This section of the guide explains some of the basic concepts behind Mastodon and the wider Fediverse which it is a part of.
- What is Mastodon? What is the Fediverse?
- How do I join?
- Do I need multiple accounts? Do I need to join lots of servers?
- Who owns the Fediverse? Is it owned by a corporation or venture capital firm? Can it be bought out by Google/Facebook/Elon Musk?
- Who sets the rules on the Fediverse? How do I find out what the rules are on my server?
- Who gets to start their own server?
- Why is the Fediverse on so many separate servers?
- What if a server misbehaves? What if it allows its members to do something really bad?
- Does Mastodon or the Fediverse use ads or trackers or algorithms or blockchain/cryptocurrency or anything annoying like that?
- What other kinds of servers are on the Fediverse?
- What’s that rainbow pentagon thing that everyone seems to use on the Fediverse?
- What do I do next? Are there any other guides to Mastodon and the Fediverse?