{"appState":{"pageLoadApiCallsStatus":true},"categoryState":{"relatedCategories":{"headers":{"timestamp":"2023-02-23T16:01:04+00:00"},"categoryId":33611,"data":{"title":"Social Media","slug":"social-media","image":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Technology","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33512"},"slug":"technology","categoryId":33512},{"name":"Social Media","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33611"},"slug":"social-media","categoryId":33611}],"parentCategory":{"categoryId":33512,"title":"Technology","slug":"technology","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33512"}},"childCategories":[{"categoryId":34508,"title":"TikTok","slug":"tiktok","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34508"},"image":{"src":"/img/background-image-2.fabfbd5c.png","width":0,"height":0},"hasArticle":true,"hasBook":true,"articleCount":4,"bookCount":2},{"categoryId":33612,"title":"Facebook","slug":"facebook","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33612"},"image":{"src":"/img/background-image-1.daf74cf0.png","width":0,"height":0},"hasArticle":true,"hasBook":true,"articleCount":67,"bookCount":4},{"categoryId":33613,"title":"Instagram","slug":"instagram","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33613"},"image":{"src":"/img/background-image-2.fabfbd5c.png","width":0,"height":0},"hasArticle":true,"hasBook":true,"articleCount":57,"bookCount":1},{"categoryId":33614,"title":"LinkedIn","slug":"linkedin","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33614"},"image":{"src":"/img/background-image-1.daf74cf0.png","width":0,"height":0},"hasArticle":true,"hasBook":true,"articleCount":104,"bookCount":3},{"categoryId":33615,"title":"Twitter","slug":"twitter","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33615"},"image":{"src":"/img/background-image-2.fabfbd5c.png","width":0,"height":0},"hasArticle":true,"hasBook":true,"articleCount":63,"bookCount":1},{"categoryId":33616,"title":"YouTube","slug":"youtube","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33616"},"image":{"src":"/img/background-image-1.daf74cf0.png","width":0,"height":0},"hasArticle":true,"hasBook":true,"articleCount":46,"bookCount":4},{"categoryId":33617,"title":"General Social Media","slug":"general-social-media","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33617"},"image":{"src":"/img/background-image-2.fabfbd5c.png","width":0,"height":0},"hasArticle":true,"hasBook":true,"articleCount":42,"bookCount":5}],"description":"Like! Pin! Retweet! Share! Social media can be a total blast (until your thumb slips and you Like your ex's post. Oops.). Check out our how-tos for Facebook and beyond.","relatedArticles":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles?category=33611&offset=0&size=5"},"hasArticle":true,"hasBook":true,"articleCount":384,"bookCount":20},"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33611"}},"relatedCategoriesLoadedStatus":"success"},"listState":{"list":{"count":10,"total":385,"items":[{"headers":{"creationTime":"2023-02-17T21:13:04+00:00","modifiedTime":"2023-02-17T21:24:15+00:00","timestamp":"2023-02-18T00:01:02+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Technology","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33512"},"slug":"technology","categoryId":33512},{"name":"Social Media","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33611"},"slug":"social-media","categoryId":33611},{"name":"TikTok","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34508"},"slug":"tiktok","categoryId":34508}],"title":"How To Go Viral On TikTok","strippedTitle":"how to go viral on tiktok","slug":"how-to-go-viral-on-tiktok","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Knowing a little about the TikTok algorithm can help you better understand what makes a video go viral. An algorithm is a calculation that search engines and so","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Knowing a little about the TikTok algorithm can help you better understand what makes a video go viral. An <em>algorithm</em> is a calculation that search engines and social media platforms use to rank content — in the case of TikTok, to rank videos and customize \"For You\" page results.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297445\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297445\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/tiktok-recording-adobeStock_495439063.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"630\" height=\"354\" /> ©Stanis88 / Adobe Stock[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe algorithm is basically the “secret sauce” of how TikTok decides what videos to show each user. If you understand the basics of TikTok’s algorithm, you can understand how to create content that shows up more often on the For You pages of people who don’t follow you. Knowing this secret sauce gives you the ability to gain more followers and views.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">A disclaimer: The actual TikTok algorithm — the inner workings of how TikTok surfaces content on the For You page — is a secret. It also changes frequently, and what might work today may not work tomorrow, so test your content often. That said, I and other creators have discovered basic principles that seem to result in more followers and views. The tips I share here are based on what I’ve found to be effective.</p>\r\nHere are a few principles to remember as you create videos. These could help make your videos more likely to show up on the For You page:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Focus on engagement first.</strong> Remember, on TikTok, content is king, but engagement is queen and wears the pants. Focus on engagement first. A video that moves its audience to take action — like, comment, duet, or stitch — will see <em>far</em> greater views and new followers than a well-produced video that took hours to create. I have almost 15 years’ experience creating content for social media — trust me, this is true!You want your audience to feel something quickly — within the first five seconds of your video, if you can manage it. They hear a voice saying, “I just have to say something!” and then leave a comment, create a stitch, or duet your video. Success!TikTok and most social media platforms favor lots of engagement on videos, especially when users are willing to take the time to have a conversation. This is why even controversial content tends to see more views.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Make your content king. </strong>A well-produced, well-lit video with good sound and good editing gains some level of favor in the TikTok algorithm.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Find out what's trending. </strong>You probably discovered TikTok because someone close to you — a child, niece, nephew, or friend — shared a funny video. These days, a lot of Internet trends begin on TikTok. Much of TikTok culture centers around one large, connected community, all talking about the same things. The TikTok algorithm highly favors content that remains a part of this “town gossip.”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Want to double your video views? Find a popular TikTok influencer who’s participating in a popular trend, and duet or stitch that person's content with your own twist on the conversation. Even if the creator doesn’t notice you, TikTok’s algorithm tends to favor videos that duet or stitch the videos of popular creators. When I do this in my videos, such as the one in Figure 8-1, I always see significantly more views, especially when I’m creative with my response.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297443\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297443\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/duetting-tiktok-videos.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot on cell phone showing Jesse Stay on TikTok\" width=\"300\" height=\"602\" /> ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc.<br />Duetting my popular videos on @tiktokfordummies generates more views because that account has more followers.[/caption]\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Attention spans are short! Focus your content.</strong> Although engagement trumps content and length, TikTok’s For You page algorithm tends to favor content that is short. People on TikTok have short attention spans.In addition, TikTok favors videos where most of the viewers watch the entire video. Unless I'm doing something to engage my audience, such as a duet or stitch, I keep my content shorter than 15 seconds. This makes it more likely that my viewers will watch the entire video, giving an added bump to the video's chances of being seen on the For You page of potential followers.Because TikTok gives a boost to videos that get more viewers to watch to the end, consider splitting a long video into segments. Make sure each segment starts with a new hook to keep the viewer interested.\r\n\r\nWatch your numbers! TikTok is constantly changing, and what works for me and other accounts on TikTok today might work differently for you later. See Chapters 7 and 11 for more about which numbers to track (likes, followers, and so on).</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Time your messages carefully.</strong> When you post a video, TikTok looks at the video's content, description, hashtags, sounds, and other details, and determines its ideal audience. First TikTok shares the video with a small, targeted audience. If they respond well, it increases the audience — and continues to do so as long as viewers react favorably. However, TikTok’s algorithm needs time to get your video to that full audience.If you post a new video targeting the same audience as the last-published video too quickly, it confuses the algorithm. Your original video will not be able to make it to as many people as it could have. I’ve found no established guidelines on how soon is too soon to post, but pay attention to this issue as you publish videos and see what works best.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Consistency is your key to the kingdom.</strong> If you haven’t done so already, think about what you want your TikTok account to be about. What goals do you want to accomplish with it? What topics do you want to focus on? Who’s your target audience? Take some time to answer those questions.Next, make sure every video you create matches the answers to those questions. If you keep all your content consistent, TikTok knows immediately what audiences to send your content to, and you’re more likely to see higher growth more quickly. Maintaining consistency is keeping a promise to your audience: They come to you looking for specific content, and you deliver it.</li>\r\n</ul>","description":"Knowing a little about the TikTok algorithm can help you better understand what makes a video go viral. An <em>algorithm</em> is a calculation that search engines and social media platforms use to rank content — in the case of TikTok, to rank videos and customize \"For You\" page results.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297445\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297445\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/tiktok-recording-adobeStock_495439063.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"630\" height=\"354\" /> ©Stanis88 / Adobe Stock[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe algorithm is basically the “secret sauce” of how TikTok decides what videos to show each user. If you understand the basics of TikTok’s algorithm, you can understand how to create content that shows up more often on the For You pages of people who don’t follow you. Knowing this secret sauce gives you the ability to gain more followers and views.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">A disclaimer: The actual TikTok algorithm — the inner workings of how TikTok surfaces content on the For You page — is a secret. It also changes frequently, and what might work today may not work tomorrow, so test your content often. That said, I and other creators have discovered basic principles that seem to result in more followers and views. The tips I share here are based on what I’ve found to be effective.</p>\r\nHere are a few principles to remember as you create videos. These could help make your videos more likely to show up on the For You page:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Focus on engagement first.</strong> Remember, on TikTok, content is king, but engagement is queen and wears the pants. Focus on engagement first. A video that moves its audience to take action — like, comment, duet, or stitch — will see <em>far</em> greater views and new followers than a well-produced video that took hours to create. I have almost 15 years’ experience creating content for social media — trust me, this is true!You want your audience to feel something quickly — within the first five seconds of your video, if you can manage it. They hear a voice saying, “I just have to say something!” and then leave a comment, create a stitch, or duet your video. Success!TikTok and most social media platforms favor lots of engagement on videos, especially when users are willing to take the time to have a conversation. This is why even controversial content tends to see more views.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Make your content king. </strong>A well-produced, well-lit video with good sound and good editing gains some level of favor in the TikTok algorithm.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Find out what's trending. </strong>You probably discovered TikTok because someone close to you — a child, niece, nephew, or friend — shared a funny video. These days, a lot of Internet trends begin on TikTok. Much of TikTok culture centers around one large, connected community, all talking about the same things. The TikTok algorithm highly favors content that remains a part of this “town gossip.”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Want to double your video views? Find a popular TikTok influencer who’s participating in a popular trend, and duet or stitch that person's content with your own twist on the conversation. Even if the creator doesn’t notice you, TikTok’s algorithm tends to favor videos that duet or stitch the videos of popular creators. When I do this in my videos, such as the one in Figure 8-1, I always see significantly more views, especially when I’m creative with my response.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297443\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297443\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/duetting-tiktok-videos.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot on cell phone showing Jesse Stay on TikTok\" width=\"300\" height=\"602\" /> ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc.<br />Duetting my popular videos on @tiktokfordummies generates more views because that account has more followers.[/caption]\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Attention spans are short! Focus your content.</strong> Although engagement trumps content and length, TikTok’s For You page algorithm tends to favor content that is short. People on TikTok have short attention spans.In addition, TikTok favors videos where most of the viewers watch the entire video. Unless I'm doing something to engage my audience, such as a duet or stitch, I keep my content shorter than 15 seconds. This makes it more likely that my viewers will watch the entire video, giving an added bump to the video's chances of being seen on the For You page of potential followers.Because TikTok gives a boost to videos that get more viewers to watch to the end, consider splitting a long video into segments. Make sure each segment starts with a new hook to keep the viewer interested.\r\n\r\nWatch your numbers! TikTok is constantly changing, and what works for me and other accounts on TikTok today might work differently for you later. See Chapters 7 and 11 for more about which numbers to track (likes, followers, and so on).</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Time your messages carefully.</strong> When you post a video, TikTok looks at the video's content, description, hashtags, sounds, and other details, and determines its ideal audience. First TikTok shares the video with a small, targeted audience. If they respond well, it increases the audience — and continues to do so as long as viewers react favorably. However, TikTok’s algorithm needs time to get your video to that full audience.If you post a new video targeting the same audience as the last-published video too quickly, it confuses the algorithm. Your original video will not be able to make it to as many people as it could have. I’ve found no established guidelines on how soon is too soon to post, but pay attention to this issue as you publish videos and see what works best.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Consistency is your key to the kingdom.</strong> If you haven’t done so already, think about what you want your TikTok account to be about. What goals do you want to accomplish with it? What topics do you want to focus on? Who’s your target audience? Take some time to answer those questions.Next, make sure every video you create matches the answers to those questions. If you keep all your content consistent, TikTok knows immediately what audiences to send your content to, and you’re more likely to see higher growth more quickly. Maintaining consistency is keeping a promise to your audience: They come to you looking for specific content, and you deliver it.</li>\r\n</ul>","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9273,"name":"Jesse Stay","slug":"jesse-stay","description":" <p><b>Jamie Crager</b> is the CEO and founder of Crowdshifter.com, a digital media consulting firm providing social media services and strategic advice. <b>Scott Ayres</b> has been addicted to social media since before MySpace. He is currently the &#8220;Ambassador of Awesomeness&#8221; for the Facebook Scheduling app PostPlanner.com.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9273"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34508,"title":"TikTok","slug":"tiktok","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34508"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":297421,"title":"Getting To Know TikTok Jargon and Culture","slug":"tiktok-jargon-and-culture","categoryList":["technology","social-media","tiktok"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297421"}},{"articleId":297411,"title":"How To Make a TikTok Video","slug":"how-to-make-a-tiktok-video","categoryList":["technology","social-media","tiktok"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297411"}},{"articleId":285274,"title":"TikTok For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"tiktok-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["technology","social-media","tiktok"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/285274"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":297421,"title":"Getting To Know TikTok Jargon and Culture","slug":"tiktok-jargon-and-culture","categoryList":["technology","social-media","tiktok"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297421"}},{"articleId":297411,"title":"How To Make a TikTok Video","slug":"how-to-make-a-tiktok-video","categoryList":["technology","social-media","tiktok"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297411"}},{"articleId":285274,"title":"TikTok For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"tiktok-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["technology","social-media","tiktok"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/285274"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":284102,"slug":"tiktok-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119803416","categoryList":["technology","social-media","tiktok"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119803411/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119803411/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119803411-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119803411/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119803411/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/tiktok-for-dummies-cover-9781119803416-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"TikTok For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><b>Jamie Crager</b> is the CEO and founder of Crowdshifter.com, a digital media consulting firm providing social media services and strategic advice. <b>Scott Ayres</b> has been addicted to social media since before MySpace. He is currently the &#8220;Ambassador of Awesomeness&#8221; for the Facebook Scheduling app PostPlanner.com.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":9273,"name":"Jesse Stay","slug":"jesse-stay","description":" <p><b>Jamie Crager</b> is the CEO and founder of Crowdshifter.com, a digital media consulting firm providing social media services and strategic advice. <b>Scott Ayres</b> has been addicted to social media since before MySpace. He is currently the &#8220;Ambassador of Awesomeness&#8221; for the Facebook Scheduling app PostPlanner.com.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9273"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;social-media&quot;,&quot;tiktok&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119803416&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63f0153f0fb7f\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;social-media&quot;,&quot;tiktok&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119803416&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63f0153f1070d\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2023-02-17T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":297439},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2023-02-17T18:22:47+00:00","modifiedTime":"2023-02-17T19:43:02+00:00","timestamp":"2023-02-17T21:01:02+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Technology","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33512"},"slug":"technology","categoryId":33512},{"name":"Social Media","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33611"},"slug":"social-media","categoryId":33611},{"name":"TikTok","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34508"},"slug":"tiktok","categoryId":34508}],"title":"How To Make a TikTok Video","strippedTitle":"how to make a tiktok video","slug":"how-to-make-a-tiktok-video","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"This article has step-by-step instructions for creating a TikTok video, including how to select a length, record, and choose effects.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Creating TikTok videos is easy. Maybe you already created a video when TikTok prompted you to try after you set up your account. There are many things you can do with TikTok, like adding sounds and music, photos and other videos, but for this article, here are the basics:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong> Tap the plus (+) icon. </strong>The plus icon appears at the bottom of the screen after you log in. If this is your first time using the app or opening the recording screen, give the app permission to access your camera, audio, and photo library.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Look over the recording page, which is shown below. </strong>The recording page is what I call a “movie studio in your pocket. For now, become familiar with the following elements:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>The big red record button near the bottom</li>\r\n \t<li>The Effects icon, to the left of the red record button</li>\r\n \t<li>The 60s (60-second) and 15s (15-second) video length options at the bottom of the screen</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297436\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297436\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/tiktok-recording-page.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot on cell phone showing the TikTok recording screen\" width=\"300\" height=\"649\" /> ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc.<br />The recording page has everything you need to create content.[/caption]\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong> Select your video length. </strong>Tap 60s for anything greater than 15 seconds (to a maximum of 60 seconds), or leave this option at the default 15s for videos up to 15 seconds.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong> (Optional) Choose an effect. </strong>Effects are optional, but I wanted to include a description to show you how fun TikTok can be:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>(a) <em>Tap Effects to the left of the red record button and browse through the effects, as shown below</em><em>.</em> TikTok, similar to apps such as Snapchat, usually provides instructions on how to use the effect.</li>\r\n \t<li>(b) <em>Tap an effect you like and try it out by following the instructions on the screen.</em> Select another effect if you don’t like that one. Feel free to scroll through and try them all.</li>\r\n \t<li>(c) <em>Tap anywhere outside the Effects dialog to return to the recording screen.</em> Or tap the circle with a line in the upper left of the Effects dialog if you decide you don’t want to use any effects. The effect begins when you start recording, as discussed in Step 6.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297434\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297434\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/tiktok-effects-options.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot on cell phone of some TikTok effects options\" width=\"300\" height=\"649\" /> ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc.<br />Scroll through the many effects available on TikTok.[/caption]\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong> Place what you want to record inside the frame. </strong>Choose what you want to record, and place that person or thing inside the camera frame. Note that you can tap the Flip icon or double-tap anywhere on the screen to flip the camera view.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Tap the red record button. </strong>If you tap the button once, TikTok will record automatically until you either tap the button briefly again or your 15-second or 60-second time is up. You can also long-press (press and hold down) the record button, and the TikTok app will record for as long as you hold down that button or your time is up.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Long-pressing the record button can be useful for — wait for it (you’re about to be smarter than 80 percent of TikTok users) — zooming! To try it, long-press the record button and, with your finger still down, slide the button up to zoom in and down to zoom out. Boom! Instant zoom as you’re recording. When you release the button, TikTok stops recording.</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong> If you finish filming before reaching the time limit (15 or 60 seconds) click the red check mark in the bottom-right corner. </strong>When you finish recording your video, the page shown below appears — either automatically or after you tap the check mark.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297433\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297433\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/tiktok-editing-video.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot on a cell phone showing editing on TikTok\" width=\"300\" height=\"649\" /> ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc.<br />Editing your newly recorded video[/caption]\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong> (Optional) Add sounds or additional effects. Then tap Next. </strong>You can choose sounds and other effects to add to your video.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Add a description and configure sharing options. </strong>On the next page, shown in the image below, add a description about your video (150 characters or less). I usually tap the #Hashtags button and select a popular hashtag or two to add to the video. (If you used an effect in your video, TikTok may automatically add a hashtag for that effect in the description; you can keep it or delete it.)I also suggest turning on the \"Allow Duet\" and \"Allow Stitch\" options to allow others to share your video. Just tap each slider and it will move to the on position and turn green.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297435\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297435\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/tiktok-final-recording-page.jpg\" alt=\"TikTok screenshot on cell phone showing the final recording page\" width=\"300\" height=\"649\" /> ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc.<br />Your final recording page[/caption]\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong> To post your video, tap the \"Post\" button.</strong></li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIf this is your first time posting a video, you're asked to verify that it’s okay to publish the video publicly. If you want your creation to be seen by the world, tap \"Post Now.\" If you would rather it remain private, select \"Me Only\" under \"Who Can Watch This Video.\" The For You page will appear, with the video you just created uploading in the upper-left corner, along with videos from other recommended video creators, which TikTok selects for you, if you’re not following anyone yet.\r\n\r\nWhen the video has finished uploading, it will play automatically on the For You or Following page as long as you keep the app open, repeating itself over and over unless you tap the screen to pause. Congratulations! You just created your first TikTok video.","description":"Creating TikTok videos is easy. Maybe you already created a video when TikTok prompted you to try after you set up your account. There are many things you can do with TikTok, like adding sounds and music, photos and other videos, but for this article, here are the basics:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong> Tap the plus (+) icon. </strong>The plus icon appears at the bottom of the screen after you log in. If this is your first time using the app or opening the recording screen, give the app permission to access your camera, audio, and photo library.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Look over the recording page, which is shown below. </strong>The recording page is what I call a “movie studio in your pocket. For now, become familiar with the following elements:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>The big red record button near the bottom</li>\r\n \t<li>The Effects icon, to the left of the red record button</li>\r\n \t<li>The 60s (60-second) and 15s (15-second) video length options at the bottom of the screen</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297436\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297436\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/tiktok-recording-page.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot on cell phone showing the TikTok recording screen\" width=\"300\" height=\"649\" /> ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc.<br />The recording page has everything you need to create content.[/caption]\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong> Select your video length. </strong>Tap 60s for anything greater than 15 seconds (to a maximum of 60 seconds), or leave this option at the default 15s for videos up to 15 seconds.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong> (Optional) Choose an effect. </strong>Effects are optional, but I wanted to include a description to show you how fun TikTok can be:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>(a) <em>Tap Effects to the left of the red record button and browse through the effects, as shown below</em><em>.</em> TikTok, similar to apps such as Snapchat, usually provides instructions on how to use the effect.</li>\r\n \t<li>(b) <em>Tap an effect you like and try it out by following the instructions on the screen.</em> Select another effect if you don’t like that one. Feel free to scroll through and try them all.</li>\r\n \t<li>(c) <em>Tap anywhere outside the Effects dialog to return to the recording screen.</em> Or tap the circle with a line in the upper left of the Effects dialog if you decide you don’t want to use any effects. The effect begins when you start recording, as discussed in Step 6.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297434\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297434\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/tiktok-effects-options.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot on cell phone of some TikTok effects options\" width=\"300\" height=\"649\" /> ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc.<br />Scroll through the many effects available on TikTok.[/caption]\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong> Place what you want to record inside the frame. </strong>Choose what you want to record, and place that person or thing inside the camera frame. Note that you can tap the Flip icon or double-tap anywhere on the screen to flip the camera view.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Tap the red record button. </strong>If you tap the button once, TikTok will record automatically until you either tap the button briefly again or your 15-second or 60-second time is up. You can also long-press (press and hold down) the record button, and the TikTok app will record for as long as you hold down that button or your time is up.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Long-pressing the record button can be useful for — wait for it (you’re about to be smarter than 80 percent of TikTok users) — zooming! To try it, long-press the record button and, with your finger still down, slide the button up to zoom in and down to zoom out. Boom! Instant zoom as you’re recording. When you release the button, TikTok stops recording.</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong> If you finish filming before reaching the time limit (15 or 60 seconds) click the red check mark in the bottom-right corner. </strong>When you finish recording your video, the page shown below appears — either automatically or after you tap the check mark.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297433\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297433\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/tiktok-editing-video.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot on a cell phone showing editing on TikTok\" width=\"300\" height=\"649\" /> ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc.<br />Editing your newly recorded video[/caption]\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong> (Optional) Add sounds or additional effects. Then tap Next. </strong>You can choose sounds and other effects to add to your video.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Add a description and configure sharing options. </strong>On the next page, shown in the image below, add a description about your video (150 characters or less). I usually tap the #Hashtags button and select a popular hashtag or two to add to the video. (If you used an effect in your video, TikTok may automatically add a hashtag for that effect in the description; you can keep it or delete it.)I also suggest turning on the \"Allow Duet\" and \"Allow Stitch\" options to allow others to share your video. Just tap each slider and it will move to the on position and turn green.