Hey my peeps - what Masto instance would you recommend for a queer visual artist trying out the Fediverse and looking for a community?
What accounts / hash tags would you recommend they follow to get started?
My logo designer is not enamored with what traditional social media has become and interested in trying out the Fediverse and I'm hoping to set him up for success.
[boosts welcome!]
@cynblogger @gairdeachas I'd also like to add that following the relay.fedi.buzz account for a hashtag will vastly increase the number of posts you see for a given hashtag you follow.
Here's a good post on it:
https://mastodon.art/@jsstaedtler/115299520641730176
You can even add each relay.fedi.buzz account to a list to keep posts related to a topic in a single feed.
In my "Transformers tags" list, for example, I have added the accounts for the TransformersG1 tag, TransformersIDW, OptimusPrime tag, etc.
Attached: 1 image I just remembered this Fedi hashtag relay thingy exists: Say you want to follow a hashtag. Generally, you only see posts with that tag if they are *coincidentally* pulled to your instance (eg. an instance user follows the author, or boosts the post, etc.) Well there's a relay service which lets you follow a hashtag as if it was an *account*, meaning *every* post gets pushed to your instance. On your instance, search for "https://relay.fedi.buzz/tag/[hashtag]" and follow the resulting user account!
@cairobraga @gairdeachas a lot of queer folks block mastodon.art because it's admin has relentlessly harassed queer people, so I would not recommend anyone open an account there if they care about reaching queer people.
Your friend should peruse through these local timelines and check whether one has vibes they prefer:
@cairobraga @gairdeachas another vote for @mastodon.art If I ever need to move instances that's where I'd go. It's full of wonderful artists and art enjoyers. A very well moderated, safe space for queer, neurospicy and other marginalised folks, strongly antifascist and anti-racist.
Also they're generally whimsical, fun, folk.
@gairdeachas So, for artists, I suggest two "services" in Fedi:
1. Wafrn: The equivalent in "vanilla social media" is Tumblr. It offers a lot of personalization in your profile page using CSS styles - app.wafrn.net
2. Vernissage: The equivalent of Flickr. There's only two instances of this service, but I think it's a great option to upload your work if you usee high quality images.
And please, please: stay away from Pixelfed (the "instagram of Fedi"). Its handling of privacy is poor.
@gairdeachas I don't know if the instance is open or not, and it may be more writer-focused, but I feel like everytime I see someone on wandering.shop, I nod and go, "Ah, yes, good people on that instance." :)
There was also a really cool tool that ... @stefan (?? maybe??) wrote that gives people a bunch of pre-built links for getting onto fedi for the first time. Would recommend that as an adjacent helper.
@gairdeachas Also, I can highly recommend my instance (social.coop) as a good multi-purpose instance. It does have dues, so that may be a factor. But it's incredibly well-moderated, mid-sized (so you get an active feed), and is a co-op (which is just cool :).
@jonobie Yes, thank you for tagging me!
@gairdeachas Hi! I don't necessarily have a good answer to your original question, but if you do find a good community, this might be useful:
Easy to customize: https://stefanbohacek.com/project/fediverse-invitation/
Hope this is useful!
Quincy Peck
Casey Peel
CynBlogger ❌👑
Pengilly
Cairo Braga
Pent Up Games 🔞
Quinze Plush
Anya - GeekyTeaKitty
Janik Ramírez
Sarah Sammis
Raindrops and Roses
Lisa Makes Stuff (she/her)
Jonobie
Stefan Bohacek