4 ms·

For the average user does it even matter what server/instance you join? From what I can tell, once you sign up you can search for, follow, find, post, re-post e

For the average user does it even matter what server/instance you join? From what I can tell, once you sign up you can search for, follow, find, post, re-post etc. anything from anyone regardless of which server you sign up with.

ChrisArchitect 4y ago
No, not if content is coming from a blocked/blacklisted server -- which is all up to each server's mods --- and also if you want to move, your content does not go with you. Mastodon isn't perfect or even 'it'.
- klaustopher 4y ago
  It‘s build right into the software to move your account and take all content and even followers with you: https://docs.joinmastodon.org/user/moving/ https://docs.joinmastodon.org/user/moving/
  - Hamuko 4y ago
    Where do you import your exported content?
aendruk 4y ago
Yes, browsing and discovery is strongly influenced by what instance you choose. To understand what parts of the experience are affected, consider the extreme case of a single-user instance.
- rsynnott 4y ago
  Eh, I'm not sure about that, really. If you're already on Twitter, you can follow the people who've migrated over with movetodon or similar, and discover people that way. How often do you browse the Twitter global timeline, after all? (Is that even possible anymore?) On Twitter, and on Mastodon, you largely discover people based on what the people you follow do.
  - aendruk 4y ago
    > How often do you browse the Twitter global timeline, after all? This is the wrong question to ask. Last I used Twitter it bombarded me with unsolicited, unrelated content to an inescapable degree. On Mastodon, which so enthusiastically compensates for Twitter’s aggression that no new content is surfaced without an explicit request or first-degree vouch, I take a peek at instances' local timelines almost daily. Beyond the timeline, consider the behavior of hashtags. On a single-user instance hashtags are useless for discovery.

ChrisArchitect 4y ago

No, not if content is coming from a blocked/blacklisted server -- which is all up to each server's mods --- and also if you want to move, your content does not go with you. Mastodon isn't perfect or even 'it'.

klaustopher 4y ago
It‘s build right into the software to move your account and take all content and even followers with you: https://docs.joinmastodon.org/user/moving/ https://docs.joinmastodon.org/user/moving/
- Hamuko 4y ago
  Where do you import your exported content?

aendruk 4y ago

Yes, browsing and discovery is strongly influenced by what instance you choose. To understand what parts of the experience are affected, consider the extreme case of a single-user instance.

rsynnott 4y ago
Eh, I'm not sure about that, really. If you're already on Twitter, you can follow the people who've migrated over with movetodon or similar, and discover people that way. How often do you browse the Twitter global timeline, after all? (Is that even possible anymore?) On Twitter, and on Mastodon, you largely discover people based on what the people you follow do.
- aendruk 4y ago
  > How often do you browse the Twitter global timeline, after all? This is the wrong question to ask. Last I used Twitter it bombarded me with unsolicited, unrelated content to an inescapable degree. On Mastodon, which so enthusiastically compensates for Twitter’s aggression that no new content is surfaced without an explicit request or first-degree vouch, I take a peek at instances' local timelines almost daily. Beyond the timeline, consider the behavior of hashtags. On a single-user instance hashtags are useless for discovery.