Bringing this highly requested feature to #Mastodon and the fediverse is not as trivial as some might think, but quote posts are coming. Here is our latest write-up about our progress:
https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2025/02/bringing-quote-posts-to-mastodon/
@MastodonEngineering I love it, but can you also focus on fetching replies from other servers so Mastodon can actually be contextually aware?
There's even a pull request.
https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/pull/32615
@shanie @MastodonEngineering Considering a quote is just a fancy reply....
Perfect Quote Toots kind of require 3 major things to be solved in any order:
* Quote toots
* Toot Control
* Reply Sync
@konkrit @barometz The lack of a quoting feature is part of the reason that we can't attract many black people, because they are using quotes to keep themselves safe.
You and I may not need or want it, but they do.
The fediverse is far too white, so we should cater to their needs.
Edit: Here's a thread by a renowned black scholar on the subject: https://zirk.us/@shengokai/109347027270208314
The quote tweet function in conjunction with the hashtag are what allow users to align with communities, and communities with conversations through how they enable cultural practices by means of a digital environment. On Black Twitter, the quote tweet and hashtag enable what Black cultural scholars call "call and response," something crucial to Black community practices. The hashtags curate the conversation and allow for its visibility.
black people or African American people?
🤔
I'm asking because I read some posts that the feature is very useful for the Black community, but these posts come only from accounts part of, or related to, the African American community.
So, it may be that this feature that will be implemented will be useful in the American culture, but may be harmful to people of other cultures and countries (which is what I experienced).
@konkrit @barometz @MastodonEngineering Note especially:
* You will be able to choose whether your posts can be quoted at all.
* You will be notified when someone quotes you.
* You will be able to withdraw your post from the quoted context at any time.
@sotolf @mike @konkrit @barometz @MastodonEngineering for the limiting/retracting to work, your server needs to implement this.
But this whole discussion/proposal is somewhat miss guided, since this only can limit the new native quote toots, while nothing can stop anyone from just linking to toots, like we all do now.
This tries to enforce something, that can only work if people play nice.
@konkrit "I have zero understanding for why people would want it."
That surprises me. "We have learned that many groups use Quote Posts as their primary means to build consensus and community on other platforms. Quote Posts used in this way convey trust and respect for the original post, building on or enhancing an original idea."
Even if that's not been your experience, surely you can understand that others' has been different. (Mine included, for what it's worth.)
@konkrit In the end, the argument is that there are communities that want this, even though you are not a member of any of them. And the devs are bending over backwards to give both those communities and you what they want.
For what it's worth, I very often quote-post someone whose post introduces a subject that I want to comment further on. (Or I did, back when I was on the Hellsite.)
@konkrit @mike yeah, I second this - often, the thing that people (think they) want, may not be the best way to go.
Think about it, if you ask anyone, they will say they want lower taxes. But then if everyone's taxes were lowered, the roads would be filled with potholes etc.
People are (generally) really bad at assessing the deeper consequences of their desires, when implemented.
So, I'm with Kristoffer on this. Though I think many will opt out of it altogether, and I am hopeful because of that, it won't harm our communities all that much 🙏🏼
@bazkie @konkrit Your tax examples is apposite. But as the blogpost shows, a LOT of thought has gone into this. It's not as though the developers just went "Oh, some people like QTs, better add them".
Anyway, we're unlikely to agree on whether they might the right choice, but I hope we can at least agree that they have moved slowly, carefully and sensitively ... in the direction you didn't want.
@konkrit @mike People want this feature because they want to quote, rather than reply. In order words, they don't want to engage in two way conversation they want a one sided monologue.
The only people who want this feature are those who used this feature on X / Twitter, who then migrated to Mastodon because want an alternative to X / Twitter, as long as that alternative is exactly the same as X / Twitter.
The whole purpose of quotes is not to reply. It serves no other function.
@konkrit
> my point wasn't "I don't like this, so no-one should have it," and rather "I don't think this will benefit the community as a whole."
Yes, I get that distinction, and it's an important one!
@konkrit @mike The demographics of #Mastodon - and the #Fediverse - are not particularly diverse, and mostly reflect white Europeans and North Americans (with the main exception being Japanese #Misskey users).
This is not good, and if we can change our underlying technology (*) to make Mastodon attractive to people outside of these groups, then in my opinion we should do so. The revolution will not be successful if it is not global.
(*) Of course, we also need to implement _cultural_ changes to make the Fediverse more attractive to non-white demographics - there is only so much that technology on its own can do.
@konkrit @mike Automating quote posting allows adding **Context** to blindly Boosting somebody else's Post/Boost. It's like ALT text for Boosts.
It will allow ME to add Content Warning wrappers around other people's posts that didn't, reducing Boost spammage.
I currently hate Following on Mastodon because it conflates Network spread via Boost with "I want to explain somebody's post". I can't separate the two.
Also, manual copy-pasting linkage is Luddite. Drove the Journalists away.
@konkrit @mike Now I've had to double post because Mastodon.
I needed to add context to a Post so made a new Post, added my context, pasted link to OP in my Post, and sent it off.
But that won't Mastodon-network Boost the Post so I have to Boost the OP. But I can't make the Boost Unlisted or something like that.
Anybody following get double-spammed. Scale this up with a lot of followers or following.
@konkrit @mike@sauropods.win if you care in good faith there here’s some sources https://privacy.thenexus.today/black-twitter-quoting-and-white-toxicity-on-mastodon/
@Tattooed_Mummy @konkrit @MastodonEngineering
Is also worth keeping in mind that one can also turn off boosts by individual users, so while boosting is nice, it’s not a ‘foolproof’ way to get followers to see something. Same as if they do not follow the original poster, that will not see your replies to them.
But boosting a post with commentary is a great way to ensure fillers will not only see the post but your thoughts as well
1/2
@Tattooed_Mummy @konkrit @MastodonEngineering
One of my favorite ways to use it is to boost art and my thoughts on how it makes me feel and why i like it, rather than contextless reposting.
Another use is when the post inspired thoughts that are only tangentially related, or long and rambling, that might not really fit in the op’s replies, but you want to include the op for context.
but if the post you are making is not 100% related but only referencing the quoted post for context, the reader then has to navigate BACK to your post to be able to continue the conversation.
i know of many people that get very annoyed when people create tangents in their replies that aren't strictly related to their posts, muddying the conversational waters and blowing up their mentions with stuff they don't care about. this is a way to keep that from happening.
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