I've been reading various guides about Mastodon ( thanks to @design_RG ) to participate more effectively.
One thing I don't get is why it is people focused rather than topic focused (like reddit).
Specifically, I don't really understand how to follow a topic...
Like, do I have to search using a hashtag everytime I want to keep up with something??
🇳🇱
@kosame Topics are followed via hashtags usually.
@freemo @kosame Yuo will see posts by other users in a thread discussion, and maybe get interested in their posts; visiting their profile is the next step for me.
We also see a lot of new people via Boosts in our Home feeds. Your followed accounts posts, as well as any boosts they create, will show up there.
I do miss a more formal, focused, Forum like structure, but here it is the way it is.
We will have Bookmarks in upcoming versions of Mastodon, some forked modded versions already have them (Glitchsoc being a particularly interesting one.)
@kosame @design_RG In some clients, like #fedilab, you can save custom search and only see results for a certain hashtag.
However yes, I also find the reddit format more close to how my mind works. There is #prismo which is an AP based project aiming for what you are saying, but it's still in its early stages. You can see more at https://prismo.xyz/ .
You can follow them at @prismo
redraft for grammar
Oh, that seems perfect! I usually browse using my phone so I'll set up Fedilab!
Thanks, everyone!! 😄
@kosame @arteteco @prismo
Good morning! 😄
I am glad you have been reading and enjoying the guides, I love reading and am still looking for more information, all the time.
You mentioned Fedilab, I did a series of posts describing my testing and experience with it, found it was a nice client.
Better yet, thanks to the awesome FULL Text search we enjoy here at QOTO (and is NOT for granted, sadly missed in other instances), I could very quickly retrieve the link to my thread - it's here:
https://qoto.org/web/statuses/103150545437071079
Explaining the full text search - a life saver, if you remember a couple of unique words from your post. Just enter them, in my case "fedilab lite" and I got a fast results screen.
A nice tip some people use is to leave personal hashtags in threads they think importante. Karl uses a cute one, #bookmarx , lol. A play on his username which is a conservative version of Karl Marx.
Why Fedilab Lite ? If there's a Lite version I usually go for it. FB Messenger and app, Spotify, all these are available in Lite, smaller and faster probably.
The thread has an evaluation and direct link to the F-Droid site, a good place to find open source and well made software for android phones.
Better Bookmarks will come - it's already present in some modified, forked versions of Mastodon. I use another instance that runs GlitchSoc, and it's a nice system. They already have bookmarks, Local instance only posting (which does not federate at all -- a great idea imo). and other enhancements.
Glitchsoc is the leading edge in Masto development, imo. But Gargron is aware and incorporating some of their ideas and innovations as his work progresses.
One possible way to keep track of things - for me, using a laptop or desktop mostly. Copy links to threads and keep on a text editor for reference.
Like I do with a standard welcome message for new users, including a pointer to the Lifehackers mastodon guide. Very handy, and appreciated by the recipients, I think.
Uhmm, the coffee already kicked in pretty good, as you surely noticed, lol...
On to more reading, have a good one, friends.
I'll check out Prismo too but I don't think a reddit alternative could really take off.
Reddit is perfect to be federated, each subreddit is like its own mini forum, but there's just too much content already made.
New discussions are great but searching for stuff already discussed and top posts is a huge part of reddit...
Users can set up new communities elsewhere, but moving the massive amount of information and discussions will probs never happen :(
Sorry for the tangent!!
@kosame well, I'm very happy an "alternative" is being developed, especially since reddit has been in general quite lax on censorship, but we don't know how it may go in the future. Also, prismo has access to all the fediverse content, being federated with AP, so it doesn't have to start really from scratch, content-wise
With that said, I agree that atm reddit is not replaceable by anything. I myself am a very active reddit user, and I kind of love the crowd.
@kosame @design_RG I too would like to pin a certain hangtag or even a collection of hashtags (think of multireddits), in order to receive relevant content. Although, I suppose peoplecentricism is probably the whole point here, and I'm just missing it by thinking these thoughts. In defence of #Mastodon I do have to point out that I enjoy the fact that I can make lists based on my preferences. Some people tend to post about a certain topic, so I can group them together in one list.
@PunaisetPimpulat
Nie post, good thoughts.
Mastodon is still under active development, and new features can and will be added in the future.
If people see a need and advocate for it, there's a chance a fix or extension might happen.
Or that we can use another platform that is also federated and interacts with mastodon instances.
I have seen some exquisite posts coming from other platforms, like European Discord instances, Friendica shows there in my feed and account there.
And there are others I haven't even got to visiting and looking around at yet.
I think we should look around and have more than one place, ideally other accounts and services that are connected to fediverse, and by their nature, allows the type of content or posting you are interested in.
I am beginning to write a blog and spent some time searching and evaluating alternatives, think I have one I like now.
There I could consolidate things that happen in spontaneous posts here, and are quickly covered up with never ending new posts.
Friendica is a bit similar to Facebook. Masto is to twitter. Write.freely is the blogging platform.
There are places for video, for music, file sharing. Very very rich, our fediverse.
Good morning~
Just to add to the discussion, I tried out Fedilab and while it was great, even on my semi decent phone, it ran reeeallly slow...
Haven't given Fedilab Lite a try yet, hope it runs better!
It's great that Prismo is federated!
I gave it a try and found it kinda underwhelming.. It's kinda halfway between reddit and twitter and doesn't seem to have subreddit like sub-communities.
I discovered Lemmy though, which seems great! It's similar to reddit but more minimal and transparent.
It isn't federated or stable yet, though :(
@kosame Great to know you are trying out new things, Kosako, way to go. It's fun.
I never installed Fedilab itself, seeing that a Lite version was available -- but it's only on the F-Droid store, not on Google Play.
Look forward to your impressions after trying it. I found it pretty nice, but mobile is not my thing (unless traveling).
I guess I can follow people that post about the topic and keep up with a part of the discussion but what if someone I don't follow or someone new has something interesting to say??