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297435\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297435\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/tiktok-final-recording-page.jpg\" alt=\"TikTok screenshot on cell phone showing the final recording page\" width=\"300\" height=\"649\" /> ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc.<br />Your final recording page[/caption]\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong> To post your video, tap the \"Post\" button.</strong></li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIf this is your first time posting a video, you're asked to verify that it’s okay to publish the video publicly. If you want your creation to be seen by the world, tap \"Post Now.\" If you would rather it remain private, select \"Me Only\" under \"Who Can Watch This Video.\" The For You page will appear, with the video you just created uploading in the upper-left corner, along with videos from other recommended video creators, which TikTok selects for you, if you’re not following anyone yet.\r\n\r\nWhen the video has finished uploading, it will play automatically on the For You or Following page as long as you keep the app open, repeating itself over and over unless you tap the screen to pause. Congratulations! You just created your first TikTok video.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9273,"name":"Jesse Stay","slug":"jesse-stay","description":" <p><b>Jamie Crager</b> is the CEO and founder of Crowdshifter.com, a digital media consulting firm providing social media services and strategic advice. <b>Scott Ayres</b> has been addicted to social media since before MySpace. He is currently the &#8220;Ambassador of Awesomeness&#8221; for the Facebook Scheduling app PostPlanner.com.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9273"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34508,"title":"TikTok","slug":"tiktok","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34508"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":297421,"title":"Getting To Know TikTok Jargon and Culture","slug":"tiktok-jargon-and-culture","categoryList":["technology","social-media","tiktok"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297421"}},{"articleId":285274,"title":"TikTok For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"tiktok-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["technology","social-media","tiktok"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/285274"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":297421,"title":"Getting To Know TikTok Jargon and Culture","slug":"tiktok-jargon-and-culture","categoryList":["technology","social-media","tiktok"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297421"}},{"articleId":285274,"title":"TikTok For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"tiktok-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["technology","social-media","tiktok"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/285274"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":284102,"slug":"tiktok-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119803416","categoryList":["technology","social-media","tiktok"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119803411/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119803411/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119803411-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119803411/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119803411/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/tiktok-for-dummies-cover-9781119803416-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"TikTok For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><b>Jamie Crager</b> is the CEO and founder of Crowdshifter.com, a digital media consulting firm providing social media services and strategic advice. <b>Scott Ayres</b> has been addicted to social media since before MySpace. He is currently the &#8220;Ambassador of Awesomeness&#8221; for the Facebook Scheduling app PostPlanner.com.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":9273,"name":"Jesse Stay","slug":"jesse-stay","description":" <p><b>Jamie Crager</b> is the CEO and founder of Crowdshifter.com, a digital media consulting firm providing social media services and strategic advice. <b>Scott Ayres</b> has been addicted to social media since before MySpace. He is currently the &#8220;Ambassador of Awesomeness&#8221; for the Facebook Scheduling app PostPlanner.com.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9273"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;social-media&quot;,&quot;tiktok&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119803416&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63efeb0ecbc49\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;social-media&quot;,&quot;tiktok&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119803416&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63efeb0ecc1f3\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2023-02-17T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":297411},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2023-02-17T19:28:47+00:00","modifiedTime":"2023-02-17T19:29:54+00:00","timestamp":"2023-02-17T21:01:02+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Technology","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33512"},"slug":"technology","categoryId":33512},{"name":"Social Media","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33611"},"slug":"social-media","categoryId":33611},{"name":"TikTok","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34508"},"slug":"tiktok","categoryId":34508}],"title":"Getting To Know TikTok Jargon and Culture","strippedTitle":"getting to know tiktok jargon and culture","slug":"tiktok-jargon-and-culture","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"As you begin to create content on TikTok, it helps to understand the platform's culture and know the jargon everybody uses.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Like others in my generation — the brief generation known as xennials, for those born on the cusp between Gen X (born in the 1960s and 1970s) and the millennials (born in the 1980s or 1990s) — I've become adept at adapting to ever-changing tech cultures and jargon. After all, we invented the familiar LOLs and BRBs of AOL Instant Messenger, along with social media emojis and other forms of shortened communication styles.\r\n\r\nNow my kids, who are in Gen Z (born in the late 1990s and early 2000s), are claiming new forms of communication, much of it gaining popularity on TikTok. TikTok culture is shaping the way we, their parents and grandparents, have to learn to communicate with them. No cap! (I explain that last term below, under \"Speaking TikTok jargon.\")\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Becoming familiar with TikTok culture</h2>\r\nTikTok has developed a different culture than other social networks you may be used to, such as Facebook or Twitter. You'll be most successful understanding this culture when you begin creating content on the platform. The key to understanding TikTok’s culture is to know these principles:\r\n<h3><strong>You’re not alone!</strong></h3>\r\nTikTok has an estimated 1.1 billion users. (A second version of TikTok, called Douyin, is available only in China.) You’ll find thriving communities in just about any genre and interest you can think of, including religion, mental health, sports, music, arts, crafts, and cooking. For example, popular TikTok user @catieosaurus uses her TikTok account to talk about ADHD, as shown below.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297426\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297426\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/tiktok-catieo.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot showing the TikTok personality @catieosaurus\" width=\"300\" height=\"649\" /> ©Catie O.<br />@catieosaurus highlights living with ADHD on TikTok.[/caption]\r\n<h3><strong>TikTok is about being yourself</strong></h3>\r\nMany popular accounts convey the person's normal, everyday life. Big-name celebrities, such as Andy Grammer, use TikTok to share the behind-the-scenes of their everyday lives. Chef Gordon Ramsey’s daughter pranks her dad (he goes along with it!) for the world to see. On TikTok, everyone is human. You get to be as well.\r\n<h3><strong>TikTok is one very large conversation</strong></h3>\r\nThe <em>comment</em>, <em>like</em>, <em>duet</em>, and <em>stitch</em> features get people interacting in fun and creative ways. For example, popular influencers might start a dance, or begin a conversation, or sing a song and ask their audiences to join in. (An <em>influencer</em> is a person on social media with many followers or the ability to make content go viral and even affect product purchases.)\r\n\r\nAs you surf the For You page, you might discover one of their followers joining in, and get inspired to do your own creative twist for your own audience. Your audience comments and participates themselves, and the conversation continues. You can also use hashtags so that the conversation you’re participating in is categorized with similar videos.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297427\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297427\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/tiktok-aaronhanania.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot of Aaron Hanania on TikTok\" width=\"300\" height=\"649\" /> ©Aaron Hanania<br />Aaron Hanania sparking joy in his audience[/caption]\r\n<h3><strong>TikTok is about creativity and having fun!</strong></h3>\r\nTikTok’s mission statement is, “TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy.” As you create content on the TikTok platform, don’t assume that you have to know how to dance, sing, or draw. Think about what you have to offer that is unique and creative and might spark joy in whoever watches and interacts with your content. For example, Aaron Hanania, shown in Figure 5-2, spreads positivity to his audience. Most importantly, have fun! A welcoming community is there to cheer you on.\r\n\r\nThere you go! I now dub thee, Sir or Madame (or whatever your preferred royal pronoun) reader, a part of the TikTok culture.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Speaking TikTok jargon</h2>\r\nKnowing a little TikTok jargon can help you sound like one of the cool kids. Trust me on this.\r\n\r\nHere are some of the top TikTok slang words and jargon you might come across as you’re using the app. Many of these are used by Gen Z, so when I'm in doubt, I just ask my kids (sheesh, I feel old):\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong><em>X</em> TikTok:</strong> When creators say they’ve stumbled upon Dog TikTok, or Cat TikTok, or TikTok For Dummies TikTok or any other number of TikToks, they’re talking about a specific group or community of people with similar interests.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Usage: “Congratulations, you’ve stumbled upon Fruit Snack TikTok, where all your Fruit Snack cravings can come true!”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Using the <em>X</em> TikTok verbiage can be a great way to encourage your audience to join your club of followers obsessed with something as silly as fruit snacks. They might even make their own videos and duets about the exclusive club you’ve created.</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Cap </strong><strong>or No Cap</strong><strong>:</strong> These were popularized by the song “No Cap” by rappers Young Thug & Future in 2017. Cap (designated by a baseball cap emoji) means lie. No Cap (designated by the prohibited emoji followed by the baseball cap) means no lie or for real. You often see the emojis used in comments if someone agrees (the no cap emoji sequence) or doesn’t believe you (the cap emoji).\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Usage: “No cap! TikTok For Dummies will teach anyone how to get acclimated to TikTok!” (See what I did there?)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Extra:</strong> When someone’s a little <em>extra,</em> they’re being overly dramatic or over-the-top.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Usage: “David seems to get into everyone’s business and always wants to be the center of attention. He’s so extra!”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Simp:</strong> The original Gen Z users started using TikTok to meet and date other users. They’re all about flirting, and <em>simp</em> is a term that means someone is doing too much for another person he or she likes.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Usage: “She’s such a simp towards Allen. He doesn’t even give her much, but she can’t stop trying to please him!”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Karen:</strong> A <em>Karen</em> is a woman who gets in everyone’s business, feeling she’s entitled to do so. The male equivalent is a <em>Chad.</em>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Usage: “He’s such a Chad — he thinks he runs this town, reporting every violation he can find!”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Bet:</strong> Short for <em>you bet</em> or <em>sure.</em> It means you acknowledge what’s being said.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Usage: Person 1: “Y’all better finish reading this book soon so I can read it next!” Person 2: “Bet.”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Thirst trap:</strong> You’ll see this term a lot on TikTok. When people create a post solely to get attention from those who might be attracted to them, it’s called a <em>thirst trap.</em>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Usage: “Ha! This video is such a thirst trap. Look at all the guys simping on her!”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Sus:</strong> If you’re familiar with the popular computer game Among Us, you’ll recognize this term, which suggests someone is suspicious. On TikTok, it's used anytime something seems suspicious.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Usage: “I don’t know — this video seems a bit sus. I think that hair looks like a wig.”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Boomer:</strong> Originally used to define people in the baby boomer generation, <em>boomer</em> now means someone deemed too old for a younger person to grasp.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Usage (I'm quoting my kids here): “You’re such a boomer, Dad. You don’t even understand what sus means.”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Yeet:</strong> This term is used to convey excitement, approval, surprise, or just energy.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Usage: “Can’t wait for my mom to get on TikTok! Yeet yeet!”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Clown emoji 🤡</strong><strong>:</strong> Appearing in comments, this term usually means something is foolish, scary, or suspicious. It’s usually not a positive term.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Usage: Person 1: “I’m going to climb up this rock wall.” Person 2: <strong>🤡</strong></li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>","description":"Like others in my generation — the brief generation known as xennials, for those born on the cusp between Gen X (born in the 1960s and 1970s) and the millennials (born in the 1980s or 1990s) — I've become adept at adapting to ever-changing tech cultures and jargon. After all, we invented the familiar LOLs and BRBs of AOL Instant Messenger, along with social media emojis and other forms of shortened communication styles.\r\n\r\nNow my kids, who are in Gen Z (born in the late 1990s and early 2000s), are claiming new forms of communication, much of it gaining popularity on TikTok. TikTok culture is shaping the way we, their parents and grandparents, have to learn to communicate with them. No cap! (I explain that last term below, under \"Speaking TikTok jargon.\")\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Becoming familiar with TikTok culture</h2>\r\nTikTok has developed a different culture than other social networks you may be used to, such as Facebook or Twitter. You'll be most successful understanding this culture when you begin creating content on the platform. The key to understanding TikTok’s culture is to know these principles:\r\n<h3><strong>You’re not alone!</strong></h3>\r\nTikTok has an estimated 1.1 billion users. (A second version of TikTok, called Douyin, is available only in China.) You’ll find thriving communities in just about any genre and interest you can think of, including religion, mental health, sports, music, arts, crafts, and cooking. For example, popular TikTok user @catieosaurus uses her TikTok account to talk about ADHD, as shown below.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297426\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297426\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/tiktok-catieo.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot showing the TikTok personality @catieosaurus\" width=\"300\" height=\"649\" /> ©Catie O.<br />@catieosaurus highlights living with ADHD on TikTok.[/caption]\r\n<h3><strong>TikTok is about being yourself</strong></h3>\r\nMany popular accounts convey the person's normal, everyday life. Big-name celebrities, such as Andy Grammer, use TikTok to share the behind-the-scenes of their everyday lives. Chef Gordon Ramsey’s daughter pranks her dad (he goes along with it!) for the world to see. On TikTok, everyone is human. You get to be as well.\r\n<h3><strong>TikTok is one very large conversation</strong></h3>\r\nThe <em>comment</em>, <em>like</em>, <em>duet</em>, and <em>stitch</em> features get people interacting in fun and creative ways. For example, popular influencers might start a dance, or begin a conversation, or sing a song and ask their audiences to join in. (An <em>influencer</em> is a person on social media with many followers or the ability to make content go viral and even affect product purchases.)\r\n\r\nAs you surf the For You page, you might discover one of their followers joining in, and get inspired to do your own creative twist for your own audience. Your audience comments and participates themselves, and the conversation continues. You can also use hashtags so that the conversation you’re participating in is categorized with similar videos.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297427\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297427\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/tiktok-aaronhanania.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot of Aaron Hanania on TikTok\" width=\"300\" height=\"649\" /> ©Aaron Hanania<br />Aaron Hanania sparking joy in his audience[/caption]\r\n<h3><strong>TikTok is about creativity and having fun!</strong></h3>\r\nTikTok’s mission statement is, “TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy.” As you create content on the TikTok platform, don’t assume that you have to know how to dance, sing, or draw. Think about what you have to offer that is unique and creative and might spark joy in whoever watches and interacts with your content. For example, Aaron Hanania, shown in Figure 5-2, spreads positivity to his audience. Most importantly, have fun! A welcoming community is there to cheer you on.\r\n\r\nThere you go! I now dub thee, Sir or Madame (or whatever your preferred royal pronoun) reader, a part of the TikTok culture.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Speaking TikTok jargon</h2>\r\nKnowing a little TikTok jargon can help you sound like one of the cool kids. Trust me on this.\r\n\r\nHere are some of the top TikTok slang words and jargon you might come across as you’re using the app. Many of these are used by Gen Z, so when I'm in doubt, I just ask my kids (sheesh, I feel old):\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong><em>X</em> TikTok:</strong> When creators say they’ve stumbled upon Dog TikTok, or Cat TikTok, or TikTok For Dummies TikTok or any other number of TikToks, they’re talking about a specific group or community of people with similar interests.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Usage: “Congratulations, you’ve stumbled upon Fruit Snack TikTok, where all your Fruit Snack cravings can come true!”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Using the <em>X</em> TikTok verbiage can be a great way to encourage your audience to join your club of followers obsessed with something as silly as fruit snacks. They might even make their own videos and duets about the exclusive club you’ve created.</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Cap </strong><strong>or No Cap</strong><strong>:</strong> These were popularized by the song “No Cap” by rappers Young Thug & Future in 2017. Cap (designated by a baseball cap emoji) means lie. No Cap (designated by the prohibited emoji followed by the baseball cap) means no lie or for real. You often see the emojis used in comments if someone agrees (the no cap emoji sequence) or doesn’t believe you (the cap emoji).\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Usage: “No cap! TikTok For Dummies will teach anyone how to get acclimated to TikTok!” (See what I did there?)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Extra:</strong> When someone’s a little <em>extra,</em> they’re being overly dramatic or over-the-top.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Usage: “David seems to get into everyone’s business and always wants to be the center of attention. He’s so extra!”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Simp:</strong> The original Gen Z users started using TikTok to meet and date other users. They’re all about flirting, and <em>simp</em> is a term that means someone is doing too much for another person he or she likes.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Usage: “She’s such a simp towards Allen. He doesn’t even give her much, but she can’t stop trying to please him!”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Karen:</strong> A <em>Karen</em> is a woman who gets in everyone’s business, feeling she’s entitled to do so. The male equivalent is a <em>Chad.</em>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Usage: “He’s such a Chad — he thinks he runs this town, reporting every violation he can find!”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Bet:</strong> Short for <em>you bet</em> or <em>sure.</em> It means you acknowledge what’s being said.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Usage: Person 1: “Y’all better finish reading this book soon so I can read it next!” Person 2: “Bet.”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Thirst trap:</strong> You’ll see this term a lot on TikTok. When people create a post solely to get attention from those who might be attracted to them, it’s called a <em>thirst trap.</em>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Usage: “Ha! This video is such a thirst trap. Look at all the guys simping on her!”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Sus:</strong> If you’re familiar with the popular computer game Among Us, you’ll recognize this term, which suggests someone is suspicious. On TikTok, it's used anytime something seems suspicious.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Usage: “I don’t know — this video seems a bit sus. I think that hair looks like a wig.”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Boomer:</strong> Originally used to define people in the baby boomer generation, <em>boomer</em> now means someone deemed too old for a younger person to grasp.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Usage (I'm quoting my kids here): “You’re such a boomer, Dad. You don’t even understand what sus means.”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Yeet:</strong> This term is used to convey excitement, approval, surprise, or just energy.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Usage: “Can’t wait for my mom to get on TikTok! Yeet yeet!”</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Clown emoji 🤡</strong><strong>:</strong> Appearing in comments, this term usually means something is foolish, scary, or suspicious. It’s usually not a positive term.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Usage: Person 1: “I’m going to climb up this rock wall.” Person 2: <strong>🤡</strong></li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9273,"name":"Jesse Stay","slug":"jesse-stay","description":" <p><b>Jamie Crager</b> is the CEO and founder of Crowdshifter.com, a digital media consulting firm providing social media services and strategic advice. <b>Scott Ayres</b> has been addicted to social media since before MySpace. He is currently the &#8220;Ambassador of Awesomeness&#8221; for the Facebook Scheduling app PostPlanner.com.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9273"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34508,"title":"TikTok","slug":"tiktok","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34508"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Becoming familiar with TikTok culture","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Speaking TikTok jargon","target":"#tab2"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":297411,"title":"How To Make a TikTok Video","slug":"how-to-make-a-tiktok-video","categoryList":["technology","social-media","tiktok"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297411"}},{"articleId":285274,"title":"TikTok For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"tiktok-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["technology","social-media","tiktok"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/285274"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":297411,"title":"How To Make a TikTok Video","slug":"how-to-make-a-tiktok-video","categoryList":["technology","social-media","tiktok"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297411"}},{"articleId":285274,"title":"TikTok For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"tiktok-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["technology","social-media","tiktok"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/285274"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":284102,"slug":"tiktok-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119803416","categoryList":["technology","social-media","tiktok"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119803411/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119803411/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119803411-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119803411/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119803411/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/tiktok-for-dummies-cover-9781119803416-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"TikTok For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><b>Jamie Crager</b> is the CEO and founder of Crowdshifter.com, a digital media consulting firm providing social media services and strategic advice. <b>Scott Ayres</b> has been addicted to social media since before MySpace. He is currently the &#8220;Ambassador of Awesomeness&#8221; for the Facebook Scheduling app PostPlanner.com.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":9273,"name":"Jesse Stay","slug":"jesse-stay","description":" <p><b>Jamie Crager</b> is the CEO and founder of Crowdshifter.com, a digital media consulting firm providing social media services and strategic advice. <b>Scott Ayres</b> has been addicted to social media since before MySpace. He is currently the &#8220;Ambassador of Awesomeness&#8221; for the Facebook Scheduling app PostPlanner.com.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9273"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;social-media&quot;,&quot;tiktok&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119803416&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63efeb0e9b9e1\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;social-media&quot;,&quot;tiktok&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119803416&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63efeb0e9c456\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2023-02-17T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":297421},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2023-02-16T16:20:44+00:00","modifiedTime":"2023-02-17T15:14:12+00:00","timestamp":"2023-02-17T18:01:02+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Technology","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33512"},"slug":"technology","categoryId":33512},{"name":"Social Media","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33611"},"slug":"social-media","categoryId":33611},{"name":"General Social Media","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33617"},"slug":"general-social-media","categoryId":33617}],"title":"How to Pick a Mastodon Server","strippedTitle":"how to pick a mastodon server","slug":"how-to-choose-a-server-on-mastodon","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"When signing up, Mastodon offers a large number of servers to choose from. Learn how to browse them and choose the one that's right for you.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"<figure style=\"margin: 0;\"><figcaption style=\"margin-bottom: 10px;\">Listen to the article:</figcaption><audio src=\"/wp-content/uploads/how-to-pick-mastodon-server.mp3\" controls=\"controls\"><a href=\"/wp-content/uploads/how-to-pick-mastodon-server.mp3\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\"></span>Download audio</a></audio></figure>\r\nMastodon is a decentralized social media platform that's made up of thousands of separate computers (also known as <em>servers</em> or <em>instances</em>) that have all agreed to speak the same language and share certain data.\r\n\r\nWhen you create your Mastodon account, you get a username, which will be tied to one of these servers. Each server in the network has its own personality — and some servers pride themselves in having no particular personality. Every server is free to join, although some may be closed to new accounts or may require that you get on a waiting list.\r\n\r\nThe most difficult part of getting a Mastodon account is choosing which server to join. Fortunately, there's a <a href=\"https://joinmastodon.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mastodon web page</a> (shown in the image below) to help you sort through your options.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297374\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"wp-image-297374 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/join-mastodon-screen.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot showing the Join Mastodon page.\" width=\"630\" height=\"303\" /> ©Mastodon<br />Your first stop should be joinmastodon.org.[/caption]\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">You can sign up for Mastodon using the app or the website. However, signing up on the website — on your desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone — is easier than signing up with the app.</p>\r\nYour very first step in getting Mastodon is to go to the <a href=\"https://joinmastodon.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Join Mastodon page</a>. Then, click the \"Get the App\" link to use the app or click \"Create Account\" to use your web browser. Both the website and the app are free, and creating your account on one allows you to use all the features of both.\r\n\r\nIf you click \"Get the App,\" you'll be taken to a screen where you can choose to go to the Apple App Store (to download the iPhone app) or to Google Play (to download the Android app). Once you get to the app store, download and install the Mastodon app as you would with any app.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Because Mastodon is based on a free and open standard, there are many apps to choose from to use Mastodon. Start with the official one, which is called Mastodon.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Browsing your options</h2>\r\nWhen you visit the Join Mastodon page and click the \"Create Account\" button, you'll be taken to the Servers page, which is shown below.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297375\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297375\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/mastodon-servers-screen.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot showing the Mastodon Servers page.\" width=\"630\" height=\"303\" /> ©Mastodon<br />Checking out the servers[/caption]\r\n\r\nMany more Mastodon servers than the ones you see when you scroll down this page are available. However, the servers on joinmastodon.org follow certain rules known as the Mastodon Server Covenant, which is an agreement by the server's owner to work to keep the server free of hate speech, to back up their data daily, to have a person on call to deal with technical issues with the server, and to give users of the server at least three months’ notice before shutting down the server.\r\n\r\nBecause these servers have agreed to the Server Covenant, they are seen as trustworthy, stable, and safe places to serve as your home in the Mastodon universe.\r\n\r\nAlthough you can't go wrong with any of the instances listed on the servers page, some will be a better fit for you than others — and that's what makes Mastodon so cool!\r\n\r\nSpend some time browsing through the different servers listed here. Note that you have several options for filtering the results — including by geographical region and topic (listed on the left side of the screen) and by legal structure, sign-up speed, and language (selected from drop-down lists at the top), as shown below.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297373\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297373\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/mastodon-server-descriptions.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot showing the Mastodon server descriptions page.\" width=\"630\" height=\"323\" /> ©Mastodon<br />Reading the server descriptions[/caption]\r\n\r\nOnce you've found a server or two that sound like places where you'd like to hang out and call your home base, the first potentially make-or-break characteristic of the server is the <em>sign-up speed,</em> which is how fast it will take for you to get an account.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Understanding sign-up speed</h2>\r\nWhen you browse the list of servers, you'll see two types of buttons: \"Apply for an Account\" button and \"Create Account.\" The \"Create Account\" button means that the server has instant signup: You can have a new account on that server in the amount of time it takes for you to choose a username and a password.\r\n\r\nServers with an \"Apply for an Account\" button require that new accounts be approved by an administrator. This approval may take only a few minutes or a day. If you're super-excited to start using Mastodon, go with one of the servers that have the blue \"Create Account\" button.