CiaraEvery time a newcomer posts an introduction and somebody tells them they shouldn’t have joined Mastodon.social and need to move to a different server, an angel loses their wings.
John
Annika Backstrom@johnlorimer @CiaraNi It's impossible to effectively moderate such a huge server, so you have this catch-22 where the server is a vector for spam and harassment, but can be seen as "too big to block" because such a large percentage of the network lives there.
Overall it's bad for the health of the Fediverse, so some block it regardless and advocate for folks moving off and the server closing registrations.
@annika @johnlorimer I'll never find it welcoming to tell people who've just arrived, literally just joined Mastodon, that they're on the wrong server when it is not a server doing something actually despicable & egregious. I often see people going into the replies of Hello, Mastodon! introductions to give the newcomer unsolicited instructions to move server or questioning the way they are moving from Big Tech.
Edit to add: I know you didn't do this! You just answered an asked question (thanks)
@johnlorimer What are the big reasons you decided to stick with Mastodon?
@annika To keep the answer simple - I think it is the only corner of the internet left that is worthwhile. It aligns with my values.
It helps that I am a life long nerd.
It helps that I am a life long nerd.
@johnlorimer @annika I'm only on Mastodon too. I am not a nerd (that I'm aware of), but I like the fact that it's human-sized and full of humans and people actually talk to one another in here. A nice corner of the internet, as you say.
@johnlorimer @annika Such a shame, when something we enjoy gets destroyed like that. So much AI asbestos has been stuffed into the walls of the internet.
@johnlorimer @annika It is a great analogy, for which I can take no credit. I read an article that used Asbestos for an AI analogy (I want to say it was Cory Doctorow, but am too lazy to check right now). I've used it ever since, I think it really captures that situation and the mess that AI is making for the future.
Rachel E. S. Lösche@resl Ah, it was. Thank you. I found it.
'AI is the asbestos in the walls of our technological society, stuffed there with wild abandon by a finance sector and tech monopolists run amok. We will be excavating it for a generation or more."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/jan/18/tech-ai-bubble-burst-reverse-centaur
@johnlorimer @annika Haha - thank you 🙂
Juho Mäntysalo(There are other sort of nerds than computer nerds.)
(I don't know if you are or are not, only you can be the judge. Just be aware that being a nerd correlates poorly with ability/willingness to install Linux.)
Beth McKinley@CiaraNi @johnlorimer @annika I am really enjoying a beta test site made by Canadians for Canadians (Gander). Buggy as all get out, because duh beta; but also currently by invitation only so a manageable amount of well intentioned folk. A pleasant change from most other sites. Mastodon is closest to the feeling of it, so the two sites I spend most of my time on. Do still have others, but need them to keep in touch with relatives and friends.
kcp@johnlorimer @annika same for me. And I too deleted.my twit account when.Musk took it over
Never tried blusky as found masto instead
Never tried blusky as found masto instead
@kcpoole took me a while to finally delete twitter. Most of the people I talked to online moved to Bluesky, but I just never liked it.
With the news in the last day that they hid the fact they received more crypto money - I was done.
I've never given Masto a proper go, but I am going to try.
With the news in the last day that they hid the fact they received more crypto money - I was done.
I've never given Masto a proper go, but I am going to try.
Will 
MycotropicAfter Something Awful died I undocked from social, I was already kicked off of FB for pointing out so much toxicity (but also using it to track those Malhaur assholes which was awesome). That banning also took Insta of course and then pre musk Twitter banned me for trolling conservatives during trump1. I'm even banned from Reddit because, before they sold all of their users content to train LLMs, I used a cool little script to replace everything I'd posted over like five years with identical, pointless text! They didn't appreciate the gesture apparently 
At some point after that I tried masto and stayed here. It has none of the toxicity (well kind of none, looking at you Babka) and at least some of the old SA community feel.
I'd invite pretty much any of you out for coffee, beer or to shoot arrows at targets, that's not true for those other sites.
@mycotropic @annika I do respect that level of digital naughtiness (The reddit posts).
I find every time I come back to Masto I feel instantly *relaxed*.
I find every time I come back to Masto I feel instantly *relaxed*.
Ian MalcolmGen X Australian here, this thread and your post in particular resonated with me.
Arrived in Jan 2023 and encountered the "You're On The Big Bad Server" anti-welcome committee.
I get the arguments but it seemed to me there are better ways of mitigating than *checks notes* insulting new arrivals for choosing the default server.
It was enough to drive most fellow refugees to Bsky, but I dug my heels in instead. 🤷♂️
PS Am on Bsky too, but mostly here.
@imalcolm The 'anti-welcome committee' - that is what it feels like. They could just ignore and scroll by, but apparently feel the need to stand on the new neighbour's doorstep telling them to move. Am sorry you had that experience. Am glad you stayed.
Dusk to Don 
@CiaraNi @imalcolm @johnlorimer @annika
Fully agree that we should celebrate folk for trying out Mastodon, and avoid shaming or complicating things re: "oh no you picked bad instance"
I also agree with the many issues and problems with mastodon . social
I try to do a little "actually-welcoming committee" by having # introduction + # newhere as part of my 'advanced interface / deck / homepage', that does not include instance judgement.
They could, but zealotry makes some possibly well-meaning people behave like jerks, I guess!
And thanks so much for that - I'm glad I stayed as well, it feels like I have found more of "my people" here over time, and the conversations and connections I have here tend to be more genuine, for want of a better word. 😊
@imalcolm 'the conversations and connections I have here tend to be more genuine, for want of a better word' - that reflects my experience here too
Dec [{(
)}]@johnlorimer @CiaraNi @annika
I saw the same thing happening with many of my former Twitter mutuals: exodus to Mastodon in late 2022 (when bsky did not even exist), then moving to bsky as soon as it opened up.
I saw the same thing happening with many of my former Twitter mutuals: exodus to Mastodon in late 2022 (when bsky did not even exist), then moving to bsky as soon as it opened up.
@CiaraNi @johnlorimer yeah it's kind of a dick move and not very welcoming, as you said. Unfortunate that the server's so big, they often get lost in the noise.
(I disagree about the "despicable and egregious" bit but we don't need to get into it.)