Notices by Fedi.Tips (feditips@mstdn.social), page 5

There's a new type of Fediverse server called GoToSocial which is currently under development and in public alpha testing.

The official account is at @gotosocial and website at https://docs.gotosocial.org

GoToSocial emphasises user safety. Its servers can federate through allowlists as well as the more traditional blocklists. Allowlists mean servers can automatically block all other servers except those they actively choose to allow, which offers users the maximum amount of protection against trolls and hateful people. (The downside is that it is more difficult to discover new servers when using allowlists.)

Unlike most Fediverse servers, there is no official web version of GoToSocial, so you have to use it entirely through third party apps. It's compatible with the Mastodon API though, so there are plenty of apps available such as Tusky, Fedilab, Pinafore etc.

The default character limit is 5000 and can be adjusted by the server admin.

#Fediverse #GoToSocial #ActivityPub

Starting your own server on the Fediverse is easier and cheaper than you think.

You don't need technical knowledge, as you can use a managed hosting company. You pay them a monthly fee and they do all the techy stuff, including hosting, installation, upgrades, maintenance etc completely behind the scenes.

The price of a small Mastodon server with a managed hosting company starts from 6 euros a month. You can also make PixelFed, PeerTube, FunkWhale, BookWyrm or WriteFreely servers through managed hosting.

I've done a website aimed at non-technical people which is all about using managed hosting companies to create your own Fediverse servers and personal clouds. The site is at:

➡️ https://growyourown.services

The Fediverse section is at:

➡️ https://growyourown.services/grow-your-own-social-network

You can also follow the site's account at @homegrown

#Fediverse #SelfHosting #ManagedHosting #ActivityPub #GrowYourOwn

Do you use the Fediverse's social reading platform @bookwyrm?

Would you like to bring your data from GoodReads, LibraryThing, StoryGraph, OpenLibrary or Calibre and import it into BookWyrm?

Here's how:

1. Log into the site you want to export your data from (GoodReads, LibraryThing etc), and download your data as a CSV file.

2. Log into BookWyrm, click on your profile icon and then Settings.

3. Click on Data > Import

4. Choose the type of data source you want to import (GoodReads, LibraryThing etc.)

5. Click Browse, and select the CSV file you want to import from your computer or phone

6. Choose your privacy setting for the imported file

7. Click Import

If you're unfamiliar with BookWyrm, you can find out more at https://joinbookwyrm.com

#BookWyrm #Fediverse #GoodReads #LibraryThing #StoryGraph #OpenLibrary #Calibre #Books

PixelFed users!

You can also follow non-PixelFed accounts from other Fediverse platforms like Mastodon etc.

To follow a non-PixelFed account, just paste its Fediverse address into the search box within PixelFed. Its account page will appear in the search results and you can click Follow.

When you follow a non-PixelFed account, its posts will look just like PixelFed posts, and you can interact with them in the same way.

However, by default posts without attached images will not be shown to you in PixelFed. If you want to see text-only posts as well, you can switch this on by going to Settings > Timelines > Show Text-Only Posts, tick the box and click Submit.

To find accounts to follow on PixelFed, you can use the same directories as Mastodon etc users. More info about this here:

https://fedi.tips/how-to-use-mastodon-and-the-fediverse-basic-tips/#HowDoIFindPeopleToFollow

Accounts from the art and photography categories in directories are particularly suited to being followed from PixelFed.

#PixelFed #Fediverse #ActivityPub

On Mastodon, there are two ways of labelling posts: Favourites and Bookmarks.

Here's a quick comparison...

You can add a Favourite by clicking the star ⭐ below a post.

Favourites are pretty much just likes, and the person who wrote the post will get a notification when you add a favourite. Other people who can see the post will also be able to see who favourited it.

You can see all your past favourites by logging in through the website and clicking "Favourites".

You can add a Bookmark by clicking the bookmark 🔖 below a post, or if it isn't visible click ⋯ and then select "Bookmark".

Bookmarks are much more private, only you can see which posts you've bookmarked. No one gets any notifications when you add a bookmark.

You can see all your past Bookmarks by logging in through the website and clicking "Bookmarks".

Note that the official Mastodon app doesn't have bookmark support yet. You will have to use the website or a third party app.

#Mastodon #Favourites #Bookmarks

If you have an indepdently hosted WordPress blog, you can turn it into a Fediverse server using a special plug-in. This means that people on Mastodon etc. can follow your blog and interact with it.

