I know reposting is a faux pas for some here, but I passed on the explanation for some twitter newbies, on twitter.

https://twitter.com/nonlinear/status/1519332036896600064?t=ER7iSQhJWWx9wf3gMSxt5g&s=19

I am new here and like the idea of de-centralization but I saw a huge problem comparing to centralized one and curious how can I solve it, I saw a lot of fake company accounts ( ie: TechCrunch ) and those accounts are sharing fake links which directly affected my opinion on credibility of the environment. If the rea TechCrunch joins mastodon how will I know that they are real one ?

Oh I totally see the reason, I'm just having the damnedest time figuring it out.

That's all very true, thank you.
Just one point: Google controls a big enough part of the emails of the world that its anti-spam policy makes it hard for small servers to function. When all my mail are classified as spam, even though there's only my own address on this server, Gmail is enforcing its monopoly position...

mastodon does not define the fediverse so "alternate fediverse software" does not exist, rather all the other platforms define the fediverse on the same level as mastodon does, or conversely mastodon too is "alternate fediverse software"

So is that why for all of those multiple servers we need multiple accounts...?

Matrix might suit your needs, it's very popular on here. It's decentralised, free open source software.

You can follow them on here at @matrix and there's more info at https://matrix.org

XMPP is another alternative, but it's more messenger-like and less slack-like.

I prefer XMPP, but I don't want slack type features.

XMPP is also on here at @xmpp and at https://xmpp.org

and for all the German speaking People there is @markus from https://weingaertner-it.de/ to help you setup your own Instance of #Mastodon, #Pixelfed, #Funkwhale, #PeerTube, #Matrix and more. 😉

Yes, Matrix has lots of support for Linux and mobiles (https://matrix.org/clients), you'll probably want Element.

By the way, the Fediverse has a Twitch-type livestreaming platform called @owncast

Because they're both part of the ActivityPub Fediverse, you can follow Owncast accounts from Mastodon, and you get informed when new streams begin.

It's still very new and missing some features, but might be worth following if you're a Twitch streamer.

One of the best things about this is that you can modify the code as you wish (but you also have to publish your source) so you can add features or change things you don't like.

(Open my profile on my instance for an example)

New here. At a glance it feels like Discord servers with social media profile/feed mechanics.

It's... complicated 😁

Each server on here can decide independently what is acceptable and block or filter. All the decisions are taken at a grassroots level instead of in some corporate boardroom.

And as you say, if there's disagreement over what is acceptable, people can move to different servers.

It reflects real life humanity better than centralised sites can ever do.

Just asking as Im kinda unclear: Can you follow profiles hosted on other server? or does it essentially limit you to the users on that server? Sorry if this has been asked before!!

maybe it's me but the whole idea of hosted Mastodon instances seems like a contradiction in terms: we might as well go back to Wordpress. What's needed is to make it easier for people other than software engineers to set up and self-host their own instances.

May I kindly ask for an explanation? Musk had bought a part of Twitter, said something concerning plans, but did nothing yet. I thought you should judge people by what they do but not what they say. Why there is so much panic then?

Sooo... wow... okay a lot of people shared the previous post! Welcome again to all the new members!

It might be good if I clarified how Mastodon works, as some people think they need to sign up on multiple servers etc.

Short version: You do not need to sign up on multiple servers! Don't have FOMO! One server works fine!

Longer version:

Mastodon is a federated network, which means it's made of lots of independent servers that talk to each other.

And... everyone uses federated networks all the time! You probably use them so much you never even think about it 😮

Telephones use a federated network, so does email.

You only need one phone to call anyone anywhere. It doesn't matter if they're on another phone company or in another country, because all phone companies are federated together into a single network.

That's how Mastodon works. You get an account, and you follow people you're interested in, and they appear in your timeline. It doesn't matter if they're on another server.