If Mastodon existed in the 80s... (film, 8 minutes)
In the latest episode of 'Wonders of the World Wide Web', Squirrel Monkey introduces Mastodon, a communication software that allows users to send messages worldwide. To install Mastodon, you will need an IBM personal computer or a compatible machine, a hard disk drive, a modem, and the installation diskette. Some people might find Mastodon difficult to use, but the creator insists that with a simple course book, you can master it in just three months. Squirrel Monkey guides viewers through the installation process step by step, from inserting the diskette to selecting the appropriate graphics adapter and modem. This indicates that setting up Mastodon might require some patience.
While configuring, Squirrel Monkey compares the choice of a server to moving to a new neighborhood. He emphasizes that each neighborhood has its unique characteristics and that selecting a Mastodon server works the same way. Users can choose a server based on their interests, but they can still visit other servers. The creator admits that he first picked the most popular server, and then shows how to create a profile and set a username, which is crucial for navigating Mastodon.
Squirrel Monkey also explains how to use basic functionalities such as sending messages, replying, and favoriting them. He even shares an example of interacting with another user, showcasing how easy it is to engage on Mastodon. The creator encourages exploration of features that may be unknown to new users, highlighting that there are many ways to build community on this platform and share thoughts with the world.
As Squirrel Monkey experiment with Mastodon's features, he illustrates how to follow other users and find interesting actors, such as Tony Danza. He adds that Mastodon has many more options to discover, urging users to remain open to asking questions within the community. Such interaction can contribute to better understanding and fuller use of this platform.
Finally, it is noteworthy that at the time of writing this article, the video on Squirrel Monkey's channel has 29,636 views and 1,483 likes. This is evidence of interest in Mastodon and its functions. Squirrel Monkey has certainly attracted many new users with this accessible guide to the platform.
Toggle timeline summary
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Introduction to Mastodon and its significance.
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Definition and functionality of Mastodon as a communication tool.
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Requirements for installing Mastodon on a compatible computer.
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Addressing common misconceptions about Mastodon’s complexity.
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Initial installation steps for Mastodon including loading the software.
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Explaining the concept of selecting a server on Mastodon.
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Choosing a username and understanding the handle.
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Setting up the user profile with Display Name and Bio.
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Connecting to the server to receive messages.
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Instructions for sharing messages using the F2 key.
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Explaining how to reply to messages on Mastodon.
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Discussion on using favorite and boost functions for messages.
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Exploring notifications and how to follow other users.
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Utilizing the search function to find people or topics.
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Overview of additional Mastodon functions and user assistance.
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Conclusion and an invitation to connect on Mastodon.
Transcription
Welcome to another episode of Wonders of the World Wide Web. In this episode, we are going to talk about Mastodon. But what is Mastodon? Mastodon is communication software that allows you to share messages with the entire world. Wow! Isn't that great? For Mastodon, you'll need an IBM personal computer or compatible computer, a hard disk drive, a modem, also known as modulator-demodulator, a telephone subscription, and the Mastodon installation diskette. Some people complain that it's difficult to get the hang of Mastodon, but that's absolutely not true. With a simple course book, you can already master Mastodon in just three months. Let's get started. First, we need to install Mastodon. This may take a while. We inserted our installation diskette and go to the diskette drive by typing A colon or B colon, depending on your drive name. Now we type setup and press return. After loading, Mastodon will ask you to select your graphics adapter. We have a CGA card, so we select CGA. Now Mastodon asks us to select our modem. We have the GenMaster 867-5309, so we select the GenMaster. After selecting a graphics adapter and a modem, the setup program automatically quits. Now we type C colon and press return. Now we type CD backslash Mastodon and press return. Now we type Masto and press return. Mastodon will now load the software. This may take a while. This is a confusing part for most people. We have to select a server. What does that mean? The best way to explain this is to compare it with moving. When you move, you'll first need to pick a neighborhood to move to. If you're an artist, you would most likely prefer an artsy neighborhood. If you're a religious person, you would prefer a place close to a church. If you love animals, you move to an animal-friendly neighborhood. Mastodon servers work exactly the same. I want to live in an average neighborhood, so I pick the most common server, social. Let's go back to the neighborhood analogy. If you live in a neighborhood, you can still visit other neighborhoods. With Mastodon, it works the same. After you pick a server, you can still visit other servers, so it doesn't really matter what server you pick, as long as it's a server with nice people. Now we need to pick a username. I type Wonders. Now the software displays our handle. A handle is comparable to a phone number. If you give it to people, they can find you and reach you. We're almost there. We just need to set up our profile. Now we're going to set up a profile so people can see who we are. First, we need to type our name or nickname in the field Display Name. In the field Bio, you can type more information about yourself. Hmm, local television show about technology. Done. We saved the profile, and now we are ready to go. We saved the profile, and now we are ready to use Mastodon. If you want to receive messages, you need to connect to the server. If we press F1, the software will automatically call the server. This may take a while. Wow, I've received messages from random people. We surely live in the future. I want to share a message with the world as well. You can do this with the second function key, F2. I just saw Back to the Future, tubular movie. I confirm my message with Send. And here it is, my first publication, or how Mastodoners call it, a toot. You can also favorite a message. I like, for instance, this message. When I go to the Star option, the message is marked as one of my favorites. The author of the messages can see this as well. You can also reply to a message with the Reply option. Weird Paul wrote, I feel terrible, I melted parts of our camera. It still works though. Now I select Reply and respond to his message. That's awful, I hope that there's still a warranty on your camera. And here is my reply, visible to the entire world. We explained before that you can use the Favorite function if you really like a message. But you can also boost a message. If you boost a message from somebody else, you highlight it on your own profile. It works like this. You go to Boost and Confirm. As you can see, the boosted toot shows up on my profile. The word Notifications is blinking. That means that Mastodon has news for me. You can read the news with F7. Ah, somebody is following me. It's easy to follow my fellow Mastodonian back with F4. Done. You can also search for people or subjects with the Search function. You can do this with F3. Let's search for a celebrity. Hmm, Cody Danza. As you can see, the computer found one result. Tony Danza is not in my network. So the computer hangs up the phone and calls to the server that Tony Danza uses. Success! Success! This is the profile of Tony Danza. I'm going to follow him. Now you know the basic functions of Mastodon. Mastodon has way more functions, but you'll automatically discover them. Also, if you have a question about Mastodon, you can just ask them to the friendly people on Mastodon. See you on Mastodon Online. www.mastodon.com www.mastodon.com