism similar to quote-retweeting.

For me a lot of the fun of Twitter is using someone else's thought as a jumping point for starting a conversation with mutuals/followers.

Direct-replying is great if you want to join a conversation in someone else's community, but that's not always what I want to do.

Apr 10, 2023 at 6:07pmWeb
Show threadGwen Snyder is uncivilApr 10, 2023

I remember Twitter when quote retweets were manual, and I felt like I had to really force myself to scan headlines for something to talk about and then bring that to Twitter if I wanted a presence there.

I did it, bc I wanted to use Twitter for my organizing, but it was so unfun.

Show threadGwen Snyder is uncivilApr 10, 2023

What really got me to the point of *enjoying* Twitter was the back-and-forth that quote-retweets allowed.

It lets you very easily reply in a way that ropes your own community into the conversation without cutting off the OP or appearing to plagiarize them.

Show threadGwen Snyder is uncivilApr 10, 2023

So now I have "post to mastodon" on my weekday daily to do list, but it still feels like a chore.

Part of it is that I haven't built a ton of community here yet.

But part of it is also that I think the lack of this functionality makes that community-building process less intuitive and more difficult.

Show threadGwen Snyder is uncivilApr 10, 2023

And I know I'm going to get a lot of "love it or leave it" comments, this stuff always does.

But I say it *because* I want Mastodon to succeed. I really want this to be The Next Place after Twitter.

We so desperately need a popular public digital forum that isn't corporate-run or hate-riddled.

Show threadValeriaApr 10, 2023
@gwensnyder there are fediverse options that have quote posts - misskey for example
Show threadAlan TwigzApr 11, 2023
@qch3n @gwensnyder I've heard about this but I'm not fully sure how it works - if you quote a post on Misskey, how do your Mastodon followers see the post? Does it post a link they have to follow to see the original or break the thread somehow?
Show threadValeriaApr 11, 2023
@Quisley @gwensnyder yeah basically it renders in mastodon as RE: (Link)
Show threadAlan TwigzApr 11, 2023
@qch3n @gwensnyder Better than nothing, I suppose.
Show threadStephApr 10, 2023
@gwensnyder i hope it gets there too. twitter’s decline has been sharp and mastodon’s trajectory is steadily inclining so *fingers crossed*
Show threadSeaGoatGirlApr 10, 2023

@gwensnyder I am with you re quote tweets. They make it so much easier to respond, share info etc while still showing the original post.

For better or for worse, #Mastodon is the #Fediverse option that most of us non-tech #Twitter migrants are using. Can we please have QTs here, instead of having to jump to other places like misskey?

I hear that some servers allow QTs & more characters but I'm not sure how to find them, & don't really love the idea of changing servers right now either

Show threadNick 'The Viking'Apr 10, 2023

@gwensnyder

"We so desperately need a popular public digital forum that isn't corporate-run or hate-riddled."

It's here, it's right here.

"It lets you very easily reply in a way that ropes your own community into the conversation without cutting off the OP or appearing to plagiarize them."

Pretty sure I've just done that twice.

Show threadJason BrownApr 10, 2023

@nlarson830 @gwensnyder

I don't think you're deliberately obscuring the pionts made, but you've missed them so completely the difference is hard to tell.

And the commonplace of kind of "well actually" is still the reason I find it hard to use and recommend Mastodon.

Show threadNick 'The Viking'Apr 10, 2023

@zota @gwensnyder

Gwen's stats, and My stats.

We've been here *within hours* of the same amount of time, and follow roughly the same amount of people.

I've got a full time job, at which I'm not posting here. Gwen's a writer and an activist with 33X the followers.

I literally struggle to keep up with my home feed. This place is what you make of it.

What is it that I'm not seeing?

Show threadJason BrownApr 10, 2023
@nlarson830 I'm genuinely confused about the point you're trying to make here and what it has to do with quote-post functionality. But it seems to be a self-referential example of replying without reading what you replied to?
Show threadNick 'The Viking'Apr 10, 2023

@zota
I've read every post in this thread, AFAIK.

My summary:

Gwen says:

"....I wanted a presence there.
I did it, bc I wanted to use Twitter for my organizing, but it was so unfun."

"It lets you very easily reply in a way that ropes your own community...."

" .... but it still feels like a chore."

"Part of it is that I haven't built a ton of community here yet."

Unless I'm completely misunderstanding, Gwen wants the work to be fun and really low effort even after *not* putting in much effort to engage a sizable number of followers. Honestly 4.4 posts per day will get you nowhere even if you've got quote toots *and* 8.7k followers.

Show threadJason BrownApr 10, 2023

@nlarson830 yes, you've completely misunderstood.

