When I joined #mastodon, I just wanted an open-source #twitter clone.
I got more than that. Subtle design differences made for healthier conversations in ways I wasn't expecting.
Here's a blog post to try to capture those differences and why they matter. https://scott.mn/2022/10/29/twitter_features_mastodon_is_better_without/
My #feditips for new/returning people:
1. Follow fast. Follow people here even if you didn't on Twitter. Glance thru the local timeline and follow anyone you see post anything funny or interesting. You need stuff in your feed.
2. Unfollow just as fast if you're not vibing.
3. When a friend joins, turn on post notifications. It's the 🔔 on their profile.
4. This site is slower paced. Snarky hot takes aren't rewarded as much.
5. Toot! is a good iOS app. People seem to like Tusky for Android.