Mastodon supports post editing, you can edit any of your own posts any time by clicking ⋯ and then "Edit".
If you forget to add an image description, you can edit your post to add the description afterwards.
(Just mentioning this because still seeing people forgetting descriptions and adding them in replies, it seems they don't know about post editing.)
Lots more info and questions answered about post editing on Mastodon at:
If you want to hide your Mastodon profile's follow and follower lists, here's how to do it:
1. Log in through your server’s website or web app
2. Click on your profile icon (your profile picture), then click "Edit profile"
3. Click on the "Privacy & Reach" tab at the top
4. Scroll down to the option marked "Show follows and followers on profile", and UN-tick it
5. Click the "Save changes" button at the bottom
Hey new people, you don't have to use the official Mastodon app! There are lots of other options you can use such as third party apps etc. People who try these alternatives usually prefer them.
Unlike most social networks, Mastodon doesn't impose any particular app on you. You're free to use your account in whatever way works best for you.
Here is a guide to all your options:
➡️ https://fedi.tips/which-apps-can-i-use-should-i-use-the-official-app-or-a-third-party-app
You can be logged in with the same account on many apps at once 🙂
Would you like to create posts longer than 500 characters on Mastodon?
You can have longer posts by moving your account to a server that offers longer posts. I've done a list of well-run reliable servers with larger post sizes at:
https://fedi.garden/tag/larger-post-size
If you're not sure how to move your account to a different server, there's a step-by-step guide at https://fedi.tips/transferring-your-mastodon-account-to-another-server
Be careful which accounts you tag in your posts or DMs. If you tag an account with an @ mention, that account will be able to see your post or DM no matter what visibility you are using.
If you want to mention an account without that account seeing your post, you can (for example) replace the @ symbols with the word AT. Alternatively, you can remove the @ symbols or put spaces around them to stop them working.
Mastodon is only a decent community because we actively maintain it. If you see harassment, especially men targeting women, don't just scroll past. Call it out and report it. Let's keep the space clean. Take out the trash.
#Mastodon #Fediverse #FediTips #CommunityStandards #Safety #StopHarassment #WomenInTech #HumanRights
You can embed Mastodon posts in your website or blog by doing the following:
1. Log in through your server's website
2. Go to the post or reply you want to embed and click on it to show it in an enlarged view
3. Click ⋯ on the post and select "Get Embed Code"
4. Copy-paste the HTML code into your website or blog
Lots of common questions answered about this at:
➡️ https://fedi.tips/how-to-embed-mastodon-posts-on-a-website
If you have problems embedding, see the article for suggestions.
Have you seen a rainbow pentagon thing on here and wondered what it means?
It's the logo of the Fediverse, the overall network which contains Mastodon, PeerTube, Pixelfed, BookWyrm, OwnCast and many other platforms that talk to each other using a common standard.
You can download a high quality version of the logo at:
➡️ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fediverse_logo_proposal.svg
Technically there can be no official logo on a decentralised network, but this is the most commonly-used logo.
If you see a post with numbers at the bottom like any of these:
3
6/
1/4
2/8
7/?
🧵 5/9
...it means the post is part of a larger thread. You can view the full thread by clicking on the post, then scrolling up or down.
If someone can't fit everything they want to say in one post, they will create a thread by replying to themselves. The numbers indicate which part of the thread that post is.
More info on creating threads and lots of questions answered at:
If you're using the Fediverse's reading platform BookWyrm, here's how to transfer your data from Goodreads, LibraryThing, StoryGraph, OpenLibrary or Calibre:
(If you've never heard of BookWyrm, it's like the Fediverse's alternative to Amazon's Goodreads. Here's more info about it: https://fedi.tips/bookwyrm-a-social-network-for-people-who-enjoy-reading)
If you want to try PeerTube, the official PeerTube app IS NOT currently a good way to do it. Due to silly app store rules it is missing key features, and there are much better alternatives.
If you just want to watch and interact with PeerTube videos, it's easiest to do it from within Mastodon. For example try visiting @michellemay
If you prefer to use a PeerTube account, use your PeerTube server's website or web app. Here's how to install web apps: https://fedi.tips/how-to-install-web-apps-for-mastodon-and-the-fediverse
When you post a link on Mastodon, a preview will automatically appear below the post. This can take a while though depending on how busy the server is, so don't worry if the preview isn't there straight away.
You don't have to do anything special to make previews appear, all you have to do is post a link. Here's a guide to link previews on Mastodon with questions answered:
➡️ https://fedi.tips/how-do-i-get-a-link-preview-to-appear-in-my-post-on-mastodon
The guide also has advice for website owners wanting to adjust their previews.
