Twitter alternative Mastodon becomes popular among users, and many Twitter users are shifting to Mastodon. If you don’t know about Mastodon yet, this article will help you to gain knowledge of this twitter alternative. So, continue reading.
After purchasing Twitter, Elon Musk must make a major decision. While some praised his actions, many others saw them negatively. As a result of Twitter’s current situation, the number of people using other social networks is growing. Many Twitter users are leaving to join a new social media platform.
Mastodon has now over 655,000 members. Out of all members, 230,000 have joined the platform in the last week, according to the data. Mastodon, interestingly, is very similar to Twitter. On this platform, “toots” can be liked, replied to, and re-posted. Again, all users have the option to follow one another.
Distinct from Twitter, Mastodon operates differently. Because of the large number of new users who have recently joined the platform, the majority of users have many questions about it. Despite being a six-year-old platform, Mastodon has the most active community today. Learn more about Mastodon in this post.
What is Mastodon?
Eugene Rochako, a software developer, created Mastodon in 2016. Mastodon describes itself as a free, open-source decentralised social media platform that could serve as a viable alternative to Twitter. Because the code is open-source, anyone can use it, add new features, and translate it.
Selecting a Server for Twitter Alternative Mastodon
After creating a Mastodon account, you must choose a server. There are numerous servers on the platform. These servers are primarily based on location, interest, and so on. Let me start by saying that it is unknown what or how these servers are useful. Despite its appearance, Mastodon’s concept is quite complex. Mastodon isn’t just a platform. It is also not a personal or commercial website.
Mastodon servers are linked together to form a network. Individuals or organisations create these servers. This technology is known as decentralised because it can’t be produced, purchased, or sold by a single entity.
No matter which server you choose, anyone can follow you and others. However, it is preferable to select a server at first that you are interested in. Recent pressure has caused servers like Social or UK to become very slow. Ryan Wilde, the operator of the UK server, claimed to shut down registration after seeing more than 6,000 new users sign up in a single day.
Risks of Selecting a Server
The problem is that your account is heavily reliant on the server of the person or organisation you are using. If that person or company shuts down the server for any reason, you will lose your account. Mastodon officials advise server owners to notify them at least three months before the server is shut down.
How to find your friends and others on Mastodon?
The server you choose when creating a Mastodon account will be part of your username. If your username is xyz and you connect to a UK server, your username will be xyz@mastodonapp.uk. People on the same server can find each other using only their names, but finding users on other servers requires the full address. Mastodon can also be searched using hashtags. However, unlike Twitter, Mastodon does not have an account suggestion system.
How to use Twitter Alternative Mastodon App?
Setting up the profile, and other things on the Mastodon app can be a little tricky. So, we have discussed how to jump into the Twitter alternative. Check it out.
Download the App or use the Website
Simply download the Mastodon app from the iOS or Android app stores. You can also begin online by going to joinmastodon.org.
Choose a Server
Mastodon offers several servers where you can register. And, each with its own set of communities and moderation policies. Here’s how you can choose.
Click “Sign Up” in the App and then choose a server from the list. Make sure you agree with its moderation rules before creating an account.
Visit the official site, and browse the list of Mastodon servers. Choose one to join, and then create an account.
Find people to follow
After signing up with Mastodon’s mobile app, it will suggest a few people follow from that server, but it’s a small list. So, follow the below-given tips.
- Use the search bar
- Use the Explore section
- Drink from the fire hose
- Look for people
- Look through some carefully curated lists.
- Follow hashtags
Setup Your Profile
Once you’ve joined a server and found some people to follow, you can settle in by creating your profile. If you are using a mobile app, tap the “elephant icon”, and select “Edit Info.” You can then upload a profile picture, change your display name, and fill out your bio. Whereas, click “Edit Profile” under your display name on the website to add a bio, profile picture, and header image.
Start Posting & Sharing
Mastodon offers a 500+ character limit than Twitter, allowing you to be more creative. You can also add images, and polls, limit who sees your posts or add a content warning by using the icons beneath the post box. You can configure posts to be deleted automatically and require permission before people can follow you.
- Mastodon hashtags are more important because the search function only searches the plain text for you and the people you follow. You must use hashtags if you want other people to find your posts.
- Mastodon does not support Direct Messages. The closest analogy is to use the post visibility tool to restrict a post to the people you’ve mentioned.
- Mastodon does not have a tool like Twitter’s Quote Tweet. This was a design decision made to make the platform less explosive.
- Although Mastodon has a favourite function similar to Twitter’s Like button, you can also use Bookmarks to save a toot anonymously.
Difference between Twitter and Twitter alternative Mastodon
Users can create accounts on Twitter and share anything they want. On the other hand, Mastodon is essentially just a collection of numerous servers or social networks run by various individuals or groups of individuals.
Mastodon is a part of the Fediverse, also known as the Federated Universe, which is essentially a federated platform that shares communication platforms. Unlike Twitter, Mastodon sorts posts chronologically. There are no advertisements, and the platform was mostly crowdfunded. Mastodon looks a lot like Twitter, but its core functionality is very different.
Final Words on Twitter Alternative Mastodon
Mastodon also feels like a work in progress, which makes sense given that it is an independent project not backed by large sums of venture capital. A lot of its usefulness is as yet restricted to the web rendition instead of the versatile application. You ought to be ready for specialized issues during enormous influxes of interest.
If you are using this Twitter alternative, share your user experience in the comments. Also, let us know your thoughts regarding the Mastodon app in the comment section. Please share this article to let others be aware of this alternative to Twitter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mastodon does not have any advertisements. However, anyone can freely advertise his or her company’s products or services.
Even though Mastodon is open-source software, using it for free depends on which server you are on. Most servers are accessible without charge, but some may request donations.
Rochko said in a Mastodon post late Sunday that the social network gained 489,000 users in less than two weeks and now has over one million active monthly users.
Mastodon allows you to view content and interact with users from any other Fediverse server.
Tusky is a lightweight Mastodon client for the free and open-source social network server Mastodon. It supports all Mastodon features, such as photos, videos, lists, and custom emojis, and is built with material guidelines in mind.