#administrivia — Public Fediverse posts

Writing annual donor reports, as one does. #Administrivia

Writing annual donor reports, as one does. #Administrivia

#NSFWlgbt users -
I've added some new emoji. Try them out!
#mastoadmin #fediadmin #administrivia #nsfwadmin

Heads up my favorite perverts! New version of #Sharkey just dropped! As with the previous updates I'll try to get this installed over the weekend. #fediadmin #nsfwadmin #sharkeyadmin #administrivia

RE: https://sharkey.team/notes/aavkwxq0czx50015

Heads up perverts! 😜 In an effort to be more transparent we are now publishing our moderation settings for both nsfw.lgbt and nsfw.social:
- List of Sensitive Words
- List of Prohibited Words
- Hidden Hashtags
- Silenced Instances
- Media Silenced Instances
- Blocked Instances (Defederated)

Any time we make a change we'll (try to remember to) update the pages so our moderation actions and activities remain transparent.

More information is available here:
https://info.nsfw.lgbt/doku.php/admin/start

#nsfwadmin #fediadmin #administrivia

Heads up perverts! 😜 In an effort to be more transparent we are now publishing our moderation settings for both nsfw.lgbt and nsfw.social:
- List of Sensitive Words
- List of Prohibited Words
- Hidden Hashtags
- Silenced Instances
- Media Silenced Instances
- Blocked Instances (Defederated)

Any time we make a change we'll (try to remember to) update the pages so our moderation actions and activities remain transparent.

More information is available here:
https://info.nsfw.lgbt/doku.php/admin/start

#nsfwadmin #fediadmin #administrivia

This is mainly for my nsfw.lgbt users -

Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Acceptable Use Policy, Content Policy, and Impressum have been fixed and updated. You can read the most current versions by clicking on the Instance Information pop-up in the upper-left corner of the main site page.

#administrivia #nsfwadmin #fediadmin

The weaponization of user #reports on here is appalling.

I've got two users on one of my instances who frankly aren't doing anything wrong that get absolutely FLOODED with user reports against them. The latest one is that one of the users is "obviously a bot" because they post "AI pictures" but here's the thing... they aren't posting AI pictures. I can see the full-size images they are posting before cropping them and there is no way in the world they are AI images because there's a goddamn embedded timestamp from the digital camera used to take the pictures along one edge.

Had another report that one of my users is "following over 7000 people" and posting meaningless replies to people.

Except, they're not following anywhere near 7000 people, and I've looked at every one of their posts and there's not anything automated about any of them and they are engaging with people just like anyone else would and are receiving replies and reactions to their posts (and comments) just like anyone else does.

All I gotta say is thank god #Sharkey allows me to basically #ignore user reports from specific #instances because I don't have the time or the patience to deal with someone that has an axe to grind or wants to see someone kicked off for the hell of it.

I think the fact that both of the women are self-described lesbians probably has more to do with things (and the harassment targeting them).

#Administrivia #FediAdmin

Well, #NetCup was an absolute disaster as a vendor. Could their server management system be any more #arcane? I mean... holy crap. There's not even an easy way to re-provision or re-initialize a server once it's been deployed!

#VPS #sysadmin #administrivia

1. If you're going to #report somebody you need to give #examples of what #activity you're reporting. Just #reporting a #profile and telling an #instance #admin that an #account is being "#spammy" doesn't cut it. Not when we can clearly see the user is not.

2. Again, not a very helpful report. You report a user and say they're a #SCAM account but offer up absolutely no #evidence to support your #claim.

3. Every account was new once, including the person that reported this one. As long as #NSFW #content is properly #flagged, there's no issue. Suspecting an account to be a "scam account or worse" is not a valid #reason for reporting an account.

4. Another report without any basis or #justification.

5. Again, another baseless report about somebody with absolutely ZERO evidence to back up their claim.

So here's what's going to happen....

The instances that forwarded these #bogus #reports to me, and wasted my time, each have a strike against them.

Strike three and we tell #Sharkey to #ignore any and all reports coming from the #instance in the future.

No #admin wants #BadActors on their instances, and no admin wants a #BadActor to make someone else feel unwelcome.

But you can't just flag and report an account for any bullshit reason either.

You have to give us proof and evidence.

