Hello #Mastodon - I need advice
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Hello #Mastodon - I need advice
When I signed up 3 weeks ago, I joined a server without knowing what I was doing. Some have suggested that I might be better on another, but I am lost and confused
What are the benefits of moving? What are the benefits of staying?
And if I do move, where should I go? I know nothing - so your subjective recommendations & insights would be much appreciated
P.S. Here’s a picture of my cat, Max, looking confused - like me
@rufustheduck when I came to mastodon, also, I knew almost nothing about server differences. You should make your own decision, but I'll tell you how I am handling my own choice. I am still on the first server where I started because I have found no reason to complain about it and because I have no trouble finding interesting posted writings and lovely photographs to follow from various servers. If ever I find a cultural or moral rift between me and the server management, then I would reconsider my place in this space.
I like your cat.
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@rufustheduck I saw a few posts on the topic of "does the instance matter" and community the other day, might be interesting to read:
https://maho.dev/2026/01/the-forkiverse-experiment-and-why-instance-choice-matters/ and
https://stefanbohacek.online/@stefan/115962043884062629@phl Thank you for sharing!
Hi @rufustheduck, welcome to the fediverse!
I'm not sure that particular article of mine will be too helpful (I do recommend checking out the first one, for sure!)
I touched a bit on the server selection here, if you're interested:
https://stefanbohacek.com/blog/how-to-join-mastodon-and-the-fediverse/#choosing-a-server
My own recommendation would be to keep interacting with people and see if you notice any servers in their usernames coming up more often than others -- that might be your crowd!
This might also be fun/useful: https://data.stefanbohacek.com/projects/fediverse
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Hello #Mastodon - I need advice
When I signed up 3 weeks ago, I joined a server without knowing what I was doing. Some have suggested that I might be better on another, but I am lost and confused
What are the benefits of moving? What are the benefits of staying?
And if I do move, where should I go? I know nothing - so your subjective recommendations & insights would be much appreciated
P.S. Here’s a picture of my cat, Max, looking confused - like me
First of all, welcome to the #fediverse
If you knew already 3 or 4 people, using the same server, they would have suggested you their server and they would have made a point.
Being you just arrived, out of curiosity, there is absolute no reason to move until you find a very good reason for doing.
You're just arrived, try to discover content using #hashtag and following people that seems interesting to you.
You'll end up following #pixelfed photographers, or blogs, #peertube channels, #lemmy forums, or #owncast alerts on starting streaming. -
@phl Thank you for sharing!
Hi @rufustheduck, welcome to the fediverse!
I'm not sure that particular article of mine will be too helpful (I do recommend checking out the first one, for sure!)
I touched a bit on the server selection here, if you're interested:
https://stefanbohacek.com/blog/how-to-join-mastodon-and-the-fediverse/#choosing-a-server
My own recommendation would be to keep interacting with people and see if you notice any servers in their usernames coming up more often than others -- that might be your crowd!
This might also be fun/useful: https://data.stefanbohacek.com/projects/fediverse
@stefan (I have no idea why that link in the text counted as a quote toot, ugh!)
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Hello #Mastodon - I need advice
When I signed up 3 weeks ago, I joined a server without knowing what I was doing. Some have suggested that I might be better on another, but I am lost and confused
What are the benefits of moving? What are the benefits of staying?
And if I do move, where should I go? I know nothing - so your subjective recommendations & insights would be much appreciated
P.S. Here’s a picture of my cat, Max, looking confused - like me
If you're satisfied with your current server experience, I don't see the need to switch, as migrating posts and followers is quite a hassle.
Regarding the above point, I believe it stems from concerns about the overall reliability of the Fediverse. In reality, any server can experience outages. If you're genuinely worried, creating a backup account is a viable option.
If you're dissatisfied with the atmosphere or management of your current server, I think switching to another one is perfectly acceptable.
Regardless of which server you use, it's essential to regularly back up your data. -
@stefan (I have no idea why that link in the text counted as a quote toot, ugh!)
@phl Ah, no worries!
I think links to posts are automatically turned into quotes now? I think that's how it worked back on Twitter.
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@rufustheduck The general recommendation is for new folks to avoid the biggest instances to also avoid Mastodon becoming too centralized.
That aside, if you use your instance's local feed, that could influence where you set up your account.
I chose a small, science-friendly Canadian instance because it ticks a lot of boxes, but I only follow my own Home feed. I found people through hashtags and reposts, so that feed and instance work well for me.
