PS- The “real” (non-joke) full guide for the Masto-curious is here.

    • JustinHanaganOP
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      121 year ago

      You can just click “no thanks” to the subscription box, but I’ve copy-pasted the full guide (short version) here for you:

      1. Download the Mastodon app from the Apple app store or Play store.

      2. Create an account (just like Twitter or any other social media)

      3. Follow people, and get posting.

        • @li10@feddit.uk
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          61 year ago

          It’s not a pop up ad, it’s a little pop up on the page asking to subscribe to a mailing list, I see them on most sites that host articles.

          • Izzy
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            21 year ago

            No pop-ups are acceptable. It doesn’t matter how small the pop-up is.

            • @li10@feddit.uk
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              31 year ago

              No pop-ups are acceptable to you.

              If a site makes good content and doesn’t drown the actual article with ads then I’m not gonna begrudge a small mailing list pop-up, but each to their own.

              • no banana
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                11 year ago

                Honestly I’d personally prefer a mailing list form at the bottom of the page, but I get why they do it so I’m kind of okay with it.

          • tim-clark
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            11 year ago

            So ads for their mail list and more data to be sold later. Size doesn’t matter when it comes to ads and nefarious content.

            It’s just a little pop up…

            • @li10@feddit.uk
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              51 year ago

              Or, just a small site trying to make good content and engage users in a way that means they’ll return.

              “BuT If I lIkE tHE CoNteNt I’lL CoMe BaCk AnYWay”, and some people would prefer a mailing list. There’s nothing inherently evil about a mailing list pop up…

              • tim-clark
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                21 year ago

                So you want more spam ads in your email that is already overloaded with spam. No thanks, no social media site needs to send me email.

              • Zloubida
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                11 year ago

                You can make and propose a mailing list without a pop up…

    • @lefixxx@lemmy.world
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      11 year ago

      if you power through that then next stop is that this is not the full article and need to click “Read full story”

  • @people_are_cute@lemmy.sdf.org
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    251 year ago

    The difficulty is not in using it, the difficulty is having people use it. Social network platforms matter jack shit when the ones you want to actually follow aren’t on it.

    • JustinHanaganOP
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      271 year ago

      It’s a bit of a joke post because a lot of the coverage around Mastodon gets really into the weeds with Federation, ActivityPub, etc. and journalists often describe it as “too techie” for “normal” users.

      Well, “normal” users don’t care about the technical backend of Twitter or Facebook so it always felt a bit disingenuous to me it was presented this way. Hopefully my post can dispell some of the confusion!

      • Dameoutlaw
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        51 year ago

        People don’t care about the tech stack of Big Social, but they’re not talking just about ActivityPub. When they go to Facebook and Twitter they do not have to select an instance. They create an account and boom. It would be disingenuous to compare and state that Mastodon offers the exact same. That’s more what people means that it’s too techie.
        It’s not just frictionless. Plus, due to the maturity and the fact that the communities people care about are already on those platforms the ends justify the means for users.

      • @ShittyRedditWasBetter@lemmy.world
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        21 year ago

        Has nothing to do with the actual backend and is 100% identity management. This entire thread is like a kde forum. A bunch of nerds with zero awareness why is not the year of Linux desktop again.

    • Otter
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      81 year ago

      Bit of a self fulfilling prophecy there

      Gotta get people on it in order to have people on it. Doesn’t happen overnight. A handful of people I followed elsewhere have now moved to Mastodon, but it took some time for that to happen

      • JustinHanaganOP
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        1 year ago

        Yep. “Slowly, then all at once”.

        Personally, I think once the journalists and news orgs (finally) get on board, that will inspire government agencies to make the change, and that will be the true tipping point away from 𝕏.

        • Kichae
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          41 year ago

          Journos don’t lead, they follow. While ostensibly they’re on Twitter to promote their articles, in practice they’re there to follow politicians and keep an eye on trending hashtags.

          Something buzzworthy needs to happen on the Fediverse first.

          • Otter
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            11 year ago

            Aren’t a few news organizations moving over already? I’ve seen a handful of local journalists shift too

    • JustinHanaganOP
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      41 year ago

      If it’s still too complicated for someone after reading this I think it’s safe to say they’re a lost cause

  • Spzi
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    31 year ago

    The guide:

    How do I use Mastodon?
    1. Download the Mastodon app from the Apple app store or Play store.
    2. Create an account (just like Twitter or any other social media)
    3. Follow people, and get posting.