You can install it on your blog by logging into the WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New, then search for "ActivityPub". The plug-in you want is called "ActivityPub" and is by Matias Pfefferle.

You can also see more info about it at https://wordpress.org/plugins/activitypub and the author is on the Fediverse at @pfefferle

Once it's installed, you can find the blog's Fediverse address in your WordPress dashboard's Users section, it's listed at the bottom of the user's profile options. You can copy and paste this address into the search box on Mastodon etc to interact with that user's blog.

You'll also see an ActivityPub section in the Settings menu.

Note : This plug-in only works on independently hosted WordPress-powered blogs. It doesn't work on Wordpress.com free blogs.

#WordPress #Fediverse

Friendica (@news) is a very flexible Fediverse server type with lots of useful options and a Facebook-style web interface with no character limits (or at least I couldn't find one!).

Friendica lets you follow Fediverse accounts from Mastodon etc., but it also lets you follow RSS and Twitter feeds, or turn RSS feeds into Fediverse accounts that people on other Fedi platforms can follow.

There are also extra features like calendars and groups.

The flexibility does make it a bit trickier to use, but once you get the hang of it there are things you can do on Friendica that aren't possible on other Fedi server types.

There's no dedicated Friendica app, but if you have Android you can use Friendica through Fedilab (@apps), and of course it has a web interface that works on all platforms.

There's more info at https://friendi.ca and you can find servers to join at https://dir.friendica.social/servers or https://fedidb.org/software/friendica

#Friendica #Fediverse #ActivityPub

BookWyrm is the Fediverse's answer to Amazon's GoodReads.

BookWyrm helps you keep track of what you're reading, discover new books and publish reviews of books you've read.

You can follow them at @bookwyrm and find out more at:

https://joinbookwyrm.com

There's a list of servers to join at:

https://joinbookwyrm.com/instances

There's a built-in book catalogue powered by Wikidata in collaboration with @inventaire

BookWyrm is part of the Fediverse and accounts on BookWyrm servers can be followed by people from Mastodon etc, for example @mouse is the BookWyrm founder's account.

Anyone (except corporations) can start their own BookWyrm server by installing the software, and there's a managed hosting service for people who join the top tier on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/posts/64768354).

#BookWyrm #Fediverse #Books #Book #Reading #Literature #GoodReads #Alternatives

If you run a Mastodon server, you can optionally show visitors who aren't logged in your server's Local timeline or Federated timeline through the "See what's happening" link on the front page of your server's website.

To switch on your server's "See what's happening" link, log in through your server's website and go to Preferences > Administration > Site Settings > Allow Unauthenticated Access To Public Timeline, then tick the box and click Save Changes.

To choose between showing your site's Local or Federated timeline, go to Preferences > Administration > Site Settings > Include Federated Content On Unauthenticated Public Timeline Page, and then make the following choice: to show your Local timeline to the public UNTICK this box, to show your Federated timeline to the public TICK this box. After making your choice, click Save Changes.

#MastoAdmin #Mastodon

You can crosspost between Mastodon and Twitter in either direction using various third party sites.

When crossposting is switched on, it means when you post on Mastodon it will also be posted on Twitter (or vice versa).

This can be controversial if you're just mirroring your Twitter account to Mastodon without interacting on Mastodon at all. Some servers specifically ban such "zombie accounts".

However, if you're mainly active on Mastodon and mirroring it to Twitter there's no controversy at all.

There are many free open source crossposting services and sites including @crossposter at https://crossposter.masto.donte.com.br and @moaparty at https://moa.party.

#Mastodon #Twitter #Crossposting

Right, here's the plan:

A big problem with FediTips is that the same tips get repeated quite often because not everyone saw them the first time.

Then, if people half-remember a tip they saw on here, or if they want to find out more about a topic, there's no easy way for them to look it up later.

So, I'm going to change the format of this account to be based around a web page:

https://growyourown.services/an-unofficial-guide-to-mastodon-and-the-fediverse

(It forms part of a site I run at https://growyourown.services to encourage non-technical people to host their own online services.)

I'll gradually add sections to the page covering tips from the past year, and will post updates about it on FediTips as I do so.

Any new tips featured on FediTips will also be added to the page. That way, there's always somewhere people can go to to easily catch up on tips they missed.

Any thoughts on this as a plan? Honest feedback appreciated! :blobcat:

If there are any problems with the site, maybe the best place to post about them is the site's github as the developers will see them there:

https://github.com/mastodon/joinmastodon/issues

I see the Mastodon website has been revamped:

https://joinmastodon.org

What do you think?

