The new Litopia Mastodon server – litopia.me – is officially open!
All members of Litopia (Full or Basic) are warmly invited to join.
But why should you? Well, as with many aspects of new media, it’s an adventure. Social media platforms have become an integral part of our daily lives and (crucially, from the writers’ point of view) they allow us to build an audience of followers who then may become buyers of our books and other writing.
To answer this, I’d better first pose the question, why not Twitter? Several reasons spring to mind.
(1) Because Twitter soon won’t be Twitter any more. The controversial billionaire Elon Musk wants to turn Twitter 2.0 into a WeChat-style super-app, where people can do everything; from talking to friends to banking to buying groceries. That’s a long way from the initial vision of Twitter’s founders.
(2) Because Twitter has peaked. Getting discovered on Twitter now is harder than ever. And it will become even tougher as Musk’s growth plans take shape. Users will have to resort to the sort of stunts that TikTokkers perpetrate in order to get noticed. I think that excludes most writers.
(3) Because your public environment matters. Musk believes Twitter should be an open forum for all, regardless of what voices they may be. This may include the likes of far-right groups, misogynistic / homophobic posts and many other types of inappropriate content. Most writers won’t find this to be a suitable or healthy public environment in which to build a broad readership base.
So is Mastodon the only alternative to Twitter? No, not at all.. But it is a social media destination to which many Twitter users seem to be migrating. However, nothing is certain. In twelve months’ time, Mastodon may have become the “thinking person’s Twitter”… or it may not. As I say – it’s an adventure!
Mastodon is a decentralized, open-source social network that was created seven years ago. Unlike centralized platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, Mastodon operates on a decentralized model, where multiple servers host individual communities (called "instances"). Each instance has its own set of rules, moderators, and administrators, giving users more control over their online experience. Litopia.me is one such instance, completely under our own control. We are not responsible to anyone other than you, our members. No-one owns us; and no-one else owns your own data.
One of the most significant differences between Mastodon and Twitter is that Mastodon's interface is more user-friendly and customizable. Users can choose from a variety of themes and layouts to personalize their profile, and they can create custom emoji sets to use in their posts.
Mastodon also allows you to post longer messages, up to 500 characters, which is almost double the limit on Twitter. Additionally, you can attach images, videos, and audio files to your posts, making it a versatile platform for content creators.
Mastodon has gained popularity as a platform that prioritizes privacy and control over your own data. If you're a Twitter user looking for a more secure and decentralized alternative, Mastodon may be the right choice for you.
To migrate to Mastodon from Twitter, you'll need to create a new account on Litopia.me.
It's worth noting that Mastodon is still a relatively new platform, and it may take some time to get used to its decentralized structure and unique features. However, the good news is that this forum is dedicated to helping everyone along their Mastodon adventure. This forum is solely for the purpose of discussing our early experiences with Mastodon, with the aim of sharing thoughts, observations, tips, advice and suggestions with each other. It’s a journey we can all take together. We might as well enjoy it
Building a social following on Mastodon is different from Twitter, mainly due to the decentralized nature of the platform. Rather than having a single timeline like Twitter, Mastodon has multiple timelines, each associated with a specific hashtag or topic. Users can follow other users, instances, or hashtags, and their timeline will display the posts from the accounts they follow.
One way to build a social following on Mastodon is to engage with the wider Mastodon community by following interesting folk on other instantiate and by following relevant hashtags. By using hashtags, users can reach a broader audience and connect with like-minded people. Additionally, Mastodon has a feature called "boosting," which is similar to retweeting on Twitter. When a user boosts a post, it shares the post with their followers, increasing the reach of the original post.
This forum is slightly different in style to most other forums here in the Colony. It’s specifically designed as a place in which to to ask questions – and to answer other folks’ questions. You’ll get the hang of it quite quickly, but if you need any help, ask one of our Mastodon Mavens:
@Bloo✒️
@Eva Ulian
If you notice someone else’s question here has already received an answer, don’t let that stop you from answering as well. We need a good variety of answers! You can also vote on others’ answers here, with the most useful ones rising to the top of the thread.
All members of Litopia (Full or Basic) are warmly invited to join.