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Don't worry too much about picking the perfect server. Choosing a server doesn't have to be permanent. You can move your account (and all of your followers!) to another server easily after you sign up.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Reading the rules</h2>\r\nRegardless of whether you choose to apply for an account or go with a server that has instant account creation, check out the rules of your chosen server before you commit. To see a server's rules, first click the \"Create Account\" or \"Apply for an Account\" button to go to the server.\r\n\r\nOnce on the server, you'll see a description of the server on the left, with the name of the server administrator and the number of users. Below the server information, click \"Learn More\" to read more about the server, including its code of conduct, which describes the guidelines for how users are expected to behave while using the server.\r\n\r\nRather than having a complicated set of rules that try to make the greatest number of people happy and end up pleasing no one (such as what centralized platforms like Twitter and Facebook must do), each Mastodon server sets specific rules and the conduct expected from users.\r\n\r\nIf you don't like the code of conduct on one server, check out other servers until you find one with a code of conduct more in keeping with your beliefs.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab4\" >Previewing a server</h2>\r\nWhen you sign up using a web browser, many of the servers listed at joinmastodon.org allow you to browse the content on the server before joining. If you click to the server and see posts, rather than immediately seeing a sign-up or login page, you've come to one of these.\r\n\r\nTo see the content posted by the local users of the server, click the \"Local\" link on the right side of the page. The posts listed under \"Local\" are by people who would be your neighbors if you were to join this server. Are they talking about things you're interested in? If so, this may be the perfect server for you!\r\n<h2 id=\"tab5\" >Meeting the admin</h2>\r\nAnother way to choose a server is to find out more about the person running it. Every server prominently displays the person in charge of keeping the server running and enforcing the server's rules. Click their profile from the server's home page or from the server's \"About\" page to read more about them and to see the things they're interested in and what they post.\r\n\r\nOn Mastodon, the admin sets the tone for the server. If the admin seems like someone you'd like to hang out with, that's a good indication that you've found a home.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab6\" >Seeing why smaller is better</h2>\r\nA server might have just a handful of members to many thousands. Servers with a smaller number of users are vital to keeping the entire universe interesting and avoiding a monoculture. Smaller servers also tend to have stronger personalities than larger servers. And smaller servers are often less prone to slowing down because they're less likely to get a lot of traffic.\r\n\r\nBecause every server allows access to the other servers, you have nothing to lose by going with a smaller one. In the same way that you're more likely to make friends in a small community group versus an international club with millions of members, joining a smaller Mastodon server makes you a bigger fish because the pond is smaller.","description":"<figure style=\"margin: 0;\"><figcaption style=\"margin-bottom: 10px;\">Listen to the article:</figcaption><audio src=\"/wp-content/uploads/how-to-pick-mastodon-server.mp3\" controls=\"controls\"><a href=\"/wp-content/uploads/how-to-pick-mastodon-server.mp3\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\"></span>Download audio</a></audio></figure>\r\nMastodon is a decentralized social media platform that's made up of thousands of separate computers (also known as <em>servers</em> or <em>instances</em>) that have all agreed to speak the same language and share certain data.\r\n\r\nWhen you create your Mastodon account, you get a username, which will be tied to one of these servers. Each server in the network has its own personality — and some servers pride themselves in having no particular personality. Every server is free to join, although some may be closed to new accounts or may require that you get on a waiting list.\r\n\r\nThe most difficult part of getting a Mastodon account is choosing which server to join. Fortunately, there's a <a href=\"https://joinmastodon.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mastodon web page</a> (shown in the image below) to help you sort through your options.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297374\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"wp-image-297374 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/join-mastodon-screen.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot showing the Join Mastodon page.\" width=\"630\" height=\"303\" /> ©Mastodon<br />Your first stop should be joinmastodon.org.[/caption]\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">You can sign up for Mastodon using the app or the website. However, signing up on the website — on your desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone — is easier than signing up with the app.</p>\r\nYour very first step in getting Mastodon is to go to the <a href=\"https://joinmastodon.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Join Mastodon page</a>. Then, click the \"Get the App\" link to use the app or click \"Create Account\" to use your web browser. Both the website and the app are free, and creating your account on one allows you to use all the features of both.\r\n\r\nIf you click \"Get the App,\" you'll be taken to a screen where you can choose to go to the Apple App Store (to download the iPhone app) or to Google Play (to download the Android app). Once you get to the app store, download and install the Mastodon app as you would with any app.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Because Mastodon is based on a free and open standard, there are many apps to choose from to use Mastodon. Start with the official one, which is called Mastodon.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Browsing your options</h2>\r\nWhen you visit the Join Mastodon page and click the \"Create Account\" button, you'll be taken to the Servers page, which is shown below.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297375\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297375\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/mastodon-servers-screen.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot showing the Mastodon Servers page.\" width=\"630\" height=\"303\" /> ©Mastodon<br />Checking out the servers[/caption]\r\n\r\nMany more Mastodon servers than the ones you see when you scroll down this page are available. However, the servers on joinmastodon.org follow certain rules known as the Mastodon Server Covenant, which is an agreement by the server's owner to work to keep the server free of hate speech, to back up their data daily, to have a person on call to deal with technical issues with the server, and to give users of the server at least three months’ notice before shutting down the server.\r\n\r\nBecause these servers have agreed to the Server Covenant, they are seen as trustworthy, stable, and safe places to serve as your home in the Mastodon universe.\r\n\r\nAlthough you can't go wrong with any of the instances listed on the servers page, some will be a better fit for you than others — and that's what makes Mastodon so cool!\r\n\r\nSpend some time browsing through the different servers listed here. Note that you have several options for filtering the results — including by geographical region and topic (listed on the left side of the screen) and by legal structure, sign-up speed, and language (selected from drop-down lists at the top), as shown below.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297373\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297373\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/mastodon-server-descriptions.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot showing the Mastodon server descriptions page.\" width=\"630\" height=\"323\" /> ©Mastodon<br />Reading the server descriptions[/caption]\r\n\r\nOnce you've found a server or two that sound like places where you'd like to hang out and call your home base, the first potentially make-or-break characteristic of the server is the <em>sign-up speed,</em> which is how fast it will take for you to get an account.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Understanding sign-up speed</h2>\r\nWhen you browse the list of servers, you'll see two types of buttons: \"Apply for an Account\" button and \"Create Account.\" The \"Create Account\" button means that the server has instant signup: You can have a new account on that server in the amount of time it takes for you to choose a username and a password.\r\n\r\nServers with an \"Apply for an Account\" button require that new accounts be approved by an administrator. This approval may take only a few minutes or a day. If you're super-excited to start using Mastodon, go with one of the servers that have the blue \"Create Account\" button.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Don't worry too much about picking the perfect server. Choosing a server doesn't have to be permanent. You can move your account (and all of your followers!) to another server easily after you sign up.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Reading the rules</h2>\r\nRegardless of whether you choose to apply for an account or go with a server that has instant account creation, check out the rules of your chosen server before you commit. To see a server's rules, first click the \"Create Account\" or \"Apply for an Account\" button to go to the server.\r\n\r\nOnce on the server, you'll see a description of the server on the left, with the name of the server administrator and the number of users. Below the server information, click \"Learn More\" to read more about the server, including its code of conduct, which describes the guidelines for how users are expected to behave while using the server.\r\n\r\nRather than having a complicated set of rules that try to make the greatest number of people happy and end up pleasing no one (such as what centralized platforms like Twitter and Facebook must do), each Mastodon server sets specific rules and the conduct expected from users.\r\n\r\nIf you don't like the code of conduct on one server, check out other servers until you find one with a code of conduct more in keeping with your beliefs.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab4\" >Previewing a server</h2>\r\nWhen you sign up using a web browser, many of the servers listed at joinmastodon.org allow you to browse the content on the server before joining. If you click to the server and see posts, rather than immediately seeing a sign-up or login page, you've come to one of these.\r\n\r\nTo see the content posted by the local users of the server, click the \"Local\" link on the right side of the page. The posts listed under \"Local\" are by people who would be your neighbors if you were to join this server. Are they talking about things you're interested in? If so, this may be the perfect server for you!\r\n<h2 id=\"tab5\" >Meeting the admin</h2>\r\nAnother way to choose a server is to find out more about the person running it. Every server prominently displays the person in charge of keeping the server running and enforcing the server's rules. Click their profile from the server's home page or from the server's \"About\" page to read more about them and to see the things they're interested in and what they post.\r\n\r\nOn Mastodon, the admin sets the tone for the server. If the admin seems like someone you'd like to hang out with, that's a good indication that you've found a home.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab6\" >Seeing why smaller is better</h2>\r\nA server might have just a handful of members to many thousands. Servers with a smaller number of users are vital to keeping the entire universe interesting and avoiding a monoculture. Smaller servers also tend to have stronger personalities than larger servers. And smaller servers are often less prone to slowing down because they're less likely to get a lot of traffic.\r\n\r\nBecause every server allows access to the other servers, you have nothing to lose by going with a smaller one. In the same way that you're more likely to make friends in a small community group versus an international club with millions of members, joining a smaller Mastodon server makes you a bigger fish because the pond is smaller.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9070,"name":"Chris Minnick","slug":"chris-minnick","description":"<b>Chris Minnick</b> is an experienced tech educator and writer. He is the author of <i>JavaScript All-in-One For Dummies</i>.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9070"}},{"authorId":35240,"name":"Mike McCallister","slug":"mike-mccallister","description":"&lt;b&gt;Michael McCallister&lt;/b&gt; has more than 20 years of experience as a technical writer. He is passionate about simplifying complex tech topics for novices.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/35240"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33617,"title":"General Social Media","slug":"general-social-media","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33617"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Browsing your options","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Understanding sign-up speed","target":"#tab2"},{"label":"Reading the rules","target":"#tab3"},{"label":"Previewing a server","target":"#tab4"},{"label":"Meeting the admin","target":"#tab5"},{"label":"Seeing why smaller is better","target":"#tab6"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":297324,"title":"How to Find Your Twitter Followers on Mastodon","slug":"how-to-find-your-friends-on-mastodon","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297324"}},{"articleId":297311,"title":"How Is Mastodon Different from Twitter?","slug":"how-is-mastodon-different-from-twitter","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297311"}},{"articleId":297062,"title":"Mastodon For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"mastodon-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297062"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":297324,"title":"How to Find Your Twitter Followers on Mastodon","slug":"how-to-find-your-friends-on-mastodon","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297324"}},{"articleId":297311,"title":"How Is Mastodon Different from Twitter?","slug":"how-is-mastodon-different-from-twitter","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297311"}},{"articleId":297062,"title":"Mastodon For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"mastodon-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297062"}},{"articleId":270462,"title":"Top 10 Essentials for Discord","slug":"top-10-essentials-for-discord","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/270462"}},{"articleId":270455,"title":"What Is Discord Server?","slug":"what-is-discord-server","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/270455"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":297020,"slug":"mastodon-for-dummies","isbn":"9781394193363","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/139419336X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/139419336X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/139419336X-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/139419336X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/139419336X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/mastodon-for-dummies-cover-139419336X-165x255.jpg","width":165,"height":255},"title":"Mastodon For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><b><b data-author-id=\"9070\">Chris Minnick</b></b> is an experienced tech educator and writer. He is the author of <i>JavaScript All-in-One For Dummies</i>. &lt;b&gt;Michael McCallister&lt;/b&gt; has more than 20 years of experience as a technical writer. He is passionate about simplifying complex tech topics for novices.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":9070,"name":"Chris Minnick","slug":"chris-minnick","description":"<b>Chris Minnick</b> is an experienced tech educator and writer. He is the author of <i>JavaScript All-in-One For Dummies</i>.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9070"}},{"authorId":35240,"name":"Mike McCallister","slug":"mike-mccallister","description":"&lt;b&gt;Michael McCallister&lt;/b&gt; has more than 20 years of experience as a technical writer. He is passionate about simplifying complex tech topics for novices.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/35240"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;social-media&quot;,&quot;general-social-media&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781394193363&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63efc0de955b3\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;social-media&quot;,&quot;general-social-media&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781394193363&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63efc0de95f82\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2023-02-16T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":297377},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2023-02-15T20:46:36+00:00","modifiedTime":"2023-02-17T14:40:39+00:00","timestamp":"2023-02-17T15:01:02+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Technology","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33512"},"slug":"technology","categoryId":33512},{"name":"Social Media","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33611"},"slug":"social-media","categoryId":33611},{"name":"General Social Media","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33617"},"slug":"general-social-media","categoryId":33617}],"title":"How to Find Your Twitter Followers on Mastodon","strippedTitle":"how to find your twitter followers on mastodon","slug":"how-to-find-your-friends-on-mastodon","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"This article shows you how to use Twitodon to help you find your Twitter followers on Mastodon. It includes step-by-step instructions.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"<figure style=\"margin: 0;\"><figcaption style=\"margin-bottom: 10px;\">Listen to the article:</figcaption><audio src=\"/wp-content/uploads/how-to-find-twitter-followers-mastodon.mp3\" controls=\"controls\"><a href=\"\"/wp-content/uploads/how-to-find-twitter-followers-mastodon.mp3\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\"></span>Download audio</a></audio></figure>\r\nAs Mastodon has become more popular, millions of people have flocked to it from Twitter. Perhaps you, too, first heard about Mastodon on Twitter. As a migrant from Twitter to Mastodon, you're in good company. Finding members of your Twitter flock on Mastodon isn't difficult, and it's a great way to get a head start with building a following.\r\n\r\nIf someone considered you follow-worthy on Twitter, they will on Mastodon, too. Several tools have been created for finding Mastodon accounts of your Twitter followers. If you haven't deleted your Twitter account, you can use any (or all) of these tools.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Using Twitodon to find friends on Mastodon</h2>\r\nOne service to help you find your Twitter followers on Mastodon is <a href=\"https://twitodon.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitodon</a>. This site works by linking to your Twitter account and your Mastodon account and comparing the list of accounts you follow on Twitter with accounts on Mastodon that have also used Twitodon. If matches are found, Twitodon will give you a file you can import into your Mastodon account.\r\n\r\nFollow these steps to use Twitodon:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Make sure you're logged into both your Twitter account and your Mastodon account.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Go to <a href=\"https://twitodon.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitodon </a></strong><strong>and click the link under the \"Get Started\" header to log into your Twitter account. </strong>A window opens, asking you to authorize Twitodon to access your Twitter account.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Click the button to authorize Twitodon. </strong>You return to Twitodon and its Step 1 has been crossed off.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Enter your Mastodon server's address (including the https://) in the field under Twitodon's Step 2, as shown in Figure</strong> <strong>1, and then click Sign In. </strong>For example, if your Mastodon account is on mastodon.social, you'd enter <a href=\"https://mastodon.social\">https://mastodon.social</a>. A screen appears asking you to authorize Twitodon to access your Mastodon account.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Click Authorize. </strong>You return to Twitodon and Step 2 has been crossed off.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Watch the number of scanned users go up as Twitodon processes the list, as shown in Figure</strong> <strong>2. </strong>We hope the number of matches found go up as well!</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297328\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297328\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/mastodon-login-twitodon.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot of Twitodon page to log into Mastodon\" width=\"630\" height=\"554\" /> ©Twitodon<br />Figure 1: Logging into your Mastodon server from Twitodon[/caption]\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297327\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297327\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/mastodon-twitodon-scans-accounts.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot showing Twitodon page for scanning Twitter accounts\" width=\"630\" height=\"527\" /> ©Twitodon<br />Figure 2: Twitodon scans accounts you follow on Twitter.[/caption]\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">Because Twitodon can find only users who have also used Twitodon, don't be surprised if it doesn't come back with many or any results. The good news is that as more people migrate from Twitter and use Twitodon, it will be able to make more matches! So, it may be a good idea to try Twitodon again every so often as long as you keep your Twitter account.</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>When Twitodon finishes scanning, click the link in Twitodon's Step 3 to download a list of the matches that were found. </strong>Twitodon's Step 4 (revoking Twitodon's authorization to access your Twitter followers) is optional, and we're going to skip it. Doing so will make it easier to come back and check Twitodon periodically in the future.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Click the link under Twitodon's Step 5 to go to the Import page on your Mastodon instance, or click Preferences, Import and Export, and then Import. </strong>You see a screen similar to the one in Figure 3.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297331\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"wp-image-297331 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/mastodon-import-page.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot showing the Mastodon import page\" width=\"630\" height=\"323\" /> ©Mastodon<br />Figure 3: The Mastodon Import page[/caption]\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Under Import Type, choose Following List (it should be selected by default).</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Choose the Merge radio button (which should also be selected by default). </strong>Merging means that you'll still follow everyone you follow on Mastodon before you import the matches found by Twitodon.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Click the Choose File button and locate the file you downloaded from Twitodon. </strong>The file is named new_mastodon_follows.csv and should be in your Downloads folder.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Click the Upload button on Mastodon's Import page. </strong>After a moment, you'll see a message that your file was uploaded and will be processed. Depending on the size of the file you imported, it may take a few minutes or longer for the file to be processed and for the new users to be imported.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>After a few minutes, go to your profile page and check whether your following number has gone up.</strong></li>\r\n</ul>\r\nAs you follow the people you followed on Twitter, they'll get notifications and some of them may decide to follow you back.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Using Fedifinder</h2>\r\n<a href=\"https://fedifinder.glitch.me/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fedifinder </a>can scan your entire Twitter account, including accounts you follow, accounts that follow you, and your Twitter lists to find Twitter users who list their fediverse address in their Twitter profiles.\r\n\r\nBecause it scans your lists and followers and doesn't depend on matched users already having used it, Fedifinder is more likely to find results than other automated programs for finding other Mastodon users.\r\n\r\nFollow these steps to use Fedifinder:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Make sure you're logged in to both Twitter and Mastodon.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Go to Twitter and edit your Twitter profile to add your fediverse address in one of the following places:</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>The description</li>\r\n \t<li>The location</li>\r\n \t<li>The website address</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nYou can add your Mastodon address also to a pinned Tweet.\r\n\r\nYour fediverse address is your Mastodon server name followed by a slash, followed by your Mastodon username. It's the same as the link to your profile page on your instance. For example: hachyderm.io/@chrisminnick.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Go to</strong> <strong>Fedifinder again and click the Authorize Twitter button at the top of the screen.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Follow the instructions to authorize Fedifinder to access your Twitter data. </strong>Fedifinder scans your Twitter account to find fediverse addresses and starts showing you the results, as shown in Figure 4.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297332\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297332\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/fedifinder-twitter-contacts.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot showing the Fedifinder page for scanning your Twitter contacts\" width=\"630\" height=\"323\" /> ©Fedifinder<br />Figure 4: Fedifinder scans your Twitter contacts for Mastodon addresses.[/caption]\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Scroll down the page and click the link next to any Twitter lists you follow, and then click the Scan Followers link.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong>After all the scans have finished, click the Export CSV with Found Handles link. </strong>CSV, short for comma-separated values, is a way of storing lists of data in text files so they can be imported into other systems.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Go to the Import page on your Mastodon instance (click Preferences, Import and Export, Import) and import the resulting file (</strong><strong>fedifinder_account.csv) in the same way you imported the file from Twitodon. </strong></li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Inviting friends and family</h2>\r\nIf you have a fairly large Twitter following and follow a large number of Twitter accounts, you may have acquired some new followers and follows from using Twitodon and Fedifinder. But not everyone you want to follow is on both Mastodon and Twitter. To get more people to join you on Mastodon, you need to invite them.\r\n\r\nMastodon makes inviting people to join your Mastodon server easy. Plus, when you use Mastodon's invite feature to invite people, signing up will be easier for them than it was for you because the link you give them will take them directly to the same local server you use.\r\n\r\nIf your server allows users to create invitations, you can get an invitation link by clicking Preferences and then Invite People. You'll see the Invite People page, which is shown in Figure 5.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297329\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"wp-image-297329 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/mastodon-invite-people-page.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot showing the Mastodon invite people page\" width=\"630\" height=\"406\" /> ©Mastodon<br />Figure 5: The Mastodon Invite People page[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe Invite People page allows you to create individual links, limited-use links, and links that expire. Unless you want to have a limited number of followers or you want to be able to track who uses which links, the best way to use Invite People is with the following settings:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Set Max Number of Uses to No Limit</li>\r\n \t<li>Set Expire After to Never</li>\r\n \t<li>Select the Invite to Follow Your Account check box</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nOnce you've configured these settings, click the Generate Invite Link button. A text box with an invitation address appears, as shown in Figure 6.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297330\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297330\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/mastodon-invitation.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot showing the Mastodon personal invitation page\" width=\"630\" height=\"402\" /> ©Mastodon<br />Figure 6: Your personal Mastodon invitation[/caption]\r\n\r\nTap or click the Copy button to copy this link. Here are a few ideas for how you can use your Invite link:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Paste it into a post on Facebook.</li>\r\n \t<li>Put it in your profile on Twitter.</li>\r\n \t<li>Paste it into your Instagram profile.</li>\r\n \t<li>Email it to your friends and family and tell them to join you on Mastodon.</li>\r\n \t<li>Send it in a text message.</li>\r\n \t<li>Add it to a website you own.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nWhen someone follows the link on their phone, tablet, or computer, they'll see the same sign up page you saw when you first signed up for Mastodon. Plus, when someone signs up using your link, you'll find out about it, the number of uses next to your invite link will go up, and you'll gain a follower!","description":"<figure style=\"margin: 0;\"><figcaption style=\"margin-bottom: 10px;\">Listen to the article:</figcaption><audio src=\"/wp-content/uploads/how-to-find-twitter-followers-mastodon.mp3\" controls=\"controls\"><a href=\"\"/wp-content/uploads/how-to-find-twitter-followers-mastodon.mp3\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\"></span>Download audio</a></audio></figure>\r\nAs Mastodon has become more popular, millions of people have flocked to it from Twitter. Perhaps you, too, first heard about Mastodon on Twitter. As a migrant from Twitter to Mastodon, you're in good company. Finding members of your Twitter flock on Mastodon isn't difficult, and it's a great way to get a head start with building a following.\r\n\r\nIf someone considered you follow-worthy on Twitter, they will on Mastodon, too. Several tools have been created for finding Mastodon accounts of your Twitter followers. If you haven't deleted your Twitter account, you can use any (or all) of these tools.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Using Twitodon to find friends on Mastodon</h2>\r\nOne service to help you find your Twitter followers on Mastodon is <a href=\"https://twitodon.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitodon</a>. This site works by linking to your Twitter account and your Mastodon account and comparing the list of accounts you follow on Twitter with accounts on Mastodon that have also used Twitodon. If matches are found, Twitodon will give you a file you can import into your Mastodon account.\r\n\r\nFollow these steps to use Twitodon:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Make sure you're logged into both your Twitter account and your Mastodon account.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Go to <a href=\"https://twitodon.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitodon </a></strong><strong>and click the link under the \"Get Started\" header to log into your Twitter account. </strong>A window opens, asking you to authorize Twitodon to access your Twitter account.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Click the button to authorize Twitodon. </strong>You return to Twitodon and its Step 1 has been crossed off.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Enter your Mastodon server's address (including the https://) in the field under Twitodon's Step 2, as shown in Figure</strong> <strong>1, and then click Sign In. </strong>For example, if your Mastodon account is on mastodon.social, you'd enter <a href=\"https://mastodon.social\">https://mastodon.social</a>. A screen appears asking you to authorize Twitodon to access your Mastodon account.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Click Authorize. </strong>You return to Twitodon and Step 2 has been crossed off.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Watch the number of scanned users go up as Twitodon processes the list, as shown in Figure</strong> <strong>2. </strong>We hope the number of matches found go up as well!</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297328\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297328\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/mastodon-login-twitodon.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot of Twitodon page to log into Mastodon\" width=\"630\" height=\"554\" /> ©Twitodon<br />Figure 1: Logging into your Mastodon server from Twitodon[/caption]\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297327\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297327\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/mastodon-twitodon-scans-accounts.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot showing Twitodon page for scanning Twitter accounts\" width=\"630\" height=\"527\" /> ©Twitodon<br />Figure 2: Twitodon scans accounts you follow on Twitter.[/caption]\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">Because Twitodon can find only users who have also used Twitodon, don't be surprised if it doesn't come back with many or any results. The good news is that as more people migrate from Twitter and use Twitodon, it will be able to make more matches! So, it may be a good idea to try Twitodon again every so often as long as you keep your Twitter account.