There's some info about moving instances and why you might want to do it on the @FediTips website:
https://fedi.tips/transferring-your-mastodon-account-to-another-server/
I hope this is helpful. (Please give the beautiful Max a kiss on the forehead from me.)
@StaceyCornelius @rufustheduck
I hope the guide helps answer your questions about benefits of moving etc, but if you have any further questions please feel free to ask
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@rufustheduck Mostly for the local timeline and finding those with similar interests gathered together.
For example, I am on infosec.exchange because I work in computer security (Also known as information security or infosec) so being here means viewing the local timeline mostly shows me posts relevant to my interests, even for those I don't follow.
This lets me more easily find new people to follow or catch news in the field I may have otherwise missed in the floods on a large general server like mastodon.social (which is large enough they may have turned off the local timeline).
@zombie042 @rufustheduck I’d suggest browsing interest-focused instances before moving (by visiting https://infosec.exchange/public/local) for example. Some instances have unusually restrictive moderation, or their funding is shaky, or they’re dominated by a few posters.
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Hello #Mastodon - I need advice
When I signed up 3 weeks ago, I joined a server without knowing what I was doing. Some have suggested that I might be better on another, but I am lost and confused
What are the benefits of moving? What are the benefits of staying?
And if I do move, where should I go? I know nothing - so your subjective recommendations & insights would be much appreciated
P.S. Here’s a picture of my cat, Max, looking confused - like me
@rufustheduck A few things to look for in instances:
What is the character count limit? This can be vastly different across instances. If you post long form content, this could matter to you.
What instances do they block? If you're into some stuff that others aren't into, and more power to you, check if they block instances with that stuff. Also check their content posting policy.
How good are they about updating mastodon? Are they stuck on an old version? How active is the admin?
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@phl Ah, no worries!
I think links to posts are automatically turned into quotes now? I think that's how it worked back on Twitter.
@stefan Yeah I thought it'd be some special syntax and not just any random Fedi URL in a post
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Hello #Mastodon - I need advice
When I signed up 3 weeks ago, I joined a server without knowing what I was doing. Some have suggested that I might be better on another, but I am lost and confused
What are the benefits of moving? What are the benefits of staying?
And if I do move, where should I go? I know nothing - so your subjective recommendations & insights would be much appreciated
P.S. Here’s a picture of my cat, Max, looking confused - like me
@rufustheduck mastodon.social is basically the generic everyman server that everyone new to the Fediverse signs up to (mostly because it's ran by Mastodon themselves and is pushed by the official app), but this also means it's a firehose of thousands of people speaking all at once with no real sense of organisation or topic, which means it can get quite busy if you're following the Federated feed. Many people therefore suggest doing research into other Mastodon servers that are around, in case another one might be more structured to your specific interests, as you might find it more comfortable to follow, or easier to find others who share the same interests as you.
fedi.tips has a good explanation about the purpose of different servers in the Fediverse. fedi.garden is a good site to help you find a suitable server for you
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@rufustheduck I saw a few posts on the topic of "does the instance matter" and community the other day, might be interesting to read:
https://maho.dev/2026/01/the-forkiverse-experiment-and-why-instance-choice-matters/ and
https://stefanbohacek.online/@stefan/115962043884062629@rufustheduck An extra thing to what others raised about how to choose a new instance if you want to choose one: don't forget that you can have any number of accounts if you want.
Want to keep this as your main for cat pictures and whatever else, but you find a server specific to your interest in *shakes 8-ball* bread making? Can have both.
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Hello #Mastodon - I need advice
When I signed up 3 weeks ago, I joined a server without knowing what I was doing. Some have suggested that I might be better on another, but I am lost and confused
What are the benefits of moving? What are the benefits of staying?
And if I do move, where should I go? I know nothing - so your subjective recommendations & insights would be much appreciated
P.S. Here’s a picture of my cat, Max, looking confused - like me
also: how strict are they about things like Alt-text.
for example I'll never get on chaos.social because of how they formulated their guideline and there's lots of peeps on there who are very ... anal about this.
While I generally see the good of alt-text, I also see no reason to write "Sunrise" into the alt-text when the post already reads "Sunrise" every time I just wanna quickly post a pic of a sunrise and then have people whine at me that I'm not descriptive enough. -
Hello #Mastodon - I need advice
When I signed up 3 weeks ago, I joined a server without knowing what I was doing. Some have suggested that I might be better on another, but I am lost and confused
What are the benefits of moving? What are the benefits of staying?
