RE: https://social.growyourown.services/@FediTips/116341643066810900

Also worth reminding (in addition to below tips): The only way a post can propagate on the fediverse is via social means, i.e. via boosting it... Likes are more or less a nod to the author that the message was appreciated, but has ZERO impact on other people learning about it. If we want to encourage more good/quality posts on here, share them, boost them! This is especially important for posts/content from smaller instances (or single user ones, like mine) where there's no one else on the local timeline. Boosting content from these small instances is literally the only way to reach _any_ people outside their direct followers...

(This is not a complaint, just pure observation, boosting rates (percentages) of my posts have severely dropped over here over the past 4-5 months. Of course, I'm assuming it's first and foremost a me problem, but I'm not sure if that's all there is to it...)

#Fediverse #Mastodon #BoostingIsSharing

Fedi.Tips » 🌐 2026-04-03 / 2026-04-03
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services

Sorting out the difference between favouriting and bookmarking on Mastodon:

⭐ Favourites are the equivalent of likes. When you favourite a post it lets the post's author know you liked it.

🔖 Bookmarks are a private way of keeping track of posts that you want to read later. When you bookmark a post, only you know about the bookmark. The author of the post does not know.

Lots more info including questions answered about this topic in the guide at:

➡️ https://fedi.tips/favourites-vs-bookmarks-in-mastodon

#FediTips #Mastodon

Again looking at running my own #Mastodon instance and seeing a ton of abandoned projects for lightweight, single-user #ActivityPub servers. Are there options that are actively maintained and ready for use? I've run #Pleroma before but don't actually need a web frontend. Happy to @phanpy and that's it. Suggestions, anyone?

@chockenberry Thank you! And thank you #Mastodon for having an edit function.

#Asstodon #Mastodon

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Booty shorts that say "asstodon" (merch from mastodon the band)

👋 Hello, I'm looking into managed mastodon hosting services. I know about masto.host & have reached out to joinmastodon.org as well.

Do you know of any other mastodon hosting services? Aside from hosting itself, we will need help in migrating.

#askmasto #askmastodon #askfedi #boost #mastodon #hosting

#Mastodon, what is the first thing I should do to start moving away from Big Tech?

#bigtech #online #privacy #rights #digitalsovereignty

If you ever find yourself curious about the #mastodon reporting process, this is still the most in-depth description of it, start-to-finish, that I've ever come across:

https://community.hachyderm.io/blog/2024/09/01/hachyderms-introduction-to-mastodon-moderation-the-report-feature-and-moderator-actions/

includes:
what do the local mods/admins see?
what do the remote mods/admins see if I choose to forward my report there as well?
what does a #moderation queue look like?

(note, this article is from 2024, so it is possible this may look slightly different on newer versions of mastodon)

#meta #fediverse

When someone asks me what the #Fediverse, #Mastodon or #ActivityPub is I'll use this illustration from UNIX Review, April 1985.

#UNIX

Alt...

Illustration showing multiple beige desktop computers floating among clouds in an open sky, connected to each other by thin golden lines forming a network, with one large computer in the foreground emitting a burst of colorful rainbow light rays from its screen.

Quick vibe check on @elk usage.

👉 Have you been using #Elk web app (https://elk.zone)?

Please #boost for science :) We have been discussing the future of Elk and your input here matters a lot. 🙏

Feel free to elaborate on the comments as well!

#askmastodon #askfedi #askmasto #fediverse #mastodon #mastodev

with the current (understandable) uncertainty around the future of mstdn.ca, is there a desire for an alternative hosted/moderated-in-canada/for-canadians instance?

i registered fedizen.ca a while ago, and am willing to build a new instance if there is a need/desire for one using that domain.

#canada #mastodon

The time is probably right.

Back in 2022, when I was still using iOS, I wasn’t completely happy with the Fediverse apps that were available. I was mostly using Akkoma, and the interface I liked the most was actually its web UI, even on mobile. So I started playing with Xcode and put together the foundations of an app tailored to my needs.

A lot has changed since then and today we have great alternatives like IceCubes, Mona, Ivory, etc. Each one has strengths and weaknesses though, so I picked up my old project again and kept pushing it forward.

So I’m happy to announce that my app will finally see the light: I’ve been using it for the past few days and, in my spare time, I’m fixing bugs and adding missing features. I’m building it around my own needs, so it doesn’t have to “appeal to everyone”. I wouldn’t call it opinionated, but it’s definitely targeted.

The app will have one key trait: #snac2 support will be a first-class feature, not an incidental one. Many apps, especially on iOS, support snac as a side effect, but the experience is often not optimal. In this case, the choice is deliberate and it strictly follows the Mastodon API support implemented by snac. So snac will work properly (within the limits of the platform, of course).

Among the features already implemented: the app is minimal and lightweight (under 10 MB, including debug code), easy on RAM, and privacy-first (for example it strips EXIF data from media before posting, so the server will never see it). On snac it also cleans up the "Boosted by Aoderelay" messages that appear when using a relay, removes the character limit, and supports posting in Markdown.

I also added support for Apple Intelligence to generate alt text, both for the media I post and for media posted by others that is missing alt text.

Everything is processed locally through Apple APIs and only on supported devices. The results aren't amazing, Apple Intelligence is extremely limited, but in my opinion it's the only privacy-friendly and ethical way to approach it. And of course, you can disable it.

On Mastodon it supports all the main features: lists, quote posts, granular notifications (you can choose what you want for each category), notification grouping, multi-account support, and it works.

It's still missing a few things (block, etc.) and has some bugs, which I’m spotting as I keep using it.
As soon as it's stable enough, I'll invite a few people to test it. I still haven't fully decided how I'll distribute it: an Apple Developer account has a yearly cost, and I hope to reuse it for other projects too. So this app might be paid, with a trial period, but if possible (I still need to check what’s feasible) I'd like it to be free if you connect to one of the BSD Cafe instances, illumos Cafe, or any snac instance, including your own.

I don't know how long it will take before it's ready... but I can already tell you what it will be called.
It already has a name, and it's... MastoBlaster.

This name was chosen for personal reasons, and also because of its similarity to Master Blaster by Stevie Wonder, which even today feels relevant and fitting for the Fediverse.

Stay tuned!

#MastoBlaster #Fediverse #Mastodon #iOS #FediverseApp #Announcement #Apple #snac #snac2 #BSDCafe #illumosCafe

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MastoBlaster, showing my profile on my phone