This is not high school and this is not middle school. If somebody is being disruptive or causing problems, let us know.

But if you just suspect someone might cause problems or they might be disruptive... wait until you have proof and evidence and then let us know!

#FediAdmin #AdminStuff #administrivia #UserReports #FediReports #InstanceAdmins #MastoAdmin

1. If you're going to #report somebody you need to give #examples of what #activity you're reporting. Just #reporting a #profile and telling an #instance #admin that an #account is being "#spammy" doesn't cut it. Not when we can clearly see the user is not.

2. Again, not a very helpful report. You report a user and say they're a #SCAM account but offer up absolutely no #evidence to support your #claim.

3. Every account was new once, including the person that reported this one. As long as #NSFW #content is properly #flagged, there's no issue. Suspecting an account to be a "scam account or worse" is not a valid #reason for reporting an account.

4. Another report without any basis or #justification.

5. Again, another baseless report about somebody with absolutely ZERO evidence to back up their claim.

So here's what's going to happen....

The instances that forwarded these #bogus #reports to me, and wasted my time, each have a strike against them.

Strike three and we tell #Sharkey to #ignore any and all reports coming from the #instance in the future.

No #admin wants #BadActors on their instances, and no admin wants a #BadActor to make someone else feel unwelcome.

But you can't just flag and report an account for any bullshit reason either.

You have to give us proof and evidence.

This is not high school and this is not middle school. If somebody is being disruptive or causing problems, let us know.

But if you just suspect someone might cause problems or they might be disruptive... wait until you have proof and evidence and then let us know!

#FediAdmin #AdminStuff #administrivia #UserReports #FediReports #InstanceAdmins #MastoAdmin

I've got a user on one of my instances who gets flooded with reports all because some people don't like what she posts. She's not breaking the law, she's not harassing people, she's not targeting people, she's not being abusive. She's simply providing her opinion and sometimes posts images that are suggestive. It's her thing. It's not my thing. I frankly don't care. The images are clearly of adult women and she's an adult woman. But every time she posts I get flooded with reports about her because a group of users are trying to get me to silence her and I won't do it. I don't have to agree with someone's post but if they're not being harassing someone and they're not spouting hate speech even if I wanted to suspend her (which I don't) I don't have much of a leg to stand on. Thing is she probably doesn't even know how many reports she generates every time she posts. So by all means report somebody if they're being hateful, hurtful, harassing. Report someone that's posting things that are illegal. Report users for violating the rules on my server. But if you report a user simply because you don't like what they say? Yeah, I'm probably going to ignore you going forward.

#FediAdmin #SharkeyAdmin #MastoAdmin #Administrivia

RE: https://bofh.social/notes/a0tzkdipz6dj01es

Yeah but if you send a bunch of bullshit reports because you're trying to censor somebody for posting something you don't like, fortunately #Sharkey now has a feature where I can simply ignore future reports from an instance. Too many people are starting to use reports to try to shame or censor someone for posting something that they simply don't like when the more appropriate action would be to block the user and move on.

#FediAdmin #SharkeyAdmin #MastoAdmin #Administrivia

RE: https://cyberpunk.lol/users/rachaelspooky/statuses/113516531653853559

Why should I expect #Mastodon would actually be a good network citizen and abide by standard HTTP status codes?

I'm rate-limiting the FUCK out of Mastodon and responding to the absolute insane amount of traffic I'm getting hammered with right now with an HTTP/429 status code, and what is Mastodon doing?

Ignoring the fuck out of it.

The client (in this case the remote Mastodon server) is supposed to immediately BACK OFF it's requests when it receives a 429 status code and what is Mastodon doing instead?

INCREASING THE RATE OF REQUESTS TO MY SERVER.

Jesus goddamn motherfucking wank-stains!

I swear to bacon that Mastodon is the biggest goddamn piece of shit software that has ever been created.

#FediAdmin #MastoAdmin #Administrivia

Attention #FediAdmins (this includes #Mastodon, #Sharkey, #Pleroma, etc.) -

To avoid getting #DDOS'd by Mastodon's flood of API requests if a user suddenly decides to delete 30k of their posts on their account, you can take advantage of the built-in #nginx rate-limiting. I've been experimenting with it all day today.

The following is my nginx config for one of my instances, so feel free to modify for your own needs!

