Mastodon, how to find your Twitter contacts

Mastodon

There is no need to tell you that Twitter is a strange place right now. Most of the posts on my timeline are reminiscent of the week before graduation, with people sharing their favorite memories on the site and discussing what they will do in the future. Twitter users are currently flocking to other sites, including Mastodon, an open source and decentralized social network.

Mastodon does not have a single site and anyone can create their own server on the platform. The nice thing, though, is that users don't need to be on your server for you to follow them. The result is a social network that is certainly messy, but which allows smaller communities to establish their own rules while remaining connected to the rest of the users.

Once you have created your account on Mastodon (here we have explained how to register) However, you may be wondering how to find your Twitter friends on the platform. We have put together some suggestions below.

Twitter search

Most Twitter users who also have an account on Mastodon link it to their profile on the social network just acquired by Elon Musk. To find them, you can use the Twitter search function: just go to Twitter and enter the word "Mastodon" in the search bar.

Twitter via Justin Pot At this point, click on the three dots to the right of the search bar and select Search Filters (the field may already be displayed at the top right of the screen): from here you can restrict your search to only the people you currently follow.

Twitter via Justin Pot Now you can browse the tweets of the people you follow who mentioned Mastodon in a tweet. In most cases, the posts will also include a link to their page on the platform. By selecting the Recent tab the results will appear and in reverse chronological order. With this method I was able to find some of my friends on Twitter who had opened a Mastodon account.

You can also use other search terms: some have entered the hashtag #TwitterMigration, for example. Other users may have written "Mastadon" instead of Mastodon, so it is worth doing a search including this term as well. Be sure to repeat this in about a month - if it's not a momentary migration, other people may create accounts in the next few days and weeks.

External services

Chances are you will succeed to find most people with the method just described. But in case you are not satisfied, there are some services you can try. The first, Twitodon, gives you access to Twitter and Mastodon. The site will scan your Twitter followers for anyone logged in using both services and then provide you with a list. Personally, I think it is difficult for the service to bring out those who have not already posted a link to their Mastodon profile on Twitter, but there is no reason not to try.

Some Twitter users add a link to the their Mastodon page in their Twitter bio, without making a specific tweet. Fedifinder can help you find them. This application analyzes the profile of every Twitter user you follow and shows you all the Mastodon accounts present, regardless of the server on which they are located. I found a couple of people this way and you might too.

Finding other interesting people

The sad truth is that most of the people you follow on Twitter like this. do not currently have a Mastodon account. Things might change, but for now, you'll need to find new people to follow. The good news is that there are a few ways to do this.

The first thing to do is to follow the @ fedifollows @ mastodon.online account, which recommends a new person to follow every day. Secondly, you should take a look at Fedi.directory, which is somewhat reminiscent of the Yahoo directory in the late nineties and essentially allows you to browse an index of interesting profiles divided by category. Another similar site is Trunk, which again puts together lists of accounts to follow.

For me Mastodon is what Linux would be like if it were a social network. While there are those who might consider it an insult, I see it as a compliment. The internet has become more and more corporate. Being able to use a service that hasn't been subjected to endless A / B tests and that is more reminiscent of a tool than a dopamine trap is a breath of fresh air. While I won't be deleting my Twitter account anytime soon (I want to keep posting links to my articles), I believe I'll be spending more of my Twitter browsing time in Mastodon. You might consider joining me.

This article originally appeared on sportsgaming.win US.