I'm not gonna lie, TikTok was never my thing. I also never particularly expected a huge influx to Mastodon following the ban, and it's restoring some amount of [EDIT: I mean, quite a bit of] optimism on my part now that that's apparently happening.

Hi, everyone who's here from TikTok.

Something you'll find different here (and love if you're anything like me), is that the "algorithm" is created directly by everyone who uses this thing. Boosting a post shows it to people who follow you. The more people boost the same post, the more people see it.

Also—and this isn't even aimed at any app specifically—Mastodon, unlike a lot of apps, is really good on mobile AND on desktop according to a lot of people, including me. Please log in to whichever instance you chose to make your account on in a web browser, and try it if you haven't already.

There are also accessibility features here that most other social media either lacks entirely or doesn't do nearly as well. Alt text, for example, is text added to media, that exists primarily for the purpose of describing said media to people who interact with Mastodon using an audio interface. Adding alt text to images is recommended, and posts containing images are likely to get more boosts with alt text than without.

It's also a good idea to write a brief (or not) introduction post and pin it on your profile.

I should probably also mention that I've been looking through #TikTokRefugee and following anyone and everyone who's here from TikTok. So if you're here from TikTok and I just followed you, that's why.

Welcome to Mastodon.

EDIT: well, as of this edit, Orange Man has already exhumed TikTok from the open casket of its own design still breathing, as expected. To everyone who found Mastodon or the larger Fediverse because of the ban, I hope you stick around, regardless of whether or not you decide to return to whence you came. It's awesome here.

#TikTok #Mastodon #Fediverse #introduction #accessibility #welcome