</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>When Twitodon finishes scanning, click the link in Twitodon's Step 3 to download a list of the matches that were found. </strong>Twitodon's Step 4 (revoking Twitodon's authorization to access your Twitter followers) is optional, and we're going to skip it. Doing so will make it easier to come back and check Twitodon periodically in the future.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Click the link under Twitodon's Step 5 to go to the Import page on your Mastodon instance, or click Preferences, Import and Export, and then Import. </strong>You see a screen similar to the one in Figure 3.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297331\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"wp-image-297331 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/mastodon-import-page.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot showing the Mastodon import page\" width=\"630\" height=\"323\" /> ©Mastodon<br />Figure 3: The Mastodon Import page[/caption]\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Under Import Type, choose Following List (it should be selected by default).</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Choose the Merge radio button (which should also be selected by default). </strong>Merging means that you'll still follow everyone you follow on Mastodon before you import the matches found by Twitodon.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Click the Choose File button and locate the file you downloaded from Twitodon. </strong>The file is named new_mastodon_follows.csv and should be in your Downloads folder.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Click the Upload button on Mastodon's Import page. </strong>After a moment, you'll see a message that your file was uploaded and will be processed. Depending on the size of the file you imported, it may take a few minutes or longer for the file to be processed and for the new users to be imported.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>After a few minutes, go to your profile page and check whether your following number has gone up.</strong></li>\r\n</ul>\r\nAs you follow the people you followed on Twitter, they'll get notifications and some of them may decide to follow you back.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Using Fedifinder</h2>\r\n<a href=\"https://fedifinder.glitch.me/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fedifinder </a>can scan your entire Twitter account, including accounts you follow, accounts that follow you, and your Twitter lists to find Twitter users who list their fediverse address in their Twitter profiles.\r\n\r\nBecause it scans your lists and followers and doesn't depend on matched users already having used it, Fedifinder is more likely to find results than other automated programs for finding other Mastodon users.\r\n\r\nFollow these steps to use Fedifinder:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Make sure you're logged in to both Twitter and Mastodon.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Go to Twitter and edit your Twitter profile to add your fediverse address in one of the following places:</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>The description</li>\r\n \t<li>The location</li>\r\n \t<li>The website address</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nYou can add your Mastodon address also to a pinned Tweet.\r\n\r\nYour fediverse address is your Mastodon server name followed by a slash, followed by your Mastodon username. It's the same as the link to your profile page on your instance. For example: hachyderm.io/@chrisminnick.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Go to</strong> <strong>Fedifinder again and click the Authorize Twitter button at the top of the screen.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Follow the instructions to authorize Fedifinder to access your Twitter data. </strong>Fedifinder scans your Twitter account to find fediverse addresses and starts showing you the results, as shown in Figure 4.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297332\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297332\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/fedifinder-twitter-contacts.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot showing the Fedifinder page for scanning your Twitter contacts\" width=\"630\" height=\"323\" /> ©Fedifinder<br />Figure 4: Fedifinder scans your Twitter contacts for Mastodon addresses.[/caption]\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Scroll down the page and click the link next to any Twitter lists you follow, and then click the Scan Followers link.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong>After all the scans have finished, click the Export CSV with Found Handles link. </strong>CSV, short for comma-separated values, is a way of storing lists of data in text files so they can be imported into other systems.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Go to the Import page on your Mastodon instance (click Preferences, Import and Export, Import) and import the resulting file (</strong><strong>fedifinder_account.csv) in the same way you imported the file from Twitodon. </strong></li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Inviting friends and family</h2>\r\nIf you have a fairly large Twitter following and follow a large number of Twitter accounts, you may have acquired some new followers and follows from using Twitodon and Fedifinder. But not everyone you want to follow is on both Mastodon and Twitter. To get more people to join you on Mastodon, you need to invite them.\r\n\r\nMastodon makes inviting people to join your Mastodon server easy. Plus, when you use Mastodon's invite feature to invite people, signing up will be easier for them than it was for you because the link you give them will take them directly to the same local server you use.\r\n\r\nIf your server allows users to create invitations, you can get an invitation link by clicking Preferences and then Invite People. You'll see the Invite People page, which is shown in Figure 5.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297329\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"wp-image-297329 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/mastodon-invite-people-page.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot showing the Mastodon invite people page\" width=\"630\" height=\"406\" /> ©Mastodon<br />Figure 5: The Mastodon Invite People page[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe Invite People page allows you to create individual links, limited-use links, and links that expire. Unless you want to have a limited number of followers or you want to be able to track who uses which links, the best way to use Invite People is with the following settings:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Set Max Number of Uses to No Limit</li>\r\n \t<li>Set Expire After to Never</li>\r\n \t<li>Select the Invite to Follow Your Account check box</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nOnce you've configured these settings, click the Generate Invite Link button. A text box with an invitation address appears, as shown in Figure 6.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297330\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297330\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/mastodon-invitation.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot showing the Mastodon personal invitation page\" width=\"630\" height=\"402\" /> ©Mastodon<br />Figure 6: Your personal Mastodon invitation[/caption]\r\n\r\nTap or click the Copy button to copy this link. Here are a few ideas for how you can use your Invite link:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Paste it into a post on Facebook.</li>\r\n \t<li>Put it in your profile on Twitter.</li>\r\n \t<li>Paste it into your Instagram profile.</li>\r\n \t<li>Email it to your friends and family and tell them to join you on Mastodon.</li>\r\n \t<li>Send it in a text message.</li>\r\n \t<li>Add it to a website you own.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nWhen someone follows the link on their phone, tablet, or computer, they'll see the same sign up page you saw when you first signed up for Mastodon. Plus, when someone signs up using your link, you'll find out about it, the number of uses next to your invite link will go up, and you'll gain a follower!","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9070,"name":"Chris Minnick","slug":"chris-minnick","description":"<b>Chris Minnick</b> is an experienced tech educator and writer. He is the author of <i>JavaScript All-in-One For Dummies</i>.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9070"}},{"authorId":35240,"name":"Mike McCallister","slug":"mike-mccallister","description":"&lt;b&gt;Michael McCallister&lt;/b&gt; has more than 20 years of experience as a technical writer. He is passionate about simplifying complex tech topics for novices.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/35240"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33617,"title":"General Social Media","slug":"general-social-media","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33617"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Using Twitodon to find friends on Mastodon","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Using Fedifinder","target":"#tab2"},{"label":"Inviting friends and family","target":"#tab3"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":297377,"title":"How to Pick a Mastodon Server","slug":"how-to-choose-a-server-on-mastodon","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297377"}},{"articleId":297311,"title":"How Is Mastodon Different from Twitter?","slug":"how-is-mastodon-different-from-twitter","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297311"}},{"articleId":297062,"title":"Mastodon For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"mastodon-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297062"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":297377,"title":"How to Pick a Mastodon Server","slug":"how-to-choose-a-server-on-mastodon","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297377"}},{"articleId":297311,"title":"How Is Mastodon Different from Twitter?","slug":"how-is-mastodon-different-from-twitter","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297311"}},{"articleId":297062,"title":"Mastodon For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"mastodon-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297062"}},{"articleId":270462,"title":"Top 10 Essentials for Discord","slug":"top-10-essentials-for-discord","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/270462"}},{"articleId":270455,"title":"What Is Discord Server?","slug":"what-is-discord-server","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/270455"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":297020,"slug":"mastodon-for-dummies","isbn":"9781394193363","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/139419336X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/139419336X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/139419336X-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/139419336X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/139419336X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/mastodon-for-dummies-cover-139419336X-165x255.jpg","width":165,"height":255},"title":"Mastodon For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><b><b data-author-id=\"9070\">Chris Minnick</b></b> is an experienced tech educator and writer. He is the author of <i>JavaScript All-in-One For Dummies</i>. &lt;b&gt;Michael McCallister&lt;/b&gt; has more than 20 years of experience as a technical writer. He is passionate about simplifying complex tech topics for novices.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":9070,"name":"Chris Minnick","slug":"chris-minnick","description":"<b>Chris Minnick</b> is an experienced tech educator and writer. He is the author of <i>JavaScript All-in-One For Dummies</i>.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9070"}},{"authorId":35240,"name":"Mike McCallister","slug":"mike-mccallister","description":"&lt;b&gt;Michael McCallister&lt;/b&gt; has more than 20 years of experience as a technical writer. He is passionate about simplifying complex tech topics for novices.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/35240"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;social-media&quot;,&quot;general-social-media&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781394193363&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63ef96ae9f2fb\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;social-media&quot;,&quot;general-social-media&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781394193363&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63ef96ae9fcbc\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2023-02-15T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":297324},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2023-02-15T19:03:37+00:00","modifiedTime":"2023-02-16T19:05:19+00:00","timestamp":"2023-02-16T21:01:02+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Technology","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33512"},"slug":"technology","categoryId":33512},{"name":"Social Media","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33611"},"slug":"social-media","categoryId":33611},{"name":"General Social Media","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33617"},"slug":"general-social-media","categoryId":33617}],"title":"How Is Mastodon Different from Twitter?","strippedTitle":"how is mastodon different from twitter?","slug":"how-is-mastodon-different-from-twitter","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn about the major differences between Twitter and Mastodon to help you decide whether you want to give either a try or switch it up.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"<figure style=\"margin: 0;\"><figcaption style=\"margin-bottom: 10px;\">Listen to the article:</figcaption><audio src=\"/wp-content/uploads/how-is-mastodon-different-from-twitter.mp3\" controls=\"controls\"><a href=\"/wp-content/uploads/how-is-mastodon-different-from-twitter.mp3\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\"></span>Download audio</a></audio></figure>\r\nThe chaos surrounding Twitter after Elon Musk acquired it in October 2022 led many Twitter users to begin checking out other social media platforms, including Mastodon. Here, we'll go over some of the major differences between the two platforms.\r\n\r\nThe first thing to know about Mastodon is that it isn’t just one site, like Twitter.com and Facebook.com. Mastodon is made up of a galaxy of sites, and the first choice you’ll make when you decide to create an account is what star (or <em>instance</em>) in this galaxy of sites to call home.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297310\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297310\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/mastodon-app-unsplash.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of the Mastodon app on a cell phone.\" width=\"630\" height=\"420\" /> ©Battenhall / Adobe Stock[/caption]\r\n\r\nEach of these sites runs the Mastodon software (the <em>common platform</em>). Once you have a home on a site running the Mastodon software, you can connect with people on other sites running Mastodon.\r\n\r\nMany people arrive on Twitter looking to raise their public profile, gain millions of followers, and go viral. Certainly some people have become media pundits and celebrities by way of their Twitter posts.\r\n\r\nOn Mastodon, however, being sociable, informative, and authentic is more important. A Mastodon instance is better thought of as a neighborhood rather than a stage. You don’t have to be smart-alecky to be respected.\r\n\r\nIn addition, before getting an account on a Mastodon instance, you sign on to a code of conduct. Although the code of conduct can go into detail regarding what is and isn't allowed, the code is often simply a lengthy version of “while you’re on here, be nice.”\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Mastodon is a home, not a single site</h2>\r\nIf you want to tweet, you go to Twitter.com, get an account, agree to the terms of service (whether you read all that legalese or not), and start tweeting. Twitter may not ask much of you as a user, but you pay a price.\r\n\r\nYou have no stake in Twitter as a company, except as an unpaid content contributor. Twitter polls run by the CEO aren't binding, and wouldn't be, even if a majority of participants were stockholders.\r\n\r\nEvery Mastodon server instance is an island to itself but interconnected. Instance administrators and moderators are not gods and can't make any decisions beyond that instance. That’s true even for founder Eugen Rochko.\r\n\r\nThe vast majority of Mastodon sites seek to be safe and friendly spaces for all kinds of users. You should feel like you’re at home here.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Mastodon is built to serve its community</h2>\r\nMastodon is not driven by its financial bottom line nor the whims of venture capitalists, Wall Street traders, and hedge fund managers. It's driven to serve its users and the community.\r\n\r\nIf the founder or his heirs were to sell the mastodon.social site, where Mastodon was born, each user could easily move to another Mastodon instance, taking their posts and followers with them.\r\n\r\nIf you’ve found a home with a group of admins and moderators that serve you and the community at large, consider helping to keep the servers (and the community) running with a financial contribution that fits your budget.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Algorithms aren't allowed on Mastodon</h2>\r\nTwitter started out as a place where you read the tweets of the people you followed in reverse-chronological order (as you do in blogs). But as the service grew, Twitter developed algorithms to figure out what you liked and shared on the service. The purpose of the algorithm was to keep you scrolling through your feed. You got what the algorithm thought you wanted, but you also saw more ads as the session continued. More eyeballs on ads, more money for Twitter.\r\n\r\nAs politicians and politically oriented people found a way to get followers, raise money, and gain influence on the service, ordinary users found themselves in a filter bubble, where they saw only things with which they agreed. Debate, where it existed at all, became toxic. Misinformation flourished. Some people started calling Twitter a hellscape because of all the angry tweets that the algorithm promoted into people’s feeds.\r\n\r\nNo Twitter user ever got to opt-out of the algorithm’s role in managing their feeds. There was never a vote among users to implement the algorithm when it was first developed. Programmers from outside the company couldn’t review the algorithm to determine its effect on people’s emotions.\r\n\r\nIn contrast, Mastodon displays every post from every user and hashtag you follow. You may still spend hours scrolling through interesting posts by fascinating people, but at least you know that Mastodon won’t try to manipulate you to stay longer on the platform.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab4\" >Users aren't tracked on Mastodon</h2>\r\nThe same forces (sometimes called <em>surveillance capitalism</em>) that created algorithms also created the cookie, that tiny slice of code that lives in your browser and tracks your movements across the platform and elsewhere. The cookie’s owner aims to understand the things you’re interested in or curious about — the better to sell your social graph to advertisers.\r\n\r\nThe Mastodon focus on privacy actively discourages cookies. Nearly every instance offers strict rules on such behavior, and should an instance permit it, that instance would likely be blocked by most other Mastodon instances.\r\n\r\nDon’t bet on this changing anytime soon.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab5\" >Ads aren't acceptable (yet) on Mastodon</h2>\r\nThe initial burst of enthusiasm for Mastodon came when Twitter appeared to be placing its financial stability on selling more advertising on the platform. The Great Mastodon Migration of 2022, which came next, was made up of users and advertisers who didn’t want to be associated with Twitter's new owner.\r\n\r\nOn Mastodon, most codes of conduct discourage excessive advertising, and what’s excessive has mostly counted in single digits. The exceptions are the online equivalent of yard sales, art shows, community theater, and musical performances.\r\n\r\nThe Mastodon focus on community-building frowns on personal branding at least as much as on corporate branding. However, businesses aren't banned, and if you’re in business, you can post about it all you want. What won’t fly are targeted ads based on trackers and algorithms, as noted previously. Mastodon isn’t perfect, but its ideals are high.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab6\" >Welcome to the fediverse!</h2>\r\nThe <em>fediverse</em> is a collection of websites and social networks that, in some ways, looks back fondly on the early days of the World Wide Web. When Sir Tim Berners-Lee created the web, he envisioned it as a collaboration tool, with sites offering read-write access to any visitor. Aside from wiki sites (such as Wikipedia) and blogs that accept reader comments, today’s web is largely a space for one-way communication.\r\n\r\nMastodon encourages its users to collaborate by putting the focus on conversation and discussion. It’s easy to participate in a conversation by selecting the post's reply icon. The Fediverse expands that idea beyond just Mastodon into other services.\r\n\r\nThe fediverse, which is a combination of <em>federated</em> and <em>universe,</em> got its name for the federated connections between independent websites on the social web.\r\n\r\nThe foundation of the fediverse, and Mastodon as well, is the <a href=\"https://activitypub.rocks/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ActivityPub</a> protocol, recognized as a web standard by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Developers use the standard to power a variety of federated alternatives for organizing events, sharing music, and just hanging out.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">The boring, technical way to describe the ActivityPub standard is that it “provides a client-to-server application programming interface (API) for creating, updating and deleting content, as well as a federated server to server API for delivering notifications and subscribing to content.” Mastodon first used a protocol called OStatus, an open standard that enables microblogging, but switched to ActivityPub in 2017.</p>\r\nFor the last decade or so, the <a href=\"https://indieweb.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IndieWeb</a> movement has been building some of the social web standards that power Mastodon, especially the ActivityPub protocol, but for individual websites.\r\n\r\nIndieWeb focuses on your ability to control your content and connect with the people you want to connect with, with no one using your stuff to get others to sell you things you may not want.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">Do not confuse <em>fediverse</em> with <em>metaverse!</em> The metaverse started as a creation in the mind of speculative fiction author Neal Stephenson in his fantastic novel <em>Snow Crash.</em> In the novel, the metaverse served as the escape hatch from the dystopia in which most people lived, where the only jobs were in high tech and high-speed pizza delivery. The dystopia was the society. Today, the metaverse is a virtual reality that Facebook (excuse us, Meta) billionaire Mark Zuckerberg wants to use to make even more money.</p>\r\nThe fediverse is a much more pleasant place, where the users rule. And if profits are even a consideration, they come after the people who participate.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab7\" >Understanding federation</h2>\r\nWhen you’re starting out with Mastodon, wrapping your head around the idea of a <em>federation</em> can be maddening.\r\n\r\nNot to overwhelm you with community metaphors, but think about the following facets of neighborhoods:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Life might be pretty much the same from neighborhood to neighborhood, but some places have different social rules. Violating those rules can get you in trouble. In some neighborhoods, you must live there for many years before you can even call yourself a resident!</li>\r\n \t<li>Although your neighborhood might have regular elections for city council members and other leaders, you might also have a person active in the community who is so respected that they’re called the mayor of the neighborhood.</li>\r\n \t<li>If you have an active neighborhood association, they probably have events to raise money for various programs to improve life in the neighborhood. While the city government pays for a lot of things (and usually has taxing power), neighborhood associations often pay for things such as flowers in common areas.</li>\r\n \t<li>You can change your residence from one neighborhood to another without getting permission from the city or the neighborhoods involved (condominium association boards notwithstanding).</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nAll this is true also in the virtual world of Mastodon:\r\n\r\nEvery Mastodon instance (neighborhood) has a code of conduct that you have to agree to before you join (move in). Violating the code of conduct can get you in trouble (a suspension or worse).\r\n\r\nRegardless of whether your instance has a governing board, the administrator is definitely the permanent mayor, in charge of keeping things going.\r\n\r\nWhile your instance administration can’t tax you (yet) to keep the servers running, you do have an obligation to help out if you can. As the mother instance, <a href=\"https://mastodon.social/\">https://mastodon.social</a> helps other instances financially, but each independent instance has to keep the lights on.\r\n\r\nAside from a disciplinary situation, it’s easy to change your Mastodon neighborhood — and bring all your friends with you.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">If you ever need to move your account to another instance, there's a <a href=\"https://docs.joinmastodon.org/user/moving/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mastodon page with instructions</a>.</p>","description":"<figure style=\"margin: 0;\"><figcaption style=\"margin-bottom: 10px;\">Listen to the article:</figcaption><audio src=\"/wp-content/uploads/how-is-mastodon-different-from-twitter.mp3\" controls=\"controls\"><a href=\"/wp-content/uploads/how-is-mastodon-different-from-twitter.mp3\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\"></span>Download audio</a></audio></figure>\r\nThe chaos surrounding Twitter after Elon Musk acquired it in October 2022 led many Twitter users to begin checking out other social media platforms, including Mastodon. Here, we'll go over some of the major differences between the two platforms.\r\n\r\nThe first thing to know about Mastodon is that it isn’t just one site, like Twitter.com and Facebook.com. Mastodon is made up of a galaxy of sites, and the first choice you’ll make when you decide to create an account is what star (or <em>instance</em>) in this galaxy of sites to call home.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_297310\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-297310\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/mastodon-app-unsplash.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of the Mastodon app on a cell phone.\" width=\"630\" height=\"420\" /> ©Battenhall / Adobe Stock[/caption]\r\n\r\nEach of these sites runs the Mastodon software (the <em>common platform</em>). Once you have a home on a site running the Mastodon software, you can connect with people on other sites running Mastodon.\r\n\r\nMany people arrive on Twitter looking to raise their public profile, gain millions of followers, and go viral. Certainly some people have become media pundits and celebrities by way of their Twitter posts.\r\n\r\nOn Mastodon, however, being sociable, informative, and authentic is more important. A Mastodon instance is better thought of as a neighborhood rather than a stage. You don’t have to be smart-alecky to be respected.\r\n\r\nIn addition, before getting an account on a Mastodon instance, you sign on to a code of conduct. Although the code of conduct can go into detail regarding what is and isn't allowed, the code is often simply a lengthy version of “while you’re on here, be nice.”\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Mastodon is a home, not a single site</h2>\r\nIf you want to tweet, you go to Twitter.com, get an account, agree to the terms of service (whether you read all that legalese or not), and start tweeting. Twitter may not ask much of you as a user, but you pay a price.\r\n\r\nYou have no stake in Twitter as a company, except as an unpaid content contributor. Twitter polls run by the CEO aren't binding, and wouldn't be, even if a majority of participants were stockholders.\r\n\r\nEvery Mastodon server instance is an island to itself but interconnected. Instance administrators and moderators are not gods and can't make any decisions beyond that instance. That’s true even for founder Eugen Rochko.\r\n\r\nThe vast majority of Mastodon sites seek to be safe and friendly spaces for all kinds of users. You should feel like you’re at home here.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Mastodon is built to serve its community</h2>\r\nMastodon is not driven by its financial bottom line nor the whims of venture capitalists, Wall Street traders, and hedge fund managers. It's driven to serve its users and the community.\r\n\r\nIf the founder or his heirs were to sell the mastodon.social site, where Mastodon was born, each user could easily move to another Mastodon instance, taking their posts and followers with them.\r\n\r\nIf you’ve found a home with a group of admins and moderators that serve you and the community at large, consider helping to keep the servers (and the community) running with a financial contribution that fits your budget.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Algorithms aren't allowed on Mastodon</h2>\r\nTwitter started out as a place where you read the tweets of the people you followed in reverse-chronological order (as you do in blogs). But as the service grew, Twitter developed algorithms to figure out what you liked and shared on the service. The purpose of the algorithm was to keep you scrolling through your feed. You got what the algorithm thought you wanted, but you also saw more ads as the session continued. More eyeballs on ads, more money for Twitter.\r\n\r\nAs politicians and politically oriented people found a way to get followers, raise money, and gain influence on the service, ordinary users found themselves in a filter bubble, where they saw only things with which they agreed. Debate, where it existed at all, became toxic. Misinformation flourished. Some people started calling Twitter a hellscape because of all the angry tweets that the algorithm promoted into people’s feeds.\r\n\r\nNo Twitter user ever got to opt-out of the algorithm’s role in managing their feeds. There was never a vote among users to implement the algorithm when it was first developed. Programmers from outside the company couldn’t review the algorithm to determine its effect on people’s emotions.\r\n\r\nIn contrast, Mastodon displays every post from every user and hashtag you follow. You may still spend hours scrolling through interesting posts by fascinating people, but at least you know that Mastodon won’t try to manipulate you to stay longer on the platform.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab4\" >Users aren't tracked on Mastodon</h2>\r\nThe same forces (sometimes called <em>surveillance capitalism</em>) that created algorithms also created the cookie, that tiny slice of code that lives in your browser and tracks your movements across the platform and elsewhere. The cookie’s owner aims to understand the things you’re interested in or curious about — the better to sell your social graph to advertisers.\r\n\r\nThe Mastodon focus on privacy actively discourages cookies. Nearly every instance offers strict rules on such behavior, and should an instance permit it, that instance would likely be blocked by most other Mastodon instances.\r\n\r\nDon’t bet on this changing anytime soon.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab5\" >Ads aren't acceptable (yet) on Mastodon</h2>\r\nThe initial burst of enthusiasm for Mastodon came when Twitter appeared to be placing its financial stability on selling more advertising on the platform. The Great Mastodon Migration of 2022, which came next, was made up of users and advertisers who didn’t want to be associated with Twitter's new owner.\r\n\r\nOn Mastodon, most codes of conduct discourage excessive advertising, and what’s excessive has mostly counted in single digits. The exceptions are the online equivalent of yard sales, art shows, community theater, and musical performances.\r\n\r\nThe Mastodon focus on community-building frowns on personal branding at least as much as on corporate branding. However, businesses aren't banned, and if you’re in business, you can post about it all you want. What won’t fly are targeted ads based on trackers and algorithms, as noted previously. Mastodon isn’t perfect, but its ideals are high.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab6\" >Welcome to the fediverse!</h2>\r\nThe <em>fediverse</em> is a collection of websites and social networks that, in some ways, looks back fondly on the early days of the World Wide Web. When Sir Tim Berners-Lee created the web, he envisioned it as a collaboration tool, with sites offering read-write access to any visitor. Aside from wiki sites (such as Wikipedia) and blogs that accept reader comments, today’s web is largely a space for one-way communication.\r\n\r\nMastodon encourages its users to collaborate by putting the focus on conversation and discussion. It’s easy to participate in a conversation by selecting the post's reply icon. The Fediverse expands that idea beyond just Mastodon into other services.\r\n\r\nThe fediverse, which is a combination of <em>federated</em> and <em>universe,</em> got its name for the federated connections between independent websites on the social web.\r\n\r\nThe foundation of the fediverse, and Mastodon as well, is the <a href=\"https://activitypub.rocks/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ActivityPub</a> protocol, recognized as a web standard by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Developers use the standard to power a variety of federated alternatives for organizing events, sharing music, and just hanging out.