@chuckwendig Basically there isn't just one world-spanning email server - most commercial entities have their own - but they can talk to each other (so I can send email from my gmail account to my friend's account at his work, for example). And I could, if I wanted, set up a personal email server. Mastodon seems to be something like that.

@chuckwendig I created an account on wandering.shop, exported/imported follower list, so I'm following you from there (or I will be, when it "takes" on the other instance). But you're correct - if you "switch", follower accounts don't automatically follow you over there. Bummer.

@chuckwendig Yeah that seems to be true 🤔

@slipstream Yeah, it looks like on Tusky you have to log out and in again; Tootdon lets you switch instances easily. Still, I'll hold on to Tusky in the hope that they'll add instance-switching in the near future (mostly because I like the look of Tusky better, but also because one of the first things Tootdon did was to start playing an audio file without asking).