But why should you? Well, as with many aspects of new media, it’s an adventure. Social media platforms have become an integral part of our daily lives and (crucially, from the writers’ point of view) they allow us to build an audience of followers who then may become buyers of our books and other writing.
Why Mastodon?
To answer this, I’d better first pose the question, why not Twitter? Several reasons spring to mind.
(1) Because Twitter soon won’t be Twitter any more. The controversial billionaire Elon Musk wants to turn Twitter 2.0 into a WeChat-style super-app, where people can do everything; from talking to friends to banking to buying groceries. That’s a long way from the initial vision of Twitter’s founders.
(2) Because Twitter has peaked. Getting discovered on Twitter now is harder than ever. And it will become even tougher as Musk’s growth plans take shape. Users will have to resort to the sort of stunts that TikTokkers perpetrate in order to get noticed. I think that excludes most writers.
(3) Because your public environment matters. Musk believes Twitter should be an open forum for all, regardless of what voices they may be. This may include the likes of far-right groups, misogynistic / homophobic posts and many other types of inappropriate content. Most writers won’t find this to be a suitable or healthy public environment in which to build a broad readership base.
So is Mastodon the only alternative to Twitter? No, not at all.. But it is a social media destination to which many Twitter users seem to be migrating. However, nothing is certain. In twelve months’ time, Mastodon may have become the “thinking person’s Twitter”… or it may not. As I say – it’s an adventure!
So What is Mastodon?
Mastodon is a decentralized, open-source social network that was created seven years ago. Unlike centralized platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, Mastodon operates on a decentralized model, where multiple servers host individual communities (called "instances"). Each instance has its own set of rules, moderators, and administrators, giving users more control over their online experience. Litopia.me is one such instance, completely under our own control. We are not responsible to anyone other than you, our members. No-one owns us; and no-one else owns your own data.
One of the most significant differences between Mastodon and Twitter is that Mastodon's interface is more user-friendly and customizable. Users can choose from a variety of themes and layouts to personalize their profile, and they can create custom emoji sets to use in their posts.
Mastodon also allows you to post longer messages, up to 500 characters, which is almost double the limit on Twitter. Additionally, you can attach images, videos, and audio files to your posts, making it a versatile platform for content creators.
Moving to Mastodon
Mastodon has gained popularity as a platform that prioritizes privacy and control over your own data. If you're a Twitter user looking for a more secure and decentralized alternative, Mastodon may be the right choice for you.
To migrate to Mastodon from Twitter, you'll need to create a new account on Litopia.me.
It's worth noting that Mastodon is still a relatively new platform, and it may take some time to get used to its decentralized structure and unique features. However, the good news is that this forum is dedicated to helping everyone along their Mastodon adventure. This forum is solely for the purpose of discussing our early experiences with Mastodon, with the aim of sharing thoughts, observations, tips, advice and suggestions with each other. It’s a journey we can all take together. We might as well enjoy it
Building a Social Following on Mastodon
Building a social following on Mastodon is different from Twitter, mainly due to the decentralized nature of the platform. Rather than having a single timeline like Twitter, Mastodon has multiple timelines, each associated with a specific hashtag or topic. Users can follow other users, instances, or hashtags, and their timeline will display the posts from the accounts they follow.
One way to build a social following on Mastodon is to engage with the wider Mastodon community by following interesting folk on other instantiate and by following relevant hashtags. By using hashtags, users can reach a broader audience and connect with like-minded people. Additionally, Mastodon has a feature called "boosting," which is similar to retweeting on Twitter. When a user boosts a post, it shares the post with their followers, increasing the reach of the original post.
How To Use This Forum
This forum is slightly different in style to most other forums here in the Colony. It’s specifically designed as a place in which to to ask questions – and to answer other folks’ questions. You’ll get the hang of it quite quickly, but if you need any help, ask one of our Mastodon Mavens:
@Bloo✒️
@Eva Ulian
If you notice someone else’s question here has already received an answer, don’t let that stop you from answering as well. We need a good variety of answers! You can also vote on others’ answers here, with the most useful ones rising to the top of the thread.
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