#mastodonfordummies — Public Fediverse posts

In November of 2022, I, like many others, began looking at alternative social media sites to Twitter. With it’s purchase by Elon Musk and the changes which began to degrade the service and push it to the extreme far right, I wanted to find a place where I could continue to have intelligent and fun discussions while sharing about the activities I loved.

While there are other options in the social media world, many of them are closed garden systems owned by a single person or corporation, usually with profit in mind and/or questionable privacy practices. I wanted to find a place which was truly community focused and open. This is how I discovered the Fediverse and, by extension, Mastodon.

Mastodon has some similarities to Twitter, as it is a micro blogging site which limits the size of each post. Unlike Twitter, Mastodon is not centralized like most social media sites. Instead, there are many Mastodon servers, called instances, each with its own membership, focus, and community rules. Mastodon users can see one another on different servers as they are federated with one another, hence the term “Fediverse”.

While I was able to make the transition from Twitter to Mastodon with little issue, some of my friends who gave Mastodon a try were discouraged by some of the difficulties they encountered when trying to set up their accounts and profiles. Fortunately, there is a great resource to help new Mastodon users make their way in this brave new world, the book Mastodon For Dummies.

Chris Minnick and Michael McCallister put together an excellent guitde for both first time Mastodon users and those who have been on the platform for some time but want to know about features they may not have discovered yet. The book is organized to walk you through selecting a Mastodon home server, signing up for an account, using the service, and configuring the various settings available to us. Each section features easy to follow steps as well as accompanying screen shots depicting the processes.

The book is an easy read, as well as a quick one at 160 pages. You can read from start to finish or use the book as a reference, looking up sections specific to your needs at the time. Regardless, Mastodon For Dummies lives up to the standards and the tradition of the Dummies series, and is a book I highly recommend, either for yourself or for your friends looking to learn more about Mastodon and it’s benefits.

https://medi-nerd.com/2024/01/30/book-review-madison-for-dummies/

#BookReview #Books #ChrisMinnick #Kevin #MastodonForDummies #MichaelMcCallister #Reading

So, #FollowFriday time, er?

Alright...

@[email protected] - one of my favorite writers ever. The man who challenges the imagination and rehashes old ideas in most wonderous ways.

@[email protected] - a great admin on a great Mastodon instance.

@[email protected] - dude works for @[email protected] . Thunderbird is cool, and he's doing a great job. Also a drummer.

@[email protected] - leftist small circulation webzine publisher. Interesting concept.

@[email protected] and @[email protected] , authors of #MastodonForDummies book. It's a great read for Mastodon enthusiasts.

That's it for this Friday!

#SocialMedia #FollowThese #ItFollows

I need to learn how to do a "thread" on here. My potato salad "posts" would be an example of this. (First time I expanded on a post and it does not look right.)

Also, note to self: remember to respond to comments/questions - but not to the Mastodon WORLD. #StillLearning #MastodonForDummies

#HelpfulHint, however: sometimes there's a lot of info hidden" in #AltText especially when creating a post and you are limited by character.... so you put info in the Alt Text photo! This is a thing, right?

Heute ist es ganz schön still in meiner Timeline. Was sicherlich am Feiertag liegt. Oder ist es hier auf Mastodon allgemein wieder stiller geworden?

Daher meine Frage: Kann man eigentlich Instanzen folgen? Ich mag die Literatur Instanz sehr und möchte daher nicht wechseln, interessiere mich aber auch für andere Themen 🤔
#frage #Mastodonfrage #mastodonfordummies #mastodontips #mastodonhelp

Thx @evoterra for the sweet #MastodonForDummies bk!

@florence
If you’re looking to have current accounts SWITCH maybe advise them HOW to switch?
Mastodon Newbie here; I found picking an instance (server) when I first came here daunting. I was reassured by my understanding that I could easily move my account, but so far I don’t see how, although I have no issues with the instance I picked.
If you’re trying to get nascent accounts to pick your instance, I’m clueless.
#NewbieOnMastodon #MastodonForDummies

I'll be a guest on SAP's #labstalk (that's labs talk, not lab stalk) next Wednesday morning (in the US) or afternoon (in Deutschland).

I'll be talking about my new book, Mastodon For Dummies, and my thoughts on how businesses can productively participate in the fediverse and help make social media interesting again.

#mastodon #mastodonfordummies #fediverse #sap @hansamann

Chapter 3 #mastodonfordummies #catsofmastodon

Little buddy and I are gonna learn us a thing! #mastodonfordummies

More #MastodonForDummies

#SettingYourPreferences p30

I set these up when I joined, 4 months ago. But, egged on by this chapter, I revisited several of the preferences, eg adding French, Spanish and Italian to the "languages in my 'in-tray'". Most (all?) instances now have an in-house translator, so your mastery of the language doesn't have to be perfect, and it is a good way of having a truly #global experience on this global resource.

"

@rosy_eclairs I had to read the #MastodonForDummies book to be reminded you can.

