You’ve set up your Mastodon account, you’ve found some people to follow. Congratulations!
Now what?
(If you haven’t done this, check out the first post in this series for instructions on how to choose a server, set up your profile, and find people. If you want to find me on Mastodon, you can do so at @skrishna@wandering.shop. Please keep in mind that this post is just a starting place. It’s what I’ve learned from the couple of weeks I’ve been an active user, but there’s a lot more to figure out.
Play around with your profile
Go into Settings, Profile. There’s a lot you can customize here, so spend a few minutes poking around.
The interface (apps and such)
I use the the official iOS app for Mastodon. It’s usable, but not ideal. There are a lot of features missing from it. It hasn’t been updated for awhile, but someone is working on it again so hopefully we’ll see more updates soon. (I haven’t used the Android app and can’t help there, nor can I help with PC.)
edited to add: I downloaded Metatext for iOS and it works much better than the official Mastodon app!
I’m on a Mac (silicon) and I still find the best option is the web interface. If you like using it in the browser, then great! One recommendation I’d make is to go into settings (the gear above your username on the left) , appearance, and check the box that says “Enable advanced web interface.” This gives you Tweetdeck-style columns.
If you like having a standalone app and you’re on a Mac, you can use Fluid (free download) to create a standalone desktop app from the website. That’s what I do. There are a bunch of independent apps, but I haven’t found any that offer all the features of the desktop website.
Switching instances
If you don’t like the instance you originally signed up for (or grabbed whatever was available) you can switch instances! You can do so in Settings, but be warned: your posts won’t move over (but all your followers/following will).
Edit button
It exists, mainly on desktop (the apps I’ve used don’t have it). But it’s there!
Following hashtags
One thing that’s brought me a lot of joy is following hashtags in my main feed. Right now, I follow #startrek and #space, so when anyone uses these hashtags across my instance (and a few others), I see it in my main feed. It really helps for finding fun new people to chat with and follow. To do this, search for the hashtag (if your server is running slowly, sometimes it’s better to just click on the hashtag somewhere versus searching for it — so like, in your intro post for example).
You have to be on a server running the latest updates for Mastodon (which is why I like being on mastodon.social) to be able to follow hashtags on your main feed. You’ll see an icon with a person and a plus sign beside the title (screenshot below). Click the person. (If you don’t see it because you’re not on a server with the latest updates. You just have to wait until your server is updated.)
If you don’t want to follow the hashtag but you want to keep an eye on it, you can also pin the column. Press the button to the right of the person, and then hit “pin.”
Why hashtags are important
I knew hashtags were important on Mastodon but it wasn’t immediately clear to me why. Here’s the deal:
You cannot search for plain text across Mastodon. You can only search for hashtags. It makes discoverability harder, but it’s also a deliberate decision to make sure you invite people in when you’re posting. Basically, people can’t search for text keywords and come find you (and harass you). If you use hashtags, it’s an indication you want to engage on that topic, and people can find you that way.
There’s no algorithm or quote retweet
You might be rejoicing at the fact that there’s no algorithm on Mastodon. You see whatever is out there! Keep in mind though, this means while “likes” are nice, they don’t do anything. If you want to support someone else, boost (or retweet) them. It’s the best way to find people.
Also quote retweets don’t exist. It’s a deliberate design choice by the admins. (I’m not commenting on whether that’s good or bad, I miss them but understand the decision.)
There’s no quality filter and moderation is up to your admin
For the most part, a lack of an algorithm on Mastodon is a good thing. But that also means there’s no quality filter. You see everything people send you. The good news is you can still mute, block, report, and even ban entire servers (if a server allows racism or harassment, and the one you are on doesn’t). But the fact is, this is going to be a thing that Mastodon will have to reckon with as it gets bigger. We’ll see what happens.
As a note, mastodon.social has an active admin who does not allow alt-right content and defederates (or blocks) servers that do. Another reason I like this server! Make sure the server you’re on has an active admin.
Norms on Mastodon are different
One thing to remember is that Mastodon has its own culture, and those of us who are coming in are doing that — coming into an already established place. That means abiding by the norms the community has already put into place.
Use content warnings
Content warning use on Mastodon is very different than anywhere else I’ve seen. It’s not necessarily focused on trauma or triggers (though there is that as well). Content warnings are basically used on anything that would cause a person to doom scroll.
Edited to add: It should be noted that there’s been discussions about putting content warnings on racism. That’s not great. This is exactly what I meant when I said Mastodon isn’t a Twitter replacement. The culture is great in some respects, but it does need to evolve to include people of color.
Use alt text
Alt text on your images isn’t just an afterthought here. Use it liberally!
Toss a coin to your witcher
Mastodon isn’t some big social media corporation. It’s volunteer run. If you decide to stick around, how about pledging to their Patreon?
Verification (of a sort)
If you’re a creator with your own website and want to verify you are who you say you are, there’s a way to do that (sort of). Go to Settings then Profile. Make sure your website link is in one of the boxes to the left of the box that says Verification.
Copy the code in the verification box and add it as HTML to your website. (If you’re on Squarespace, you can insert HTML by adding a Markdown box. Please, don’t ask me how to do it on other platforms. Trust me when I say I don’t know. If you aren’t sure, you probably didn’t build your own website so contact the person who designed your website for you.)
You’ll get a little verification box pretty immediately after adding it. It’s small, but it’s a way to verify you are who you say you are.
Crossposting between Twitter and Mastodon
Yes, you can crosspost, but be careful. One thing that’s really important on Mastodon is maintaining an authentic presence. People will unfollow you if you don’t. In fact, it might be worth it to crosspost from Mastodon to Twitter instead of the other way around.
The best tool to do this is the Crossposter. I highly recommend customizing what you crosspost — no replies, no retweets/boosts, and use the keywords to filter out anything that wouldn’t work on both platforms (Twitter and Mastodon are good keywords to start with.) Play with this, see if it works for you, but to find people on Mastodon you have to interact with them.