The Situation

We really miss the old Twitter, but we'll never support Xitter (pronounced "shitter).

We don't use Facebook or Instagram.

(We are experimenting with Tumblr, but haven't decided yet if we'll stick with it.)

We have a Bluesky account: @existotherwise@bsky.app, but we're not optimistic about its long-term viability:

Imagine if Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky, Tumblr, and Facebook Accounts All Could Interact With Each Other

The Solution

This site is federated, meaning it is accessible from Mastodon, or any other social media app that uses the Activity Pub protocol. (You don't need to know what that is.)

If you're already on the Fediverse, follow us here: @cc@existotherwise.com.

Mastodon is just one app among many, that makes up the de-centralized social media fediverse. But it's been around the longest, and is the most widely used app of its kind, so people often say 'Mastodon' when they really mean 'Fediverse.'

Don't worry, it's not as complex as I'm making it sound. I mean, it is, or it can be, but it can also be fairly straightforward, and as simple as sites such as Twitter and Instagram. The main reason it sounds complicated is the same reason it should be the social media sphere of choice for everyone: it is comprised of lots of different apps and communities.

Imagine if Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Facebook accounts all could interact with each other. That's how the fediverse works. There are lots of different apps and communities that can interact with each other without being under the control of any one person, company, or corporation.

The point of all this is that this website is accessible through any program that is built on the Activity Pub protocol. You can see a list of most of these programs on Wikipedia (no need to read that whole article, just take a look at the table of apps).

Quick Start

  1. find a Mastodon server you are interested in joining (I recommend Mastodon instead of any of the others apps simply because it's the most widely used).
    1. many people think this is hard. it's true that there are many servers around the world, but I recommend a few below
    2. (think of a server simply as a (very loosely defined) community)
  2. recommended servers (in no order)
    1. https://mastodon.art
    2. https://sfba.social
    3. https://kolektiva.social
    4. https://writing.exchange
    5. https://beige.party
  3. create an account (fast and easy, but some servers will make you wait for manual approval, which usually is quick)
  4. start browsing, searching for hash tags of interest, and following people

Once you're in, it's much like Twitter only without as many assholes.

Caveat: Mastodon/The Fediverse, is about engagement, not collecting likes or followers. My personal Mastodon account has a fraction of the followers I used to have on Twitter, but I get tons more actual engagement (conversation).

The Best Part

This isn't something you need to know how to do right away, but you should know that a key feature of the Fediverse is portability. If you decide you don't like the server you're on, you can easily migrate your account to a different one. I've done this a few times with no difficulty.

Learn More