This day in 2017 - nine years ago - Mashable published an article saying that Mastodon would not survive (https://mashable.com/article/mastodon-wont-survive).
Thank goodness it was wrong.
If Mastodon, and indeed the broader fediverse, had not survived, I would not have all you fantastic, amazing, fun, interesting, and diverse people to share things and chat with.
Yes, that includes *you*!
It is a genuinely delightful social media experience, and I am incredibly grateful for it.
"Mastodon" is a perfectly fine name.
There is no single Mastodon. This is a massive strength.
"Toots" is much better than "posts".
Where is everyone? Here! Loads of you. I have a feed full of fun and fascinating chat.
Apps are great. I like Tusky on Android, and the advanced / multi-column web interface or toot tui on my computer.
Initially on Mastodon I was microblogging. The first Android app I used regularly crashed while I was adding ALT text, and I would lose the entire post I had composed. Repeatedly.
So I tried other apps. All the apps I tried have some sort of bug. It's what you're able to live with. I use Moshidon on my Android phone, and the web interface in a browser on my laptop.
In memory of our martyr, John Mastodon.
@neil I am also glad it persisted but there are still some real issues around discoverability here especially for people wanting the tools to do so without extensions, 3rd party apps, or whatever.
Still, it's the only social media platform I use and I don't see that changing
I see Fediverse account discoverability to be similar to email address discoverability: there is none and that's okay.
I can share my Mastodon account in the same way as my email address (with private messages to have some control over who knows it, or posting it on my website or on another social media profile for public sharing).
The disadvantage of discoverability is that you can "discover" the wrong person's profile without realising it (someone with the same name or a deliberate scammer).
Mastodon helps to protect us from that by allowing an account to be verified against a particular website, and you can visit the website to check that it's really the person you're thinking of, but then I think it's probably easier to go to the website you already know first and find the account from there.
@neil ditto!
Little late to the party, but glad I got here… and here to stay
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