If you'd like your (public) posts to appear in search results on Mastodon, remember that you need to opt-in. Edit Profile → Privacy and Reach → Include public posts in search results. 14K people have opted-in so far!
@Gargron I found this new (or new to me) option the other day when I was checking something else and turned it on. I figure if the post is public it's not like I'm trying to hide it anyway, so why not let it be indexed for searching? Maybe some cool new people will find me and we can interact on Mastodon,
>I figure if the post is public it's not like I'm trying to hide it anyway, so why not let it be indexed for searching?
Search lightens the barrier for analyses of patterns in your posts and discovery based on certain phrases instead of those you intended (hashtags).
Most µblog in the moment, they aren't writing timeless commentary.
As it may, it does give a greater purpose to the "unlisted" visibility setting (open lock).
Pity the option is missing in the official app.
Some people do not want their posts searchable because they are criticizing governments or government agencies that can make their lives miserable if their posts are found and linked to them.
Better safe than sorry.
Opt-in is good. It means you have to say yes instead of figuring out how to say no.
It's important not to forget that Mastodon is part of a collection of networks.
That means, the more you rely on a privacy feature of a particular platform, the more likely you will need to review who you let follow your profile aside from managing the visibility setting of your individual posts.
So treat the opt-ins as mufflers for your exposure, rather than a clear-cut method of isolation.
Always almost overly critical to who I let follow me - here and everywhere else. Not just because I am then able to say what I think about eg. politicians, but also because I have had 1 too many run-ins with trolls.
I believe in benefit-of-the-doubt, but not when it comes to controlling who follows me.