The story so far…
Lately, Mastodon sent the Twitterverse into a tailspin. Long story short, Twitter was bought by some loose-cannon billionaire, and tens of thousands of Twitter users have already jumped off the sinking ship (falling bird?).
Many of those users migrated to a wonderful, if a bit unfamiliar, social network called Mastodon. Unless you lived under a rock in the past 3 weeks (as of 9th Nov 2022), you would’ve heard of the name Mastodon a few times on Twitter, or on mass media.
About this Guide
The aim of this guide is to help nudies* who are on Twitter, who want to experience a friendlier, more inclusive, nudity friendly social network. Setting expectations around what Mastodon/Fediverse offers, and some guidance on how to participate in this social network.
[*] In this guide, nudies refer to naturists, nudists, or anyone who like clothes-free lifestyle. Apologies in advance, if you don’t like to be called a nudie, but please bare with me and leave the pedantry aside for the next few minutes.
What is Fediverse/Mastodon?
Short Answer: Fediverse is a global network of independent communities. Mastodon is a well-established platform that powers many of these communities. There is no single entity that control the Fediverse. Communities are self-sustained.
Very Long Answer: Grab a coffee or tea, and check out one, or all of these wonderfully written guides, blog posts, and websites:
So you’re back? Great! Let’s continue…
In this Guide, the word Fediverse/Mastodon are used interchangeably to refer to the social network.
Are there many nudies socialising on Fediverse/Mastodon?
Short answer - A lot less than Twitter, but every day there are more nudies joining.
Slightly longer answer - Don’t expect hundreds of active naturists or nudists posting every day. Fediverse is still, compared to Twitter, much younger, smaller, and growing much faster (Twitter is in free-fall, really). Bonus: If you encounter a nudie on Fediverse, they’re much more likely to be human, not bot!
What is so great about Fediverse? Why not join [Insert network name here]
Yours Truly has written about this, from a nudie’s perspective: Read my blog post.
Some other notable things about the Fediverse:
- Free of ads
- Free of algorithms / “recommended content”
- Free of spam bots that post questionable stuff
- Porn bots / creeps are actively blocked by community mods and admins
Fediverse sounds nice, how do I join a nudity friendly, body positive community?
As of November 2022, there are 2 known community-run, nude-friendly community:
Disclaimer: Yours Truly is the founder of Nudie.Social.
Both community (a.k.a. instances) are naturism/nudism themed, and open for new member sign-up.
OK, I’ve created an account on Fediverse/Mastodon. What do I do now?
As mentioned above - Fediverse/Mastodon are free of algorithms. There’s no follow recommendation. Moreover, following other people is completely optional! Here’s why: Each Fediverse instance is a self-contained community. Community members can post to the community’s own “timeline” without having to follow each other. Isn’t that neat?
Recommended activities if you just started out on Fediverse or Mastodon:
1. Post an introduction post
About who you are, your hobbies and anything you can think of. Make it fun! Tag the post with #introduction hashtag so others can find it easily.
2. Complete your profile
Upload a profile pic (Please keep it SFW), write a short bio, add a link to your homepage or blog.
3. Look around
Get a feel of the community, look at profiles of other members, see who they’re following, , follow some people, check the community guidelines of your instance. There are many things to explore!
4. Ask questions
Feel free to ask question if unsure! Many people are happy to help!
Is there a profile directory of nudies?
Yes! Head over to the Trunk web site - Scroll down the list and you should find the category Nudists and Naturists.
Trunk is a great resource to find interesting people to follow. You can add yourself to Trunk, too!
Is there a mobile app?
Short answer: Yes! Check out Metatext for iOS, and Tusky for Android
Long answer: Actually, the mobile web sites of Fediverse instances are highly capable, I recommend everyone to try the mobile web site first, before exploring different apps. Oh and before I forget, the official Mastodon app is NOT recommended, due to its relative lack of features and confusing design.
Thanks for reading!
Cya on Fediverse!
- Ninja
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