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Who to follow on Mastodon: The Twitter quitter’s guide

As Twitter users move over to Mastodon, many are working out how to make an account and who to follow on the social media alternative.

Chaos ensued at Twitter HQ this week as employees were told all the companys offices would close, the BBC reports, but would reopen on Monday, November 21. They also reported all staff badge access had been suspended.

The move came after new owner Elon Musk reportedly sent a message to employees of his recently acquired company in which he said they must be ready to sign up for long hours at high intensity or leave,�Reuters reports.

Twitter And Mastodon Photo Illustrations
Elon Musk account on Twitter displayed on a phone screen and Mastodon logo displayed on a laptop screen are seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on November 14, 2022. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The Verge also reports a number of the companys 3,000 or so employees werent willing to stay.

Twitter quitters turn to alternatives

Due to uncertainty surrounding the company, some Twitter users have been looking for alternatives, one being Mastodon. Celebs such as Sue Perkins have said theyre considering a move:

Ever since Musk took over Twitter on October 27, after his $44 billion acquisition which made him the richest man in the world, many people were scared for the future of the social media site – which is likely the reason for the move over to Mastodon.

https://twitter.com/wakeboardr17532/status/1593973758322266120?s=20&t=2VEibVYUmg3qPpfTDH8sMg
https://twitter.com/jumblejim/status/1593792527152295936?s=20&t=2VEibVYUmg3qPpfTDH8sMg

What is Mastodon?

If you’ve not been keeping track of the alleged social media drama you may be wondering what it is. Well, it’s an alternative to Twitter.

Mastodon was founded by German software developer Eugen Rochko in 2016. Unlike Twitter, Mastodon is registered as a non-profit platform, meaning there are no shareholders.

Mastodon isnt a single platform either. The platform is based on Rochkos open-source software, which means interconnected Mastodon servers  and servers that can talk to Mastodon servers  are collectively dubbed the Fediverse.

Each server is also governed by rules set by the people who operate it.

How to make an account

If you’re looking to move over from Twitter, or just join the Mastodon “herd”, making an account is very simple.

  1. Join a server.
  2. Sign up to your chosen Mastodon server.
  3. Set up your profile.
  4. Start following people and engaging with the community.
  5. Introduce yourself.
  6. Find your friends.

If you can, reusing your Twitter username will make it easier for your followers to find you and vice versa.

Twitter And Mastodon Photo Illustrations
Twitter logo displayed on a phone screen and Mastodon logo displayed on a laptop screen are seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on November 14, 2022. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Using sites like Debirdify or Fedifinder helps extract the fediverse handles of your Twitter followers or list members and import them onto Mastodon so you can follow them all at once.

Who to follow on Mastodon

Obviously, if you use one of the websites you’ll be able to track and find your current Twitter followers and those you follow on the new social media app.

But if you’re looking for some notable figures to follow several celebrities have already signed up. Some are: