Fedi.Tips

Do you use Mastodon on a computer? Have you tried Mastodon's optional "advanced web interface"? It provides a Tweetdeck-style multi-column layout where you can have unlimited timelines, lists and searches open all at once. More info including how to activate it at:

➡️ https://fedi.tips/how-to-activate-mastodons-tweetdeck-style-advanced-web-interface

Mastodon can be used through single or multi-column, both are officially supported. Some people find multi-column overwhelming, but others find it really essential. Use whichever you prefer!

#FediTips

If you want your public posts to be searchable by their entire contents (not just hashtags), you need to tick a particular box in your profile settings. Lots more info here:

➡️ https://fedi.tips/how-do-i-opt-into-or-out-of-full-text-search-on-mastodon

For privacy and safety reasons this feature is switched off by default. You need to switch it on if you want your own posts to be "full text searchable".

This only affects posts that have a public visibility setting. Posts with other visibility settings are not searchable at all.

#FediTips

Mastodon now supports searching by keywords and phrases, so some people asked should they still bother using hashtags?

Yes! Hashtags are still a really good idea!

1) A lot of people follow hashtags, if you use a tag they follow your post will appear in their timelines

2) A lot of people prefer searching by hashtag as it indicates an intended topic, rather than accidentally mentioning a word

3) Not *every* server supports full text search, but all of them support hashtag searches

#FediTips

Hey new people! 👋

You can do likes by clicking the ⭐ favourite button. Favouriting lets the author know you liked their post.

You can do re-tweets by clicking the 🔁 boost button (AKA "re-blog" on some apps). Some apps use a 🚀 symbol instead of the arrows. Boosting shares a post with your followers.

To view a post later, click the 🔖 bookmark button. No one else sees your bookmarks.

More info including how to browse your favourites, boosts & bookmarks at:

➡️ https://fedi.tips/how-do-i-do-likes-and-re-tweets-in-mastodon-and-what-are-bookmarks

#FediTips

@pom

You can use Mastodon apps with non-Mastodon platforms that are compatible with the Mastodon API, which is quite a lot of them!

I think Ice Shrimp is compatible? You could try logging in and seeing what happens?

The official Mastodon app is in various app stores under the name "Mastodon" with the :Mastodon: logo. It's free open source, so there are some unofficial forks too such as Moshidon.

Here is how to see trending posts, hashtags & news on Mastodon:

- On the official apps click the magnifying glass 🔍 at the bottom but leave the search box empty. Click tabs at the top to see different sections.

- On the web interface, click the 🧭 Explore link on the right of the screen. Click tabs at the top to see different sections.

- On third party apps there are various different ways of seeing trends, usually labelled "Trending".

More info about trends at:

➡️ https://fedi.tips/where-are-the-trending-posts-and-hashtags-on-mastodon

When you create a post on here, you can choose its visibility setting. This controls who can see that post, with the most commonly used options being public, followers-only or mentions-only. There's a beginner's guide all about visibility settings at:

➡️ https://fedi.tips/who-can-see-my-posts-in-mastodon-how-do-i-send-dms-in-mastodon

If you set your post's visibility to mentions-only (also called "Specific people" or "Direct" on some apps), it effectively means your post is a DM that just goes to the accounts you've mentioned in it.

#FediTips