@Uncondemning Monk

Something that I wish existed when we both came here in 2011 (maybe you came in '13?)

Welcome to The Federation!

This is a brief introduction to our system. The Federation (not to be confused with the Fediverse) is a combination of 5 different social networks:

• Diaspora - Simplicity, elegance and no extra frills [FAQ Tutorial]
• Friendica - Conventional/Familiar social network [FAQ Support]
• Hubzilla - Interconnected websites with a focus on community [About Tutorial Video]
• Socialhome - Personal profiles with posts and pinned content
• GangGo - Still in early development

These networks are interconnected. Posts that are made on one network is shared with the others, but each network has different features and looks. Feel free to switch if you want to explore other options.

Unlike most social networks, there is no central system that determines and/or dictates what people see. Instead of automatically showing things according to popularity and/or individual user behavior, people here have to take charge of their own content.

#Hastags determine what you and others see. If a post has a #hashtag you are following, it will show up in your stream, likewise for your own posts. If you are sharing with someone, you will see all of their posts regardless of the #hashtags used. There are no other hidden factors or systems.

So make sure to follow a bunch of appropriate #hashtags, check out other profiles and share with people otherwise you won't find any content. Also make sure you engage, leave comments and use proper #hashtags in your own posts, otherwise we wouldn't know you exist.

We have a few moderation tools, so you are free to block and ignore users as you see fit. Please try to be excellent to each other and take everything with some #humor. The admins shouldn't be bothered with childish trollwars or denouncism.

Everything here is done manually. It's up to the community to distribute content, support each other, invite new people, contribute to the code, pay for our infrastructure and fight any kind of commercial spaming, propaganda, etc. (This #newhere message is a good example of this in action.)

You can find out more from the various links, FAQ's and Tutorials listed above (next to each network). The tutorial for Friendica users is on every site, under /help. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them here. Everything might be a bit daunting at first, but like with all good things, patience is key.

The experience you have on this network is in your own hands... good luck! =D

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