Fediverse Punk Month
Learn & Explore

1. Learn

The Counterforce Guide to Mastodon and the Fediverse (for punks)

First up, if you haven't already read our Guide to Mastodon and The Fediverse (for punks) you can read it online here:

https://the-counterforce.org/guide-to-mastodon-fediverse/

It explains in more detail what the Fediverse is, how it works, what makes it useful punks, and walks you through signing up for a Mastodon account.

Videos

Prefer video explainers? We don't have a video for punks, but here's a 3 minute video we like:

It's also on Youtube, if you prefer to watch it there: https://youtu.be/YRJHIJy5Nno

Here's a longer one we like as well (10 minutes):

How to use Mastodon Social Network (Beginners Tutorial)

Online Resources

Zines

Some additional short zines (that you can read online).

Fedizine (another shorter zine from 2021 for anarchists):

Check out the Mastodon Opsec zine if you have security concerns about using Mastodon:

2. Explore 

From our Guide:

Mastodon and the Fediverse are neither frictionless, nor sticky. Like punk, they are built by hobbyists, non-profit initiatives and informal networks. They don't have the same addictive appeal as corporate apps. They aren't trying to trap you, and they aren't here to entertain you. Instead, their genuine purpose is to help us connect with each other online.

Mastodon doesn't care about your attention or entertaining you. If you are looking to be fed a more ethical doomscroll, this probably isn't the place. You will only get out of it what you put in.

Mastodon and the Fediverse are like DIY punk culture - you have to actively explore, contribute, and build a network as an active participant. Being a passive consumer of algorithmically-delivered slop won't get you anywhere. 

To make the most of your Fediverse Punk Month and build new habits you have to really get your feet wet! 

Try doing something on the Fediverse every day in January. Here are some ideas if you are using a new Mastodon account:

Beyond Mastodon

There is more to the Fediverse than just Mastodon. There are hundreds of different platforms making up the Fediverse. Each one might have a few or many servers, but not many have punk servers (maybe you'll start one??). 

So, Mastodon is a good place to start, but it might not actually be for you. If you want to run a video channel, PeerTube is better. If you are a photographer you might want to create a Pixelfed account. Remember that all these platforms and their respective servers are interconnected. Your friends on a Mastodon server can still follow your account on one of these other platforms (and ofter vice versa). 

Here are just a few other platforms that make up the Fediverse besides Mastodon, PeerTube and Pixelfed: