Picking which Mastodon server to join us a bit like choosing character attributes in the character creation screen of an RPG.

You kind of know what you like but you don't know if it's what you'll need.

@stephenfry welcome Stephen. This piece on ZDNet is a pretty well written orientation

https://www.zdnet.com/article/ditching-twitter-how-to-get-started-with-mastodon/

Think I'll put it in my twitter profile while I still have it.

@sedward5 @bea same, especially since I just blogged https://g13g.blog/2022/10/31/mastodon-is-the-new-google-reader/

Hope everyone's week is flying along

#wrcgenerations

“I want news organizations to not only set up their own servers but also to start adding share-on-Mastodon buttons to story pages. That will send a message to Elon et al, endorsing an alternative.” — @jeffjarvis https://buzzmachine.com/2022/11/05/hope-for-a-post-musk-net/

Took a trip to SLAC this week to see the monster camera being built for @VRubinObs… 3.2 gigapixels. Wild!
#astronomy #astrodon #cameras

Mastodon is Twitter for people who still won’t get over Google Reader going away and want to find other like minded folk.

The Mastodon #SignUpFlow is creating a lot of friction for new folks that want to try out the #Fediverse

Problem -It's forcing new users to choose a server immediately, before the concept of the #Fediverse is understood

Proposal - a voluntary network of #NewUserOnrampInstances, to better serve the #FTU experience

With a side option to choose a server

Introduce the #Fediverse gently: it'll be cool

This also distributes new users across the Fediverse without overloading a few

#MastodonUX

Also consider: Elon Musk (and maybe the House of Saud?) now has access to the direct messages of every politician on the planet.

(And these aren’t necessarily the most technically-savvy or infosec-aware people we’re talking about here…)

🤔

#twitter #elonMusk #privacy #nationalSecurity

tl;dr on post privacy:

🌍 Public: broadcast as far as possible - good for sharing things with hashtags and local timeline

🔓 Unlisted (open lock): shown to your followers, can be boosted but isn't advertised - good for regular blogging and being gentle with local timeline when posting long threads

🔒 Followers-only (closed lock): share with your followers, but not boostable - good for private personal stuff and "this isn't out yet but".

✉️ Direct: Private, just for the eyes of those you @ in it.

Hello #Astrodon world! We are Rubin Observatory, a new up-and-coming ground-based observatory currently under construction on Cerro Pachón in Chile.

Looking forward to sharing all the incredible engineering, science, and people of our observatory with all of you here!

#introduction #astronomy

#nowplaying

#nowplaying

@sydonahi sounds great! Your videos on YouTube? Have a long term interest in physics helped by my daughter's MSc 🌌

#nowplaying

Very much enjoying #theperipheral & will definitely pick up @GreatDismal 's book, but I don't think I'd make a hand grab gesture to close future windows. That's got to be flicking the v's - right? 😏

Just ripped a cd. 90s as fuck!