But if you feel that averaging 100 posts a day is the way to use this tool, it's probably best that I disengage now.

Show threadNick 'The Viking'Apr 10, 2023

@zota

Fair enough.

Show threadJohn (he/him) Apr 10, 2023
@gwensnyder Absolutely! I know it’s technically on the roadmap, but I was hoping it’d get implemented faster than it has been.
Show threadWhat A GuyApr 11, 2023
@gwensnyder I agree! It seems like a no-brainer to me, but Mastodon doesn't seem to want it.
Show thread8Apr 11, 2023
@gwensnyder as I understand it the succinct objection to a quotes feature is that people will use it to be uncivil
Show threadj robinson ☕️ &🍸Apr 10, 2023
@gwensnyder
i agree that the platform needs help. i appreciate that you put in the work and do the chore because i value what you have to say. So, thank you.
Show threadGwen Snyder is uncivilApr 10, 2023
@ratwerks that means a whole lot coming from you, friend ❤️🖤
Show threadAlper Çuğun-GscheidelApr 10, 2023
@gwensnyder I agree that finding and building community is very difficult here but I think the lack of quoting is really a tiny part of what is a very large puzzle with lots of missing pieces. (And it seems like not that much is happening which is what really worries me.)
Show threadDr. Emma L Briant🐕🇬🇧in🇦🇺Apr 10, 2023
@gwensnyder oh me toooooo… it’s a bit of a slog but I really want it to become good. I am not sure it will.
Show threadBlueDot🇺🇦Apr 10, 2023

@emmalbriant @gwensnyder
The alternative that I've heard is to reply to the toot, and then boost your reply. If I understand it correctly (I'm new here and might NOT understand), your followers then see your reply and the toot you're replying to.

What would quote-tooting add?

Show threadC. L. PolkApr 10, 2023
@gwensnyder @BlueDot @emmalbriant being able to present a take when you want to cite where it came from.
Show threadOblomovApr 10, 2023
@BlueDot @emmalbriant @gwensnyder
You can also copy the link to the post and paste in fresh toot adding your own commentary, if you really want to do the “sideband comment” thing —which BTW is exactly the same thing that Twitter does behind the scenes in a QT. Yes, there isn't a button to do this specifically: such a marginal amount of friction helps prevent low-effort abuse without really hindering legitimate uses.
Show threadDr. Emma L Briant🐕🇬🇧in🇦🇺Apr 10, 2023
@oblomov @BlueDot @gwensnyder look I know you can paste a link. That is not the same as quite tweeting/tooting.
Show threadOblomovApr 10, 2023

@emmalbriant @BlueDot @gwensnyder

Would you be satisfied with the link copy-paste mechanism if the card/preview was turned into a nested view of the linked toot instead of the current hundreds-character preview?

Show threadEyalLApr 10, 2023
@oblomov @emmalbriant @BlueDot @gwensnyder the quoted person needs to be auto mentioned too
Show threadOblomovApr 10, 2023

@EyalL @emmalbriant @BlueDot @gwensnyder

Whether that would be better or worse is somewhat up to debate. There are paths to abuse either way.

Show threadEyalLApr 10, 2023

@oblomov @emmalbriant @BlueDot @gwensnyder

You can always screenshot to abuse lack of mention

Best if people knew how they were quoted in good faith, so they can choose to participate in the new conversations

Show threadOblomovApr 10, 2023
@EyalL @emmalbriant @BlueDot @gwensnyder
Mastodon would need to provide better fine-grained controls on threads you get mentioned in.
Show threadOblomovApr 10, 2023

@EyalL @emmalbriant @BlueDot @gwensnyder

(see also this serendipitously relevant thread by @atomicpoet: <https://mastodon.social/@atomicpoet/110176236501224367>)