# For WebSocket
map $http_upgrade $connection_upgrade {
    default upgrade;
    ''      close;
}

proxy_cache_path /tmp/nginx_cache_bofh levels=1:2 keys_zone=cache1:16m max_size=6g inactive=720m use_temp_path=off;
limit_req_zone $binary_remote_addr zone=post:10m rate=1r/s;

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;
    server_name bofh.social;
    
    # For SSL domain validation
    root /var/www/html;
    location /.well-known/acme-challenge/ { allow all; }
    location /.well-known/pki-validation/ { allow all; }
    location / { return 301 https://$server_name$request_uri; }
    access_log /var/log/nginx/bofh-social-access.log;
    error_log /var/log/nginx/bofh-social-error.log;
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    listen [::]:443 ssl http2;
    server_name bofh.social;

    ssl_session_timeout 1d;
    ssl_session_cache shared:ssl_session_cache:10m;
    ssl_session_tickets off;

    # To use Let's Encrypt certificate
    ssl_certificate     /etc/letsencrypt/live/bofh.social/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/bofh.social/privkey.pem;

    # SSL protocol settings
    ssl_protocols TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3;
    ssl_ciphers ECDHE-ECDSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256:ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256:ECDHE-ECDSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384:ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384:ECDHE-ECDSA-CHACHA20-POLY1305:ECDHE-RSA-CHACHA20-POLY1305:DHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256:DHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384;
    ssl_prefer_server_ciphers off;
    ssl_stapling on;
    ssl_stapling_verify on;

    # Change to your upload limit
    client_max_body_size 99m;

    # Gzip compression
    gzip on;
    gzip_proxied any;
    gzip_comp_level 6;
    gzip_types text/plain text/css application/json application/javascript text/xml application/xml application/xml+rss text/javascript application/activity+json application/atom+xml;

    # Proxy to Node
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://REDACTED:3000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_redirect off;

        # If it's behind another reverse proxy or CDN, remove the following.
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto https;

        # For WebSocket
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection $connection_upgrade;

        # Cache settings
        proxy_cache cache1;
        proxy_cache_lock on;
        proxy_cache_use_stale updating;
        add_header X-Cache $upstream_cache_status;
    }
    
    location /inbox {
        limit_req zone=post;
        proxy_pass http://REDACTED:3000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_redirect off;

        # If it's behind another reverse proxy or CDN, remove the following.
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto https;
    }

    location /api/ {
        limit_req zone=post;
        proxy_pass http://REDACTED:3000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_redirect off;

        # If it's behind another reverse proxy or CDN, remove the following.
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto https;
    }

    access_log /var/log/nginx/bofh-social-access.log;
    error_log /var/log/nginx/bofh-social-error.log;

}

This is a problem, and another shining example at just how inefficient #Mastodon is.

We got DDoS'd because ... "a user with 8k followers and 33k posts, so if they mass-delete posts it will generate a whole lot of activity... "

Da fuq?

6000 requests an hour is not an acceptable rate. 47,000 MORE requests that we received after we blocked the source IP in our WAF is not an acceptable amount of traffic either. #Mastodon needs to seriously cut this back. We're not even a SMALL instance, hosted on low-end infrastructure.

Un-fucking-believable.

Going to ask my co-admin to submit a feature request to @[email protected] to request to rate limit incoming requests from servers.

Fucking bullshit.

#MastoAdmin #FediAdmin #DDOS #Administrivia

Not sure what's going on but had to block [135.181.116.160] in our WAF. It claims to be [mastodon.world] and the IP is in Finland.

It has been HAMMERING one of our instances to the tune of over 6,000 reqs an hour sending #ActivityPub "INBOX" post requests.

You look at our metrics and traffic for the last 24 hours and things look fine and then all of a sudden we are getting HAMMERED.

Anybody know the #FediAdmin for [mastodon.world]?

