W0lk3Jan 31
Grow Your Own Services 🌱

Mastodon server admins, important news!

The Mastodon developers are going to stop suggesting mastodon.social as a "default server".

Instead, the "default" server suggestions are going to be ones for a user's language and/or geographical location.

If your server matches these:

- General public server
- Running vanilla Mastodon
- Mastodon Covenant compliant
- Have existed for 1+ year
- Have shut-down & disaster plans

...then see this post for details: https://mastodon.social/@Mastodon/115989802617165343

#MastoAdmin

Jan 31 at 1:04pmWeb
Show threadGrow Your Own Services 🌱Jan 31
p.s. The complete thread from the developers at https://mastodon.social/@Mastodon/115989801184595302 has even more info about this initiative:
Show threadGrow Your Own Services 🌱Jan 31

p.p.s. Some people are misunderstanding why this is happening. It's not just about providing new people with local servers, but about keeping the network decentralised.

By keeping the Fediverse spread out on many servers, it protects the Fedi from being taken over and brings all kinds of other benefits to users: https://fedi.tips/why-is-the-fediverse-on-so-many-separate-servers

All these benefits and the Fediverse itself might be in danger if one server occupies too much of the network. Thankfully the Mastodon devs are taking action.

Why is the Fediverse on so many separate servers? | Fedi.Tips – An Unofficial Guide to Mastodon and the Fediverse

An unofficial guide to using Mastodon and the Fediverse

Show thread ShalienJan 31
@homegrown sounds / feels fishy
Show threadMr. Funk E. Dude 🫠Jan 31
@shalien @homegrown in what way?
Show threadBytebro 🇬🇧 🇺🇦 🇬🇱Jan 31

@homegrown

Yay!

Show threadEricJan 31

@homegrown

This is good news!
I know the apps sign up flow has been a concern of yours (and others) for a while. Hopefully this will result in healthier, more even distribution of new accounts across the network.

Show threadGrow Your Own Services 🌱Jan 31

@eric

Indeed! And it's a really clever solution they've come up with, it solves two problems at once by prioritising servers in the user's own language or location and encouraging decentralisation that way.

Show threadEmber is so tired of people. ​Jan 31
@homegrown "running vanilla mastodon" will exclude a lot of good instances :/
Show threadGrow Your Own Services 🌱Jan 31

@Ember

It will, but getting them to step away from recommending mastodon.social is a massive step in the right direction.

Also they do leave the door open for forked software instances. The exact wording they use on their criteria list is:

"Run default Mastodon (for now)"

Also also, this is just about the default instances recommended up front, they would still have the complete listing behind that which does already include Glitch etc instances.

Show threadGeorge BJan 31

@homegrown @Ember

The original thread does say "for now"

Show threadFinchHaven sfbaJan 31

@homegrown

It's seriously about time

Way past time, as a matter of fact

I've been on Mastodon generally since November 2, 2022, and it was an issue back then

cc @Mastodon @MastodonEngineering

Show threadKraftingJan 31
@homegrown this is actually really great!
Show threadDawn the "Enchantress"Jan 31
@homegrown @tetaneutral_net !
Show threadCoralie RenéeJan 31

@homegrown

Super happy about this

Show threadDavid - Forking MadJan 31
@homegrown Good news. It's an awful introduction to the fediverse. Their local time line is awash with scams, porn, bots, and spammers
Show threadEl DuvelleJan 31
@homegrown it also has to have open registrations..
Show threadGrow Your Own Services 🌱Jan 31

@elduvelle

That's true at the moment, yes.

From reading between the lines on the responses by Mastodon's official accounts in the discussions on this, the requirements are not necessarily set in stone, especially on things that already allow listing in the main index like forked software and registration requests.

Show threadMr. Funk E. Dude 🫠Jan 31
@homegrown @elduvelle Of course they're only looking for open registration instances. Who wants to use an app that they have to wait approval on???
Show threadHikerJan 31
@homegrown Es geschehen noch Zeichen und Wunder im #Fediverse.
Show threadMaruJan 31
@sanmartin
Show threadsnowyfoxJan 31
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Show threadJohn Francis 🇨🇦🦫🍁💪⬆️Jan 31
@homegrown heads up @coop
Show threadCoSocial Community CooperativeJan 31

@johnefrancis thanks for the call-out!

They're looking for servers with open registration that are general purpose, and we are neither.

