c18.masto.host is open to new users

On Halloween 2022, I created a new Mastodon instance for anyone with an interest or scholarship in the culture, literature, philosophy, history, and ideas of the global eighteenth century. Think of it as an apartment building in which every resident shares an interest in the 18th century; it is a great place to post about events, ask questions, suggest books, announce a publication, etc., but it is also a place to live—to have fun, make friends, post pet pictures, and talk about whatever interests us.

Mastodon is the microblogging part of the Fediverse, which is a series of interconnected communication platforms. Instead of a big top-down corporate structure, Mastodon is made up of lots of smaller “instances”—independently hosted and moderated servers that you can join. Right now, the biggest instances are very overcrowded and slow, so joining a smaller instance will give you a better, faster experience, and joining one where you have something in common will make it easier to make friends. If c18.masto.host isn’t right for you, try this wizard.

When you choose an instance to start on, create your account from their home page, which may require permission. (We only require that you agree to the server rules and tell us why you’ve chosen c18.masto.host.) If you decide to migrate to a different instance later, you can do so, but be aware that it is not an instantaneous or seamless process. You can find, follow, and read content from users on any Mastodon instance, but your “Local” feed will only show content on your instance. Be sure to fill out your profile before following people, as there are a lot of new accounts and most people are vigilant to avoid potential bots and trolls!

I originally committed $19/month to masto.host for our server space and support, which allowed up to about 100 members, but with generous contributions, we are now able to host up to 500. If you join a different instance, please find out how you can support your admins, who are volunteering their time and resources. Be aware that local administration means different rules. Some instances have much more strict rules about what can be posted, and others have no rules at all (and you may want to block them).

Using Mastodon:

There is no algorithm deciding what to show you, so you will see everything from the people you follow. It can be a lot! Unfollow, mute, and block users at will; you have to garden your feed to make it fun for you, and it won’t damage that person’s visibility to others. If you want to amplify a post, click the circular arrow “Boost” button. A “Favorite” (star) only alerts the author, and does not amplify the post. Replies are encouraged; this is a conversation, not just a broadcast. Hashtags are extremely useful, since it is the only “trending” content, and the only way to find content by people totally unconnected to you. (For your first post, try an #introduction and say you are #newhere. Add a list of your interests and affinity groups with hashtags to make yourself visible to others.) If you post a photo, be sure to type in a brief description in the caption for accessibility.

Posting allows for you to hide content behind a click, in case of content warning, spoilers, niche interest, etc. You can also decide how broadly you want to publish each individual post. Your feed options are “Home” (everything by everyone you follow), “Local” (everything by users on your feed), and “Federated” (shows content from people on other instances followed by people on your instance). There is no “fire hose” feed, nothing curated from the top down, no advertisements, no manipulated content.

Mastodon is not a “public square” in the way Twitter is. You can start conversations, but it’s not useful for picking fights and denouncing enemies. If you have a problem with another user and muting/blocking doesn’t solve it, please report to your admin and they will help you negotiate a solution or enforce an instance rule. You can view a server’s rules on [instance.address]/about, and their directory at [instance.address]/directory. Please remember that admins are volunteers and many of us are new at it!

For a great FAQ and technical tips, check out the Fedi.Tips site. And feel free to email me if you have specific questions about getting started on c18.masto.host!