RE: https://mastodon.social/@imanijoy/116516874504739572

I'm inspired to see many long-standing Fediverse supporters, moderators, admins, and code contributors volunteer their expertise for Discovery Week! I can't wait to learn from you all.

But we're missing some important voices: Non-technical users.

Which is why I have a favor to ask: Please share this post with someone you know who is a casual, non-technical user of Mastodon or any social platform. I want to make sure we're hearing from a wide range of perspectives!

https://app.hi.events/event/7472/roundtable-discussion-a-platform-with-flexible-protections-mastodon-discovery-week-2026

Roundtable 1: Your timeline on your terms (11 May)

https://app.hi.events/event/7451/roundtable-discussion-your-timeline-on-your-terms-mastodon-discovery-week-2026

I'd love to see some casual users who primarily use social platforms to find and enjoy posts from others (whether it be for news, entertainment, community, or all of the above). Both people who passively build their feeds over time, and those who love making use of advanced filters, lists, etc. are encouraged to attend.

Roundtable Discussion: Your timeline on your terms (Mastodon Discovery Week 2026) | Mastodon Design Team

Unlike commercial platforms, Mastodon doesn't collect user data to generate profit-driven algorit...

Roundtable 2: A place for thriving discourse (12 May)

https://app.hi.events/event/7469/roundtable-discussion-a-place-for-thriving-discourse-mastodon-discovery-week-2026

If you emphasize the 'social' in social network, I need you on this day in particular. We'll be talking about replies, threading, and DMs, so whether you're someone who leans into public conversation or someone who prefers closed interactions, your voice is invaluable here.

Roundtable Discussion: A place for thriving discourse (Mastodon Discovery Week 2026) | Mastodon Design Team

Mastodon isn’t just for microblogging – it’s a place where thousands of conversations are happeni...

@imanijoy I missed it, crap, I misread the time as GMT, not GMT+2. What an idiot.

I'm so, so, so sorry for this.

@drq please don't be sorry! These things happen, and there will be future opportunities to share 🙂

Roundtable 3: A playground for self-expression (13 May)

https://app.hi.events/event/7470/roundtable-discussion-a-playground-for-self-expression-mastodon-discovery-week-2026

Perhaps you're a visual artist, a creator of short comedy skits, or someone who just loves making polls. You're probably in the composer a ton, and there are things that could be improved there. Seeking everyone ranging from hobbyist posters to folks managing content for their own professional brands or accounts for other orgs. We want to know what will inspire you to keep creating on Mastodon.

Roundtable Discussion: A playground for self-expression (Mastodon Discovery Week 2026) | Mastodon Design Team

Mastodon would be a blank page without people who press the ‘post’ button. What would inspire bro...

Roundtable 4: An internet for everyone (14 May)

https://app.hi.events/event/7471/roundtable-discussion-an-internet-for-everyone-mastodon-discovery-week-2026

I don't believe the Fediverse is a homogeneous place, but there's a lot more we could do in terms of supporting global communities.

I particularly want to make space for people who identify as a member of the global majority, as we/you have been historically excluded from access to decision-making power in tech. Neurodivergent folks, users with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ family also strongly encouraged to join.

Roundtable Discussion: An internet for everyone (Mastodon Discovery Week 2026) | Mastodon Design Team

We want to build an open social web that supports digital equity and celebrates a diversity in pe...

Roundtable 5: A platform with flexible protections (15 May)

https://app.hi.events/event/7472/roundtable-discussion-a-platform-with-flexible-protections-mastodon-discovery-week-2026

This day will likely be more moderator-heavy, but your perspective matters here if you fall on the other end of consequences for content restrictions, too. Adult content creators, for example, are encouraged to attend (reminder: your insights will be fully anonymized). Folks who want better ways to filter their own timelines to avoid certain content will also lend a lot to the discussion here.

Roundtable Discussion: A platform with flexible protections (Mastodon Discovery Week 2026) | Mastodon Design Team

Everyone deserves to feel safe online, but how can the Mastodon platform ensure that one person’s...

@imanijoy When will ppl know, if they've got a seat at a table?
@jill most people will know by Thursday, but for certain roundtable days I may give more time for sign-ups to invite more folks as space allows.
@imanijoy I doubt I will be able to attend. But as someone I think you would think is the demographic you’re looking for, I’ll say that it would be huge for mastodon/lemmy/pixelfed to be packaged up to be easily added to softacious. Or in some similar way, made easy to spin up a server when you don’t have route access from your web host provider. Right now the technical barrier to spinning up your own personal server is way too high. For any of the AP platforms.
@imanijoy @Yehuda Maybe you could suggest a few non-technical users from your server that could provide an angle, which would otherwise get lost?
@imanijoy I'm a "Non-technical user", and I'm in! ;)
@imanijoy Hi, this issue recently came up from someone I follow: there's no nuclear block option- you can block a user, but their replies still show up in the thread for anyone who follows you. There's a PR here to address this, but it's still open with no clear path forward: https://fietkau.social/@julian/116502656500681117
Julian Fietkau (@[email protected])

@[email protected] There is a longstanding PR to remove replies by blocked users from a post's context: https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/pull/18468 Reading the conversation in there leaves me with several questions, but also feeling unsure which ones of them to ask out loud.

fietkau.social

@imanijoy @mayintoronto I looked at this event, and was a bit confused:

is active roundtable participation *in-person* only? If so, you may be unintentionally excluding folks who don't travel for various reasons (including disability) but who would like to contribute.

@deborahh @mayintoronto On all of the event pages you should see a label at the top of the page (beneath the date + time) that says 'Online Event | Join from anywhere'.

Roundtables will be hosted via OpenTalk, a privacy-focused and EU-based video conferencing platform.

@imanijoy YES THIS tech nerds (i'm one) need to step back from this. We need more casual people to join the fedi
@imanijoy Thank you, Imani. 🌻 I'm gonna help to spread the word.
@imanijoy
Non tech here.
Well, I missed it.
Guess I’m not following the right hashtags or people.
:|