If you're searching Mastodon, there are special phrases called "operators" that you can include to narrow down your search. For example, if you just want to search your own posts you can include the operator from:me alongside your keywords.
There's a complete guide to searching Mastodon including a list of all the operators at:
➡️ https://fedi.tips/how-do-i-search-for-stuff-on-mastodon
You can combine several operators in one search to narrow it even further, or include a minus sign - to exclude stuff.
#FediTips but it's just people posting pictures of their glans
Do you want to keep your Mastodon profile and posts hidden from search engines? If so, you need to do two things:
1. Set your profile to be hidden from search engines
2. Use non-public visibility settings ("Followers only" or "Mentions only") on any posts or replies you want to keep hidden from search engines
See the guide for more info:
➡️ https://fedi.tips/hiding-your-posts-from-search-engines-on-mastodon-and-the-fediverse
Also see the guide to post visibilities for more on how to adjust their settings:
➡️ https://fedi.tips/who-can-see-my-posts-in-mastodon-how-do-i-send-dms-in-mastodon
If you go to someone's profile on Mastodon and click the "Media" tab, it will show you that person's posts which have an image, video clip or audio clip attached.
On most apps you just scroll through the media tab's contents.
On the web interface the media tab is shown as a grid of images. Click on an image to enlarge it and click on the box-with-arrow icon below the image to be taken to the post it comes from.
More info and questions answered at:
Be really, really careful if you're blocking an entire server (also known as "block domain").
If you block an entire server, that will remove all your follows and followers from that server. If you unblock, the follows and followers will not be restored automatically, you have to manually do them again.
There is (or should be) a warning about this if you try to block a server. If you are not seeing this warning, please reply in this thread with which app or interface you use.
Mastodon has a built-in translation system for posts in other languages. For it to work, three things have to happen:
- Your server has to offer the service
- Your language settings have to be correct
- The person posting has to use the correct language settings
If all these are ok, you will see a "Translate" link below the post or in the post's ⋯ menu when you encounter a post in a foreign language.
Lots more info and questions answered at:
➡️ https://fedi.tips/is-there-a-built-in-language-translation-system-on-mastodon
On Mastodon, if you've clicked a "Follow" button and it turns into "Pending" or "Cancel Follow" or "Request Sent", it means the follow hasn't actually happened yet.
Usually it's because the account has follow requests switched on, so you just wait for them to approve your request.
However, sometimes it's due to other reasons, and you may have to do something special to get the follow to work. Lots of info and full instructions at:
➡️ https://fedi.tips/why-does-it-say-follow-request-sent-when-i-try-to-follow-an-account
It's really important to add text descriptions when you're posting images, video or audio files. However, it's not always easy to remember to do it, so there is a special account which reminds you if you forget:
Just follow the account, and it will follow you back and DM you if you post something without a description.
To stop getting reminders, unfollow the account, then block and unblock it so that it unfollows you.
More info at: https://fedi.tips/how-do-i-remember-to-add-text-descriptions-on-mastodon-and-the-fediverse
If you see something nasty or problematic on here, report it. Reporting is how admins find out about problems, so it's important that you speak up if you see something is wrong or if someone is being bullied.
To report something, click on a post or profile, then ⋯ and then "Report". There's a complete guide to reporting problematic posts and accounts here:
➡️ https://fedi.tips/how-do-i-report-a-post-or-account-that-is-doing-something-bad
The guide also answers questions about reporting. Let me know if I've missed something 🙂
Am looking for a new host to move to, not because this one has a lot of down time but because Mastodon . Social refuse to up the 500 character limit and it's getting to be too much of a limitation & too annoying for me, suggestions on hosts welcome (not Aus . Social or Mastodon . Au, I've tried those).
Prerequisites needed:
- Minimum 1000+ character posts
- Minimum 99% uptime
You can set Mastodon's web interface to be in another language if you want:
1. Log in through your server’s website or the web app
2. Click ⚙️ Preferences
3. Select the language you want from the dropdown "Interface Language" menu
4. Click "Save Changes" button
You don't have to use your server's default language, all the languages are available on all the servers.
This only works when you're signed in though, so you will still see your server's language on the sign-in page.
How to see which hashtags you are following in Mastodon:
- If you're on the website go to your profile page, click ⋯ and then "Followed hashtags"
- If you're on the official app, go to your profile page and click # at the top
- If you're on a third party app, it will be various different interfaces but it's often in the settings or profile settings
When you're signing up on a server or moving your account to a different server, you have to choose a username. This is the name that appears when people mention you in posts (when they @ you). It's worth spending a bit of time on choosing a good one, because it's difficult to change it later.
Here are some tips on how to choose a good username:
➡️ https://fedi.tips/choosing-a-good-username-on-mastodon-and-the-fediverse
It also goes over options for changing the username if you have to.
