This is how you can register with Mastodon

Elon Musk has actually bought Twitter. For many users, this is a reason to look for alternatives. We will show you how to register with the German network Mastodon.

On Wednesday, Elon Musk walked into the Twitter headquarters with a sink in his hand. He probably wanted to make himself at home there. In the meantime, however, he has actually bought the short message service. Hardly anyone expected that after all the back and forth.

Entering Twitter HQ – let that sink in! pic.twitter.com/D68z4K2wq7

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 26, 2022

“The bird is free,” Musk wrote rehearsing via Twitter. However, the bird is primarily freed from its management floor. Because the new Twitter owner has dismissed them all.

Of course, many users are now wondering what should become of the platform and are looking for alternatives. One of them could be the German network Mastodon.

Here’s what you need to know about Mastodon

The Mastodon platform has been around since 2016. The German developer Eugen Rochko founded it back then. The company operates as a non-profit GmbH based in Berlin and is mainly financed by donations.

“Mastodon is a social network based on open source”, the company explains in a video. Like everywhere else, users can post messages, photos or videos here and follow others. Postings are limited to 500 characters.

In contrast to other platforms, however, Mastodon has a decentralized structure. That means there isn’t one big server running the network.

While other social media platforms are run by a single company that has full control over everything, anyone can create and run their own server from Mastodon.

Because of this, it is also a bit more complicated when you want to register with Mastodon. We explain how it works.

Twitter alternative: How to log into Mastodon

First of all, you have to look for a community – a so-called instance – at Mastodon. Recommendations from friends or acquaintances can help here. But it could also this page help with the search.

The first step is to decide which server you want to create your account on. Each server is operated by an independent organization or individual and may differ in moderation strategies.

However, the decision is not final. If you want to decide on a different server in the meantime, you can “move your profile to another server at any time without losing followers,” it says on the side of Mastodon.

Only when you have decided on an instance, i.e. a server, can you create your account. To do this, you choose your user name, which begins with an @, just like on Twitter. Your username is completed by the server you have chosen. This follows with another @ directly after your name.

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