I just joined Mastodon and am still wandering around, trying to get a sense of the place.

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@rufustheduck
Welcome and happy new year! I hope you enjoy it. (#Mastodon and 2026.)

@rufustheduck @ScruffyJunco @Dgun8
Since you’re brand new to the Fedi, I’d encourage you to look into using hashtags on your posts — to meet up with like-minded friends. Hashtags power the Fediverse, which functions without algorithms.

@akamran @rufustheduck @inger
I'll reinforce that. #altText on images is *very* important. I won't post images without it.

@IzzyChambers thank you. I certainly hope so

@Guillotine_Jones
Your profile image is excellent. 💯

@nomdeb thank you! I'm looking forward to exploring this place, and I'll definitely take your advice

@rufustheduck
Ecco il gatto che vive con me (o io con lui?🤔)

@rufustheduck

SCENE: Heaven. GOD and some ANGELS are having a conversation.

ANGEL: Hey Big G, one of us has created a new state of matter.
GOD: I created several of them the first day or two on the job. Enough to keep the humans busy for millennia trying to figure things out.
ANGEL: This one’s kind of but not really like your liquid, and kind of but not really like your solid.
GOD: What do you plan to do with it?
ANGEL: Make ridiculously cute animals with it.
GOD: Why?
ANGEL: Trust us. The humans will *love* it.

@MadAsAHatter @rufustheduck

Well, both of you have mastodon.social as your entry point, and there are some instances that block or filter it. That could be part of it? Now that you're here, browsing smaller instances to find one that matches your vibe and sense of community might be helpful. You can switch pretty easily.

What also helps here, I think, is having a bit of your profile filled in with more than just photos. It's part of finding a way to express a sense of mutual curiosity. Let others know a little bit about you, and be curious about where you are, asking after your interests and where to best find them. The difference between "I am very pro-[whatever] and would like to connect with [whatever/whoever]" versus "I am against [whatever] and sure hope this place isn't like [some other awful place] is VAST, and people notice and will choose how to interact (or not) based on those kinds of social cues.

Doesn't mean tough discussions don't or can't happen. But what are you leading with?

For practical/technical fediverse info, I recommend following @FediTips. They're a volunteer, so it's also nice if you can afford to "buy a coffee" for them or become their patron, to show tangible support for the amount of effort they've put in to creating incredibly useful and thoughtful information.

Welcome to both of you, and I hope you find what you're looking for here! Follow people and hashtags that appeal to you, and use hashtags when you post to help others connect with you, and you'll find your groove in no time.

@rufustheduck

welcome!

mastodon is, as far as i see, full of humanity: really wonderful stuff and really awful stuff

but there is no plutocrat bigot somewhere in the code warping the entire fabric and creating a false depiction of your society

it is raw and unfiltered by an agenda

as it should be

honest

enjoy

@rufustheduck
it seems from your offering that you have gotten a sense of the most important content... 🤣

@rufustheduck yep, totally normal cat 😂. Welcome! You’ll fit right in ☺️.

@rufustheduck stop on my any time. Many I know and live with snooze in this fashion. So as not to stand out, I think.

@rufustheduck I think you just won todays internet with your post. Pictures of cats are the best 👏

@rufustheduck sleep in awkward pose is cat Art

@benroyce You are awesome.

Sometimes these things must be said aloud.

@rufustheduck @fullyabstract
This is fine
Welcome to the club

@Gustodon

i engage with vatniks to get their accounts suspended, so maybe i'm viewing a little too much of the ugliness

@benroyce Good example; that's a new word for me. May their days be terrible in ways only Stalin could imagine.