( ⚠️ Warning, it's pretty bright 😁 )

If you want to move your Mastodon account from one server to another, you can keep your follows and followers if you complete all the steps in this guide:

https://mstdn.social/@feditips/107939441820299376

By the way, don't delete your old account after the move, because it will redirect people to your new account and keep your old posts in existence. Your old posts will still have your old account's name, but when people click on them they'll see a message directing them to the new account.

#Mastodon #Accounts #AccountMigration

If you're new on here, there's a thread of useful info on how to use Mastodon and the Fediverse at:

https://mstdn.social/@feditips/108193490622939340

If you can't find what you need, @ me or send a message and I'll try to help.

#Fediverse #Mastodon #Help

If you're starting a brand new account on PeerTube (or on any Fediverse server), it's not a good idea to post lots of content before you have followers.

The only people who can see your posts on the Fediverse are those on your server, those on other servers who follow you, or those on other servers who see your post shared.

If you post all your best content up front on a brand new account with no followers, no one outside your server will be able to see it. Even if they follow you later, the posts you made before that will not be visible to them, because Fedi platforms don't backfill old posts on accounts you follow.

It's much better to gradually add videos (or other content) as your follower numbers grow.

You only need one follower from a server in order for everyone on that server to see your post. Even if you only have a dozen followers, that's up to 12 other servers that can see what you post.

#Fediverse #PeerTube #Followers

Another Fediverse project currently under construction is Flockingbird, which aims to be a free open source professional social network, sort of like a federated alternative to LinkedIn.

You can follow the project at @flockingbird and the source code for its components is at https://github.com/flockingbird/roost

There's also an official website but it's just a placeholder at the moment: https://flockingbird.social

#FlockingBird #Fediverse #ActivityPub #LinkedIn #Alternatives

OwnCast is a Fediverse livestreaming platform with built in chat, and is sort of a Fediverse alternative to Twitch.

You can follow the project itself at @owncast and find out more on the website at https://owncast.online

You can follow OwnCast accounts from Mastodon etc and they will let you know in your feed when they go live.

Some good accounts to follow include (in no particular order):

@live - Live DJ sets, soulful house music

@jnktn_tv - Live DJ shows on Saturdays, lots of different music styles

@Hamish - Live streaming retro games, electronics projects, programming etc

@rstv - 24 hour streaming of weird retro films and TV

@hatnix - Linux gaming streams, usually in English but sometimes in German

@fedi - Monthly show by the Small Technology Foundation, promoting small scale privacy-friendly internet projects

@ozoned - Live streams about Linux and gaming

#OwnCast #Fediverse #LiveStreaming

There are lots of Fediverse projects you can follow on here:

▸ @bookwyrm - Fediverse alternative to Amazon's GoodReads (more info at https://joinbookwyrm.com)

▸ @news - Friendica lets you follow people on Fedi, RSS, Twitter etc (more info at https://friendi.ca)

▸ @funkwhale - Music/podcast storage and sharing (more info at https://funkwhale.audio)

▸ @gotosocial - Lightweight safety-centric new Fediverse platform (more info at https://docs.gotosocial.org)

▸ @dev - Single user microblogging server (more info at https://docs.microblog.pub)

▸ @mobilizon - Event organising platform, Fedi alternative to Facebook Events (more info at https://joinmobilizon.org)

▸ @peertube - Video sharing network, Fedi alternative to YouTube (more info at https://joinpeertube.org)

▸ @pixelfed - Photo sharing network, Fedi alternative to Instagram (more info at https://pixelfed.org)

▸ @writefreely - Minimalist blogging platform, Fedi alternative to Medium (more info at https://writefreely.org)

Just had a question about this, thought it might be useful to answer as a post:

There are lots of different server types on the Fediverse, but they talk to each other using a common standard called ActivityPub.

This means you don't need to be on the same server type to interact.

For example, if you're on a Mastodon server you can have a conversation with someone on a Friendica server.

This works even when the server types are very different. People on Mastodon etc can like, comment and share videos from @peertube or follow livestreaming accounts on @owncast. (To see examples, take a look at @FediVideos)

This process is so seamless that you may not even be aware you're interacting with people from other server types. If you're a Mastodon user, try clicking on @bobfisherphoto and it will look like a Masto account, but it's actually a @pixelfed account. To see what an account "really" looks like, click on the avatar on its profile page.

#Fediverse #ActivityPub