mstdn.social is one of the many independent Mastodon servers you can use to participate in the fediverse.
A general-purpose Mastodon server with a 500 character limit. All languages are welcome.

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You don't need to use the official Mastodon apps, they're not the best way to use Mastodon. The official apps only arrived last year, and they were intended as "Fisher Price My First Mastodon" things with a restricted set of features.

Third party apps have been around longer than official ones, and include way more features. You can sign in with the same account on all apps.

:android: On Android try Tusky, Fedilab, Megalodon, Tooot

:apple_inc: On iPhone/iPad, try Toot!, Ice Cubes, Ivory, Mona

@feditips Which if any of them make Mastodon easier, less confusing, and less intimidating to deal with? Mastodon still just doesn’t click—no engagement, no discoverability, not much of anything.

@tom_clowder

There is no algorithm on here, so it is up to you to follow people, follow hashtags, follow groups, browse the Explore tab etc.

I get that algo-driven sites are more convenient and more addictive, but this place is meant to be more friendly and sustainable, and with deeper connections and less toxicity.

I've done an article on discovering other people: fedi.tips/how-do-i-find-accoun

...and here's an article on making your own account discovered more easily: fedi.tips/how-do-i-get-more-fo

fedi.tipsHow do I discover accounts to follow on Mastodon and the Fediverse? | Fedi.Tips – An Unofficial Guide to Mastodon and the Fediverse
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@tom_clowder

With that in mind, a lot of the features in the apps will help with discovering people, for example Tusky includes hashtag following while the official Mastodon Android app does not.

It's up to each individual to decide what is right for them, different people have different needs and tastes.