Sad_EvaApr 29, 2023
Mr. V

Dear reporters, news people, etc.,

The reason you're not getting any reach on Masto is because you need to interact. You just come here, post your news article, and don't engage with the community.

You will never get reach if you don't interact with people. This is not Twitter. This is not Facebook. If you want this platform to work for you, you have to become a part of the community, not just shout at us and leave. Forget everything you learned in the walled corporate digital gardens.

Dec 5, 2022 at 5:26pmWeb
Show thread🧙‍♂️ Julian Invictus ☕Dec 5, 2022
@mrvapor I thought it would take a couple weeks for people to "get it", and as usual I was overly optimistic.
Show threadLaura KosloffDec 5, 2022
@Julian_Invictus @mrvapor My thoughts exactly. Some are quite new, for sure; people are still coming here. But some have been here a month -- not a long time, true, but long enough to have figured it out if they spent a few hours working on it.
Show threadMartin Vermeer FCDDec 5, 2022
@Julian_Invictus @mrvapor It's just like it was with my students. I taught them the same stuff year after year, and every year, they were just as ignorant when coming to my class 😏
Show threadTrekDec 6, 2022
@Julian_Invictus @mrvapor maybe with the ability to follow hashtags now more or less everywhere here, that will change as people find it easier to connect
Show threadKansas GrantDec 5, 2022
@mrvapor At least they will still interact with each other on Post. ;-)
Show threadCathie English, Ph.D.Dec 5, 2022
@KansasGrant @mrvapor I am still waiting to have access to Post. Uhhh, probably not going to be a presence there since it is clearly inferior.
Show threadDoctor😷G 🇵🇹🇺🇸Dec 5, 2022
@CathieEnglish @KansasGrant @mrvapor I got into Post very early - there's no there, there. It's anti-social media.
Show threadfungible thadius 🍥Dec 5, 2022
@KansasGrant @mrvapor
…effin Post 🙄
Show threadTC  Dec 5, 2022
@fungible_thadius @KansasGrant @mrvapor more like f*ck post. Hard pass.
Show threadCassandrichDec 5, 2022
@talia_christine @fungible_thadius @KansasGrant @mrvapor Fuck Post. https://hachyderm.io/@dalias/109461532211362481
Rich Felker (@[email protected])

@[email protected] @[email protected] Post has EXACTLY the same goal as Elon has with Twitter, just more tact about how to do it: Undoing the democratization of the flow of information and herding journalists into a bubble that billionaires control. Post is just making them feel like VIPs rather than bombarding them with nazis.

Hachyderm.io
Show threadMaymew 🏳️‍⚧️Dec 5, 2022
@dalias @talia_christine @fungible_thadius @KansasGrant @mrvapor After reading a bit, I somehow feel lucky to have been living under a rock for a while xD
Show threadPankhurst2Dec 5, 2022
@mrvapor
Journalists have a difficult line to walk between professional presenation and personal interactions. They need to be able to present their information and need our support whether they interact or not.
Show threadgbhnewsDec 5, 2022
@mrvapor agree. Mastodon is not Twitter (thank goodness).
Show threadBeegyPsiDec 5, 2022

@gbhnews @mrvapor

Mastodon is literally a direct replacement/competitor to Twitter.

Why would things be different here? And why on Earth do you need your news sources to "interact" with you before you take them seriously?

There are 8 billion people on the planet, news sources have to be ready to interact with each and every person?

Show threadBradAtlantaDec 5, 2022
@BeegyPsi @gbhnews @mrvapor I’m struggling with this bias as well. Writers write news. I read news. That’s the relationship.
Show threadCautionWIP 🎃+🇨🇦+🏳️‍🌈= Dec 5, 2022

@BeegyPsi @gbhnews @mrvapor

Mastadon is not a competitor to Twitter. It's an alternative. It was designed with different goals in mind than Twitter was, and as such, functions differently. On Twitter, you had an algorithm that boosted certain posts/users (like verified news orgs, for example) into people's timelines. Here, the only way you get people's eyes on you is to get them to follow you and for them to boost you to others that follow them. It's slower and more organic. Ie. different.

Show threadJeder  Dec 6, 2022

@BeegyPsi @gbhnews @mrvapor

Mastodon is literally a direct replacement/competitor to Twitter.lol, lmao

Show threadthe Stripey GoodnessDec 7, 2022
@gbhnews @mrvapor
GBH is doin' it right, FWIW.
Your daily posts are informative and interesting and fun, and you all answer questions and respond to commentary.
It doesn't hurt that you're my local station, either. ;)
Show threadwuffelDec 5, 2022
@mrvapor
True spoken words!
Show threadThommyDec 5, 2022
@mrvapor so many of them will synchronize and be shocked that people aren't following their confusing, impossible to follow threads here.
Show threadBubsDec 5, 2022

@mrvapor

Exactly this - I noticed a lot of creative types posting their work and thirsting for interaction but getting none as well because their posts are often times very self absorbed.