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">The boring, technical way to describe the ActivityPub standard is that it “provides a client-to-server application programming interface (API) for creating, updating and deleting content, as well as a federated server to server API for delivering notifications and subscribing to content.” Mastodon first used a protocol called OStatus, an open standard that enables microblogging, but switched to ActivityPub in 2017.</p>\r\nFor the last decade or so, the <a href=\"https://indieweb.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IndieWeb</a> movement has been building some of the social web standards that power Mastodon, especially the ActivityPub protocol, but for individual websites.\r\n\r\nIndieWeb focuses on your ability to control your content and connect with the people you want to connect with, with no one using your stuff to get others to sell you things you may not want.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">Do not confuse <em>fediverse</em> with <em>metaverse!</em> The metaverse started as a creation in the mind of speculative fiction author Neal Stephenson in his fantastic novel <em>Snow Crash.</em> In the novel, the metaverse served as the escape hatch from the dystopia in which most people lived, where the only jobs were in high tech and high-speed pizza delivery. The dystopia was the society. Today, the metaverse is a virtual reality that Facebook (excuse us, Meta) billionaire Mark Zuckerberg wants to use to make even more money.</p>\r\nThe fediverse is a much more pleasant place, where the users rule. And if profits are even a consideration, they come after the people who participate.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab7\" >Understanding federation</h2>\r\nWhen you’re starting out with Mastodon, wrapping your head around the idea of a <em>federation</em> can be maddening.\r\n\r\nNot to overwhelm you with community metaphors, but think about the following facets of neighborhoods:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Life might be pretty much the same from neighborhood to neighborhood, but some places have different social rules. Violating those rules can get you in trouble. In some neighborhoods, you must live there for many years before you can even call yourself a resident!</li>\r\n \t<li>Although your neighborhood might have regular elections for city council members and other leaders, you might also have a person active in the community who is so respected that they’re called the mayor of the neighborhood.</li>\r\n \t<li>If you have an active neighborhood association, they probably have events to raise money for various programs to improve life in the neighborhood. While the city government pays for a lot of things (and usually has taxing power), neighborhood associations often pay for things such as flowers in common areas.</li>\r\n \t<li>You can change your residence from one neighborhood to another without getting permission from the city or the neighborhoods involved (condominium association boards notwithstanding).</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nAll this is true also in the virtual world of Mastodon:\r\n\r\nEvery Mastodon instance (neighborhood) has a code of conduct that you have to agree to before you join (move in). Violating the code of conduct can get you in trouble (a suspension or worse).\r\n\r\nRegardless of whether your instance has a governing board, the administrator is definitely the permanent mayor, in charge of keeping things going.\r\n\r\nWhile your instance administration can’t tax you (yet) to keep the servers running, you do have an obligation to help out if you can. As the mother instance, <a href=\"https://mastodon.social/\">https://mastodon.social</a> helps other instances financially, but each independent instance has to keep the lights on.\r\n\r\nAside from a disciplinary situation, it’s easy to change your Mastodon neighborhood — and bring all your friends with you.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">If you ever need to move your account to another instance, there's a <a href=\"https://docs.joinmastodon.org/user/moving/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mastodon page with instructions</a>.</p>","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9070,"name":"Chris Minnick","slug":"chris-minnick","description":"<b>Chris Minnick</b> is an experienced tech educator and writer. He is the author of <i>JavaScript All-in-One For Dummies</i>.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9070"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33617,"title":"General Social Media","slug":"general-social-media","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33617"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Mastodon is a home, not a single site","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Mastodon is built to serve its community","target":"#tab2"},{"label":"Algorithms aren't allowed on Mastodon","target":"#tab3"},{"label":"Users aren't tracked on Mastodon","target":"#tab4"},{"label":"Ads aren't acceptable (yet) on Mastodon","target":"#tab5"},{"label":"Welcome to the fediverse!","target":"#tab6"},{"label":"Understanding federation","target":"#tab7"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":297377,"title":"How to Pick a Mastodon Server","slug":"how-to-choose-a-server-on-mastodon","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297377"}},{"articleId":297324,"title":"How to Find Your Twitter Followers on Mastodon","slug":"how-to-find-your-friends-on-mastodon","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297324"}},{"articleId":297062,"title":"Mastodon For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"mastodon-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297062"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":297377,"title":"How to Pick a Mastodon Server","slug":"how-to-choose-a-server-on-mastodon","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297377"}},{"articleId":297324,"title":"How to Find Your Twitter Followers on Mastodon","slug":"how-to-find-your-friends-on-mastodon","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297324"}},{"articleId":297062,"title":"Mastodon For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"mastodon-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/297062"}},{"articleId":270462,"title":"Top 10 Essentials for Discord","slug":"top-10-essentials-for-discord","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/270462"}},{"articleId":270455,"title":"What Is Discord Server?","slug":"what-is-discord-server","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/270455"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":297020,"slug":"mastodon-for-dummies","isbn":"9781394193363","categoryList":["technology","social-media","general-social-media"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/139419336X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/139419336X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/139419336X-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/139419336X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/139419336X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/mastodon-for-dummies-cover-139419336X-165x255.jpg","width":165,"height":255},"title":"Mastodon For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><b><b data-author-id=\"9070\">Chris Minnick</b></b> is an experienced tech educator and writer. 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Here, you discover some of the best ways to start meeting and engaging with new people on Mastodon.\r\n\r\nAnother concern of new Mastodon users is that it's different from using other social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. At first, these differences may seem difficult to adapt to. But with the tips covered here, using Mastodon will soon become second nature.","description":"<figure style=\"margin: 0;\"><figcaption style=\"margin-bottom: 10px;\">Listen to the article:</figcaption><audio src=\"/wp-content/uploads/mastodon-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.mp3\" controls=\"controls\"><a href=\"/wp-content/uploads/mastodon-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.mp3\">Download audio</a></audio></figure>\r\nEven though thousands of people join Mastodon every day, the number-one concern of new users is that they can't make the shift over from Twitter entirely because many of the people they follow on Twitter haven't set up a Mastodon account yet. Here, you discover some of the best ways to start meeting and engaging with new people on Mastodon.\r\n\r\nAnother concern of new Mastodon users is that it's different from using other social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. At first, these differences may seem difficult to adapt to. But with the tips covered here, using Mastodon will soon become second nature.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9070,"name":"Chris Minnick","slug":"chris-minnick","description":" <p><b>Chris Minnick</b> is an experienced tech educator and writer. He is the author of <i>JavaScript All-in-One For Dummies</i>. <p><b>Michael McCallister </b>has over twenty years’ experience as a technical writer. He is passionate about simplifying complex tech topics for novices. 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He is the author of <i>JavaScript All-in-One For Dummies</i>. <p><b>Michael McCallister </b>has over twenty years’ experience as a technical writer. He is passionate about simplifying complex tech topics for novices. <p><b>Chris Minnick</b> is an experienced tech educator and writer. He is the author of <i>JavaScript All-in-One For Dummies</i>. <p><b><b data-author-id=\"35252\">Michael McCallister</b> </b>has over twenty years’ experience as a technical writer. He is passionate about simplifying complex tech topics for novices.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":9070,"name":"Chris Minnick","slug":"chris-minnick","description":" <p><b>Chris Minnick</b> is an experienced tech educator and writer. He is the author of <i>JavaScript All-in-One For Dummies</i>. <p><b>Michael McCallister </b>has over twenty years’ experience as a technical writer. He is passionate about simplifying complex tech topics for novices. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9070"}},{"authorId":35252,"name":"Michael McCallister","slug":"michael-mccallister","description":" <p><b>Chris Minnick</b> is an experienced tech educator and writer. He is the author of <i>JavaScript All-in-One For Dummies</i>. <p><b>Michael McCallister </b>has over twenty years’ experience as a technical writer. He is passionate about simplifying complex tech topics for novices. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/35252"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;social-media&quot;,&quot;general-social-media&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781394193363&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63ee4540c228f\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;social-media&quot;,&quot;general-social-media&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781394193363&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63ee4540c34ef\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":0,"title":"","slug":null,"categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/"}}],"content":[{"title":"10 tips for building a following","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Many people use social media as a way to reach other people with their writing, ideas, art, or products. Having more social media followers means that you have a larger potential audience.</p>\n<p>When you join Mastodon, you&#8217;ll have exactly the same number of followers as everyone else did when they first joined: zero! So, how do you get started with increasing that number?</p>\n<p>The easiest way to gain a large number of followers on Mastodon is to have a large number of followers off Mastodon. This is how people like George Takei, of <em>Star Trek</em> fame, have hundreds of thousands of followers in a matter of a week after signing up for Mastodon.</p>\n<p>Assuming that you&#8217;re not a well-known TV/movie actor, here are our best tips for becoming more popular on Mastodon:</p>\n<h3>Import friend lists</h3>\n<p>With thousands of people joining Mastodon every day, you may already know some people who are on Mastodon. Find out who they are and follow them. If they follow you on Twitter, they&#8217;ll likely follow you on Mastodon too.</p>\n<h3>Invite friends</h3>\n<p>Invite people who are interested in what you do when you&#8217;re not on Mastodon. Once you&#8217;ve signed up, encourage your partner, kids, and friends to sign up. Offer to help them get acquainted with how things work, and suggest that you might even follow them back!</p>\n<h3>Show appreciation</h3>\n<p>People share interesting, wise, beautiful, and funny things on Mastodon all the time. Rather than chuckling to yourself as you scroll by, take a moment to let them know that you appreciate what they posted. Ways to show your appreciation include marking their post as a favorite, boosting the post, sending them a direct message, or commenting.</p>\n<h3>Respect the rules</h3>\n<p>The rules of your server, and of the greater Mastodon community, keep it a lively and welcoming place. Know the rules of your server and respect them and you&#8217;ll find that people are eager to engage with content you post and to follow you.</p>\n<h3>Be helpful</h3>\n<p>Answering questions from new Mastodon users or posting about new things you&#8217;ve learned about using Mastodon is always appreciated. Or perhaps you have insights or technical help you can give someone who asks a question about baking, dog training, or automotive repair.</p>\n<p>You may be able to find people in need of your advice by searching for a hashtag related to one of your areas of expertise. Or, you may not need to wait for the question to be asked — plenty of people never even think to ask about the correct way to open a pomegranate, and you might be just the person to tell them!</p>\n<h3>Be yourself</h3>\n<p>As with any situation where you&#8217;re trying to make new friends, the best advice is always to just be yourself. (I&#8217;m sure we can all think of exceptions to the rule.) Look for people with similar interests and follow them, rather than trying to imitate people who have large followings in the hopes that you&#8217;ll be able to reproduce what they&#8217;ve done.</p>\n<h3>Avoid marketing speak</h3>\n<p>Marketing speak is a special language created by corporations to say things that sound important without really saying anything. Comprised of jargon, superlatives, clichés, and excessive words, marketing speak is often more likely to have the opposite of the super-impressive results that you imagined.</p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t say: I have extensive experience in evolving next-generation paradigm shifts for peer-to-peer synergy.</p>\n<p>Do say: I like to meet people.</p>\n<h3>Use hashtags liberally</h3>\n<p>Because Mastodon doesn&#8217;t have keyword search, the best way to find posts related to specific topics is by using hashtags. When you enter a hashtag in a post, Mastodon will tell you how frequently that hashtag is used. If you&#8217;re trying to decide between two hashtags that mean the same thing, choose the more commonly used one or use both to give people a better chance of finding your post.</p>\n<h3>Join into popular hashtags</h3>\n<p>Mastodon gives you several ways to find out which hashtags are trending, including on the Explore page and in the Trending Now widget. Do you see a hashtag related to something you&#8217;re interested in? Add to the discussion! Just don&#8217;t forget to use the hashtag and to spell it correctly.</p>\n<h3>Don&#8217;t worry about it, and have fun</h3>\n<p>Using Mastodon isn&#8217;t just about building an audience. In fact, many people (perhaps, most people) don&#8217;t give any thought to how many followers they or other people have. It&#8217;s not a popularity contest. What makes Mastodon interesting and fun are the conversations you&#8217;ll have with other people.</p>\n"},{"title":"Thinking in Mastodon","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>New users on Mastodon are often disappointed by the seemingly slow pace of their new social media feed. Without the aid of an algorithm designed to keep you engaged, you may find that refreshing your home feed on Mastodon produces only one or two new posts.</p>\n<p>Every time you used to pull down to refresh your Twitter feed, however, you&#8217;d get 25 to 50 new posts to skim.</p>\n<p>You might also find that the same people keep coming up in your feed, and you might not be particularly interested by what they&#8217;re saying. This, too, is a result of the algorithm-free nature of Mastodon.</p>\n<p>The good news is that the speed of your home feed and what shows up there is up to you. To get the most out of Mastodon and to start really enjoying it, you need to shift the way you think about social media. This change isn&#8217;t at all bad, though. In fact, it&#8217;s downright empowering.</p>\n<h3>Follow freely</h3>\n<p>Following someone on other social media sites is somewhat like marriage — you become forever associated with that person thanks to the service&#8217;s algorithms.</p>\n<p>Your Mastodon home feed isn&#8217;t tuned to respond to your previous follows, posts, favorites, or boosts. It simply shows you the things that people you follow post. As a result, if you see a post you really like, you might follow its author so you can see what else they have to say — it&#8217;s as simple as that.</p>\n<h3>Unfollow joyfully</h3>\n<p>If following someone should be done freely, unfollowing someone should be done even more freely. Most people won&#8217;t be upset or even notice if you stop following them on Mastodon. If you follow someone only to find out that they&#8217;re clogging up your feed with posts you&#8217;re not interested in, unfollow them right away!</p>\n<h3>Use mute</h3>\n<p>Mute is a powerful feature of Mastodon that you can use when you want to see what it&#8217;s like to unfollow someone — a trial separation, if you will. When you click the mute icon (three dots), you&#8217;ll have a choice of how long (from 5 minutes to indefinitely) you want to mute posts from the post&#8217;s author. Muting is a great way to see if your home feed feels more homey without that person around.</p>\n<h3>You&#8217;re the curator</h3>\n<p>Think of your home feed as an ever-evolving art gallery. By following, unfollowing, and muting other users&#8217; posts, you can tune your feed and make it fit your changing moods and interests. In fact, part of the fun of using Mastodon is that instead of an algorithm constantly guessing what you might want to see, the person who knows most about what you want to see — namely, you — is in charge.</p>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2023-02-06T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":297062},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2019-10-30T18:19:54+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-11-17T19:17:53+00:00","timestamp":"2022-11-17T21:01:02+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Technology","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33512"},"slug":"technology","categoryId":33512},{"name":"Social Media","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33611"},"slug":"social-media","categoryId":33611},{"name":"Instagram","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33613"},"slug":"instagram","categoryId":33613}],"title":"Instagram For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"instagram for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"instagram-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn what you need to know about Instagram jargon, post size restrictions, and sharing videos, posts, and profile information with others.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Before you start using Instagram, you may want to learn the lingo that Instagrammers use. Instagram doesn’t like accounts that act spammy or over-engage in certain behaviors, so you need to become familiar with a number of restrictions.\r\n\r\nWhen you follow other Instagram profiles, you can share posts, videos, and even entire profiles in a direct message to another Instagram user.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_265464\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"400\"]<img class=\"wp-image-265464 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/instagram-illustration.jpg\" alt=\"Instagram illustration\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" /> ©GingerArt / Shutterstock.com[/caption]","description":"Before you start using Instagram, you may want to learn the lingo that Instagrammers use. Instagram doesn’t like accounts that act spammy or over-engage in certain behaviors, so you need to become familiar with a number of restrictions.\r\n\r\nWhen you follow other Instagram profiles, you can share posts, videos, and even entire profiles in a direct message to another Instagram user.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_265464\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"400\"]<img class=\"wp-image-265464 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/instagram-illustration.jpg\" alt=\"Instagram illustration\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" /> ©GingerArt / Shutterstock.com[/caption]","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":11256,"name":"Jenn Herman","slug":"jennifer-herman","description":"Jenn Herman, a social media consultant and world-renowned Instagram expert, pens a top-rated social media blog, jennstrends.com.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/11256"}},{"authorId":11257,"name":"Corey Walker","slug":"corey-walker","description":" <p><b>Jenn Herman</b>, a social media consultant and world-renowned Instagram expert, pens a top-rated social media blog, Jenn's Trends.</p> <p><b>Corey Walker</b> offers social media strategy, content, ad management, and analytics focused on Instagram and Facebook.</p> <p><b>Eric Butow</b> provides website design, online marketing, and technical documentation services to businesses.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/11257"}},{"authorId":10889,"name":"Eric Butow","slug":"eric-butow","description":" <p><b>Jenn Herman</b>, a social media consultant and world-renowned Instagram expert, pens a top-rated social media blog, Jenn's Trends.</p> <p><b>Corey Walker</b> offers social media strategy, content, ad management, and analytics focused on Instagram and Facebook.</p> <p><b>Eric Butow</b> provides website design, online marketing, and technical documentation services to 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Filters","slug":"how-to-use-instagram-filters","categoryList":["technology","social-media","instagram"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/266633"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":281739,"slug":"instagram-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119931799","categoryList":["technology","social-media","instagram"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119931797/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119931797/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119931797-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119931797/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119931797/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/instagram-for-dummies-2nd-edition-cover-9781119931799-170x255.jpg","width":170,"height":255},"title":"Instagram For Dummies, 2nd Edition","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><b><b data-author-id=\"34954\">Jenn Herman</b></b>, a social media consultant and world-renowned Instagram expert, pens a top-rated social media blog, Jenn's Trends.</p> <p><b>Corey Walker</b> offers social media strategy, content, ad management, and analytics focused on Instagram and Facebook.</p> <p><b>Eric Butow</b> provides website design, online marketing, and technical documentation services to businesses.</p> <p><b>Jenn Herman</b>, a social media consultant and world-renowned Instagram expert, pens a top-rated social media blog, Jenn's Trends.</p> <p><b><b data-author-id=\"11257\">Corey Walker</b></b> offers social media strategy, content, ad management, and analytics focused on Instagram and Facebook.</p> <p><b>Eric Butow</b> provides website design, online marketing, and technical documentation services to businesses.</p> <p><b>Jenn Herman</b>, a social media consultant and world-renowned Instagram expert, pens a top-rated social media blog, Jenn's Trends.</p> <p><b>Corey Walker</b> offers social media strategy, content, ad management, and analytics focused on Instagram and Facebook.</p> <p><b><b data-author-id=\"10889\">Eric Butow</b></b> provides website design, online marketing, and technical documentation services to businesses.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":34954,"name":"Jenn Herman","slug":"jenn-herman","description":" <p><b>Jenn Herman</b>, a social media consultant and world-renowned Instagram expert, pens a top-rated social media blog, Jenn's Trends.</p> <p><b>Corey Walker</b> offers social media strategy, content, ad management, and analytics focused on Instagram and Facebook.</p> <p><b>Eric Butow</b> provides website design, online marketing, and technical documentation services to businesses.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/34954"}},{"authorId":11257,"name":"Corey Walker","slug":"corey-walker","description":" <p><b>Jenn Herman</b>, a social media consultant and world-renowned Instagram expert, pens a top-rated social media blog, Jenn's Trends.</p> <p><b>Corey Walker</b> offers social media strategy, content, ad management, and analytics focused on Instagram and Facebook.</p> <p><b>Eric Butow</b> provides website design, online marketing, and technical documentation services to businesses.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/11257"}},{"authorId":10889,"name":"Eric Butow","slug":"eric-butow","description":" <p><b>Jenn Herman</b>, a social media consultant and world-renowned Instagram expert, pens a top-rated social media blog, Jenn's Trends.</p> <p><b>Corey Walker</b> offers social media strategy, content, ad management, and analytics focused on Instagram and Facebook.</p> <p><b>Eric Butow</b> provides website design, online marketing, and technical documentation services to businesses.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/10889"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;social-media&quot;,&quot;instagram&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119931799&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6376a10ea0d15\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;social-media&quot;,&quot;instagram&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119931799&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6376a10ea1538\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":0,"title":"","slug":null,"categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/"}}],"content":[{"title":"Instagram lingo","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Getting familiar with Instagram is a whole lot easier when you understand the language. A few funny phrases or words may confuse you at first. This list of common Instagram terms will have you sounding like a pro in no time!</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Algorithm</strong>: A computer formula that determines what content you will see on Instagram. It looks at your individual behavior and interaction with content, hashtags, stories, and more to determine the type of content you are most likely to interact with.</li>\n<li><strong>App: </strong>Short for <em>application</em>. The Instagram app is downloaded to a mobile device to provide access.</li>\n<li><strong>Archive: </strong>A feature you can use to hide but not delete an Instagram post. Tap the three-dot button on any of your posts to access the Archive option. Review and revive archived posts by tapping the three-line button on your profile and choosing Archive from the menu options.</li>\n<li><strong>Bio:</strong> The description in your profile that details who you are.</li>\n<li><strong>Boomerang</strong>: A short repeating video that loops back and forth.</li>\n<li><strong>Caption: </strong>The description of the post that appears directly beneath the image or video.</li>\n<li><strong>DM: </strong>Short for <em>direct message,</em> a DM is a private messaging function in Instagram.</li>\n<li><strong>Explore: </strong>The search function on Instagram. You access the Explore tab by tapping the magnifying glass in the bottom navigation toolbar.</li>\n<li><strong>Feed: </strong>The collection of current posts shared by those you follow, designated by the house icon on the bottom navigation panel. It may also be referred to as the <em>home feed.</em></li>\n<li><strong>Filter: </strong>An editing feature that you can apply to your post to enhance features and colors.</li>\n<li><strong>Followers: </strong>The people who follow an Instagram user.</li>\n<li><strong>Following: </strong>The people whom an Instagram user follows.</li>\n<li><strong>Gallery: </strong>The collection of posts on an Instagram user’s profile. Also the tab in the camera feature where images from your phone’s camera roll are located.</li>\n<li><strong>Geo-tag: </strong>A location tag that allows a post to appear on a map that users can search.</li>\n<li><strong>Grid</strong>: A term to describe the feed posts on your profile tab —which are organized in a grid of three posts wide.</li>\n<li><strong>Handle:</strong> An alternative term for <em>username</em>.</li>\n<li><strong>Hashtag: </strong>The # symbol placed in front of a key word or phrase that is used to categorize the post. Hashtags are searchable on Instagram.</li>\n<li><strong>Home: </strong>The screen denoted by the house icon in the bottom navigation pane that shows the posts of everyone you’re following. Also referred to as the</li>\n<li><strong>IG:</strong> Short for Instagram.</li>\n<li><strong>Insights</strong>: Analytics and measurements of your profile and content performance.</li>\n<li><strong>Instagrammers: </strong>Instagram users. A collective term used to refer to people who use Instagram.</li>\n<li><strong>Like:</strong> The measure of appreciation of a post is documented in the number of likes it receives. A like is represented by a heart icon. You can like a post by double-tapping the image or tapping the heart icon below the image.</li>\n<li><strong>Mention: </strong>When an account mentions another account on Instagram, it uses the @ symbol along with the username of the account to hyperlink to that account. This can be done in post captions or comments.</li>\n<li><strong>Newsfeed:</strong> The alternative term for <em>feed</em>.</li>\n<li><strong>Notifications:</strong> When someone interacts with your content or profile, you receive a notification to alert you to that activity. A red pop-up screen appears at the bottom of your Instagram account when you log in, showing how many and what type of notifications you’ve received.</li>\n<li><strong>Organic Reach</strong>: Distribution of your content without paid advertising to increase its exposure.</li>\n<li><strong>Post:</strong> Any visual content uploaded to Instagram.</li>\n<li><strong>Profile:</strong> Your account information, consisting of your name, username, profile photo, bio description, and gallery. You can view the profile of any Instagram account by tapping the account’s profile photo in the feed. You can view your own profile by tapping your own profile photo in the bottom navigation toolbar.</li>\n<li><strong>Reels</strong>: Reels is a content format that allows you to create and share short engaging videos that are between 15 and 90 seconds long. They are created by swiping right from the home feed screen or by tapping on your image with the + symbol in the top banner of the home feed. Reels can be watched in the newsfeed, or Instagram’sown separate Reels feed.</li>\n<li><strong>Stories:</strong> Short-form content (photos or videos) that remains on a user’s profile for only 24 hours. The content is uploaded via the story platform (swipe right from the home feed screen) or by tapping on your image with the + symbol in the top banner of the home feed. Your current stories and the stories created by those you follow appear in circles across the top banner of the home feed.</li>\n<li><strong>Tag: </strong>A tag on Instagram includes the tagged account’s username on the original post. An account should be tagged only if it’s included in the post content, such as a person in the image, a location where the photo was taken, or a product from a brand shown in the photo. When uploading a post to Instagram, you can tag another user in the post by choosing the Tag People option and selecting the account to tag. A post that includes tagged accounts will include a notification on your post that accounts are referenced; tapping the photo will display the tagged accounts. The tagged accounts will also receive a notification.</li>\n<li><strong>Username</strong>: The name an account uses on Instagram to define its profile address. The Instagram URL for any user is www.instagram.com/username. All comments, engagement, and profile interactions are documented as being conducted by the account’s username (not the name or other profile component). The username is generated with an @ symbol in front when typing the person’s username on Instagram.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Know your limits on Instagram","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>For all the fun you can have on Instagram, you need to be aware of a number of restrictions. Instagram doesn’t approve of accounts that act spammy or that over-engage in certain behaviors that appear to have motives other than natural interactions.</p>\n<p>You have good intentions, of course, but many people out there don’t. Those people who use automated software to rapidly follow other accounts, comment on posts, or like other account posts are violating Instagram’s terms of use.</p>\n<p>The limits outlined here are meant to help reduce that automated activity and ensure more authentic engagement from users on Instagram.</p>\n<p>Following is a list of the most common and current restrictions on Instagram:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Number of characters you can use in a username:</strong> 30</li>\n<li><strong>Number of characters you can use in your bio:</strong> 150</li>\n<li><strong>Number of characters you can use in a caption:</strong> 2,200</li>\n<li><strong>Number of accounts you can follow:</strong> 7,500</li>\n<li><strong>Number of accounts that can follow you: </strong>Unlimited</li>\n<li><strong>Number of posts you can like per hour:</strong> 350</li>\n<li><strong>Number of posts you can share:</strong> Unlimited</li>\n<li><strong>Number of recent likes that you can view:</strong> 300</li>\n<li><strong>Number of notifications that can appear in the activity log of the notifications tab: </strong>100</li>\n<li><strong>Number of hashtags you can include per post:</strong> 30</li>\n<li><strong>Number of people you can tag in a post:</strong> 20</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Image and video sizes on Instagram","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>When using Instagram, you want to make sure to use the appropriate image or video size. Nothing looks worse than a photo that’s cut off on one side or pixelated. Read on for the current recommended image sizes for Instagram.