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Self hosting Mastodon as a personal instance is a neat trick I see some of you are doing, but it's just as bad for your experiance as joining the main instance. It's not really how you're going to get the most out of the tool. Let me explain:Permalink On twitter.com
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See the thing is that Mastodon is decentralized, but more importantly it's federated, which means it's capable of being meaningfully decentralized... but still having centers of activity. The point isn't decentralization, it's to find a center you want to live in...Permalink On twitter.com
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To get the most out of it, you have to find an instance you like, with rules you like, people you like, and--most importantly--people interested in the same stuff and content you want to talk about. Because the secret power of Mastodon is your instance's Local.Permalink On twitter.com
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See Mastodon has no algorithm or suggested friends on purpose b/c what it has instead is federated instances & their Locals. Your Local, if you've got a good one, will replace all that. This is why the main instance sucks, it's Local is nonsense. You use it to find a better one.Permalink On twitter.com
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Twitter doesn't map on to Mastodon evenly, but it's easier to understand if you think of an instance like a Twitter list, or your Notified feed. Most people who use Twitter well either live in lists, have a small Follow count, or rely on the algorithm, which emulates the other 2.Permalink On twitter.com
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You don't actually discover people or stuff on Twitter, other people discover it and discover each other and boost other accounts or sites and you see those boosts. It's not magical, Twitter just makes the retweet text small so you don't notice and think there's 'magic'...Permalink On twitter.com
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But like all algorithmic magic it's just people. Mastodon has you join the main instance, you see a person talking about stuff you like to talk about and you check out their instance and...Permalink On twitter.com
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if that instance is mostly talking the stuff you like to talk about in the way you like to talk about it, you join! Mastodon let's you port your account over and your follows, etc... and instead of algorithmic discovery, you get Local discovery...Permalink On twitter.com
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Chances are, you're interested in more than one thing! That's cool, set up more accounts! Lurk on servers. I lurk on an art instance and a politics instance and check in on their Locals semi regularly, the same way I use Twitter lists, but with less duplication...Permalink On twitter.com
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Those accounts are also little feeder fish, sometimes they'll spot something or someone I really like and I'll follow or boost on my main account. And you know, if one day I decide I'm more interested in drawing than in building indie websites I can move my main account again!...Permalink On twitter.com
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When things go viral on Mastodon it's usually stuff you saw on your Local and by boosting it people who follow you see it, but also people who don't know you but like the same stuff see it on their Local and wow you've got new friends now...Permalink On twitter.com
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When you follow someone from a new instance, they bring cool stuff with them, so you can search their instance at the same time as yours & have an easier time finding new and interesting stuff. That's why I follow interesting instances' admins along with whoever brought me therePermalink On twitter.com
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And it creates a higher likelihood other people in your instance will find them too! A bonus for everyone! That's what I mean when I say the Local is the key, that's your Discovery, Virality, and Suggested Friends, all at once...Permalink On twitter.com
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So, if you have a group of people with similar interests, by all means start up a server and get them all together on your instance. Our gather a group and split off. But... a personal instance just for yourself? You're just giving yourself work to miss out on the fun...Permalink On twitter.com
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*orOn twitter.com
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