Mastodon offers three main interaction buttons on each post: Boost, Favorite, and Bookmark. Many new users confuse these actions because they appear similar to Twitter or Instagram functions. Each button serves a distinct purpose for visibility, feedback, or personal organization. This article explains the functional differences between Boost, Favorite, and Bookmark and when to use … Read more
Mastodon shows a boost count on every post you publish. This number tells you how many times other users have boosted your post to their followers. Some users find this count distracting or prefer to focus on content quality rather than popularity metrics. This article explains how to disable the display of boost counts so … Read more
You want to share a post that only people on your Mastodon instance can see, not the entire fediverse. Standard Mastodon posts are public by default and federate to other servers, which can be too wide for local announcements or community discussions. This article explains what local-only posts are, how to enable them on instances … Read more
You want your Mastodon posts to appear on Bluesky without manually copying and pasting each update. Mastodon and Bluesky use different federation protocols, so no direct bridge exists between the two networks. This article explains how to set up an automated cross-posting workflow using a third-party service called Moa. You will learn the exact steps … Read more
Mastodon polls let you ask your followers a question with multiple answers. You can set a time limit for voting, from as short as five minutes to as long as seven days. Many users find that polls boost engagement because people want to see the results. This article explains how to create a poll on … Read more
Mastodon limits each post, or toot, to 500 characters by default. If you need to write a longer message, such as a tutorial, a story, or a detailed announcement, you must split the content across multiple connected toots. A thread is a series of toots that are linked together in the correct reading order. This … Read more
You can use Mastodon on the web without installing any desktop or mobile app. Many new users think they need the Mastodon mobile app to post, but the web interface offers the same core features. This article explains how to access your Mastodon instance through a browser and post updates, reply to conversations, and share … Read more
Mastodon posts, called toots, have a character limit that varies by instance. Unlike Twitter’s fixed 280 characters, Mastodon allows each server administrator to set their own maximum. This flexibility means a toot on one instance might be cut off or rejected on another. The default limit is 500 characters, but some instances allow 1000 or … Read more
When you post an image on Mastodon without alternative text, screen readers and text-only clients cannot describe what is in the picture. The Mastodon interface shows a warning icon next to images that lack alt text, and some instances may block the post entirely. Adding alt text ensures your images are accessible to blind and … Read more
You compose a post in Mastodon, press the publish button, and nothing happens. The post may appear stuck, the button may remain gray, or an error message may flash briefly. This problem usually occurs because of a network issue, a content validation failure, or a server-side limitation. This article explains the most common reasons a … Read more