</p>\n<h3>Instagram profile picture size</h3>\n<p>Remember that your profile picture will be placed in a circle when displayed. You may need to crop the image if it’s rectangular.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Minimum size:</strong> 110 x 110 pixels</li>\n<li><strong>Recommended size:</strong> 360 x 360 pixels</li>\n<li><strong>Image format:</strong> JPG or PNG</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Instagram newsfeed</h3>\n<p><strong>Single image or carousel:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Recommended size:</strong> 1,080 x 1,080 pixels (square), 1,080 x 566 pixels (landscape), or 1,080 x 1,350 pixels (portrait)</li>\n<li><strong>Image format: </strong>JPG or PNG</li>\n<li><strong>Maximum file size:</strong> 30 MB</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Video</strong>:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Recommended size:</strong> 1,080 x 1,080 pixels (square) or 1,080 x 1,350 pixels (landscape)</li>\n<li><strong>Aspect ratio:</strong> 1:1 (square) or 1.9:1 (rectangle) or 9:16 (vertical)</li>\n<li><strong>Minimum resolution:</strong> 600 x 600 pixels</li>\n<li><strong>Maximum resolution:</strong> 1,080 x 1,080 pixels</li>\n<li><strong>Minimum length:</strong> 3 seconds</li>\n<li><strong>Maximum length:</strong> 60 minutes</li>\n<li><strong>File type:</strong> MP4, MOV, or GIF</li>\n<li><strong>Maximum file size:</strong> 3.6 GB</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Instagram stories</h2>\n<p><strong>Single image size and specifications</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Recommended size:</strong> 1,080 x 1,920 pixels</li>\n<li><strong>Aspect ratio:</strong> 9:16</li>\n<li><strong>Image format:</strong> JPG or PNG</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Video</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Recommended size:</strong> 1,080 x 1,920 pixels</li>\n<li><strong>Aspect ratio:</strong> 9:16</li>\n<li><strong>Minimum resolution:</strong> 720 x 1,280 pixels</li>\n<li><strong>Minimum length:</strong> 3 seconds</li>\n<li><strong>Maximum length:</strong> 15 seconds</li>\n<li><strong>File type:</strong> MP4, MOV, or GIF</li>\n<li><strong>Maximum file size:</strong> 4 GB</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Instagram Reels</h3>\n<p><strong>Video:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Recommended size</strong>: 1,080 x 1,920 pixels</li>\n<li><strong>Aspect ratio</strong>: 9:16</li>\n<li><strong>Minimum resolution</strong>: 720 x 1,280 pixels</li>\n<li><strong>Minimum length</strong>: 3 seconds</li>\n<li><strong>Maximum length</strong>: 90 seconds</li>\n<li><strong>File type</strong>: MP4 or MOV</li>\n<li><strong>Maximum file size</strong>: 4GB</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"How to share Instagram posts and profiles directly","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>As you follow the Instagram feeds of your friends and family (you are, aren’t you?), you can share a post from a feed in a private, direct message with someone else in your life (say, your sibling), along with your own note. Or, if you think a friend should start following another Instagram user, you can send a link to that user’s profile in a direct message to your friend.</p>\n<h3>How to share a video or other post on Instagram</h3>\n<p>When you find a video or other post you like and want to share, do the following:</p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Below the photo or video, tap the Direct Message (DM) icon directly below the post, next to the heart and comment bubble icons.<br />\n</strong>The icon looks like a paper airplane.</li>\n<li><strong>In the row of contacts in the Send To box, swipe up and down.</strong></li>\n<li><strong>Tap the profile photos of your recipient(s) on iOS devices or tap the Send button on Android devices.\n<p></strong>On Android devices, if you want to include a message with your shared post, you must add that message in the Write a Message box before selecting a person to send the post to.</p>\n<p>As you tap on an iOS device, a check mark replaces the profile photo.</p>\n<p>If you need to search for a recipient, tap or click the Search icon and type the username or the name of the recipient in the Search box. The usernames that match your search terms appear below the Search box. Tap the username when you see it below the Search box.</p>\n<p>The selected name has a check mark to the right of the profile photo and the cursor in the Write a Message box.</li>\n<li><strong>If necessary, tap or click in the Write a Message box.</strong></li>\n<li><strong>Type your message, and then tap Send or, if you&#8217;re sending to multiple people, tap Send Separately.</strong>\n<p>The Sent notification appears at the top of the screen for a few seconds. The recipients receive a notification that they have a new direct message.</p>\n<p>The message that your recipients see on the Instagram Direct screen contains the post photo, any comment from the poster, and any message you included.</li>\n</ol>\n<h3>How to share profile information on instagram</h3>\n<p>It’s also easy to share profile information directly with one or more recipients so they can decide if they want to follow that user. Here’s how:</p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>In the feed screen, tap the username directly above the photo or video.</strong></li>\n<li><strong>On the user’s profile page, tap the menu icon (three dots) in the upper-right corner of the screen.</strong></li>\n<li><strong>Tap or click Share This Profile (iOS or Windows) or Send Profile as Message (Android).</strong></li>\n<li><strong>Follow Step 3 in the preceding list.</strong></li>\n<li><strong>Return to the feed screen by tapping the Home icon in the lower-left corner of the screen.<br />\n</strong><br />\nThe message that your recipients see contains the person’s name, profile username, and photo, as well as the six most recent photos or videos in the profile. Any message you sent with the profile link appears below the profile message. The recipient can view the profile on the screen by tapping or clicking the message.</li>\n</ol>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-11-17T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":265461},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2018-02-13T08:53:17+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-11-14T19:55:48+00:00","timestamp":"2022-11-14T21:01:03+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Technology","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33512"},"slug":"technology","categoryId":33512},{"name":"Social Media","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33611"},"slug":"social-media","categoryId":33611},{"name":"Instagram","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33613"},"slug":"instagram","categoryId":33613}],"title":"How to Find Your Contacts on Instagram","strippedTitle":"how to find your contacts on instagram","slug":"find-contacts-instagram","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Instagram makes it easy to follow your existing Facebook friends. This step-by-step guide provides screenshots and details and how to do it.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"<figure style=\"margin: 0;\"><figcaption style=\"margin-bottom: 10px;\">Listen to the article:</figcaption><audio src=\"/wp-content/uploads/how-to-find-your-contacts-on-instagram.mp3\" controls=\"controls\"><a href=\"/wp-content/uploads/how-to-find-your-contacts-on-instagram.mp3\">Download audio</a></audio></figure>\r\n\r\n\r\nIf you're new to <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/social-media/instagram-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram</a>, you may be wondering where to start. Instagram (and its daddy, Facebook) is happy to help you make connections. You can find people in a few different ways.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Finding your Facebook friends</h2>\r\nFacebook has a vested interest in making Instagram grow, so it tries to encourage you to round up your Facebook friends and bring them over to Instagram. It’s an easy way for you to find people.\r\n\r\nTo find friends on Facebook, follow these steps:\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Go to your Instagram profile page by tapping your photo at the bottom right of your phone’s screen.</li>\r\n \t<li>Tap the person with a plus (and possibly a red number) at the top left.</li>\r\n \t<li>Tap the Facebook link at the top of your screen.</li>\r\n \t<li>Confirm your Facebook login by tapping OK.The screen displays how many Facebook friends you have on Instagram.</li>\r\n \t<li>Tap either Follow All or Follow.To follow every one of your Facebook friends on Instagram, tap Follow All. If you’d rather be more selective, especially because you'll likely be promoting your product or service, you may want to follow friends one by one. Simply tap Follow next to each friend you’d like to connect with, and keep scrolling and following!</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_250035\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"254\"]<img class=\"wp-image-250035 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/instagram-for-business-facebook-friends.jpg\" alt=\"find Facebook friends Instagram\" width=\"254\" height=\"450\" /> Instagram displays all Facebook friends who are available to follow on Instagram.[/caption]\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Some of your friends may have set their accounts to private. In this case, you see Requested after you tap Follow. They need to approve you before you can view their profile and posts.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Syncing your contact list</h2>\r\nInstagram can also connect you with the contacts stored on your phone or tablet. After you activate this feature, your contacts are periodically synced with Instagram’s servers. Instagram does not follow anyone on your behalf, and you can disconnect your contacts at any time so that Instagram cannot access them.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">This feature may be best as a one-and-done in the beginning versus a constant connection for privacy purposes.</p>\r\nTo connect your contacts, follow these steps:\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Go to your Instagram profile page by tapping your photo at the bottom right of your phone’s screen.</li>\r\n \t<li>Tap the small person with a plus (and possibly a red number) at the top left.</li>\r\n \t<li>Tap the Contacts link.The next screen tells you that Instagram will find people you know, and you're given the option to follow them.</li>\r\n \t<li>To proceed, tap Connect Contacts.Another pop-up asks whether Instagram can access your contacts.</li>\r\n \t<li>Tap Allow Access.</li>\r\n \t<li>A pop-up appears asking you to allow Instagram access to your Contacts. This is your last chance to cancel your decision to allow Instagram to access your contacts.</li>\r\n \t<li>Tap OK.The pop-up goes away, and the Contacts screen appears.</li>\r\n \t<li>Follow all your contacts on Instagram by tapping Follow All, or choose which contacts to follow by tapping Follow next to each one.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_250034\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"254\"]<img class=\"wp-image-250034 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/instagram-for-business-contacts.jpg\" alt=\"instagram contacts\" width=\"254\" height=\"450\" /> Instagram can pull contacts from your phone’s saved contacts for you to select to follow.[/caption]\r\n\r\nIf you change your mind at some point and want to disallow Instagram’s access to your contacts, tap the wheel icon on your profile page, scroll down to Settings, and then tap Contacts. Tap the Connect Contacts toggle to return it to white, which terminates Instagram’s access.","description":"<figure style=\"margin: 0;\"><figcaption style=\"margin-bottom: 10px;\">Listen to the article:</figcaption><audio src=\"/wp-content/uploads/how-to-find-your-contacts-on-instagram.mp3\" controls=\"controls\"><a href=\"/wp-content/uploads/how-to-find-your-contacts-on-instagram.mp3\">Download audio</a></audio></figure>\r\n\r\n\r\nIf you're new to <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/social-media/instagram-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram</a>, you may be wondering where to start. Instagram (and its daddy, Facebook) is happy to help you make connections. You can find people in a few different ways.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Finding your Facebook friends</h2>\r\nFacebook has a vested interest in making Instagram grow, so it tries to encourage you to round up your Facebook friends and bring them over to Instagram. It’s an easy way for you to find people.\r\n\r\nTo find friends on Facebook, follow these steps:\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Go to your Instagram profile page by tapping your photo at the bottom right of your phone’s screen.</li>\r\n \t<li>Tap the person with a plus (and possibly a red number) at the top left.</li>\r\n \t<li>Tap the Facebook link at the top of your screen.</li>\r\n \t<li>Confirm your Facebook login by tapping OK.The screen displays how many Facebook friends you have on Instagram.</li>\r\n \t<li>Tap either Follow All or Follow.To follow every one of your Facebook friends on Instagram, tap Follow All. If you’d rather be more selective, especially because you'll likely be promoting your product or service, you may want to follow friends one by one. Simply tap Follow next to each friend you’d like to connect with, and keep scrolling and following!</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_250035\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"254\"]<img class=\"wp-image-250035 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/instagram-for-business-facebook-friends.jpg\" alt=\"find Facebook friends Instagram\" width=\"254\" height=\"450\" /> Instagram displays all Facebook friends who are available to follow on Instagram.[/caption]\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Some of your friends may have set their accounts to private. In this case, you see Requested after you tap Follow. They need to approve you before you can view their profile and posts.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Syncing your contact list</h2>\r\nInstagram can also connect you with the contacts stored on your phone or tablet. After you activate this feature, your contacts are periodically synced with Instagram’s servers. Instagram does not follow anyone on your behalf, and you can disconnect your contacts at any time so that Instagram cannot access them.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">This feature may be best as a one-and-done in the beginning versus a constant connection for privacy purposes.</p>\r\nTo connect your contacts, follow these steps:\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Go to your Instagram profile page by tapping your photo at the bottom right of your phone’s screen.</li>\r\n \t<li>Tap the small person with a plus (and possibly a red number) at the top left.</li>\r\n \t<li>Tap the Contacts link.The next screen tells you that Instagram will find people you know, and you're given the option to follow them.</li>\r\n \t<li>To proceed, tap Connect Contacts.Another pop-up asks whether Instagram can access your contacts.</li>\r\n \t<li>Tap Allow Access.</li>\r\n \t<li>A pop-up appears asking you to allow Instagram access to your Contacts. This is your last chance to cancel your decision to allow Instagram to access your contacts.</li>\r\n \t<li>Tap OK.The pop-up goes away, and the Contacts screen appears.</li>\r\n \t<li>Follow all your contacts on Instagram by tapping Follow All, or choose which contacts to follow by tapping Follow next to each one.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_250034\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"254\"]<img class=\"wp-image-250034 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/instagram-for-business-contacts.jpg\" alt=\"instagram contacts\" width=\"254\" height=\"450\" /> Instagram can pull contacts from your phone’s saved contacts for you to select to follow.[/caption]\r\n\r\nIf you change your mind at some point and want to disallow Instagram’s access to your contacts, tap the wheel icon on your profile page, scroll down to Settings, and then tap Contacts. Tap the Connect Contacts toggle to return it to white, which terminates Instagram’s access.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":11256,"name":"Jenn Herman","slug":"jennifer-herman","description":"Jenn Herman, a social media consultant and world-renowned Instagram expert, pens a top-rated social media blog, jennstrends.com.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/11256"}},{"authorId":10889,"name":"Eric Butow","slug":"eric-butow","description":" <p><b>Jenn Herman</b>, a social media consultant and world-renowned Instagram expert, pens a top-rated social media blog, Jenn's Trends.</p> <p><b>Corey Walker</b> offers social media strategy, content, ad management, and analytics focused on Instagram and Facebook.</p> <p><b>Eric Butow</b> provides website design, online marketing, and technical documentation services to businesses.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/10889"}},{"authorId":11257,"name":"Corey Walker","slug":"corey-walker","description":" <p><b>Jenn Herman</b>, a social media consultant and world-renowned Instagram expert, pens a top-rated social media blog, Jenn's Trends.</p> <p><b>Corey Walker</b> offers social media strategy, content, ad management, and analytics focused on Instagram and Facebook.</p> <p><b>Eric Butow</b> provides website design, online marketing, and technical documentation services to businesses.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/11257"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33613,"title":"Instagram","slug":"instagram","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33613"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34243,"title":"Marketing","slug":"marketing","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34243"}},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Finding your Facebook friends","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Syncing your contact list","target":"#tab2"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":285507,"title":"How IGTV Works","slug":"how-igtv-works","categoryList":["technology","social-media","instagram"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/285507"}},{"articleId":285484,"title":"How to Use Instagram's Help","slug":"how-to-use-instagrams-help","categoryList":["technology","social-media","instagram"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/285484"}},{"articleId":266651,"title":"How to Send a Direct Message on Instagram","slug":"how-to-send-a-direct-message-on-instagram","categoryList":["technology","social-media","instagram"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/266651"}},{"articleId":266643,"title":"How to Make Instagram Video Edits","slug":"how-to-make-instagram-video-edits","categoryList":["technology","social-media","instagram"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/266643"}},{"articleId":266633,"title":"How to Use Instagram Filters","slug":"how-to-use-instagram-filters","categoryList":["technology","social-media","instagram"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/266633"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":0,"slug":null,"isbn":null,"categoryList":null,"amazon":null,"image":null,"title":null,"testBankPinActivationLink":null,"bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":null,"authors":null,"_links":null},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;social-media&quot;,&quot;instagram&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6372ac8f4741e\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;social-media&quot;,&quot;instagram&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6372ac8f47cfc\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"One year","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2021-09-08T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":250033},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T14:17:46+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-11-04T16:02:39+00:00","timestamp":"2022-11-04T18:01:02+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Technology","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33512"},"slug":"technology","categoryId":33512},{"name":"Social Media","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33611"},"slug":"social-media","categoryId":33611},{"name":"Facebook","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33612"},"slug":"facebook","categoryId":33612}],"title":"How to Search on Facebook for a Specific Person","strippedTitle":"how to search on facebook for a specific person","slug":"how-to-search-for-a-specific-person-on-facebook","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn how to find a specific person in Facebook by using its search function and two different methods for searching.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"<figure style=\"margin: 0;\"><figcaption style=\"margin-bottom: 10px;\">Listen to the article:</figcaption><audio src=\"/wp-content/uploads/how-to-search-on-facebook-for-a-specific-person.mp3\" controls=\"controls\"><a href=\"/wp-content/uploads/how-to-search-on-facebook-for-a-specific-person.mp3\">Download audio</a></audio></figure>\r\n\r\n\r\nThe search box at the top of Facebook's site allows you to search for a specific person by name. You can use it to <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/article/technology/social-media/facebook/how-to-find-people-you-know-on-facebook-218751/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">find people</a> you're already friends with and you just want to go to their timelines, or to find people you aren’t friends with yet.\r\n\r\nBut basic search can be a little confusing because Facebook auto-completes the names that you type and assumes you’re trying to get to your friends’ timelines. If you’re the type of person who is used to pressing the Enter key to begin a search, this can send you to friends’ timelines when you meant to search for someone <i>else</i> named James, for example.\r\n\r\nRead on to learn better strategies for finding people on Facebook.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">You can also use the search box at the top of the site to find posts, pages, groups, events, and even things your friends have liked.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Two basic ways to use Search in Facebook</h2>\r\nYou’ll wind up using search two basic ways. The first way is if the name of the person you’re looking for (or at least someone with the same name) appears in the auto-complete menu. You can accomplish that sort of search following these steps:\r\n<ol class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Begin typing the name you're looking for in the search box.</p>\r\n<p class=\"child-para\">Pay attention to the people who appear in the autocomplete menu. Facebook displays first your friends and then friends of friends. There’s a good chance that you may find the person you’re looking for in this menu.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">If you see the name in the autocomplete menu, use your mouse or arrow keys to highlight the person you're looking for.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Click the name or press Enter.</p>\r\n<p class=\"child-para\">This brings you to the person's timeline, where you can verify that you know the person and add them as a friend.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<strong>Use \"See More\" for a further search</strong>\r\n<ol class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Type the person's full name in the search box.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Click See More at the bottom of the search menu.</p>\r\n<p class=\"child-para\">The search menu expands to reveal new options for search. So, if you type Jane Smith and then click See More, you can now either search People Named Jane Smith, Pages Named Jane Smith, or Places Named Jane Smith.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Click the People Named <i><friend’s name></i> option.</p>\r\n<p class=\"child-para\">A blue friend icon is next to this option. A search results page appears with larger previews of people’s profile pictures and timeline info. The right side of the page also has options for narrowing your search using fields such as Gender, Employer, Current City, and so on.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Use the fields on the right side of the page to zero in on your actual friend.</p>\r\n<p class=\"child-para\">This might be information like where your friend works or where they're from.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">When you find the person you’re looking for, add them as a friend.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ol>","description":"<figure style=\"margin: 0;\"><figcaption style=\"margin-bottom: 10px;\">Listen to the article:</figcaption><audio src=\"/wp-content/uploads/how-to-search-on-facebook-for-a-specific-person.mp3\" controls=\"controls\"><a href=\"/wp-content/uploads/how-to-search-on-facebook-for-a-specific-person.mp3\">Download audio</a></audio></figure>\r\n\r\n\r\nThe search box at the top of Facebook's site allows you to search for a specific person by name. You can use it to <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/article/technology/social-media/facebook/how-to-find-people-you-know-on-facebook-218751/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">find people</a> you're already friends with and you just want to go to their timelines, or to find people you aren’t friends with yet.\r\n\r\nBut basic search can be a little confusing because Facebook auto-completes the names that you type and assumes you’re trying to get to your friends’ timelines. If you’re the type of person who is used to pressing the Enter key to begin a search, this can send you to friends’ timelines when you meant to search for someone <i>else</i> named James, for example.\r\n\r\nRead on to learn better strategies for finding people on Facebook.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">You can also use the search box at the top of the site to find posts, pages, groups, events, and even things your friends have liked.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Two basic ways to use Search in Facebook</h2>\r\nYou’ll wind up using search two basic ways. The first way is if the name of the person you’re looking for (or at least someone with the same name) appears in the auto-complete menu. You can accomplish that sort of search following these steps:\r\n<ol class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Begin typing the name you're looking for in the search box.</p>\r\n<p class=\"child-para\">Pay attention to the people who appear in the autocomplete menu. Facebook displays first your friends and then friends of friends. There’s a good chance that you may find the person you’re looking for in this menu.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">If you see the name in the autocomplete menu, use your mouse or arrow keys to highlight the person you're looking for.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Click the name or press Enter.</p>\r\n<p class=\"child-para\">This brings you to the person's timeline, where you can verify that you know the person and add them as a friend.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<strong>Use \"See More\" for a further search</strong>\r\n<ol class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Type the person's full name in the search box.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Click See More at the bottom of the search menu.</p>\r\n<p class=\"child-para\">The search menu expands to reveal new options for search. So, if you type Jane Smith and then click See More, you can now either search People Named Jane Smith, Pages Named Jane Smith, or Places Named Jane Smith.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Click the People Named <i><friend’s name></i> option.</p>\r\n<p class=\"child-para\">A blue friend icon is next to this option. A search results page appears with larger previews of people’s profile pictures and timeline info. The right side of the page also has options for narrowing your search using fields such as Gender, Employer, Current City, and so on.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Use the fields on the right side of the page to zero in on your actual friend.</p>\r\n<p class=\"child-para\">This might be information like where your friend works or where they're from.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">When you find the person you’re looking for, add them as a friend.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ol>","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9134,"name":"Carolyn Abram","slug":"carolyn-abram","description":" <p><b>Carolyn Abram</b> was a Facebook employee when the site was young. Her work explaining how to use Facebook began then and has continued ever since. She is also a fiction writer.</P> <P><b>Amy Karasavas</b> is a former Facebook employee who helped launch app directories, developers&#8217; resources, and user testing tools. She currently works as a sommelier.</p> ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9134"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33612,"title":"Facebook","slug":"facebook","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33612"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Two basic ways to use Search in Facebook","target":"#tab1"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":252587,"title":"How to View Tagged Photos and Videos of Yourself on Facebook","slug":"view-tagged-photos-videos-facebook","categoryList":["technology","social-media","facebook"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/252587"}},{"articleId":252584,"title":"Safety Tips for Buying and Selling on Facebook","slug":"safety-tips-buying-selling-facebook","categoryList":["technology","social-media","facebook"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/252584"}},{"articleId":252581,"title":"How to Use Facebook Marketplace on Your Phone","slug":"use-facebook-marketplace-phone","categoryList":["technology","social-media","facebook"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/252581"}},{"articleId":252576,"title":"Fundraising for Causes on Facebook","slug":"fundraising-causes-facebook","categoryList":["technology","social-media","facebook"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/252576"}},{"articleId":252572,"title":"How to Create a Fundraiser on Facebook","slug":"create-fundraiser-facebook","categoryList":["technology","social-media","facebook"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/252572"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":254611,"title":"Reviewing Facebook’s Local Report to Learn about Activity Nearby","slug":"reviewing-facebooks-local-report-learn-activity-nearby","categoryList":["technology","social-media","facebook"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/254611"}},{"articleId":254606,"title":"Gain Insight about Your Facebook Followers with the Followers Report","slug":"gain-insight-facebook-followers-followers-report","categoryList":["technology","social-media","facebook"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/254606"}},{"articleId":254601,"title":"How to Set Up Facebook Live","slug":"set-facebook-live","categoryList":["technology","social-media","facebook"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/254601"}},{"articleId":254598,"title":"Advertising Options with Facebook Messenger","slug":"advertising-options-facebook-messenger","categoryList":["technology","social-media","facebook"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/254598"}},{"articleId":254589,"title":"How to Use Facebook Messenger Chatbots","slug":"use-facebook-messenger-chatbots","categoryList":["technology","social-media","facebook"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/254589"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":281718,"slug":"facebook-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119782100","categoryList":["technology","social-media","facebook"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119782104/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119782104/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119782104-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119782104/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119782104/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/facebook-for-dummies-8e-cover-9781119782100-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Facebook For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><b><b data-author-id=\"9134\">Carolyn Abram</b></b> was a Facebook employee when the site was young. Her work explaining how to use Facebook began then and has continued ever since. She is also a fiction writer.</P> <P><b>Amy Karasavas</b> is a former Facebook employee who helped launch app directories, developers&#8217; resources, and user testing tools. She currently works as a sommelier.</p> <p><b>Carolyn Abram</b> was a Facebook employee when the site was young. Her work explaining how to use Facebook began then and has continued ever since. She is also a fiction writer.</P> <P><b><b data-author-id=\"11300\">Amy Karasavas</b></b> is a former Facebook employee who helped launch app directories, developers&#8217; resources, and user testing tools. She currently works as a sommelier.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":9134,"name":"Carolyn Abram","slug":"carolyn-abram","description":" <p><b>Carolyn Abram</b> was a Facebook employee when the site was young. Her work explaining how to use Facebook began then and has continued ever since. She is also a fiction writer.</P> <P><b>Amy Karasavas</b> is a former Facebook employee who helped launch app directories, developers&#8217; resources, and user testing tools. She currently works as a sommelier.</p> ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9134"}},{"authorId":11300,"name":"Amy Karasavas","slug":"amy-karasavas","description":" <p><b>Carolyn Abram</b> was a Facebook employee when the site was young. Her work explaining how to use Facebook began then and has continued ever since. She is also a fiction writer.</P> <P><b>Amy Karasavas</b> is a former Facebook employee who helped launch app directories, developers&#8217; resources, and user testing tools. She currently works as a sommelier.</p> ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/11300"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;technology&quot;,&quot;social-media&quot;,&quot;facebook&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119782100&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6365535eea6a7\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = 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TikTok How To Go Viral On TikTok