#MastoAdmin #administrivia #InstanceBlock

Stay Tuned https://quiltr.com/?p=24819 The Cat Cam is undergoing some renovation because the long-time software, EvoCam, isn’t being updated anymore. So, while it works most oƒ the time, it has become increasingly prone to crashes etc. I can’t complain after all these years, but it really was a wonderful piece of software. It did exactly what folks wanted and in a clear and simple way. Anyway, I’m trying a… #Administrivia #cats #geekystuff #helpfulcats #software #webcam

Stay Tuned https://quiltr.com/?p=24819 The Cat Cam is undergoing some renovation because the long-time software, EvoCam, isn’t being updated anymore. So, while it works most oƒ the time, it has become increasingly prone to crashes etc. I can’t complain after all these years, but it really was a wonderful piece of software. It did exactly what folks wanted and in a clear and simple way. Anyway, I’m trying a… #Administrivia #cats #geekystuff #helpfulcats #software #webcam

#administrivia We've been getting a wave of spammers signing up, so I've made approval mandatory to get an account here.

Are you an actual person? Or a well-behaved bot? Welcome! I'll happily approve your account. 😸

My personal federation policy regarding #Facebook / #Meta / #Instagram's #Threads and any Fediverse instances federating with it

Based on @Gargron's article here https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2023/07/what-to-know-about-threads/ Threads does not presently federate with the Fediverse though it is based on the #ActivityPub protocol. In this sense it's much like other well-known freestanding-but-unfederated AP-based instances rhyming with "blab" and "ruth". In sundry and divers manners...

When Threads does begin federation, and as other Fediverse instances federate with it, my personal policy will be to block both Threads and federating instances at the instance level. As a follower of mine, this means that you will be blocked if your instance federates.

You may wish to explore migration options to instances which have pledged to #FediblockMeta / #Metablock Threads preemptively.

(Toot.cat is one such instance.)

I will reverse the block if the instance itself blocks Threads, as I become aware of this. (I anticipate significant frictions here. Preemptive blocks are strongly encouraged to avoid any possible misunderstanding and disruption.)

I also strongly encourage other individual Fediverse members to adopt a similar personal policy.

As the Threads issue develops ...

I'll be seeking out, or maintaining myself, a canonical, or even reasonably complete, listing of Fediverse instances which are federating with #threads

And Imma start some personal blocking Real Soon Now.

(And yes, if you're amongst my followers on #MastodonSocial or other instances I'm aware are federating with Meta, you're going to be #Metablock'ed shortly.)

I'll post further updates as replies to this toot.

(Redrafted from an earlier toot Because Reasons.)

#Administrivia

My personal federation policy regarding #Facebook / #Meta / #Instagram's #Threads and any Fediverse instances federating with it

Based on @Gargron's article here https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2023/07/what-to-know-about-threads/ Threads does not presently federate with the Fediverse though it is based on the #ActivityPub protocol. In this sense it's much like other well-known freestanding-but-unfederated AP-based instances rhyming with "blab" and "ruth". In sundry and divers manners...

When Threads does begin federation, and as other Fediverse instances federate with it, my personal policy will be to block both Threads and federating instances at the instance level. As a follower of mine, this means that you will be blocked if your instance federates.

You may wish to explore migration options to instances which have pledged to #FediblockMeta / #Metablock Threads preemptively.

(Toot.cat is one such instance.)

I will reverse the block if the instance itself blocks Threads, as I become aware of this. (I anticipate significant frictions here. Preemptive blocks are strongly encouraged to avoid any possible misunderstanding and disruption.)

I also strongly encourage other individual Fediverse members to adopt a similar personal policy.

As the Threads issue develops ...

I'll be seeking out, or maintaining myself, a canonical, or even reasonably complete, listing of Fediverse instances which are federating with #threads

And Imma start some personal blocking Real Soon Now.

(And yes, if you're amongst my followers on #MastodonSocial or other instances I'm aware are federating with Meta, you're going to be #Metablock'ed shortly.)

I'll post further updates as replies to this toot.

(Redrafted from an earlier toot Because Reasons.)

#Administrivia

Warez MB Been? But Exciting News!

I was doing a 30 day paint thing with a friend and posting more privately so apologies for the gap. The last few days though I’ve had a little interruption – as two new kittens have arrived. Shout ou[…]
https://quiltr.com/?p=24073

#Administrivia #cats #catsofmastodon #geekystuff #kittens #TheCatCam

Warez MB Been? But Exciting News!

I was doing a 30 day paint thing with a friend and posting more privately so apologies for the gap. The last few days though I’ve had a little interruption – as two new kittens have arrived. Shout ou[…]
https://quiltr.com/?p=24073

#Administrivia #cats #catsofmastodon #geekystuff #kittens #TheCatCam

Covid Isn’t Over

Got a text that V-safe check in will be ending June thirtieth. Signed up for that with my first COVID-19 vax and it's made me feel like a tiny part of the solution for something.[…]
https://quiltr.com/?p=23877

#Administrivia #covid19 #CovidIsNotOver #dothework #geekystuff #process

Covid Isn’t Over

Got a text that V-safe check in will be ending June thirtieth. Signed up for that with my first COVID-19 vax and it's made me feel like a tiny part of the solution for something.[…]
https://quiltr.com/?p=23877

#Administrivia #covid19 #CovidIsNotOver #dothework #geekystuff #process

Beginning to write annual performance evaluations. Woo. #administrivia #theglamour

Writing up stacks of reports on how we spent donor-provided gift funds last year, as one does. #administrivia #theglamour

Canadian doctors spend millions of hours on unnecessary paperwork each year: report | CBC News https://bit.ly/3HJENGP #CanadianDoctors #CanadianHealth #Paperwork #Administrivia #cdnpoli @cdnpoli

Point: multitasking is a myth. You cannot simultaneously pay attention to this mandatory security training video while processing your email with the care and attention it deserves.

Counterpoint: multitasking is real. Letting this mandatory security training video play in the background still results in full credit for watching it, while you simultaneously crank through a whole bunch of email.

#productivity #multitasking #administrivia

Just signed a photo release form for an event that will be held in late January. The form asked me what I will wear.

Couldn't resist answering "clothes, probably." If the form recipient wanted something more specific than this, they asked the wrong person.

#administrivia #highereducation

Remember, I promise to only use #administrivia for important announcements like this one, wherein I announce how I will be making important announcements.

#administrivia

Medium-term plans include switching this instance over to some wacky custom fork of @Mastodon which I'll be futzing with myself as a personal coding project.

If that goes well, and I continue to feel similarly inspired by this project, I'm hoping to code a custom Mastodon Android app that would feed together public fedi & Twitter feeds.

Hard news and CWs: my practices and tips

Having blown out a bunch of non-CW'd toots in the past day or so:

• I don't obsess on p*l*t*cs and hard news, but I'll follow and comment, hopefully intelligently, on notable stories and issues, among numerous other topics. Unfortunately this may mean further amplifying major stories.

• I do typically hashtag both general and US-centric, as well as other regional issues of law, leadership, legislation, campaigning, and litigation. Filtering the Usual Suspects should be effective. As hashtags aren't effective except on Globally listed toots, this creates a conflict in visibility and filtering.

• CWs in long threads are not without consequences and have major usability issues. I avoid them for these reasons. (This has improved ... somewhat ... with Mastodon v. 4, though concerns remain. 2022-12-2 update.)

• I do strive generally for substantive commentary. Hopefully there's some comfort in avoiding the Two Minute Hate / shriekfest.

• I don't pursue unwanted conversations, and appreciate the same from others. If I note that I'm getting bored or tired of a discussion ... that's generally a sharp understatement.

In the event this toot isn't already filtered or blocked, some tips:

• Yes, muting or blocking is entirely fair; tend to your own needs first. I'm a fan: https://toot.cat/@dredmorbius/104371585950783019

• Lists are a powerful feature of numerous clients. A curated feed of known trusted, safe, and personally-conformant profiles is useful. I make heavy use of lists myself (mostly graded by interest level).

• Filters similarly.

• Mastodon and Glitch-soc both allow adding, removing, and rearranging pinned streams. You don't need to have Notifications, Home, Local, or Global feeds visible if you find them unsettling.

• I've taken to reconfiguring my own clients for broader and narrower views frequently in recent weeks, sometimes seeking more content, sometimes less and a calmer feed.

• Keyword filters can also be used, with varying effectiveness.

I reserve the right to discuss serious or heady topics. Some appreciate this, some not. Your response is your business.

I'm hoping my own toots will regress to more typical topics and nature. I fear that outside events may thwart this. While I'm not a slave to external events, I'm an active observer and participant.

Thank you.

Edites: tyops, Markdown, clarifications, updates.

#administrivia #cw #filters #lists #mastotips