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

Here's the mistake I think most fediverse explanations make. They speak of it in terms of under the hood rather than UX.

How is Mastadon, fundamentally different than twitter for average user? Not for admins, not in some technobabble theorizing like "decentralization" but like how Monday Morning at 10:13 AM? Is the answer No Musk? You get to see everyone in your feed? A short list of those answers, for people, by people, feels like the missing piece at present.

Show threadNeonJul 13, 2023
@smokler I'm not in the business to go and evangelize Fediverse to people. To the average user who has not experienced mass harassment or seen it happening, they will prioritize where their friends and followers/following list are. And the answer to what everyone wants in their social media is going to be different. For me, personally, I like that there's freedom to move to a different server if I want to, and take my following and follower list with me (e.g., if I want to move from blahaj.zone, I can! but moving from twitter the same way is impossible because there's only one twitter - you can think of twitter as one mastodon server as an analogy). I have already been on too many platforms ruined by corpo greed, so yes, this being non corpo is a big plus for me. I am not sure if you have tried reporting abusive tweets on Twitter but I have, lots, and lots and lots of times but they usually don't go anywhere. The fact that my server is small and I know who the admins are, and I know reports get taken seriously is also a huge plus for me (this may not apply to you because mastodon.social is huge).

so idk what your question is really asking, but that's my answer to why I am on here and I hope it helps
Show threadKevin Smokler
@geraineon The question I am really asking, now in particular, is why are you the very first person of the maybe dozen I have asked, who can clearly, plainly and humanly, articulate the benefits of this service (Mastadon) to people, average people without resorting to a bunch of techno-newsspeak about servers and instances?
Jul 13, 2023 at 9:44pmWeb
Show threadNeonJul 13, 2023
@smokler

It's hard to know what people don't know. Many of the ppl here are tech/computer ppl, and servers is not a fediverse only thing, e.g. if you game online, you know servers. I don't think I am the average user, but I have had teaching experience which might have helped

Also, people did not have to answer any questions here. But I find that people do try to answer, and I appreciate that, personally! If they are not answering at the level you can understand, it's okay to keep asking questions. You did, which is great, but honestly, the way you went about it also made me feel uncomfortable.

I did have to step away and go "okay, he did not mean so sound irate" before I come back to answer. So, if you are not getting the type of responses you need, maybe they, like me, read your messages and thought, "is he looking for an internet argument?" I was pretty close to just ignoring. This is not to say that you are - just to say that you can come off quite aggressive. A simple, "thank you, but maybe you can explain a bit more about [x]" can go a long way instead of "you are not speaking human language." and, hey, sometimes English is people's second language! or third!
Show threadKevin SmoklerJul 14, 2023

@geraineon First off, thank you for reminding me that English is not the first language of everyone user on Mastadon. It was presumptuous and thoughtless of me to blithly assume that was the case. I appreciate you pointing out otherwise and I will strive to avoid that error in the future.

Second, I appreciate you pointing out that, while I told @feditips I wouldn't bellow and moan as if I'd skinned my knee, I clearly failed at that promise and sounded pointlessly aggressive (1/2)

Show threadKevin SmoklerJul 14, 2023
@geraineon in what everyone else involved was treating as a respectful conversation and I wasn't. In the future, I will feel my feelings and then engage in dialogue as opposed to typing while feeling. Thank you for sharing with me. I will endeavor to behave like an adult next time. (2/2)