You can't change your handle (the @ parts) afaik, but you can change the username part in your profile.

On web, you just hit edit profile on the left hand side of the screen.

I'm not sure where it is in Tusky but it's probably in one of the preferences.

I have several copies of #MastodonForDummies I’d like to give away.

And clever #Fediverse-empowering suggestions?

Should I target people on Twitter or LinkedIn who haven’t made the switch? Or reserve for those who have already made the switch?

There's a great and flattering toot about #mastodonfordummies from @feditips today, and a lot of people are sharing great information in the replies about how to buy the book from a local independent bookstore.

The original post hasn't shown up on my Mastodon instance yet (the incredible Hachyderm.io, which is admin'd by the brilliant @nova) but I wanted to alert everyone to read the comments on the post and please please please appreciate and support independent bookstores when you can.

@thememesniper @feditips @workingwriter well...I wouldn't say copious. However, it's got my co-author, Mike, and some would consider him to be a fox.

If there's a 2nd edition, I'll make sure there are more foxes. #foxes #mastodonfordummies

Today's pearl of wisdom in '#MastodonForDummies':

"Unlike on #Twitter, the number of #followers you have versus the number of people who follow you has no bearing on whether you'll show up on other people's timelines. "

Chapter 3, p.45

'#MastodonforDummies' just arrived and looks every bit as life-changing as I hoped. Written in easy, non-tech language, but never patronising in tone, the #Remember for today -p94*- is
"Mastodon doesn't have an algorithm that rewards you for posting frequently. It's better to post infrequently or not at all than to post the same thing multiple times."
..............................

*For aficionados of #PrivateEye, this footnote is necessary to assure readers it really is on page 94...

New blog post: Why I'm Live-streaming My Next Writing Project.

When my latest book, Mastodon For Dummies, was released, several people on social media commented that it was “probably written by AI.” These comments infuriated me much more than a bad review ever has.

Read more...

https://www.chrisminnick.com/2023/03/01/why-im-live-streaming-my-next-writing-project/

@workingwriter #mastodonfordummies #author #writing #books

Reactions to Mastodon For Dummies I've seen range from "I need this!" to "This is the end."

As a recent migrant to Mastodon myself, I have great respect for those who created this space and culture. As Mastodon grows, we need to keep that spirit.

To me, the Fediverse is a revolution, and we need every new recruit! A book won't bring in any new people -- but it can be a necessary orientation (boot camp?) for many people who are Mastodon-curious.

#excited
#mastodonfordummies #keepmastodonweird

https://www.amazon.com/Mastodon-Dummies-Chris-Minnick/dp/139419336X

I have no connection to this book. Just a need to know what I’m doing. Joined in November and my sales background did not prepare me for the technical jargon. But I want to learn.

#Mastodon
#mastodonfordummies

Here come the dummies!

https://www.chrisminnick.com/2023/02/21/mastodon-for-dummies/

(seriously, though, congrats @chrisminnick and @workingwriter on the publication of #MastodonForDummies)

I wrote a blog post about why we wrote Mastodon For Dummies and the process of doing so.

Summary: It's a small book, but the most important thing I've ever written.

#mastodon @workingwriter #mastodonfordummies

https://www.chrisminnick.com/2023/02/21/mastodon-for-dummies/

BTW, we are still looking for reviewers to read and comment on the book. DM me with your mailing address if you're interested. #MastodonForDummies

Feeling better and better about being in the #GreatMastodonMigration. I just got my copy of the hot off the presses #MastodonForDummies.

It's OUTSTANDING (as all the For Dummies #books actually are in my experience).

If, like I was, you are still fumbling around with the instances, the differences to the #birdsite and secretly missing it (while also loathing it), this is how to make your new home cozy and friendly.

And put the #muskrat in the rear view once and for all.

I'm still looking for more people to send review copies of Mastodon For Dummies to.

If you want to read and review it (on Mastodon, Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, your blog, or for another website or publication), please let me know and send me your mailing address and I'll add you to the list.

#mastodon #mastodonfordummies #bookreviews #freebooks

Hello Mastodon! I'm putting together a list of people to send publicity copies of Mastodon For Dummies to.

If you will read it and write a review (anywhere), please message me your name, email, and physical address. Phone if you're not in U.S. And if you work for a publication, let me know that too!

Please boost and share all you like. I don't know how many they'll send out, but I'll pass along every request I get.

Thank you!

#mastodonfordummies #mastodon #dummies

I'm working on a section for #mastodonfordummies about improving your Mastodon experience.

Step 1: add some filters, like one to block references to Twitter. Here's a screenshot from it. What other keywords should I add to this filter?

I was told it was okay to let this cat out of the bag, but I'm trying to be a little quiet about it until the cover is designed...

I'm co-author (with @workingwriter) of the up-coming Mastodon For Dummies! We're cranking as fast as possible on it, for a January ebook release and February print release.

This is really exciting, and we'll be posting more info (and questions) for the community soon!

#mastodonfordummies #writing #mastodon #fediverse