Show threadDr. Emma L Briant🐕🇬🇧in🇦🇺Apr 10, 2023
@oblomov @EyalL @BlueDot @gwensnyder @atomicpoet another annoying feature - I click on it and it takes me to the post in another tab, not logged in, so I can't share it.
Show threadOblomovApr 11, 2023
@emmalbriant @EyalL @BlueDot @gwensnyder @atomicpoet agreed on that too, having to drag the link to the search bar is unnecessarily annoying. Luckily some apps like Tusky handle this correctly, checking if the link is to an ActivityPub resource and importing it in the instance if possible. Hopefully the web app will gain this functionality too.
Show threadDr. Emma L Briant🐕🇬🇧in🇦🇺Apr 10, 2023
@oblomov @BlueDot @gwensnyder yes that would be better
Show threadmvarioApr 10, 2023
@gwensnyder Yeah, I don't get it, a lot of the Mastodon power-that-be want people to come here from Twitter, but they don't want people do do what they did on Twitter. They want to replace Twitter without replacing Twitter. And it's why so many folks who did leave Twitter went back, or went somewhere else.
Show threadTim RichardsApr 11, 2023
@gwensnyder I think you do need to follow a lot more people to get a lively timeline, as they're basically the algorithm.
Show threadLaurie KretchmarApr 11, 2023
@gwensnyder Hi Gwen, I hear ya. Here's something to celebrate - you have 9.4K followers on Mastodon!
Show threadamy tech (bones)Apr 10, 2023
@gwensnyder yeah, it'd be nice if the defacto flagship product of the fediverse supported them. Though, bearing in mind that I'm not saying you should do change anything about what works for you, but other fediverse things support and have always supported QT like functionality. QTs don't render terribly nicely in Mastodon (sorta like really old school QTs on twitter) but they do show up.
Show threadD2Apr 10, 2023
@gwensnyder ‘ropes your own community’? Seems more Influencer vs. a broader conversation.
Show threadC. L. PolkApr 10, 2023
@gwensnyder @cascheranno not for me. I’m not influencing when I QT, I’m opening conversation at the water cooler. I have colleagues here, not customers.
Show threadJen Roth ⚾ 👟Apr 13, 2023
@cascheranno Maybe think of it more as "loops in?" It can bring more people into the conversation.
Show threadKee HinckleyApr 10, 2023

@gwensnyder I don’t have a good handle on what clients are available on Android. A number of the iOS ones support quote posts. There may be some Android clients that do as well.

Eventually it’s going to be standard across them all.

Show threadAnneTheWriterApr 10, 2023

@gwensnyder
I know some folks on Mastodon have said they don't want #QuoteTweets because they saw it sometimes used for bullying. But I rather enjoyed it because it helped me to highlight someone else's comment (giving them credit when doing so) and to really help draw traffic to someone else's account. It was also great for RT-ing #threads , where nothing in the original tweet indicated it was a thread at all.

In theory, copying a link to a toot here has a similar function, but I don't think it has the same effect. You don't see the entire #QT'd toot displayed clearly under the other one.

In my Mastodon app, clicking on the link to a "QT'd" toot takes me out of my app and into a browser. It's actually rather annoying.

I have also taken a screenshot of a toot and QT'd it that way, but this method loses the connection to the original account, and then that account also misses out on traffic coming to their feed.

Show threadArp Laszlo • Comics • ADHDApr 10, 2023
@gwensnyder I have no idea how complex the coding would be but it feels reasonable if QTs were something individuals could opt in to - ideally with an option to limit whether it's limited to followers or not. I'm sure someone would be unhappy with that solution but it would work for most, no?
Show threadbeetlejuice's ghoulish wifeApr 11, 2023
@gwensnyder this is EXACTLY it! I really hate that discussions about quote-tweeting always take it as read that the only use is dunking on people when I exclusively want to use it for either jumping off on a conversation or, often, integrating replies from other people into my thread
Show threadCindyGApr 11, 2023
@mark @gwensnyder
Show threadCindyGApr 11, 2023
@gwensnyder
So much this!
Show threadindyradioApr 10, 2023
@gwensnyder we do what's needed.
Too bad those folks who used to have to wait for the tubes in the radio to warm up before they could hear the Fireside Chat aren't around to laugh at this.
I remember while I was in HS, telling my parents that TV would be interactive, and mounted flat on the wall.

It is far easier to get these technological changes than the kind of changes we want and need.
Show threadChristopherApr 10, 2023
@gwensnyder I honestly remain surprised that more people haven't rolled out Hometown servers. Hometown is based on Mastodon, can use the Mastodon UI, and has quote-posts (and local-only posts).

I guess Mastodon has just totally monopolized the mindspace.
Show threadepwApr 10, 2023

@gwensnyder I hadn't seen it phrased like that, replies versus QTs and which community they address. That makes a lot of sense!

(Last I heard QTs were on the roadmap for Mastodon but I don't have a sense if or when they'll actually happen)

Show threadFemale-presenting nipplesApr 10, 2023
@gwensnyder How about literally just saying "I saw [@ handle] saying [quote] and it gave me some thoughts: Here are those thoughts
Show threadSarahApr 10, 2023
@gwensnyder quote posting do exist in some apps. I’m sure Ice Cubes and this essentially how it’s done
Show threadPhil SherryApr 11, 2023
@SarahOestreich @gwensnyder Different apps all have different qualities. People should try them all for a while, see what they get.
Show threadToni WidmoApr 11, 2023
@SarahOestreich @gwensnyder I use a Calckey instance, which can also do them. They look like this: