FediTips has moved!Jul 11, 2023

There are lots of interesting group accounts you can follow on here, they work like this:

1. Follow a group's account to see discussion of its topic
2. @ the account if you want to post to the group
3. The account boosts anything @-ed to it, be careful when you @ them so that you don't spam the group (spammers tend to be reported and blocked)

More info, incl. how to create groups, at:

➡️ https://fedi.tips/how-to-use-groups-on-the-fediverse/

I've listed some active and friendly groups at:

➡️ https://fedi.directory/tag/fediverse-groups/

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How to use discussion groups on Mastodon and the Fediverse | Fedi.Tips – An Unofficial Guide to Mastodon and the Fediverse

An unofficial guide to using Mastodon and the Fediverse

Show threadFediTips has moved!Jul 11, 2023

Groups federate much more effectively than hashtags, so they are a useful alternative to hashtag following. Group posts reach all the group's followers no matter which server they are on. This makes them very useful on very new servers that haven't built up many connections yet.

I haven't listed any example groups by @-ing as I don't want to spam any group's members. However, if you want to post to a group all you need to do is @ it.

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Show threadKevin SmoklerJul 11, 2023
@feditips Try this in plain, human-centered English please. This clarifies nothing.
Show threadNeonJul 11, 2023
@smokler Groups are like mailing lists. You can join the mailing list by following the group (e.g., I can follow @/fantasy@/a.gup.pe - I added the slash so it doesn't spam the tag) for discussions about fantasy books/movies. Everything you post that tags this group will appear in the home timeline of everyone who follows this group. Of course, this means you will see all posts that tagged this group too. This works even if the poster is on a server that is not federated/connected to your server. You can explore what groups are available in the second link provided. I hope that helps @feditips
Show threadKevin SmoklerJul 11, 2023
@geraineon Sure does. Thank you. I won't ask you to explain federated servers in plain English because, I believe like water flowing uphill, its not actually scientifically possible.
Show threadRage Against LeavesJul 11, 2023

@smokler @geraineon Imagine a normal web site is like a cell phone. Without cell service you cant call anyone. Thats most sites. The Fediverse is a like a cell service for social media

Users can add their own servers to it. And no CEO can decide to make decisions like Musk that ruin the experience for everyone else

With a cell phone if a number spams you, you can block it. Server mods in the fediverse can block or defederate those servers without good moderation

Show threadKevin SmoklerJul 13, 2023
@rageagainstleaves @geraineon uh um, I promise I'm not trying to death-by-a-thousand-cuts the analogy but you can block a user whose being an ass to you on twitter also. And right now, stupid corporate social media services CAN talk to one another (I can post from twitter onto facebook, authorize Music Service X to tweet my playlists etc). There may not be a Musk-Ox on Mastadon to ruin it for everyone else, but is that the chief selling point of the fediverse? (1/2)
Show threadNeon
@smokler I don't know if you meant to tag both of us, but I'll try:

One thing that might help this understanding is keeping in mind that there are other services under the bigger umbrella of the federated universe (of which mastodon is a part of). E.g., Pixelfed is fediverse's Instagram. Kbin and Lemmy are fediverse's reddit. You don't need an account on Pixelfed to follow and see posts from someone from Pixelfed. You can also reply straight from your own Mastodon account to your friend's Pixelfed post on your timeline. What you described in your first reply is different, because you are describing being able to post from a your account on one platform to your account on a different platform. As far as I know, you cannot follow or reply to a Facebook account on your Twitter and vice versa.

@rageagainstleaves
Jul 13, 2023 at 6:48pmWeb
Show threadKevin SmoklerJul 13, 2023
@geraineon @rageagainstleaves That makes sense to me. In the example you have set forth here (the very clear one, thank you) one's "mother feed" is located on what service then? Where does one go to find their giant feed of where all their friends across all the different federated services are communicating?
Show threadNeonJul 13, 2023
@smokler @rageagainstleaves If you have followed them on your account, you will find their posts on your Home timeline