CookieDragon 
TedHealth check for broad reach on bsky vs masto (and I guess I'll check Threads too but expect it to get buried)
If I ask nicely for folks to boost this post, how far does it go?
XaiaX ̆̈@esdin juicing the masto numbers by boosting from two accounts
Mythicc Vixen@esdin Reach here may also depend on tags used as people follow specific tags on Masto
Untagged posts don’t seem to go as far, in my, admittedly limited, personal experience.
I wish you luck!
@mythiccvixen Yup yup, just wanted the test to be as baseline as possible, since other platforms have very limited discovery tools. (Mastodon is leading by a significant margin already btw)
@esdin Absolutely fair!
Mastodon herd activate!
TOOT TOOT!
Ubergeek@esdin I can certainly say a post like this is likely gonna reduce your reach, because I'll likely mute the account.
@ubergeek Just for a request? Interesting! I’ve noticed that Mastodon, in general, seems to be a better good-faith platform and lower conflict. Bluesky threads for things like mutual aid, genuine outreach, commissions, etc seem don’t go very far by comparison.
@esdin for people "testing reach and metrics" yep, I'd block the account.
Efi (nap pet) 🦊💤@esdin spain (?)
Denny@esdin Do you have similar networks on both, so you're just testing something related to The Algorithm, or are you gleefully confounded? 🙂
@denny Oh, it’s super low science of course. The communities are VERY different. I noticed early on for example that even when I had a larger network on Twitter, things tended to get buried quickly.
@esdin Yeah, even though I was aware that The Almighty Algorithm wasn't really working in my best interests any more, to an increasing extent, I hadn't realised until I got here just how big the difference between that and a non-commercially futzed feed is. Interactions here are closer to early LiveJournal or Dreamwidth quantity and quality.
@esdin If you haven't already seen it: https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys
Dragon-sided D@esdin Mastodon isn't yet the place for broad reach. Numbers are not the reason we're here.
It's the reasons for which we are here, that everyone else will be here eventually.
Børge@esdin I just boosted this other boost beg post, and it was a lot more fun https://mstdn.social/@lowqualityfacts/110735615794832107
Low Quality Facts (@[email protected])
Attached: 1 image I bet my girlfriend that this picture of our cats could get 10 billion boosts on Mastodon. She said she doesn't believe me. She said there's only 13 million accounts on Mastodon. She said there aren't even 10 billion people on Earth. She said it concerns her that I struggle so hard to comprehend large numbers. Let's prove her wrong everyone. Boost away and show her just how awesome the Mastodon community is.
friefrie and some others@esdin i don't participate in chain-mail style posts but good luck
@sewerkat No worries! Yeah; folks often claim Mastodon "can't do reach" but, even though this is just a 'test' of the system, it definitely seems to work MUCH better than other platforms.
That kind of functionality is critical for mutual aid, folks seeing work/hiring, emergency broadcasts, etd.
@esdin oh i think you're absolutely right. I think having local timelines does a lot of the heavy lifting there since it gives any boosted post a lot of eyes with less chance of getting buried
Richard K 
@esdin received here on the banks of the Kettle Brook in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Speculater@esdin 10-4 little buddy, we got you in the holding pattern.
Kevin Karhan 
@esdin you really want to find out?
Jens LjungkvistWhat, are you in the 5th grade learning about social media or something?
Noah@esdin why is nobody talking about nostr? Seems like the media is trying to ignore it completely, even tho Edward Snowden and Jack Dorsey are promoting it.
Rand Fishkin@esdin TO THE MOON!! 🥰
CynthesisTodayWhat "equation" or means will you use to measure "health check for broad reach"?
Here are a couple of examples. One from the research literature and one for a service provider.
@CynthesisToday although it's extremely low-rigor, I'm simply looking at a few different metrics. Raw number of boosts and "time window of interaction".
On Threads for example, as expected, the post received essentially zero engagement (people don't repost on request there)
On Bluesky, engagement dropped off roughly 2hrs after posting, only double digit total reboosts.
On Mastodon, the thing is still "puttering along", and actually, longer than I expected considering it was a purposefully "low interest request post".
Whoa... that's fascinating. Observation of message transmission when no external algorithm applied.
A lot of (most?) engagement research is aimed at measuring the effect of algorithms. See this paper, for example:
https://dlab.epfl.ch/teaching/spring2022/cs727/papers/wagner2021measuring.pdf
"Measuring algorithmically infused societies"
Figure 1 in this paper shows the background models get built against, where algorithms surround everything.
Probably have to go back to earlier human communication research. The Dartmouth paper doesn't have an algorithm involved but does have a structure driving the engagement with class syllabus, exams, and set duration. It does have a human (instructor) applying guiding force.
Your thoughts about "low interest request post" is a significant point. Without an algorithm, per se, "interest" should be a factor in engagement.
Something else will replace the algorithm wheel (Fig 1) in the previously algorithm infused society but no idea what.
Thanks for running the test and sharing the results.
Sen the Professional 
@esdin A long goddamn way sfaict
Kavus
GoNancyGo@esdin 7 days later, just popped up and boosted!