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People on Bluesky have been bulk posting invite codes on "X," apparently trying to boost their follower numbers to more Twitter-like levels, but the codes have been snatched up by bots and now there's an influx of trolls and Neo-Nazi accounts. 🙄

Bluesky is full of people who complain Mastodon is "too hard" but who mostly seemed to want to port their Twitter followers and experience directly.

Nowhere Girl

That is to say, I think a bunch of people who are used to being "a big deal" on Twitter are frustrated by Bluesky's perpetual closed beta. And I get it sucks starting over on a new site. But I don't think porting over the worst parts of the Twitter experience is what anyone had in mind.

@gwynnion Before I got onto Mastodon, I was fairly convinced by various media stories that it was "too difficult." I mean, more difficult than, what, falling out of bed? Sure. But anyone who can sign up for a Gmail account can figure out Mastodon.

@gwynnion Not that the user experience is seamless, but where is it?

Also, the first mobile app I tried for Mastodon was junk. I'm currently using Tusky, which seems fine so far.

@jaythurbershow @gwynnion There's an official app but it apparently isn't very good. (I haven't used it.)

Tusky is pretty good. I can also recommend Fedilab if you're gonna use a Glitch or Akkoma server instead of a plain Mastodon instance. The Google Play version is paid but the F-Droid version is available for free.

@LunaDragofelis @gwynnion I manage three accounts. The first app I tried — and I wish I could remember which one — would crash when trying to switch accounts.

@jaythurbershow @LunaDragofelis @gwynnion i think that was a big factor into the migration interruptus.

@Gargron @gwynnion I knew someone would ask! (I just didn't know it would be you, lol)

I can't remember now. I deleted it from my phone, and it's not showing up in my Google App store history.

@jaythurbershow @gwynnion Indeed, I have a professional interest in this. So it probably wasn't the official Mastodon app then, or you would have remembered, right?

@Gargron @gwynnion I really think it might have been the official app, but I can't say for certain, and I don't want to lead you astray.

What I remember is that although it supported multiple accounts, it had trouble switching from one to another. Two accounts it could manage; when I added a third, it would crash every time I tried to switch. It was a Moto G4 Play; don't remember which Android OS.

@jaythurbershow @gwynnion Did it have a green landscape with colorful elephants on the starting screen?

@Gargron @gwynnion I barely remember what I had for breakfast.

But I finally found it in my Google Play history — yes, it was the official Mastodon app.

@jaythurbershow @gwynnion Ah. If you remember, feel free to tell me what you didn't like about it via e-mail eugen@joinmastodon.org--unless the crash was the only thing.

@gwynnion @Gargron @jaythurbershow I have used the mastodon app but now prefer Metatext - if that’s of any interest to anyone. 🤔

@jaythurbershow

An essential survival skill of the digital era is to, every time anybody says that something is "too difficult", to ask what is difficult about it. Nine times out of ten, there's no real difficulty, it's just a talking point they're parroting. Often-times, a talking point from a malevolent competitor or other bad actor.

@gwynnion

@riley @jaythurbershow @gwynnion

I think sometimes it's the providers as well.

We got a new cable box in the mail. Got a letter first with URLs. Got an email second with URLs and embedded videos and detailed instructions. Then got the box with detailed instructions, "download the app", &c. Took out the old, put in the new, turned it on, opened my account on my phone browser, clicked "I received a new box". Done.

That wasn't hard.

@jaythurbershow I think Mastodon is actually easier than Bluesky and especially now has better tools to find people and stuff you're interested in.

@jaythurbershow @gwynnion Hmmmm yes and no. the biggest issue I have with Mastodon is it ask you to pledge fealty to a server... but there's barely enough info for newbies to make that decision. Discoverability is also kinda crappy. Bluesky has its own problems with both - hashtags, list making for non-banning purposes all need implementation.

@TheOldManBear @jaythurbershow @gwynnion Your point about choosing a server is a good one - the part that took longest when I joined Mastodon was trying to make that decision. That the first one proved to be a good fit was either a testament to the thoroughness of my research or sheer dumb luck, I don't know which.

I had to move when that instance folded, and I'm still not sure about how well I picked the second time - there's nothing wrong with universeodon.com, but I've never felt the same about it.

@shyriath @TheOldManBear @jaythurbershow @gwynnion I think a good order of operations is actually just choosing a server (maybe even randomly) and then switching after a while.

During that time you get to experience the connections and then you can focus on which kind of rules you want to have on a server.

@jaythurbershow @gwynnion
I found it incredibly simple and quick

@jaythurbershow Its a lot like signing up for email. I mean you don't go to "email.com" to sign up for email you actually need to pick a server like gmail or hotmail etc to create your account but it allows you to email to anyone on any email server. Mastodon is the same.

Unfortunately, thanks to all the big apps of the last decade or so, everyone forgot about how the Internet actually worked originally, and cant be bothered doing 10 seconds of thinking anymore.

@jaythurbershow @gwynnion Thank you, yes. "It's difficult to use" is just FUD from people who'd rather we all stay on Twitter.

@gwynnion

Spot on. If you think social media should be a perpetual battle for the spotlight, a game where score is measured in follower counts and likes, Fedi simply won't scratch that itch for you.

(And, depressingly, Twitter and FB have trained a lot of people to think of social media that way.)

@sphinx @gwynnion Meanwhile, all I want from social media is attention and interaction. On Twitter my posts got barely any replies despite having more than 1000 followers. It's much better on the fedi.

@LunaDragofelis @gwynnion

Also, Twitter's outrage-baiting algorithm always funneled contrarians into my replies. I swear, if I'd posted "Strawberry ice cream is nice! 🍨" I would have gotten ten angry reply guys demanding to know why I hate vanilla.

@gwynnion I miss a lot of the people who went over to Bluesky that I use to like to read things from, and get updates about their work. Now I miss things from them but I am finding more people here to follow and enjoy. I like to think I'm not in the minority in supporting people who spend time here.

@Sidhe @gwynnion

You are definitely not in the minority in supporting people who spend time here. IMO, we focus on building communities here on Mastodon, while lots of other social sites focus almost exclusively on building engagement.

@gwynnion You’re definitely right, the clout chase culture on Bluesky was very similar to Twitter.

A lot of people got a taste of being a mini celebrity and now communications platforms just don’t provide that same rush.

@gwynnion apparently it’s about the network effect, or so I’m told by bluesky users.

@gwynnion gotta love never having been, or wanted to be, a big deal.