Fediverse Rules of Engagement

These are my "rules" for how I interact on the Fediverse (Mastodon, GoToSocial, and other ActivityPub friends). I don't claim that they're perfect or correct or appropriate for anyone other than me.

Follow and unfollow liberally. Don't be afraid to follow someone new, even if I'm happy with my feed. Follow folks boosted into my feed, follow folks who interact with me, follow from the federated timeline. Unfollow if I want to, but consider using private notes, hiding boosts, and filters as "strikes."

Check remote replies before sending my own reply. Every server has a partial window of the Fediverse. Is my reply redundant? Is the person already drowning in replies?

Do not meta. Meta is the mind killer. Meta is the little death that brings total obliteration.

Don't overload posts with disclaimers. They clutter up the post and deprive me of the opportunity to block jerks.

Always post alt text. Do not boost anything without alt text, but don't harass individuals for not writing alt text.

Treat unverified accounts of "famous" people as illegitimate. Misinfo is too rampant to risk engaging with impersonators.

Don't boost news that lacks a clear citation. Be wary of screenshots of text that appear to be from legit sources, or are from unidentifiable sources.

No GenAI. Don't boost, don't interact, consider muting or blocking the poster depending on severity. Be extremely wary of "activists" posting GenAI slop.