Mastodon Basics
Basic Mastodon concepts explained in a public-safe way.
Mastodon is a Fediverse platform for microblogging. It lets people post, follow, reply, boost, favourite, and interact across different servers.
What is Mastodon?
Mastodon is a social platform that is part of the Fediverse.
It is similar to microblogging, but instead of one central website, there are many independent servers.
Each server is called an instance.
Example account:
Meaning:
- user = username
- example.social = instance/server
Instance
An instance is a Mastodon server.
Each instance can have:
- its own users
- its own rules
- its own admins
- its own moderation
- its own custom emojis
- its own community culture
Example instance names:
- example.social
- mastodon.example
- community.example
Account
A Mastodon account usually looks like:
- @username@instance
Example:
This means the user alex is on the server example.social.
Post
A post is a message shared on Mastodon.
Posts can include:
- text
- images
- links
- hashtags
- polls
- content warnings
- mentions
- custom emojis
Different instances may have different character limits.
Reply
A reply is a response to another post.
Replies can create conversations or threads.
Boost
A boost is similar to a repost.
When you boost someone’s post, you share it with your followers.
Boosts are important for discovery because Mastodon does not rely on a strong central algorithm.
Favourite
A favourite is similar to a like.
It tells the author that you appreciated the post.
Favourites usually do not spread the post as much as boosts.
Bookmark
A bookmark saves a post privately for later.
Useful for:
- guides
- links
- threads
- posts to read later
Follow
Following someone means their posts appear in your home timeline.
You can follow people from:
- your own instance
- other Mastodon instances
- other Fediverse platforms
Followers
Followers are people who follow your account.
They can see your public posts in their home timeline.
Home timeline
The home timeline shows posts from people you follow.
This is usually the main timeline people read.
Local timeline
The local timeline shows public posts from users on your own instance.
This can make an instance feel like a community.
Federated timeline
The federated timeline shows posts known to your instance from other servers.
It is not always the entire Fediverse.
It usually depends on:
- who local users follow
- which servers your instance knows
- which servers your instance blocks or limits
Hashtags
Hashtags help people discover posts.
Examples:
- #Mastodon
- #Fediverse
- #Linux
- #Photography
- #Cats
Hashtags are important because Mastodon does not work like algorithm-heavy corporate social media.
Mentions
A mention points to another user.
Example:
Mentions can notify the user.
Content warning
A content warning hides post content behind a label.
It is useful for:
- spoilers
- sensitive topics
- long posts
- politics
- personal topics
- medical topics
- food images
Content warnings are part of Mastodon culture on many instances.
Alt text
Alt text describes an image for people using screen readers or people who cannot see the image.
Good alt text explains what is visually important in the image.
Example:
- A black cat sleeping on a wooden chair near a window.
Alt text is good accessibility practice.
Direct messages
Mastodon has post visibility options, but direct/private messages are not the same as end-to-end encrypted chat.
Do not use Mastodon private mentions for secrets, passwords, private keys, or sensitive information.
Post visibility
Common visibility options:
- Public
- Unlisted
- Followers-only
- Mentioned people only
Public
Visible publicly and can appear in timelines.
Unlisted
Publicly accessible but usually not shown in public timelines.
Followers-only
Visible to followers.
Mentioned people only
Visible only to mentioned accounts.
Do not treat this as secure encrypted messaging.
Lists
Lists let you organize accounts into separate timelines.
Examples:
- Linux people
- Artists
- Friends
- Fediverse admins
- Photography
- News
Search
Search behavior can vary between instances.
Search often works well for:
- hashtags
- known account handles
- known post URLs
Full-text search may depend on instance configuration.
Custom emojis
Instances can upload custom emojis.
Example:
- :party_blob:
- :cat_wave:
- :linux:
Custom emojis help give an instance personality.
Moderation
Mastodon instances have admins and moderators.
They can:
- handle reports
- remove posts
- suspend accounts
- limit accounts
- block instances
- set server rules
Each instance can have different rules.
Server rules
Before joining or posting on an instance, read its rules.
Rules may cover:
- harassment
- spam
- hate speech
- NSFW content
- bots
- commercial posts
- AI-generated content
- content warnings
- language expectations
Good Mastodon habits
- add alt text to images
- use hashtags for discovery
- boost posts you want others to see
- read instance rules
- respect content warnings
- avoid posting secrets
- avoid quote-dunking culture
- be patient with smaller communities
Beginner posting ideas
- introduce yourself with #Introduction
- share what you are learning
- post photos with alt text
- boost interesting posts
- use hashtags
- join conversations respectfully
- follow people slowly and intentionally