Article / Updated 02-17-2023

Knowing a little about the TikTok algorithm can help you better understand what makes a video go viral. An algorithm is a calculation that search engines and social media platforms use to rank content — in the case of TikTok, to rank videos and customize "For You" page results. The algorithm is basically the “secret sauce” of how TikTok decides what videos to show each user. If you understand the basics of TikTok’s algorithm, you can understand how to create content that shows up more often on the For You pages of people who don’t follow you. Knowing this secret sauce gives you the ability to gain more followers and views. A disclaimer: The actual TikTok algorithm — the inner workings of how TikTok surfaces content on the For You page — is a secret. It also changes frequently, and what might work today may not work tomorrow, so test your content often. That said, I and other creators have discovered basic principles that seem to result in more followers and views. The tips I share here are based on what I’ve found to be effective. Here are a few principles to remember as you create videos. These could help make your videos more likely to show up on the For You page: Focus on engagement first. Remember, on TikTok, content is king, but engagement is queen and wears the pants. Focus on engagement first. A video that moves its audience to take action — like, comment, duet, or stitch — will see far greater views and new followers than a well-produced video that took hours to create. I have almost 15 years’ experience creating content for social media — trust me, this is true!You want your audience to feel something quickly — within the first five seconds of your video, if you can manage it. They hear a voice saying, “I just have to say something!” and then leave a comment, create a stitch, or duet your video. Success!TikTok and most social media platforms favor lots of engagement on videos, especially when users are willing to take the time to have a conversation. This is why even controversial content tends to see more views. Make your content king. A well-produced, well-lit video with good sound and good editing gains some level of favor in the TikTok algorithm. Find out what's trending. You probably discovered TikTok because someone close to you — a child, niece, nephew, or friend — shared a funny video. These days, a lot of Internet trends begin on TikTok. Much of TikTok culture centers around one large, connected community, all talking about the same things. The TikTok algorithm highly favors content that remains a part of this “town gossip.” Want to double your video views? Find a popular TikTok influencer who’s participating in a popular trend, and duet or stitch that person's content with your own twist on the conversation. Even if the creator doesn’t notice you, TikTok’s algorithm tends to favor videos that duet or stitch the videos of popular creators. When I do this in my videos, such as the one in Figure 8-1, I always see significantly more views, especially when I’m creative with my response. Attention spans are short! Focus your content. Although engagement trumps content and length, TikTok’s For You page algorithm tends to favor content that is short. People on TikTok have short attention spans.In addition, TikTok favors videos where most of the viewers watch the entire video. Unless I'm doing something to engage my audience, such as a duet or stitch, I keep my content shorter than 15 seconds. This makes it more likely that my viewers will watch the entire video, giving an added bump to the video's chances of being seen on the For You page of potential followers.Because TikTok gives a boost to videos that get more viewers to watch to the end, consider splitting a long video into segments. Make sure each segment starts with a new hook to keep the viewer interested. Watch your numbers! TikTok is constantly changing, and what works for me and other accounts on TikTok today might work differently for you later. See Chapters 7 and 11 for more about which numbers to track (likes, followers, and so on). Time your messages carefully. When you post a video, TikTok looks at the video's content, description, hashtags, sounds, and other details, and determines its ideal audience. First TikTok shares the video with a small, targeted audience. If they respond well, it increases the audience — and continues to do so as long as viewers react favorably. However, TikTok’s algorithm needs time to get your video to that full audience.If you post a new video targeting the same audience as the last-published video too quickly, it confuses the algorithm. Your original video will not be able to make it to as many people as it could have. I’ve found no established guidelines on how soon is too soon to post, but pay attention to this issue as you publish videos and see what works best. Consistency is your key to the kingdom. If you haven’t done so already, think about what you want your TikTok account to be about. What goals do you want to accomplish with it? What topics do you want to focus on? Who’s your target audience? Take some time to answer those questions.Next, make sure every video you create matches the answers to those questions. If you keep all your content consistent, TikTok knows immediately what audiences to send your content to, and you’re more likely to see higher growth more quickly. Maintaining consistency is keeping a promise to your audience: They come to you looking for specific content, and you deliver it.

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TikTok How To Make a TikTok Video

Article / Updated 02-17-2023

Creating TikTok videos is easy. Maybe you already created a video when TikTok prompted you to try after you set up your account. There are many things you can do with TikTok, like adding sounds and music, photos and other videos, but for this article, here are the basics: Tap the plus (+) icon. The plus icon appears at the bottom of the screen after you log in. If this is your first time using the app or opening the recording screen, give the app permission to access your camera, audio, and photo library. Look over the recording page, which is shown below. The recording page is what I call a “movie studio in your pocket. For now, become familiar with the following elements: The big red record button near the bottom The Effects icon, to the left of the red record button The 60s (60-second) and 15s (15-second) video length options at the bottom of the screen Select your video length. Tap 60s for anything greater than 15 seconds (to a maximum of 60 seconds), or leave this option at the default 15s for videos up to 15 seconds. (Optional) Choose an effect. Effects are optional, but I wanted to include a description to show you how fun TikTok can be: (a) Tap Effects to the left of the red record button and browse through the effects, as shown below. TikTok, similar to apps such as Snapchat, usually provides instructions on how to use the effect. (b) Tap an effect you like and try it out by following the instructions on the screen. Select another effect if you don’t like that one. Feel free to scroll through and try them all. (c) Tap anywhere outside the Effects dialog to return to the recording screen. Or tap the circle with a line in the upper left of the Effects dialog if you decide you don’t want to use any effects. The effect begins when you start recording, as discussed in Step 6. Place what you want to record inside the frame. Choose what you want to record, and place that person or thing inside the camera frame. Note that you can tap the Flip icon or double-tap anywhere on the screen to flip the camera view. Tap the red record button. If you tap the button once, TikTok will record automatically until you either tap the button briefly again or your 15-second or 60-second time is up. You can also long-press (press and hold down) the record button, and the TikTok app will record for as long as you hold down that button or your time is up. Long-pressing the record button can be useful for — wait for it (you’re about to be smarter than 80 percent of TikTok users) — zooming! To try it, long-press the record button and, with your finger still down, slide the button up to zoom in and down to zoom out. Boom! Instant zoom as you’re recording. When you release the button, TikTok stops recording. If you finish filming before reaching the time limit (15 or 60 seconds) click the red check mark in the bottom-right corner. When you finish recording your video, the page shown below appears — either automatically or after you tap the check mark. (Optional) Add sounds or additional effects. Then tap Next. You can choose sounds and other effects to add to your video. Add a description and configure sharing options. On the next page, shown in the image below, add a description about your video (150 characters or less). I usually tap the #Hashtags button and select a popular hashtag or two to add to the video. (If you used an effect in your video, TikTok may automatically add a hashtag for that effect in the description; you can keep it or delete it.)I also suggest turning on the "Allow Duet" and "Allow Stitch" options to allow others to share your video. Just tap each slider and it will move to the on position and turn green. To post your video, tap the "Post" button. If this is your first time posting a video, you're asked to verify that it’s okay to publish the video publicly. If you want your creation to be seen by the world, tap "Post Now." If you would rather it remain private, select "Me Only" under "Who Can Watch This Video." The For You page will appear, with the video you just created uploading in the upper-left corner, along with videos from other recommended video creators, which TikTok selects for you, if you’re not following anyone yet. When the video has finished uploading, it will play automatically on the For You or Following page as long as you keep the app open, repeating itself over and over unless you tap the screen to pause. Congratulations! You just created your first TikTok video.

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TikTok Getting To Know TikTok Jargon and Culture

Article / Updated 02-17-2023

Like others in my generation — the brief generation known as xennials, for those born on the cusp between Gen X (born in the 1960s and 1970s) and the millennials (born in the 1980s or 1990s) — I've become adept at adapting to ever-changing tech cultures and jargon. After all, we invented the familiar LOLs and BRBs of AOL Instant Messenger, along with social media emojis and other forms of shortened communication styles. Now my kids, who are in Gen Z (born in the late 1990s and early 2000s), are claiming new forms of communication, much of it gaining popularity on TikTok. TikTok culture is shaping the way we, their parents and grandparents, have to learn to communicate with them. No cap! (I explain that last term below, under "Speaking TikTok jargon.") Becoming familiar with TikTok culture TikTok has developed a different culture than other social networks you may be used to, such as Facebook or Twitter. You'll be most successful understanding this culture when you begin creating content on the platform. The key to understanding TikTok’s culture is to know these principles: You’re not alone! TikTok has an estimated 1.1 billion users. (A second version of TikTok, called Douyin, is available only in China.) You’ll find thriving communities in just about any genre and interest you can think of, including religion, mental health, sports, music, arts, crafts, and cooking. For example, popular TikTok user @catieosaurus uses her TikTok account to talk about ADHD, as shown below. TikTok is about being yourself Many popular accounts convey the person's normal, everyday life. Big-name celebrities, such as Andy Grammer, use TikTok to share the behind-the-scenes of their everyday lives. Chef Gordon Ramsey’s daughter pranks her dad (he goes along with it!) for the world to see. On TikTok, everyone is human. You get to be as well. TikTok is one very large conversation The comment, like, duet, and stitch features get people interacting in fun and creative ways. For example, popular influencers might start a dance, or begin a conversation, or sing a song and ask their audiences to join in. (An influencer is a person on social media with many followers or the ability to make content go viral and even affect product purchases.) As you surf the For You page, you might discover one of their followers joining in, and get inspired to do your own creative twist for your own audience. Your audience comments and participates themselves, and the conversation continues. You can also use hashtags so that the conversation you’re participating in is categorized with similar videos. TikTok is about creativity and having fun! TikTok’s mission statement is, “TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy.” As you create content on the TikTok platform, don’t assume that you have to know how to dance, sing, or draw. Think about what you have to offer that is unique and creative and might spark joy in whoever watches and interacts with your content. For example, Aaron Hanania, shown in Figure 5-2, spreads positivity to his audience. Most importantly, have fun! A welcoming community is there to cheer you on. There you go! I now dub thee, Sir or Madame (or whatever your preferred royal pronoun) reader, a part of the TikTok culture. Speaking TikTok jargon Knowing a little TikTok jargon can help you sound like one of the cool kids. Trust me on this. Here are some of the top TikTok slang words and jargon you might come across as you’re using the app. Many of these are used by Gen Z, so when I'm in doubt, I just ask my kids (sheesh, I feel old): X TikTok: When creators say they’ve stumbled upon Dog TikTok, or Cat TikTok, or TikTok For Dummies TikTok or any other number of TikToks, they’re talking about a specific group or community of people with similar interests. Usage: “Congratulations, you’ve stumbled upon Fruit Snack TikTok, where all your Fruit Snack cravings can come true!” Using the X TikTok verbiage can be a great way to encourage your audience to join your club of followers obsessed with something as silly as fruit snacks. They might even make their own videos and duets about the exclusive club you’ve created. Cap or No Cap: These were popularized by the song “No Cap” by rappers Young Thug & Future in 2017. Cap (designated by a baseball cap emoji) means lie. No Cap (designated by the prohibited emoji followed by the baseball cap) means no lie or for real. You often see the emojis used in comments if someone agrees (the no cap emoji sequence) or doesn’t believe you (the cap emoji). Usage: “No cap! TikTok For Dummies will teach anyone how to get acclimated to TikTok!” (See what I did there?) Extra: When someone’s a little extra, they’re being overly dramatic or over-the-top. Usage: “David seems to get into everyone’s business and always wants to be the center of attention. He’s so extra!” Simp: The original Gen Z users started using TikTok to meet and date other users. They’re all about flirting, and simp is a term that means someone is doing too much for another person he or she likes. Usage: “She’s such a simp towards Allen. He doesn’t even give her much, but she can’t stop trying to please him!” Karen: A Karen is a woman who gets in everyone’s business, feeling she’s entitled to do so. The male equivalent is a Chad. Usage: “He’s such a Chad — he thinks he runs this town, reporting every violation he can find!” Bet: Short for you bet or sure. It means you acknowledge what’s being said. Usage: Person 1: “Y’all better finish reading this book soon so I can read it next!” Person 2: “Bet.” Thirst trap: You’ll see this term a lot on TikTok. When people create a post solely to get attention from those who might be attracted to them, it’s called a thirst trap. Usage: “Ha! This video is such a thirst trap. Look at all the guys simping on her!” Sus: If you’re familiar with the popular computer game Among Us, you’ll recognize this term, which suggests someone is suspicious. On TikTok, it's used anytime something seems suspicious. Usage: “I don’t know — this video seems a bit sus. I think that hair looks like a wig.” Boomer: Originally used to define people in the baby boomer generation, boomer now means someone deemed too old for a younger person to grasp. Usage (I'm quoting my kids here): “You’re such a boomer, Dad. You don’t even understand what sus means.” Yeet: This term is used to convey excitement, approval, surprise, or just energy. Usage: “Can’t wait for my mom to get on TikTok! Yeet yeet!” Clown emoji 🤡: Appearing in comments, this term usually means something is foolish, scary, or suspicious. It’s usually not a positive term. Usage: Person 1: “I’m going to climb up this rock wall.” Person 2: 🤡

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General Social Media How to Pick a Mastodon Server

