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pearwaldorf[insert whatever fuckery Muskrat is doing that is making people uneasy about staying on Twitter because I can't keep up anymore]
I take no joy in this. The breaking of communities is always an awful thing, and I very much dislike that it is a thing that has happened, and is going to keep happening.
I really do think the most viable alternative to the birdsite is Mastodon. It is the only platform/wev that has survived and in fact gets better the more people join. The technology has never been the sticking point, but rather accumulating a critical mass of people so you'll want to keep hanging out. I think it's coming.
1. It's really not that technically complicated
Can you sign up for an email address? Can you email someone not on the domain your email is hosted on? Congrats, you have all the knowledge you need to navigate Mastodon. There are guides to help you out, and if you need something specific and can't find it I'll dig one up for you.
2. Your instance doesn't really matter
3. Find an alternate UI you like
I'm gonna be blunt: if you rely on the vanilla Mastodon UI, you're going to have a bad fucking time. It is designed by engineers and FOSS people in the worst ways. If you want a mobile app, use Tusky or Megalodon (Android). (I do not have any iOS devices but Ivory is made by the people who did Tweetbot, which Twitter took a lot of cues from. And I'm sure there are others.)
For web interfaces, I can highly recommend both Elk and Phanpy. (Also have responsive modes if you want to use them on your phone.) They function like skins on top of the vanilla interface and abstract a lot of things I found infuriating. Phanpy also has a Tweetdeck-like interface option and has helped so much with the current transition. Here is how you enable it.
4. Hashtag subscription is cool
You can follow hashtags like an account, which is a genuinely delightful feature. I am subscribed to #fountainpens, #mosstodon, #lichensubscribe, #bloomscrolling, and #silentsunday. For cats, there is #caturday and #catsofmastodon.
If you have any other questions, hmu in the comments or wherever and I'm happy to answer or point you to somebody who might know.
I take no joy in this. The breaking of communities is always an awful thing, and I very much dislike that it is a thing that has happened, and is going to keep happening.
I really do think the most viable alternative to the birdsite is Mastodon. It is the only platform/wev that has survived and in fact gets better the more people join. The technology has never been the sticking point, but rather accumulating a critical mass of people so you'll want to keep hanging out. I think it's coming.
1. It's really not that technically complicated
Can you sign up for an email address? Can you email someone not on the domain your email is hosted on? Congrats, you have all the knowledge you need to navigate Mastodon. There are guides to help you out, and if you need something specific and can't find it I'll dig one up for you.
2. Your instance doesn't really matter
An instance is a launchpad. It can also be a town square if you want it to be. You can interact as much or as little as you like on it. And if you don't like it, you can always move. The only caveats I have are:
- Don't join a big instance. They're overloaded.
- Make sure you're willing to abide by the rules of your instance. For example, this is for the one I hang out on. Usually it's stuff like content warnings or how to post nudity/gore/other nsfw stuff. The don't be an asshole stuff is presumed, but please read through the terms of use and make sure it's stuff you're willing to do/not do.
3. Find an alternate UI you like
I'm gonna be blunt: if you rely on the vanilla Mastodon UI, you're going to have a bad fucking time. It is designed by engineers and FOSS people in the worst ways. If you want a mobile app, use Tusky or Megalodon (Android). (I do not have any iOS devices but Ivory is made by the people who did Tweetbot, which Twitter took a lot of cues from. And I'm sure there are others.)
For web interfaces, I can highly recommend both Elk and Phanpy. (Also have responsive modes if you want to use them on your phone.) They function like skins on top of the vanilla interface and abstract a lot of things I found infuriating. Phanpy also has a Tweetdeck-like interface option and has helped so much with the current transition. Here is how you enable it.
4. Hashtag subscription is cool
You can follow hashtags like an account, which is a genuinely delightful feature. I am subscribed to #fountainpens, #mosstodon, #lichensubscribe, #bloomscrolling, and #silentsunday. For cats, there is #caturday and #catsofmastodon.
If you have any other questions, hmu in the comments or wherever and I'm happy to answer or point you to somebody who might know.
