hey fedi i'm trying to coax more people over here from bluesky.

[eniko@mastodon.gamedev.place]

and one last bit of advice: *most* instances do not have "on-topic" rules, i.e. if you're on a gamedev server you're not expected to *only* talk about gamedev

[bean@twoot.site]

@eniko In fact: Do shitpost.

The idea that there's no shitposting on here comes from journalists who joined the biggest instance, followed the ten journalist accounts they follow everywhere and saw no shitposting.

Since there's no "For You"-style feed, what you see is what your follows post and boost, so if you only follow strictly business accounts you'll only see strictly business.

[eniko@mastodon.gamedev.place]

@bean it is very important to shitpost

[sabik@rants.au]

@eniko
Another option for finding people to follow is to check out the timelines on other servers, for example https://wandering.shop/public/local for SF&F

Some of the apps (eg. Fedilab) have this as built-in functionality ("Manage timelines"), or you can do it on the web

#FediTips

[tealfuleyes@mastodon.art]

@eniko
I'm used to shifting services and platforms when things don't satisfy my expectations.
- Check your mutual contacts to see who you might know already is here and what instance they're on.
- Choose a reputable instance, you can always migrate later.
- Make a clear and easy to see notice/link so your followers and mutuals know where to find you. This is easier if you have a site.
- Make use of tags in your post, but also follow tags you're interested in.
- Alt text is HIGHLY encouraged.

[congusbongus@mastodon.gamedev.place]

@andyprice @eniko well there’s https://fedidevs.com/starter-packs/?q=gamedev&order_by=popular_day for example

[damonwakes@mastodon.sdf.org]

@eniko I don't know if anyone officially encourages this, but my feeling is that posting something off-topic on that kind of server probably adds some welcome variety. I joined mastodon.sdf.org because it was a general purpose server, and it still seems to skew towards retrocomputing regardless.

[tealfuleyes@mastodon.art]

@eniko
- Don't be afraid to ask for help. Most people in my experience are gladly willing to explain features and options.
- Ultimately the name of the game is shaping your experience with "intention". There is a kind of "firehose" feed that spits out EVERYTHING, but for the beat experience curating your timeline and making conscious choices with how and what you want out of your space is generally in your hands.
- Also make backups of your profile just in case your instance goes poof.

[sabik@rants.au]

@0x0961h @eniko
The other thing about using tags is that it lets people filter things out, whether because they're not interested, or because they are interested and they need to pick their battles and already have too many battles

[greenwhale@dice.camp]

@eniko don't start at .social. many servers block that awful, unmoderated mess.

[tealfuleyes@mastodon.art]

@eniko Some tips that artists specifically might want to read.
- Mastodon.art is probably the easiest instance option to start with.
- As you add tags you can see how often a tag is used, but common tags I've seen work best are Art, traditional/digital art, and MastoArt.
- You can change the focal point to generally adjust the cropping/scaling on timelines.
- You can use custom content warnings for your post if you feel your subject matter is something specific you want to warn people about.

[stein_der_iii@mastodon.social]

@lachlan @eniko this I don’t understand about Mastodon.
When following a hashtag you are seeing EVERY post on Mastodon with that hashtag. I followed a hashtag an my Whole Feed was Spammed with just This hashtag.
Why Not make it like „Follow a hashtag and just Show me every Post above 10 Stars“

[neutronstar@infosec.exchange]

@eniko
This is a copy of a reply I made regarding finding accounts and servers on mastodon. Therefore it might read a bit weird but I’ll paste it in and change some stuff and hopefully it’s acceptable.

Let me recommend this website for general activitypub recommendations, including mastodon. It asks a few questions and gives some recommendations. https://fedidb.com/welcome
——
**My advice on finding a server**
Firstly, the server/instance you choose has little effect on what you actually see on the network. So choosing a server, I would say, is more about the people you want to associate yourself with and also what level of administration you want, with what rules.

For example: I’m part of the server infosec.exchange which I joined because of an interest in infosec. It is a fairly large instance that many security minded individuals call their home. That doesn’t mean there’s exclusively infosec talk, but also cat photos and general life updates. It’s not that big a deal in reality, what server you choose.
So just try to find a server with, maybe a shared interest, a good ruleset or just well known administration. You could also use mastodon.social but most recommend against that.
——
**My advice on finding accounts**
Just give it some time. Yes, that easy.
When I got here I knew not just nothing about mastodon but nothing about microblogging at all. But I just clicked a few buttons and gave it a month, and now I got a steady feed.

There really is no trick other than, find accounts on the server or trending feed, follow some accounts, unfollow some accounts, take part in some discussions and be kind to others.

One thing I can say is joining in on discussions under popular posts. There you may find people to follow who may also follow you back. That can give your feed that alive feeling, with real, genuine people.

From there it evolves dynamically.
——
*So, just try your best, be kind, maybe migrate to a server with good administration and give it some time.*
*Hopefully this helped, and that my absolute blob of a post didn’t give you a headache.* XD
*And that you’ll join us here on Mastodon too.”

[multipass@blorbo.social]

@greenWhale @eniko Seconding this advice. Joining a smaller server may come with a bit of a delay because a real actual admin will have to look at your registration before accepting it to frustrate bots and bad faith actors. Smaller instances are also nice because it makes scrolling through the Local tab significantly less overwhelming.

[fabiosantoscode@mastodon.social]

@eniko

Add content warnings to inflammatory posts (including news articles about others being inflammatory). If bad actors try to ruin your followers' day, don't help them, and keep that CW up.

And add alt text to your images and videos. Not just for visual impaired readers but for adding context.