Things aren't algorithmic here. Likes aren't begatting more likes on the level it does on the birdsite. Interesting dialogue, however, leads to retooting and notable exposure a larger community and a better overall experience.

Talk with the community, not at the community.

Show threadCathie English, Ph.D.Dec 5, 2022
@multiverseofbadness @mrvapor Yes! I love this about #Mastodon
Show threadHOOKWORM RECORDSDec 5, 2022
@multiverseofbadness @mrvapor this is exactly why the learning curve matters. Getting back to my creative types wearing a million of their own hats example, just the management of social media takes hours (if you have a calendar, follow a schedule, etc etc) and so much of those platforms force so much removal of anything dripping of pathos you are almost trained to be a bot. A whole lot of thevartists we work with are managing their own FB, IG, Twit, TikTok, YouTube, etc etc etc. They are doing that after their full-time job and before their gig that week. A lot of it becomes about priorities, and then.... taking the time to learn each platform and deciding its value and your investment.
Show threadJose GarciaDec 5, 2022

@multiverseofbadness @mrvapor

I suspect the quality of their work could also improve once they change gears.

My #writing has gone up a notch in the month since I've moved to Masto. I can't put my finger on how or why but it's noticeable.

Show threadBubsDec 5, 2022

@Jollyspaniard @mrvapor

I'm not sure why but #Mastodon feels.. different; more like and old #BBS or #Usenet from back in the days

I have met a lot of people.on #Twitter but solely through #podcasting; not sure I've had more than a quick Giphy response from other person over there not podcast adjacent. Maybe that's a testament to be bring boring... 😂 But once I reached about 100+ follows / followers on #Masto I've felt oddly right and home and talkative

Show threadsiinDec 5, 2022

@Jollyspaniard @multiverseofbadness @mrvapor this feels so true! my work has definitely improved since getting off of Instagram for I think two reasons:
I don't constantly feel horrible about myself for not having followers, not having the most "aesthetic" feed, and for not being a brand
I spend overall less time on here

Plus speaking to people in a human way gets me excited about sharing things with them
Dunno if this is everyone's experience but it's a good thing

Show threadKatharsisdrillDec 5, 2022
@siin @Jollyspaniard @multiverseofbadness @mrvapor - I have been here for many years so I simply don't have anything to compare it to. I was 2 weeks on Twitter and had to leave, and with that all my dreams of expanding my audience beyond these villages). But it does give you some closer relationships with your readers. I have had people visit me here in Copenhagen from Canada, Norway, Sweden Germany, UK etc.
Show threadJose GarciaDec 6, 2022

@siin @multiverseofbadness @mrvapor

I'm not sure I can define it either. I'm more proactive and expressive here, less guarded and fearful. I'm also more proactive, not reactive. I also spend less time scrolling on masto than I did on Twitter.

I've also had some good craft discussions with other writers and game developers on mastodon that have helped me develop.

Show threadsiinDec 6, 2022
@Jollyspaniard @multiverseofbadness @mrvapor yes to all of this. It's very important to have these collaborative communities. Personally, I know they need to exist face to face, but I see no reason why we can't enjoy them online as well. Especially since there are people from all over here, with varied perspectives and ways of doing things we can share
Show threadCathie English, Ph.D.Dec 5, 2022
@mrvapor Thank you for the reminder. This is such a great community. I’m slowly getting the hang of it. This is so much better than the toxic bird site! #MastodonRules
Show threadBrian SharwoodDec 5, 2022
@mrvapor in contrast, when I go Post News all I see is reporter posts. Never real people. It’s one reason I keep coming back here.
Show threadPippi & ObiJuan PupsDec 5, 2022
@Bsharwood @mrvapor there is only one person from Twitter I would? Will? Join Post for when my number comes up in the backlog. A copy editor/author, he fits there. That's it, though.
Show threadThe Duality of XanDec 5, 2022
@mrvapor Ironically, this has always been true of twitter too. I think the real reason why some people are unhappy is that they don't have a pre-made audience.
Show threadShield MaidenDec 5, 2022
@mrvapor Ohhhh SUCH a perfect post!
Show threadDr. D. Elisabeth GlasscoDec 5, 2022
@mrvapor I agree and it remains to be seen if they will ever get this. This is one of the reasons why some journalists are having such a difficult time untangling themselves from Twitter. That site acted like a megaphone and communication tool amongst elites, not a true form of public engagement.
Show threadJay 🆘Dec 5, 2022

@mrvapor @jeffjarvis I fundamentally disagree with this. The reason is that there just aren't a lot of "news junkies" on Mastodon to interact with them. That's it. Mastodon users are more focused on the latest Arch distro, anarchism, and pixel art.

