It's actually pretty amazing that a open source product developed by a tiny non-profit, running on a network of servers self-funded by volunteer administrator and moderators has managed to absorb some portion of one of the world's largest for-profit social networks.

It's a miracle the whole thing didn't collapse or catch fire.

Great job everyone.

@vees @gairdeachas The differences between instances definitely is a shift from the monolithic social networks! I just realized part of the reason the infosec server looks so "weird" to me is that it's running on glitch:

"Glitchsoc is free open source software forked from Mastodon. (v3.5.3+glitch)."

I mean, once I can figure out the account moving mechanism. Which right now is telling me I don't have my aliases set up properly. This isn't a flounce, more a slow and hiccupey wander. 😂

@gairdeachas (runs to turn on the bells for @gairdeachas :D )

Alrighty, all the locals have been telling newbies that we need to explore the smaller instances, kinda like how everyone says when you visit a new country to get away from the slick touristy areas.

So I'm taking that advice and moving to social.coop, which is set up as, well, a co-op. I like that structure (and that it expects a member fee, honestly) rather than it being one person and donations. One person owning it all is precisely the problem with the Bird site.

@sam@fediscience.org @CharlieRioux my understanding is edit is a v4.0 feature so instances will pick it up as they use that. Mastadon.social has had it since I joined last week and one of my early learnings with server hopping was how different neighborhoods look different.

@julialight92@mastodon.sdf.org @chrischirp what age do you think that rule kicks in?

Recent mastodon influx be like: This party is amazing! Much better than that prior party!

5 minutes later: The party food should be served differently. 🤣

I implore other newbies to recall we’re coming into a home that’s been around since 2016, not an empty room. Part of why we love it is all the work people before us did setting up the party in a nice way. Maybe let’s defer to them a bit on norms?

Also, please use CW for political discussions, especially in the US this week. It’s better.

@themineraria I really like the planet and it’s blue star!

@albinokid

Tip 1: Use hashtags. There's no algorithm to suggest followers or shove posts into your feed in the hopes you follow someone.

Tip 2: Boost (re-post) toots liberally. *You* are the algorithm.

Tip 3: Use CW (content warnings / content wrappers) to discuss politics, the meta.

Tip 4: To create "threads", make the first post public and each reply "unlisted" to prevent clogging up your instance's feed.

Tip 5: Provide text descriptions, even just basic ones, when attaching photos or media.

Tip 6: Use the "report" features for moderating trolls so your admins can take action.

@shrinkthinks kinda feels like we’ve been in the world’s crack since 2020…

A little disappointed that we're using #AcademicMastodon. #AcademicFedi or #AcademicToots when #Macademia was RIGHT THERE.

I just learned a new word today.

pooptoot

Obviously just a synonym for shitpost, but on Mastodon. Yet somehow it sounds better. I like it here :)

@themineraria well, I’m on a couple of different ones right now. And I can’t seem to decide which one to make my “home” so I’m basically following and posting and whatever on all of them. 🤣And I’m reading all the various “local” feeds and pondering which ones seem the most trustworthy for staying around, backing up, etc. So I can totally migrate eventually but I’m making it hard on myself in the meantime!

@gairdeachas yes! I hadn’t made that connection but now that you’ve said it that’s definitely what I see too.

Is there any critical scholarship on #federated information architecture?

I am looking for pointers on the intersection of techno utopianism and notions of decentralized tech and how that intersects with privilege and power.

Here, privilege + power could also be geographical/political/infrastructural.

e.g., having the money to pay for servers, your country allowing payments in foreign currencies to be able to afford said servers.

#academicChatter #academicMastodon

Look, all I’m saying is this “pick a single server” thing is hella hard when you’re #polyamorous. I like *this* one for this reason, and this *other one* for another reason. Why does one server have to be all the things to me??