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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Mastodon?

A prehistoric animal, predecessor of the mammoth. Goes "toot."

Why the name Mastodon?

There's a progressive metal band with the same name that I'm a fan of that brought the animal to my attention. I thought it's a pretty cool name/animal.

How exactly is it decentralized?

There are different ways in which something can be decentralized; in this case, Mastodon is the "federated" kind. Think e-mail, not BitTorrent. There are different servers (instances), users have an account on one of them, but can interact and follow each other regardless of where their account is.

Technically, how does the federation work?

We are using the OStatus suite of protocols:

Webfinger for user-on-domain lookup
Atom feeds with ActivityStreams, Portable Contacts, Threads extensions for the actual content
PubSubHubbub for subscribing to Atom feeds
Salmon for delivering certain items from the Atom feeds to interested parties such as the mentioned user, author of the status being replied to, person being followed, etc

What is mastodon.social?

The "flagship" instance of Mastodon, aka the server I run myself with the latest code. It's not supposed to be the only instance in the end.

What else is part of the federated network?

Let's call it the "fediverse". It has existed for a longer while, populated by GNU social servers, Friendica, Hubzilla, Diaspora etc. Not every one of those servers is fully compatible with every other. Mastodon strives to be fully standards-compliant and compatibility with GNU social is higher in priority than the others.

While Mastodon is compatible with GNU social in terms of server to server communication, the client to server API (aka how you access Mastodon) is different. Therefore, client apps that were made for specifically GNU social will not work with Mastodon. The reason for this is half technical, half ideological.

Because Mastodon has been created from a blank slate, it is much simpler to have the API mirror internal structures as closely as possible, rather than build an emulation layer. Secondly, the GNU social client API is actually a half-way implementation of the legacy Twitter API - that's the reason why it works with some older Twitter client apps. However, many of those apps are not maintained anymore, the GNU social API does not actually keep up with the real Twitter API and never fully implemented all its features; at the same time, the Twitter API was never meant for a federated service and so obscures some of the functionality.

How is Mastodon funded?

Development of Mastodon and hosting of mastodon.social is funded through my Patreon (also BTC/PayPal donations). Beyond that, I am not interested in VC funding, monetizing, advertising, or anything of that sort. I could offer setup/maintenance services on demand.

The software is free and open source and communities should host their own servers if they can, that way the costs are more or less distributed. Obviously it'd be hard for me to pay the bills if literally everyone decided to use the mastodon.social instance only.

This looks a lot like Twitter, what’s the difference?

Mastodon is decentralized. Anyone can run a Mastodon server, under their own community rules. Twitter is run by a central authority, and sets the rules for everyone.

What is a “federation”?

It’s a group of mastodon servers that share toots with each other.

What is an “instance”?

It’s a server that you can have an account on. Each has its own policies, because they can be run by anyone!

How should I choose which instance to use?

Many instances exist for almost every interest. It's okay to try a couple of public ones while looking for one that feels right. Talking about your interests on a public instance like Mastodon.Social may help you get invited to other instances.

To preview what an instance is saying, use this preview tool created by Kevin Marks.

How many people signed up for Mastodon? Can I see a chart of user counts over time?

Sure, you can follow @mastodonusercount@social.lou.lt.

How do you really spell “mast–don”?

It’s mastodon with two Os. You will get it wrong at least once.

How do I get this on Android?

Try Tusky.

On Android, I really want multiple account support.

Try TootyFruity.

How do I get this on iPhone?

Try Amaroq. Also, Safari might be a choice.

Are there other mobile/desktop/cli apps?

Yep.

Can Tusky do ‘💇’? How about feature “🔥”? And what’s with Tusky’s “⛱”?

You can follow or contact Tusky at @Tusky@mastodon.social, or the developers @Vavassor@mastodon.social and @daycode@mastodon.social

How do I search?

You can search for people and hashtags, but not general text. Use the box above the tooting area.

How do I DM (Direct Message)?"

Click on the globe beneath your toot for privacy options, including DM.

I don’t get the local vs. federated timeline thing.

“Local” toots are from the server you signed up at. “Federated” are the all the toots your server knows about. (It's complicated, but short version is: “toots from people that you and other locals follow.”)

Are there instances that my instance doesn't federate with? How do I know?

Some instances are private and will not federate with your instance. Others may be blocked by your instance. To find out more about how your instance federates, ask your admin. (see also: “Who is my admin, and how do I contact/follow them?”)

Can I have more than one account? Can I use the same email on different instances?

Yes and yes! If you find another instance you would like to join, sign up! Note that not all instances are open to new registrations and it’s possible that someone has already taken your preferred username.

Can I import the people I follow to another instance?

Yes. This may take time depending on the instance you move to. Talk to the admin of your new instance if you have difficulties. If your new instance does not federate with the instances of the people you follow, you may lose them.

How do I prevent people from impersonating me?

Because anyone can create a username on any instance, it is impossible to prevent others from using the same username on another instance. Some people have taken to running their own single-user instance to verify themselves, or use Keybase.

How do I enable Two Factor Authentication?

