In case you missed it, Mastodon's search system has lots of "operators", words you can include in a search to narrow down the results. For example to just show your own posts include from:me in your search.
There is a complete list of operators plus instructions for how to to use them at:
You can use several operators at once to narrow searches further. You can also use a minus sign in front of an operator to exclude certain types of results.
Someone asked how they can publish videos on PeerTube (the Fediverse's video platform). There's a guide to publishing on PeerTube here, it includes suggestions for where to sign up (and also how to make your own server if you prefer):
If there's a problem on your server and you're not sure what to do (for example if you can't log in), you might want to contact your server's admin.
On Mastodon there is always a public email address for your admin on your server's website's About page, just click on "Learn More" or ⋯ to see it. You don't have to be logged in, the About page is visible to everyone.
The About page also has a list of the server's rules which is useful if you're curious about joining the server.
The Fediverse is deliberately spread out on thousands of independent servers running many types of software, which connect together to form a single social network.
But why is it like this? Why go to all this trouble? Wouldn't a single large server be easier?
Here is a complete list of reasons why it is very important for a social network to be spread out on many independent servers:
Unlike the commercial platforms, there is no algorithm here pushing things into your feed (including trolls & bots). So what you see is 100% based on:
who you follow
what you RT
what hashtags you use and follow
(Yes, you can follow hashtags here!)
It's customary to post an #IntroductionToot using that hashtag. Tell a bit about yourself & your interests. (You can hashtag keywords for better visibility to other accounts.)
It can take a while to build a following, but your feed will be more positive than on other platforms, with NO ads.
Posts here are called "toots" (because the logo is a Mastodon)
If your profile and posts are set to "public" and you can read this very post, you should have no sense of "privacy" here on Fedi. That means ANYONE can reply.
There's 20,000+ instances and new ones every day, there's NO WAY to tell who is accessing your posts or what they're doing with them.
Fediverse is not some kinda "bastion for privacy" nor is there any sort of "consent" required to see your posts if they are public.
The only way you can be 100% sure that your followers are the only ones that directly see your posts is to make your profile and posts private. Even then, screenshots exist.
Remember, you're on the internet. Once you post it, it's probably not going away. This is true everywhere.
You can subscribe to any PeerTube video or audio channel via your favourite podcast app. The RSS feeds on PeerTube are now in a format compatible with podcast apps, more info on how to subscribe here:
If you make a podcast, you can publish it through PeerTube. PeerTube accepts audio file uploads, and you can choose whether to have a blank screen or a still image as artwork.
There is an unofficial reminder bot on the Fediverse. It can remind you minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or years later. To use it, just mention the bot in a post or reply and include the period you want to be reminded after. For example:
@ remindme @ mstdn.social 1 week
To be reminded in a DM, include the word "dm" in small letters:
@ remindme @ mstdn.social dm 1 week
(Remove spaces in the address to make it work, I've only included spaces to avoid setting off the bot!)
The third party Android app Fedilab (which lets you use Mastodon, PeerTube, Pixelfed, Friendica etc) is now free on Google Play, and continues to be free on F-Droid too. If you haven't tried it yet, this might be a good time:
I just in the past few minutes stumbled upon https://fediwall.social , a configurable social media wall that lets you configure and display selected public content in a rotating panel based on server, accounts, or hashtags.
You can do this on the fly, or customize and save a link, or install and run your own, by the look of it.
If you're an ordinary Mastodon user, the "block domain" option does not block servers, it just mutes them. It hides their posts from you, but does not hide your posts from them.
Only server admins can do actual blocks through defederation, preferably on a server that has activated "authorized fetch".
For example, if you want to avoid threads.net, you need to join a server that has defederated threads.net. (You can find nice servers that block threads.net at https://fedi.garden)
PSA: Since Threads apparently will be federating replies soon, I thought I should post this again, because there's still a lot of people that don't know.
When a normal user uses "block this domain" it's LITERALLY just a MUTE. The blocked server can still see, interact, and reply to your posts, you just won't be able to see them.
It's kinda like sitting in a room with hungry bears while wearing a blindfold. If you're scared of hungry bears, your best bet is to get out of the room, not put a blindfold on. And by this, I simply mean to migrate to an instance where the blocks are up to your standard on the "instance" level.
Stay informed and make informed decisions, no matter what you choose to do with your Fediverse presence.
So a problem I'm having on the #Fediverse that doesn't happen with legacy social media is that I have multiple accounts across multiple services that all show up under the same search.
I primarily use this account hosted on my personal server, but I also have accounts on my #PeerTube server for posting videos and accounts on #Mastodon Social and Misskey.io to test the bleeding edge of their software and use features my server can't support.
None of these are alts in the way that I've had Tumblr alts for specific fandoms or X alts to follow particular subjects. They're all me to the extent that using a different display name or handle doesn't make sense.
The problem occurs when people reach out to me on some of these accounts, and I miss it cause I don't regularly receive notifications from them. I can't even receive the right kind of notification from some of these accounts. For example, PeerTube doesn't get private mentions or tags (outside of video comments), and none of these services render reactions from #Misskey correctly.
#Fedi is still new to many people, and there's a learning curve to "these are all different services under one giant network powered by #ActivityPub". It makes sense that users search for my name, click the first matching account with a photo of me, and interact with that account believing I'll 100% see that interaction.
I'm not quite sure what the ideal solution is, if anyone has any #FediTips for dealing with this specific caveat of our interconnected social network.
For now, I've just added 🔕 to all my ActivityPub accounts besides my main, and hopefully that gives people enough pause to notice the account without it.
You don't have to use Mastodon through its official app! There are many better alternatives including third party apps, your server's website, web apps etc.
Here's a guide to help you get started with exploring all the different kinds of Mastodon apps:
If you're a techy person, there are also some more unusual choices you might like such as retro apps for classic computers of the 1980s/1990s, or CLI/TUI apps for text-based interfaces.
Say I want to filter out posts containing the exact phrase "Donald Trump" from my feed (I don't – just using that as an example).
But I still want to see posts about Donald Duck and Trump Tower. How do I ensure only the exact phrase "Donald Trump" is filtered. I've looked at the official documentation and also fedi.tips but they seem more directed towards filtering individual words.
Please consider removing servers using outdated software from joinmastodon.org as they might be a risk for new users and the Mastodon experience will not be best nor the latest.
Some servers at JoinMastodon.org such as IRSoluciones.social (https://irsoluciones.social/public/local) have a public timeline filled of spam bots, yet JoinMastodon.org encourages new users to join there which is unattended, unmoderated, the software is outdated and might present a bad experience and a security risk for the new users.
In my opinion, if a Mastodon server admin is not going to take care and update their instance when critical bugs appear, please consider removing such versions from JoinMastodon.org, thanks!
This is your periodic reminder that you will be happier in the #Fediverse and find it more rewarding if you are quick to follow people and also quick to unfollow / mute / block.
Quick to follow is important because that's how to build a community of interest.
Quick to unfollow etc. is even more important, because you don't owe anyone here your time or attention and you shouldn't give it to people who don't spark joy. #FediTips#fediquette