Article / Updated 02-17-2023

Listen to the article:Download audio Mastodon is a decentralized social media platform that's made up of thousands of separate computers (also known as servers or instances) that have all agreed to speak the same language and share certain data. When you create your Mastodon account, you get a username, which will be tied to one of these servers. Each server in the network has its own personality — and some servers pride themselves in having no particular personality. Every server is free to join, although some may be closed to new accounts or may require that you get on a waiting list. The most difficult part of getting a Mastodon account is choosing which server to join. Fortunately, there's a Mastodon web page (shown in the image below) to help you sort through your options. You can sign up for Mastodon using the app or the website. However, signing up on the website — on your desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone — is easier than signing up with the app. Your very first step in getting Mastodon is to go to the Join Mastodon page. Then, click the "Get the App" link to use the app or click "Create Account" to use your web browser. Both the website and the app are free, and creating your account on one allows you to use all the features of both. If you click "Get the App," you'll be taken to a screen where you can choose to go to the Apple App Store (to download the iPhone app) or to Google Play (to download the Android app). Once you get to the app store, download and install the Mastodon app as you would with any app. Because Mastodon is based on a free and open standard, there are many apps to choose from to use Mastodon. Start with the official one, which is called Mastodon. Browsing your options When you visit the Join Mastodon page and click the "Create Account" button, you'll be taken to the Servers page, which is shown below. Many more Mastodon servers than the ones you see when you scroll down this page are available. However, the servers on joinmastodon.org follow certain rules known as the Mastodon Server Covenant, which is an agreement by the server's owner to work to keep the server free of hate speech, to back up their data daily, to have a person on call to deal with technical issues with the server, and to give users of the server at least three months’ notice before shutting down the server. Because these servers have agreed to the Server Covenant, they are seen as trustworthy, stable, and safe places to serve as your home in the Mastodon universe. Although you can't go wrong with any of the instances listed on the servers page, some will be a better fit for you than others — and that's what makes Mastodon so cool! Spend some time browsing through the different servers listed here. Note that you have several options for filtering the results — including by geographical region and topic (listed on the left side of the screen) and by legal structure, sign-up speed, and language (selected from drop-down lists at the top), as shown below. Once you've found a server or two that sound like places where you'd like to hang out and call your home base, the first potentially make-or-break characteristic of the server is the sign-up speed, which is how fast it will take for you to get an account. Understanding sign-up speed When you browse the list of servers, you'll see two types of buttons: "Apply for an Account" button and "Create Account." The "Create Account" button means that the server has instant signup: You can have a new account on that server in the amount of time it takes for you to choose a username and a password. Servers with an "Apply for an Account" button require that new accounts be approved by an administrator. This approval may take only a few minutes or a day. If you're super-excited to start using Mastodon, go with one of the servers that have the blue "Create Account" button. Don't worry too much about picking the perfect server. Choosing a server doesn't have to be permanent. You can move your account (and all of your followers!) to another server easily after you sign up. Reading the rules Regardless of whether you choose to apply for an account or go with a server that has instant account creation, check out the rules of your chosen server before you commit. To see a server's rules, first click the "Create Account" or "Apply for an Account" button to go to the server. Once on the server, you'll see a description of the server on the left, with the name of the server administrator and the number of users. Below the server information, click "Learn More" to read more about the server, including its code of conduct, which describes the guidelines for how users are expected to behave while using the server. Rather than having a complicated set of rules that try to make the greatest number of people happy and end up pleasing no one (such as what centralized platforms like Twitter and Facebook must do), each Mastodon server sets specific rules and the conduct expected from users. If you don't like the code of conduct on one server, check out other servers until you find one with a code of conduct more in keeping with your beliefs. Previewing a server When you sign up using a web browser, many of the servers listed at joinmastodon.org allow you to browse the content on the server before joining. If you click to the server and see posts, rather than immediately seeing a sign-up or login page, you've come to one of these. To see the content posted by the local users of the server, click the "Local" link on the right side of the page. The posts listed under "Local" are by people who would be your neighbors if you were to join this server. Are they talking about things you're interested in? If so, this may be the perfect server for you! Meeting the admin Another way to choose a server is to find out more about the person running it. Every server prominently displays the person in charge of keeping the server running and enforcing the server's rules. Click their profile from the server's home page or from the server's "About" page to read more about them and to see the things they're interested in and what they post. On Mastodon, the admin sets the tone for the server. If the admin seems like someone you'd like to hang out with, that's a good indication that you've found a home. Seeing why smaller is better A server might have just a handful of members to many thousands. Servers with a smaller number of users are vital to keeping the entire universe interesting and avoiding a monoculture. Smaller servers also tend to have stronger personalities than larger servers. And smaller servers are often less prone to slowing down because they're less likely to get a lot of traffic. Because every server allows access to the other servers, you have nothing to lose by going with a smaller one. In the same way that you're more likely to make friends in a small community group versus an international club with millions of members, joining a smaller Mastodon server makes you a bigger fish because the pond is smaller.

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General Social Media How to Find Your Twitter Followers on Mastodon

Article / Updated 02-17-2023

Listen to the article:Download audio As Mastodon has become more popular, millions of people have flocked to it from Twitter. Perhaps you, too, first heard about Mastodon on Twitter. As a migrant from Twitter to Mastodon, you're in good company. Finding members of your Twitter flock on Mastodon isn't difficult, and it's a great way to get a head start with building a following. If someone considered you follow-worthy on Twitter, they will on Mastodon, too. Several tools have been created for finding Mastodon accounts of your Twitter followers. If you haven't deleted your Twitter account, you can use any (or all) of these tools. Using Twitodon to find friends on Mastodon One service to help you find your Twitter followers on Mastodon is Twitodon. This site works by linking to your Twitter account and your Mastodon account and comparing the list of accounts you follow on Twitter with accounts on Mastodon that have also used Twitodon. If matches are found, Twitodon will give you a file you can import into your Mastodon account. Follow these steps to use Twitodon: Make sure you're logged into both your Twitter account and your Mastodon account. Go to Twitodon and click the link under the "Get Started" header to log into your Twitter account. A window opens, asking you to authorize Twitodon to access your Twitter account. Click the button to authorize Twitodon. You return to Twitodon and its Step 1 has been crossed off. Enter your Mastodon server's address (including the https://) in the field under Twitodon's Step 2, as shown in Figure 1, and then click Sign In. For example, if your Mastodon account is on mastodon.social, you'd enter https://mastodon.social. A screen appears asking you to authorize Twitodon to access your Mastodon account. Click Authorize. You return to Twitodon and Step 2 has been crossed off. Watch the number of scanned users go up as Twitodon processes the list, as shown in Figure 2. We hope the number of matches found go up as well! Because Twitodon can find only users who have also used Twitodon, don't be surprised if it doesn't come back with many or any results. The good news is that as more people migrate from Twitter and use Twitodon, it will be able to make more matches! So, it may be a good idea to try Twitodon again every so often as long as you keep your Twitter account. When Twitodon finishes scanning, click the link in Twitodon's Step 3 to download a list of the matches that were found. Twitodon's Step 4 (revoking Twitodon's authorization to access your Twitter followers) is optional, and we're going to skip it. Doing so will make it easier to come back and check Twitodon periodically in the future. Click the link under Twitodon's Step 5 to go to the Import page on your Mastodon instance, or click Preferences, Import and Export, and then Import. You see a screen similar to the one in Figure 3. Under Import Type, choose Following List (it should be selected by default). Choose the Merge radio button (which should also be selected by default). Merging means that you'll still follow everyone you follow on Mastodon before you import the matches found by Twitodon. Click the Choose File button and locate the file you downloaded from Twitodon. The file is named new_mastodon_follows.csv and should be in your Downloads folder. Click the Upload button on Mastodon's Import page. After a moment, you'll see a message that your file was uploaded and will be processed. Depending on the size of the file you imported, it may take a few minutes or longer for the file to be processed and for the new users to be imported. After a few minutes, go to your profile page and check whether your following number has gone up. As you follow the people you followed on Twitter, they'll get notifications and some of them may decide to follow you back. Using Fedifinder Fedifinder can scan your entire Twitter account, including accounts you follow, accounts that follow you, and your Twitter lists to find Twitter users who list their fediverse address in their Twitter profiles. Because it scans your lists and followers and doesn't depend on matched users already having used it, Fedifinder is more likely to find results than other automated programs for finding other Mastodon users. Follow these steps to use Fedifinder: Make sure you're logged in to both Twitter and Mastodon. Go to Twitter and edit your Twitter profile to add your fediverse address in one of the following places: The description The location The website address You can add your Mastodon address also to a pinned Tweet. Your fediverse address is your Mastodon server name followed by a slash, followed by your Mastodon username. It's the same as the link to your profile page on your instance. For example: hachyderm.io/@chrisminnick. Go to Fedifinder again and click the Authorize Twitter button at the top of the screen. Follow the instructions to authorize Fedifinder to access your Twitter data. Fedifinder scans your Twitter account to find fediverse addresses and starts showing you the results, as shown in Figure 4. Scroll down the page and click the link next to any Twitter lists you follow, and then click the Scan Followers link. After all the scans have finished, click the Export CSV with Found Handles link. CSV, short for comma-separated values, is a way of storing lists of data in text files so they can be imported into other systems. Go to the Import page on your Mastodon instance (click Preferences, Import and Export, Import) and import the resulting file (fedifinder_account.csv) in the same way you imported the file from Twitodon. Inviting friends and family If you have a fairly large Twitter following and follow a large number of Twitter accounts, you may have acquired some new followers and follows from using Twitodon and Fedifinder. But not everyone you want to follow is on both Mastodon and Twitter. To get more people to join you on Mastodon, you need to invite them. Mastodon makes inviting people to join your Mastodon server easy. Plus, when you use Mastodon's invite feature to invite people, signing up will be easier for them than it was for you because the link you give them will take them directly to the same local server you use. If your server allows users to create invitations, you can get an invitation link by clicking Preferences and then Invite People. You'll see the Invite People page, which is shown in Figure 5. The Invite People page allows you to create individual links, limited-use links, and links that expire. Unless you want to have a limited number of followers or you want to be able to track who uses which links, the best way to use Invite People is with the following settings: Set Max Number of Uses to No Limit Set Expire After to Never Select the Invite to Follow Your Account check box Once you've configured these settings, click the Generate Invite Link button. A text box with an invitation address appears, as shown in Figure 6. Tap or click the Copy button to copy this link. Here are a few ideas for how you can use your Invite link: Paste it into a post on Facebook. Put it in your profile on Twitter. Paste it into your Instagram profile. Email it to your friends and family and tell them to join you on Mastodon. Send it in a text message. Add it to a website you own. When someone follows the link on their phone, tablet, or computer, they'll see the same sign up page you saw when you first signed up for Mastodon. Plus, when someone signs up using your link, you'll find out about it, the number of uses next to your invite link will go up, and you'll gain a follower!

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General Social Media How Is Mastodon Different from Twitter?

Article / Updated 02-16-2023

Listen to the article:Download audio The chaos surrounding Twitter after Elon Musk acquired it in October 2022 led many Twitter users to begin checking out other social media platforms, including Mastodon. Here, we'll go over some of the major differences between the two platforms. The first thing to know about Mastodon is that it isn’t just one site, like Twitter.com and Facebook.com. Mastodon is made up of a galaxy of sites, and the first choice you’ll make when you decide to create an account is what star (or instance) in this galaxy of sites to call home. Each of these sites runs the Mastodon software (the common platform). Once you have a home on a site running the Mastodon software, you can connect with people on other sites running Mastodon. Many people arrive on Twitter looking to raise their public profile, gain millions of followers, and go viral. Certainly some people have become media pundits and celebrities by way of their Twitter posts. On Mastodon, however, being sociable, informative, and authentic is more important. A Mastodon instance is better thought of as a neighborhood rather than a stage. You don’t have to be smart-alecky to be respected. In addition, before getting an account on a Mastodon instance, you sign on to a code of conduct. Although the code of conduct can go into detail regarding what is and isn't allowed, the code is often simply a lengthy version of “while you’re on here, be nice.” Mastodon is a home, not a single site If you want to tweet, you go to Twitter.com, get an account, agree to the terms of service (whether you read all that legalese or not), and start tweeting. Twitter may not ask much of you as a user, but you pay a price. You have no stake in Twitter as a company, except as an unpaid content contributor. Twitter polls run by the CEO aren't binding, and wouldn't be, even if a majority of participants were stockholders. Every Mastodon server instance is an island to itself but interconnected. Instance administrators and moderators are not gods and can't make any decisions beyond that instance. That’s true even for founder Eugen Rochko. The vast majority of Mastodon sites seek to be safe and friendly spaces for all kinds of users. You should feel like you’re at home here. Mastodon is built to serve its community Mastodon is not driven by its financial bottom line nor the whims of venture capitalists, Wall Street traders, and hedge fund managers. It's driven to serve its users and the community. If the founder or his heirs were to sell the mastodon.social site, where Mastodon was born, each user could easily move to another Mastodon instance, taking their posts and followers with them. If you’ve found a home with a group of admins and moderators that serve you and the community at large, consider helping to keep the servers (and the community) running with a financial contribution that fits your budget. Algorithms aren't allowed on Mastodon Twitter started out as a place where you read the tweets of the people you followed in reverse-chronological order (as you do in blogs). But as the service grew, Twitter developed algorithms to figure out what you liked and shared on the service. The purpose of the algorithm was to keep you scrolling through your feed. You got what the algorithm thought you wanted, but you also saw more ads as the session continued. More eyeballs on ads, more money for Twitter. As politicians and politically oriented people found a way to get followers, raise money, and gain influence on the service, ordinary users found themselves in a filter bubble, where they saw only things with which they agreed. Debate, where it existed at all, became toxic. Misinformation flourished. Some people started calling Twitter a hellscape because of all the angry tweets that the algorithm promoted into people’s feeds. No Twitter user ever got to opt-out of the algorithm’s role in managing their feeds. There was never a vote among users to implement the algorithm when it was first developed. Programmers from outside the company couldn’t review the algorithm to determine its effect on people’s emotions. In contrast, Mastodon displays every post from every user and hashtag you follow. You may still spend hours scrolling through interesting posts by fascinating people, but at least you know that Mastodon won’t try to manipulate you to stay longer on the platform. Users aren't tracked on Mastodon The same forces (sometimes called surveillance capitalism) that created algorithms also created the cookie, that tiny slice of code that lives in your browser and tracks your movements across the platform and elsewhere. The cookie’s owner aims to understand the things you’re interested in or curious about — the better to sell your social graph to advertisers. The Mastodon focus on privacy actively discourages cookies. Nearly every instance offers strict rules on such behavior, and should an instance permit it, that instance would likely be blocked by most other Mastodon instances. Don’t bet on this changing anytime soon. Ads aren't acceptable (yet) on Mastodon The initial burst of enthusiasm for Mastodon came when Twitter appeared to be placing its financial stability on selling more advertising on the platform. The Great Mastodon Migration of 2022, which came next, was made up of users and advertisers who didn’t want to be associated with Twitter's new owner. On Mastodon, most codes of conduct discourage excessive advertising, and what’s excessive has mostly counted in single digits. The exceptions are the online equivalent of yard sales, art shows, community theater, and musical performances. The Mastodon focus on community-building frowns on personal branding at least as much as on corporate branding. However, businesses aren't banned, and if you’re in business, you can post about it all you want. What won’t fly are targeted ads based on trackers and algorithms, as noted previously. Mastodon isn’t perfect, but its ideals are high. Welcome to the fediverse! The fediverse is a collection of websites and social networks that, in some ways, looks back fondly on the early days of the World Wide Web. When Sir Tim Berners-Lee created the web, he envisioned it as a collaboration tool, with sites offering read-write access to any visitor. Aside from wiki sites (such as Wikipedia) and blogs that accept reader comments, today’s web is largely a space for one-way communication. Mastodon encourages its users to collaborate by putting the focus on conversation and discussion. It’s easy to participate in a conversation by selecting the post's reply icon. The Fediverse expands that idea beyond just Mastodon into other services. The fediverse, which is a combination of federated and universe, got its name for the federated connections between independent websites on the social web. The foundation of the fediverse, and Mastodon as well, is the ActivityPub protocol, recognized as a web standard by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Developers use the standard to power a variety of federated alternatives for organizing events, sharing music, and just hanging out. The boring, technical way to describe the ActivityPub standard is that it “provides a client-to-server application programming interface (API) for creating, updating and deleting content, as well as a federated server to server API for delivering notifications and subscribing to content.” Mastodon first used a protocol called OStatus, an open standard that enables microblogging, but switched to ActivityPub in 2017. For the last decade or so, the IndieWeb movement has been building some of the social web standards that power Mastodon, especially the ActivityPub protocol, but for individual websites. IndieWeb focuses on your ability to control your content and connect with the people you want to connect with, with no one using your stuff to get others to sell you things you may not want. Do not confuse fediverse with metaverse! The metaverse started as a creation in the mind of speculative fiction author Neal Stephenson in his fantastic novel Snow Crash. In the novel, the metaverse served as the escape hatch from the dystopia in which most people lived, where the only jobs were in high tech and high-speed pizza delivery. The dystopia was the society. Today, the metaverse is a virtual reality that Facebook (excuse us, Meta) billionaire Mark Zuckerberg wants to use to make even more money. The fediverse is a much more pleasant place, where the users rule. And if profits are even a consideration, they come after the people who participate. Understanding federation When you’re starting out with Mastodon, wrapping your head around the idea of a federation can be maddening. Not to overwhelm you with community metaphors, but think about the following facets of neighborhoods: Life might be pretty much the same from neighborhood to neighborhood, but some places have different social rules. Violating those rules can get you in trouble. In some neighborhoods, you must live there for many years before you can even call yourself a resident! Although your neighborhood might have regular elections for city council members and other leaders, you might also have a person active in the community who is so respected that they’re called the mayor of the neighborhood. If you have an active neighborhood association, they probably have events to raise money for various programs to improve life in the neighborhood. While the city government pays for a lot of things (and usually has taxing power), neighborhood associations often pay for things such as flowers in common areas. You can change your residence from one neighborhood to another without getting permission from the city or the neighborhoods involved (condominium association boards notwithstanding). All this is true also in the virtual world of Mastodon: Every Mastodon instance (neighborhood) has a code of conduct that you have to agree to before you join (move in). Violating the code of conduct can get you in trouble (a suspension or worse). Regardless of whether your instance has a governing board, the administrator is definitely the permanent mayor, in charge of keeping things going. While your instance administration can’t tax you (yet) to keep the servers running, you do have an obligation to help out if you can. As the mother instance, https://mastodon.social helps other instances financially, but each independent instance has to keep the lights on. Aside from a disciplinary situation, it’s easy to change your Mastodon neighborhood — and bring all your friends with you. If you ever need to move your account to another instance, there's a Mastodon page with instructions.

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General Social Media Mastodon For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-16-2023

Listen to the article:Download audio Even though thousands of people join Mastodon every day, the number-one concern of new users is that they can't make the shift over from Twitter entirely because many of the people they follow on Twitter haven't set up a Mastodon account yet. Here, you discover some of the best ways to start meeting and engaging with new people on Mastodon. Another concern of new Mastodon users is that it's different from using other social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. At first, these differences may seem difficult to adapt to. But with the tips covered here, using Mastodon will soon become second nature.

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Instagram Instagram For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 11-17-2022

Before you start using Instagram, you may want to learn the lingo that Instagrammers use. Instagram doesn’t like accounts that act spammy or over-engage in certain behaviors, so you need to become familiar with a number of restrictions. When you follow other Instagram profiles, you can share posts, videos, and even entire profiles in a direct message to another Instagram user.

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Instagram How to Find Your Contacts on Instagram

Article / Updated 11-14-2022

Listen to the article:Download audio If you're new to Instagram, you may be wondering where to start. Instagram (and its daddy, Facebook) is happy to help you make connections. You can find people in a few different ways. Finding your Facebook friends Facebook has a vested interest in making Instagram grow, so it tries to encourage you to round up your Facebook friends and bring them over to Instagram. It’s an easy way for you to find people. To find friends on Facebook, follow these steps: Go to your Instagram profile page by tapping your photo at the bottom right of your phone’s screen. Tap the person with a plus (and possibly a red number) at the top left. Tap the Facebook link at the top of your screen. Confirm your Facebook login by tapping OK.The screen displays how many Facebook friends you have on Instagram. Tap either Follow All or Follow.To follow every one of your Facebook friends on Instagram, tap Follow All. If you’d rather be more selective, especially because you'll likely be promoting your product or service, you may want to follow friends one by one. Simply tap Follow next to each friend you’d like to connect with, and keep scrolling and following! Some of your friends may have set their accounts to private. In this case, you see Requested after you tap Follow. They need to approve you before you can view their profile and posts. Syncing your contact list Instagram can also connect you with the contacts stored on your phone or tablet. After you activate this feature, your contacts are periodically synced with Instagram’s servers. Instagram does not follow anyone on your behalf, and you can disconnect your contacts at any time so that Instagram cannot access them. This feature may be best as a one-and-done in the beginning versus a constant connection for privacy purposes. To connect your contacts, follow these steps: Go to your Instagram profile page by tapping your photo at the bottom right of your phone’s screen. Tap the small person with a plus (and possibly a red number) at the top left. Tap the Contacts link.The next screen tells you that Instagram will find people you know, and you're given the option to follow them. To proceed, tap Connect Contacts.Another pop-up asks whether Instagram can access your contacts. Tap Allow Access. A pop-up appears asking you to allow Instagram access to your Contacts. This is your last chance to cancel your decision to allow Instagram to access your contacts. Tap OK.The pop-up goes away, and the Contacts screen appears. Follow all your contacts on Instagram by tapping Follow All, or choose which contacts to follow by tapping Follow next to each one. If you change your mind at some point and want to disallow Instagram’s access to your contacts, tap the wheel icon on your profile page, scroll down to Settings, and then tap Contacts. Tap the Connect Contacts toggle to return it to white, which terminates Instagram’s access.

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Facebook How to Search on Facebook for a Specific Person

Article / Updated 11-04-2022

Listen to the article:Download audio The search box at the top of Facebook's site allows you to search for a specific person by name. You can use it to find people you're already friends with and you just want to go to their timelines, or to find people you aren’t friends with yet. But basic search can be a little confusing because Facebook auto-completes the names that you type and assumes you’re trying to get to your friends’ timelines. If you’re the type of person who is used to pressing the Enter key to begin a search, this can send you to friends’ timelines when you meant to search for someone else named James, for example. Read on to learn better strategies for finding people on Facebook. You can also use the search box at the top of the site to find posts, pages, groups, events, and even things your friends have liked. Two basic ways to use Search in Facebook You’ll wind up using search two basic ways. The first way is if the name of the person you’re looking for (or at least someone with the same name) appears in the auto-complete menu. You can accomplish that sort of search following these steps: Begin typing the name you're looking for in the search box. Pay attention to the people who appear in the autocomplete menu. Facebook displays first your friends and then friends of friends. There’s a good chance that you may find the person you’re looking for in this menu. If you see the name in the autocomplete menu, use your mouse or arrow keys to highlight the person you're looking for. Click the name or press Enter. This brings you to the person's timeline, where you can verify that you know the person and add them as a friend. Use "See More" for a further search Type the person's full name in the search box. Click See More at the bottom of the search menu. The search menu expands to reveal new options for search. So, if you type Jane Smith and then click See More, you can now either search People Named Jane Smith, Pages Named Jane Smith, or Places Named Jane Smith. Click the People Named option. A blue friend icon is next to this option. A search results page appears with larger previews of people’s profile pictures and timeline info. The right side of the page also has options for narrowing your search using fields such as Gender, Employer, Current City, and so on. Use the fields on the right side of the page to zero in on your actual friend. This might be information like where your friend works or where they're from. When you find the person you’re looking for, add them as a friend.

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