If your instance supports it, the option will be in Preferences under Two-factor Authentication. Mastodon's 2FA uses both a QR code and plain-text secrets.

Why can't I see someone's toots?

This could occur for several reasons. A person's posts may be private. You must be a follower of a private account to see their non-public posts. Additionally, if someone has blocked you, you will no longer see their non-public posts.

To find out what’s trending, follow the esteemed @TrendingBot@mastodon.social.

What’s “CW”?

“CW” stands for “Content Warning.” You can use it to hide your toot, like a spoiler.

How does the “Mark Image as Sensitive” feature work (“NSFW”)?

When you add a picture to your post using the camera icon, an additional toggle will appear [typically as "NSFW"]. Clicking this will hide your image behind a "Sensitive Content" warning, preventing others from seeing your images until they click on them.

What’s with the pineapples?

They’re tasty, and they make people smile. Just go with it.

I see “Awoo” a lot, what does that mean?

Try saying it out loud. It’s fun!

How do I delete my account?

At the moment, you will have to toot the admin of your instance for help on that one.

Who is my admin, and how do I contact/follow them?

Click on Getting Started, then Extended Information. An info page displays. Hopefully, they put their contact information in there!

Wow, I keep seeing offensive stuff from a particular instance, is there a way to block all of it?

Not without a lot of clicking, sorry. But, your instance admin can do it! Please contact them.

Is Mastodon moderated?

Each instance handles moderation differently, and each has their own moderators. It’s okay to ask what the rules are for the instance you are on. Usually the rules are posted on the instance's about page (like the “more” page at Mastodon.social)

How do I report offensive content?

Beneath each post, you will see three dots. Clicking on those will allow you to expand a post or report the content. When reporting content, select all posts that need moderator attention.

How do I handle harassment?

If your admin takes harassment seriously, you can report it to them through the post-reporting system. This can be found through the ellipsis (“…”) beneath the post, or by contacting your admin directly.

Will my Private Messages reach people on other instances?

Yes, they should. However, private messages are not secure. You should avoid sending sensitive information through them.

What does “Adjust Status Privacy” mean and how does it work?

The globe icon under the toot area adjusts your status privacy by changing who can see your posts. This is what happens:

Privacy setting	Broadcasted to	Viewable by	Notes
Public	Global, public timelines	Everyone	Federated. People on other instances will probably see it.
Unlisted	Followers only	Everyone	Can be boosted and thus seen on other instances.
Private	Followers only	Followers only	Cannot be boosted.
Direct	Mentioned people only	Mentioned people only	Similar to email

Can I use hashtags? Should I?

Yes! Hashtags are tracked and are often fun, but some tags help people avoid triggering posts. This is especially appreciated on public posts of #POLITICS, #HEALTH, #DEPRESSION, or #LEWD OR #NSFW topics. Such posts are also what the Content Warning system was designed for.

How do I get verified with a “✅”?

“✅” is an emoji, only for lulz. There is no verification on Mastodon. You can copy and paste “✅” into your bio if you wish, you cheeky monkey.

Can I edit a toot?

No, sorry. But you could delete your toot and rewrite…

If I delete a post, does it get deleted everywhere?

Deleting a post will delete it from the local timeline. However, if it has already been boosted, it may still be seen and may federate.

How do I view my favorite toots?

Click Getting Started, then Favourites. Yes—Mastodon uses UK spelling!

Can I quote a toot?

Not currently. You must manually copy and paste the text to quote it.

If my instance shuts down forever, do I lose my data?

Yes you do.

Can I save my data?

Yes, some of it! It‘s under Preferences->Data export

I can’t see toots of a remote user under their bio!

In Expanded View, click their avatar. This will take you directly to their instance, which displays all their public toots.

How do I see threads?

Click the toot body for Expanded View. This will show threads the toot’s connected to.

How do I link to toots?

There are two permalinks for toots. With inline toots, right-click the timestamp. On expanded toots, right-click the date on the bottom.

How do I link to my profile?

In Firefox, right-click on your avatar picture. Select Copy Link Location.

Does clicking a #hashtag show local results, or federated?

Federated.

When I mute a boost, who gets muted, the booster or the original author?

The original author.

Can I preview the people on an instance, and what they’re saying?

Yes, try the excellent instance preview tool.

How do I hide the toots of languages I don’t understand?

The developers are working on this and other filtering options, stay tuned!

Is automatic translation supported?

Not yet, but there is a Firefox TamperMonkey script that might work for you.

Do toots automatically broadcast federated, or stay local?

By default, toots are federated (public), and will show on both timelines. You can change the default behavior through Settings->Preferences->Post Privacy.

How do I start my own instance?

See the User Guide, under the heading “Running Mastodon.”

I found a bug or have a suggestion for Mastodon.

You can file a bug or submit suggestions at Mastodon’s Issue Tracker.

Hey I love mastodon FAQs! Can I have more?

Here’s more, from hardworking individuals trying to help, too.

This FAQ was compiled with contributions from @Gargron, @raccoon, @upside, @zacanger, @NthTensor, @ametlles and many others in the fediverse!

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