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F.A.Q. - Frequently Asked Questions: Difference between revisions
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Mastodon is a free software microblogging project. It shares quite a few similarities with Twitter, but differs in some key features.<br> | Mastodon is a free software microblogging project. It shares quite a few similarities with Twitter, but differs in some key features.<br> | ||
It is decentralized/federated and belongs to the Fediverse ([[ | It is decentralized/federated and belongs to the Fediverse ([[F.A.Q. - Frequently Asked Questions#What is the Fediverse?|see below]]). | ||
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When you just created an account you'll see the basic interface with an empty home timeline. Follow other accounts and create your individual interesting home timeline.<br> | When you just created an account you'll see the basic interface with an empty home timeline. Follow other accounts and create your individual interesting home timeline.<br> | ||
To follow/find accounts that are hosted on different instances (servers) than your own account, you usually have to search for their full handle (username@instance.tld) or their profile's url. | To follow/find accounts that are hosted on different instances (servers) than your own account, you usually have to search for their full handle (@username@instance.tld) or their profile's url. | ||
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When you use Mastodon via your desktop browser, you can change quite a few things about its look and feel via your account settings. Anyone looking for an equivalent to Tweetdeck's many columns, may switch to the advanced interface:<br> | When you use Mastodon via your desktop browser, you can change quite a few things about its look and feel via your account settings. Anyone looking for an equivalent to Tweetdeck's many columns, may switch to the advanced interface:<br> | ||
It allows you | It allows you for example to pin a column for hashtags you've searched by clicking on its top right corner. | ||
As with Tweetdeck, if the number of columns exceed your display's width, you either need to scroll left and right or zoom out, until all columns fit again into your screen. | |||
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All notifications a shown in one column, in which you can switch between different types of notifications. The column's top right corner opens its settings, where can optimize your notification column to your individual needs.<br> | All notifications a shown in one column, in which you can switch between different types of notifications. The column's top right corner opens its settings, where can optimize your notification column to your individual needs.<br> | ||
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If you want to ensure, you will not miss posts from accounts that are the most relevant to you or you want to cluster accounts to create thematic timelines, for example, you can create [[Mastodon features explained#Lists|lists]], and pin them as a column. Only accounts you are following, can be added to our lists. | If you want to ensure, you will not miss posts from accounts that are the most relevant to you or you want to cluster accounts to create thematic timelines, for example, you can create [[Mastodon features explained#Lists|lists]], and pin them as a column. Only accounts you are following, can be added to our lists.<br> | ||
You can also click the bell symbol on a profile besides the (un)follow button to get notified about all posts by a user. | |||
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Your home timeline shows posts by accounts you follow and boosts by those accounts. There is no algorithm sorting posts for "relevance". Everything will appear in the chronological order it was either posted or boosted. Everything in your timeline will have the same look whether it originated from a Mastodon account or an account from some other Fediverse service.<br> | Your home timeline shows posts by accounts you follow and boosts by those accounts. There is no algorithm sorting posts for "relevance". Everything will appear in the chronological order it was either posted or boosted. Everything in your timeline will have the same look whether it originated from a Mastodon account or an account from some other Fediverse service.<br> | ||
The local timeline displays all the public posts accounts on your server published - boosts are exlcuded. | The local timeline displays all the public posts accounts on your server published - boosts are exlcuded. This can be very interesting on themed instances. | ||
The federated timeline shows posts from the whole Fediverse as your server knows it. It includes posts from every account your server was introduced to either by someone following or successfully searching from your server. | The federated timeline shows posts from the whole Fediverse as your server knows it. It includes posts from every account your server was introduced to either by someone following or successfully searching from your server. | ||