"This is not Twitter and this is not Facebook" is just an observation about the current demographic of the Fediverse, not about any intrinsic difference between the mechanisms of interaction.

Show threadPippi & ObiJuan PupsDec 5, 2022
@jsit @mrvapor @jeffjarvis I disagree; I am personally not interested in any of those examples. I certainly do not expect, nor want, anything birdlike in terms of one-sided verbal discharge, but I do appreciate news - world news- and other current-focused info.
Show threadJohn BarrieDec 5, 2022
@mrvapor Me, thinking of that one guy who goes viral on Twitter pretty much every day for asking basic music fan questions but never replies to anyone who chimes in on the Tweets.
Show threadoiyouyeahyouDec 5, 2022
@mrvapor so why is interaction necessary? Is it because of the culture, or is there a structural reason behind it?
Show threadPippi & ObiJuan PupsDec 5, 2022
@mrvapor hear hear!!
Show threadAnimal Cognition Project 🇨🇦Dec 5, 2022
@mrvapor yes one of the things I like best here is that it is so much easier to talk to people.... Twitter seemed to encourage a stand-offish approach for some reason in many minds.
Show threadIan JohansonDec 5, 2022
@mrvapor
Speaking for myself, and not to discount the original point, I appreciate basic posts of news articles. I would be disappointed if journalists stopped doing that because they felt it was unwelcome.
Show threadEva Libuše Debora PavlíkováDec 5, 2022
@mrvapor true and so funny in the same time!
Show threadJos Schuurmans (EN)Dec 5, 2022
#journalism
Show threadStefanie Jane 🌠Dec 5, 2022
@mrvapor This place is 100% what we make it! It's harder to lurk here, at least if you want things to be interesting
Show threadKealaKayDec 5, 2022
@mrvapor
Let's look at the numbers.
237 million daily active users (41.5 million in US) on Twitter and a little more than 8 million total unique users in the Fediverse.
The reach here is simple on a different scale. Interaction makes little difference.
Show threadRachel MariaDec 5, 2022
@mrvapor The Press have a big problem with interaction. While Stephanie Rhule does interact, Joy Reid does not (unless you’re famous), and Maddow never.
Of large non Press accounts Malcolm Nance, Sandi Bachom, José Andres all interact regularly - Judas even Mark Hamill interacts with people. It’s not entirely the Press’s fault as Jack Dorsey did little to stop bots & elmo let’s them swarm.
Show threadJulianDec 5, 2022
@mrvapor not sure I agree. Think it’s okay to have both. I like these platforms alfor news and special interests. But I would not normally interact with news for privacy concerns.
Show threadZorro Notorious MEB 😡Dec 5, 2022
@mrvapor That was true in the early days of Twitter as well ... before Oprah joined and other celebrities followed.
Show threadBeegyPsiDec 5, 2022

@mrvapor

Strong disagree.

Mastodon needs news and current events more than they need Mastodon.

And in all the replies I've made in Twitter, I don't recall any interaction coming from replies by the OP when OP was a major news agency. That wasn't a hindrance to adoption there, and it shouldn't be here.

Show threadCheryl KassonDec 5, 2022
@mrvapor Hear hear! To those who are saying that Mastodon will never attract the mass of people who are on Twitter, I say, "Good!" Mastodon is more my kind of platform because it is not such a centralized corporate space.
Show threadFuturist Jim CarrollDec 5, 2022

@mrvapor

I totally agree with that. This is a different type of place, a different type of culture. I've never felt more alive on a social network than when I arrived here eons, like forever ago (checks watch...2 weeks ago!)

Show threadDemocracyMatters Dec 5, 2022
@mrvapor Amen!
Show threadCeltCastDec 5, 2022
@mrvapor 
Show threadKris Kosach 😏Dec 5, 2022
@mrvapor I agree … to an extent. I have 2 mastodon accounts and one is on the all-reaching journa.host. I do engage on both and arguably I even do so more there but it’s on this account I get on more people’s radar. It’s weird really. I think it’s a difference if servers and their popular time zones.
Show threadLee FifeDec 5, 2022

@mrvapor and especially don't just post to twitter and then leave a pointer here thinking we're gonna go to twitter to read what you have.

Might as well just point to my secret notes that I keep in the garbage bin. I might even get more engagement on those secret note posts ...

Show threadMark SteinDec 5, 2022
@mrvapor Here for this criticism.
Show threadAcorn ParkDec 5, 2022

@mrvapor WHAT?!? jk

What you advise worked on the bird site as well. It’s always better to interact!

Show threadRichard HullDec 5, 2022
@mrvapor Excellent, thank you, and you have sparked a really interesting and important discussion