{"id":71930,"date":"2023-05-03T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-03T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/?p=71930"},"modified":"2023-05-04T10:45:23","modified_gmt":"2023-05-04T17:45:23","slug":"how-to-get-started-on-mastodon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/how-to-get-started-on-mastodon\/","title":{"rendered":"Ready to try Mastodon? Here\u2019s how to get started"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"An
Like Firefox, Mastodon is open-sourced, so it\u2019s built on a foundation of transparency and accessibility to all. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mastodon has been around since 2016, but not until recently has it emerged as a popular alternative to Twitter. Like Firefox<\/a>, Mastodon is open-sourced, so it\u2019s built on a foundation of transparency and accessibility to all. It\u2019s also decentralized<\/a>, which means it\u2019s powered by different communities and doesn\u2019t answer to one entity or a bunch of stakeholders.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An open-sourced, decentralized social media platform? Music to our ears. But here\u2019s the catch: It doesn\u2019t operate like other mainstream social media platforms, so it might take some time to get used to. Here\u2019s a quick starter guide to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter vs. Mastodon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Like Twitter, Mastodon is a microblogging platform. Instead of having centralized control<\/a>, it operates as an interconnected network of servers, each of which has its own standards and protocols. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Mastodon<\/a> explains it, the platform works like email accounts: You can choose to have a Gmail, Outlook or iCloud address. Where you write and receive emails depends on your server, but messages come in and go out regardless of which server you use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get started, follow these steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 1: Choose your Mastodon server<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First, you need to pick a server<\/a> (sometimes called \u201cinstances\u201d). Each server has its own community where you can scroll through posts from other users within that server. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you select a topic-based server like @mstdn.games<\/a>, for example, expect to see some chatter about games in your local timeline. If you\u2019re interested in more than one topic, you can join a general interest server like @mastodon.social<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 2: Read up on the rules<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hitting \u201cCreate account\u201d under the server you picked will lead you to a page explaining that particular community\u2019s moderator-enforced rules. Read them. If you agree, hit accept. Or look for another server that\u2019s more your vibe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 3: Set up your profile<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So you\u2019ve picked your community and have gotten the lowdown on the rules. It\u2019s time to set up your profile. You\u2019ll need to register with an email address and pick a display name, username and a password<\/a>. Once you\u2019re in, you can add a photo or avatar. Don\u2019t forget to set up two-factor authentication<\/a> under the Account settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 4: Check out your timelines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Similar to how a Twitter timeline works, the Home timeline<\/strong> displays posts from users you follow. Your Local timeline<\/strong>, on the other hand, shows posts from all the users in your server. The Federated timeline<\/strong> lets you see public posts from people across your server\u2019s networks. For example, it will show a public post from a person followed by someone in your server. In addition to timelines, the Explore section lets you search for users and hashtags. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 5: Start posting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can write your own posts, reply to others and boost or repost posts. You can also attach images, gifs and videos by hitting the clip icon (fedi.tips has some great pointers<\/a>). You can even create a poll. Remember to post responsibly, and report users for any abuse or violations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that you know the basics, it\u2019s time to explore: Search for your interests and follow and connect with people. Take part in conversations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For years, a small group of social media giants has ruled over the digital public square. With community-centered platforms like Mastodon, we can seek other ways to connect with each other online on our terms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mastodon has been around since 2016, but not until recently has it emerged as a popular alternative to Twitter. Like Firefox, Mastodon is open-sourced, so it\u2019s built on a foundation of transparency and accessibility to all. It\u2019s also decentralized, which means it\u2019s powered by different communities and doesn\u2019t answer to one entity or a bunch […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1889,"featured_media":71931,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[464186],"coauthors":[464117],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nReady to try Mastodon? Here\u2019s how to get started<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Like Firefox, Mastodon is open-sourced, so it\u2019s built on a foundation of transparency and accessibility to all.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/how-to-get-started-on-mastodon\/\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/how-to-get-started-on-mastodon\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/how-to-get-started-on-mastodon\/\",\"name\":\"Ready to try Mastodon? Here\u2019s how to get started\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/how-to-get-started-on-mastodon\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/how-to-get-started-on-mastodon\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/278\/files\/2023\/04\/moz_WhatisMastodon_1200x800-1-1-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-05-03T16:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-05-04T17:45:23+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ff2a2684ab8dcbe5372151857748455d\"},\"description\":\"Like Firefox, Mastodon is open-sourced, so it\u2019s built on a foundation of transparency and accessibility to all.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/how-to-get-started-on-mastodon\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/how-to-get-started-on-mastodon\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/how-to-get-started-on-mastodon\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/278\/files\/2023\/04\/moz_WhatisMastodon_1200x800-1-1-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/278\/files\/2023\/04\/moz_WhatisMastodon_1200x800-1-1-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"Like Firefox, Mastodon is open-sourced, so it\u2019s built on a foundation of transparency and accessibility to all.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/how-to-get-started-on-mastodon\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Ready to try Mastodon? Here\u2019s how to get started\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/\",\"name\":\"The Mozilla Blog\",\"description\":\"News and Updates about Mozilla\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ff2a2684ab8dcbe5372151857748455d\",\"name\":\"Kristina Bravo\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/cd320165a9224f3c60c912bf4086a89f\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22fa545a3c48bc13cc1d84d5e09ffbff?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22fa545a3c48bc13cc1d84d5e09ffbff?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kristina Bravo\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/author\/kbravo\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ready to try Mastodon? Here\u2019s how to get started","description":"Like Firefox, Mastodon is open-sourced, so it\u2019s built on a foundation of transparency and accessibility to all.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/how-to-get-started-on-mastodon\/","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/how-to-get-started-on-mastodon\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/how-to-get-started-on-mastodon\/","name":"Ready to try Mastodon? Here\u2019s how to get started","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/how-to-get-started-on-mastodon\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/how-to-get-started-on-mastodon\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/278\/files\/2023\/04\/moz_WhatisMastodon_1200x800-1-1-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2023-05-03T16:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-05-04T17:45:23+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ff2a2684ab8dcbe5372151857748455d"},"description":"Like Firefox, Mastodon is open-sourced, so it\u2019s built on a foundation of transparency and accessibility to all.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/how-to-get-started-on-mastodon\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/how-to-get-started-on-mastodon\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/how-to-get-started-on-mastodon\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/278\/files\/2023\/04\/moz_WhatisMastodon_1200x800-1-1-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/278\/files\/2023\/04\/moz_WhatisMastodon_1200x800-1-1-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"Like Firefox, Mastodon is open-sourced, so it\u2019s built on a foundation of transparency and accessibility to all."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/how-to-get-started-on-mastodon\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Ready to try Mastodon? Here\u2019s how to get started"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/","name":"The Mozilla Blog","description":"News and Updates about Mozilla","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ff2a2684ab8dcbe5372151857748455d","name":"Kristina Bravo","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/cd320165a9224f3c60c912bf4086a89f","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22fa545a3c48bc13cc1d84d5e09ffbff?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22fa545a3c48bc13cc1d84d5e09ffbff?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Kristina Bravo"},"url":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/author\/kbravo\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71930"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1889"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71930\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71930"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=71930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}