And if I do move, where should I go? I know nothing - so your subjective recommendations & insights would be much appreciated
P.S. Here’s a picture of my cat, Max, looking confused - like me
@rufustheduck I also joined your instance and had nothing against it but moved to cupoftea.social because it aligns with my values of positivity and wholesomeness.
So, if you find the local timeline meets your values, consider staying where you are. If not, ask your fedi-friends for instance recs that might align more closely to you
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Hello #Mastodon - I need advice
When I signed up 3 weeks ago, I joined a server without knowing what I was doing. Some have suggested that I might be better on another, but I am lost and confused
What are the benefits of moving? What are the benefits of staying?
And if I do move, where should I go? I know nothing - so your subjective recommendations & insights would be much appreciated
P.S. Here’s a picture of my cat, Max, looking confused - like me
if you don't know why to move, you're probably in the right spot.
You will know, when it's time to move.
e.g. if someone you like interacting with is blocked from mastodon.social, maybe not for a good reason, you could move.
another one: if you don't like policy changes of mastodon.social, you could move.
There's indefinite reasons, why someone would want to move. If you don't have a real reason to move, you don't have to
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Hello #Mastodon - I need advice
When I signed up 3 weeks ago, I joined a server without knowing what I was doing. Some have suggested that I might be better on another, but I am lost and confused
What are the benefits of moving? What are the benefits of staying?
And if I do move, where should I go? I know nothing - so your subjective recommendations & insights would be much appreciated
P.S. Here’s a picture of my cat, Max, looking confused - like me
Because I didn't see this in the replies, this page has links that can help you find a place but take your time. Browse local timelines before moving. https://fedi.garden/fedi-gardens-full-server-list/ @rufustheduck
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Hello #Mastodon - I need advice
When I signed up 3 weeks ago, I joined a server without knowing what I was doing. Some have suggested that I might be better on another, but I am lost and confused
What are the benefits of moving? What are the benefits of staying?
And if I do move, where should I go? I know nothing - so your subjective recommendations & insights would be much appreciated
P.S. Here’s a picture of my cat, Max, looking confused - like me
@rufustheduck there's no right or wrong, as far as I'm concerned.
# got me started fine, and @FediTips
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Hello #Mastodon - I need advice
When I signed up 3 weeks ago, I joined a server without knowing what I was doing. Some have suggested that I might be better on another, but I am lost and confused
What are the benefits of moving? What are the benefits of staying?
And if I do move, where should I go? I know nothing - so your subjective recommendations & insights would be much appreciated
P.S. Here’s a picture of my cat, Max, looking confused - like me
@rufustheduck hi!
@FediTips have a great article on this, witch you can find here:
️ https://fedi.tips/its-a-really-bad-idea-to-join-a-big-server/️ https://fedi.tips/transferring-your-mastodon-account-to-another-server/ -
Hello #Mastodon - I need advice
When I signed up 3 weeks ago, I joined a server without knowing what I was doing. Some have suggested that I might be better on another, but I am lost and confused
What are the benefits of moving? What are the benefits of staying?
And if I do move, where should I go? I know nothing - so your subjective recommendations & insights would be much appreciated
P.S. Here’s a picture of my cat, Max, looking confused - like me
@rufustheduck So, when email first started out, everyone used different servers, sometimes from their school, their job, their internet company, a dedicated email company, what have you.
Now everyone uses Gmail, and if you don't want to put all your eggs in one (heavily surveilled, monetized) basket, you avoid it personally. But you're going to be messaging people who are on Gmail most of the time, so you've gained little.
The advice to move is to preempt mastodon.social becoming that basket.
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@rufustheduck So, when email first started out, everyone used different servers, sometimes from their school, their job, their internet company, a dedicated email company, what have you.
Now everyone uses Gmail, and if you don't want to put all your eggs in one (heavily surveilled, monetized) basket, you avoid it personally. But you're going to be messaging people who are on Gmail most of the time, so you've gained little.
The advice to move is to preempt mastodon.social becoming that basket.
@rufustheduck That's the generic, big picture why.
Benefits of being on mastodon.social for you:
Biggest view of the fediverse, developers very much focused on your server, unlikely to shutdown, a 'little bit of everything' experience.
Downsides of staying:
Too big for thoughtful moderation, no particular relevance to any specific hobby or interest, too large for the local timeline to be anything other than a firehose of random conversation fragments.
