What is Mastodon and what are the reasons why Twitter users are flocking to it. Here’s all you need to learn.

Mastodon is getting a new lease on life.
After Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition, many Twitter users have switched to Mastodon.

Since Elon Musk became the platform’s CEO, many Twitter users have left. Mastodon, which was founded in 2016, is enjoying the fruits of this exodus.

According to Eugen Rochko (founder of Mastodon), the platform saw a rise in users from 300,000 to 2.5 million between October and November.

Rochko stated that more journalists, political figures and actors had moved to the platform after Musk’s Twitter takeover.

Twitter tried to stop this exodus by blocking Mastodon-linked posts, before announcing a new policy to end “free promotion” on other social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

This policy forbade users from sharing their Twitter accounts with other social media users.

Twitter reversed course after facing backlash online and removed the announcement from its Twitter Support account.

Mastodon, which is a Twitter competitor, follows a similar format. Users can share posts (called “toots”) and follow one another.

However, unlike Twitter it is open-source software and decentralized. This means that there are no single server or company using the software.

Although the site is six years old, it is gaining new life with people who are disillusioned by Twitter.

How to create a Mastodon profile

Mastodon users create a profile similar to other social-media networks. They include a username and display name as well as a short bio, avatar, header, and a description of themselves.

You can also create “profile flags” for others to indicate how you want to use the platform.

Mastodon usernames are more like email addresses than other social media handles. The username is chosen by the user. The second part refers to the Mastodon server that they signed up for.

The majority of usernames will look like this: @username@Mastodon Server

How do you start posting?

Mastodon’s character limit exceeds Twitter’s. Toots can only post 500 characters per day.

Interact with one another by liking, replying and resharing their posts. They can also follow one another or search for hashtags.

Although verification is free on the platform Mastodon handles the process differently to Twitter.

Mastodon provides link verification. This allows users to cross-reference any links in their profile to verify that they are the owner. Users could link to their personal website or blog.

What are Mastodon’s examples?

Mastodon is run across many servers that are all connected using the same technology. After signing up, the first thing users do is join an instance.

These instances are usually themed by countries, cities or interests and are intended to place users in a group of people who are likely post items they are interested.

Because instances are connected, users can follow each other and interact with them.

Each instance has its own rules and content moderation and users are encouraged join those they agree with.

While some instances may ask for donations because they are created and maintained by volunteers, most of them are completely free.

Business Insider has the original article.
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By: bnolan@insider.com (Beatrice Nolan,Lakshmi Varanasi)
Title: What is Mastodon and why are Twitter users flocking there? Here’s everything you need to know.
Sourced From: www.businessinsider.com/mastodon-twitter-users-flocking-elon-musk-social-meida-2022-11
Published Date: Fri, 23 Dec 2022 10:46:05 +0000