So we won't benefit directly - but it is still awesome for Mastodon and the Fediverse that they're doing this, and our server will ride the rising tide. 🙂

- Mick

Show threadHein RagasJan 31
@homegrown No server-admin in their right mind configures their server for open sign-ups. Hard pass.
Show threadVictoria🏳️‍⚧️Jan 31
@heinragas @homegrown out of curiosity, where did you read that? I checked out the covenant and i didnt saw anything mentioning open sign-ups. Or is this some wording thing?
Show threadKorben DallasJan 31
@homegrown Great news! Federation where new users are funnelled to a single giant server by default isn’t really federated, it’s hegemonic.
Show threadTodd PortlandJan 31

@homegrown

A suggestion regarding your criteria list:
- Number of active users (in range 100~1000)

This allows a new user to browse the Local feed; not too few and not too many posts.

Show threadGrow Your Own Services 🌱Jan 31

@toddportland

This isn't my criteria, it's the criteria for being listed on the Mastodon developers' new "default server" recommendations 🙂

It doesn't change their current server list, it's just about which servers that are automatically suggested when new people join.

Show threadCaycedoJan 31
@homegrown benévolo dictador, excelentísimo @gabriel, me dirijo a usted con información importante. La del toot de arriba
Show threadgabrielJan 31
@caycedo @homegrown ohhhh
Show threadBrad ThornborrowJan 31
@homegrown Awesome news!
Show threadAasenGaareJan 31
@homegrown
Show threadLynn McAlister UE  Jan 31
@homegrown Yay! I'm not a server admin, but I'm uncomfortable with the size of mastodon.social. This is great news.
Show threadEmilio ʕ̡̢̡ʘ̅͟͜͡ʘ̲̅ʔ̢̡̢🇩🇰Jan 31
@homegrown @zazzoo I was clueless joining mastodon.social until someone pointed out that there are various servers. Mastodon.world is great. I shut down my first account on mastodon.social.
Show threadNelsonJan 31
@homegrown This sounds amazing. Maybe once the spammers are more distributed we can un-limit m.s.
Show threadVictoria🏳️‍⚧️Jan 31
@homegrown i wish matrix ecosystem would grow up to this level...
Show threadsmegJan 31
@homegrown I have a problem with Mastodon Server Covenant item #3: my server only has 3 active users, meaning 33% of the users are an admin. I don't see the value of trying to find someone to whom I can grant server infrastructure access.
Show threadGrow Your Own Services 🌱Feb 2

@smeg

If you're intending to run it as a public server where anyone can sign up, you're going to have more than 3 people in the future.

It's really important that public servers have at least two people with admin access. This is to prevent "zombie" servers where the admin has disappeared and abusers end up using them as platforms for spam, harassment, scams etc.

Show threadsmegFeb 2
@homegrown my registration requires admin approval. And I have an emergency doc for my spouse that she can give to my brother to administer and shutdown all of my services in the event of my demise or incapacitation
Show threadCathyBikesBookJan 31
@homegrown recently moved from mastodon.social. it wasn't a bad server in my opinion, it was just really big. It's decent for new people getting their feet wet, and then they can move to smaller servers. I also found out that apparently, alot of servers have mastodon.social blocked
Show threadTheodorus on MastodonJan 31

@homegrown So can I move to another server that suits my language en geographical location?

Not sure there is a Dutch or even better Zeeland (my province) server?

Show threadGrow Your Own Services 🌱Feb 2

@theodorus_75

Yes you can, here are some well-run reliable Dutch-language servers for example: https://fedi.garden/tag/nederlands

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to move your account: https://fedi.tips/transferring-your-mastodon-account-to-another-server

Nederlands | Fedi.Garden – An easy way to join Mastodon and the Fediverse

Highlighting nice servers on Mastodon and the Fediverse

Show threadDecebalTheThracianFeb 2
@homegrown What about keeping things simple? As a casual user, I do not appreciate all these channel changes.
Show threadGrow Your Own Services 🌱Feb 2

@decebal07

It would keep things as simple as they are now, it's just changing which server is recommended by default.

It's important that the network remains spread out on many different servers for lots of reasons: https://fedi.tips/why-is-the-fediverse-on-so-many-separate-servers/

Why is the Fediverse on so many separate servers? | Fedi.Tips – An Unofficial Guide to Mastodon and the Fediverse

An unofficial guide to using Mastodon and the Fediverse

Show threadDecebalTheThracianFeb 2
@homegrown Ahh yes. The kabal. Always, the kabal.