It’s been a while since I wrote about that social network, Twitter, which is melting slowly. Since the last PSA, Twitter has disabled all third-party clients and now charging for the API (Application Programming Interface) used in many WordPress blog post sharing and Twitter to Mastodon Autoposter.
This Twitter API rug pull can impact most, if now all, Anime Bloggers that use automated tools. On February 9th, apps will stop working unless the application owner pays for access to Twitter’s API. Things like Jetpack Social (for Twitter), Twitter sharing plugins, or WordPress and Twitter to Mastodon auto post tools will stop functioning. This is because the developers are very unlikely to pay for access to the Twitter API, as the monthly cost will likely be high. With Twitter’s future in question, I don’t think too many will pay for access unless they really need it.
With that, it’s time to consider leaving Twitter and using alternatives like Mastodon. I have stressed this several times. Twitter will never be the same, especially now, with adverse changes such as banning third-party clients and charging for API access while boosting extremist accounts.
I know Mastodon has a learning curve, but you are in luck. Many new clients have made it easier to use Mastodon, such as Elk and, my favorite, Ivory on iOS/iPadOS, which pretty much looks like Tweetbot, but for Mastodon. You can check out a list of apps on the Mastodon website. Also, there are tools that auto-share your new blog posts on Mastodon.
The second challenge is what instance to join. If you follow Anime blogs or creators or a content creator who reviews Japanese media, you should join Sakurajima. I set up this instance shortly after Elon Musk bought Twitter. The server is now three months old with a sizable amount of bloggers, content creators, and Japanese media fans, and self-promotion is allowed. Also, it’s possible to move your account from other instances to ours and keep your followers.
As with Sakurajima, I run a bunch of apps besides Mastodon. We also have internet forums and a Pixelfed server, which is like Instagram, but in the Fediverse. You don’t need to be a user of our Mastodon server to use them. All the Fediverse apps, like Mastodon, Pixelfed, Misskey, Akkoma, Friendca, etc., can talk to each other.
Also, our server has more anime-centric emojis, and themes, better moderation, and a larger character limit over the official Mastodon servers, Mastodon.social/Mastodon.online. It’s advisable not to join big instances and choose small to medium ones. The Fediverse is not Twitter, and decentralization is better. This week, Mastodon.social and Mastodon.online suffered a day-long DDoS attack. At the same time, the rest of the Fediverse hummed along. Also, the local timeline, most often than not, will be mostly useless as new posts come in too quickly and have less relevant to your interests.
You don’t have to join our instance to participate in the Fediverse. You can usually follow users from other servers as long the home server hasn’t suspended that server because bad actors are on it.
Note that, like our server and everyone else’s, we pay operating costs out of pocket. If you can, I do advise donating monthly to support the server you are on.
Regardless, now is probably the best time to consider moving away from Twitter if you plan on using Mastodon. Tools that allow you to find your followers on Twitter on Mastodon still work until February 9th. This will give your followers the heads up and make a move over. Let’s face it, Twitter has no future, especially for content creators. It has become a platform for and by right-wing extremists. Furthermore, with third-party API going paid only, sharing your content will become more hassle as auto-posting tools become unavailable.
If you are using Twitter for third-party authentication, it’s time to set an email and password for each service. That way, you won’t get locked out when Twitter makes this change on February 9th.
Lastly, you can follow me on Mastodon by clicking the purple follow button. You can add a follow button on your blog by using this tool. If you need an account, there is a button on the right sidebar. If you need assistance using Mastodon or joining our instance, feel free to comment on this post.
Suppose you decide to join a different instance. In that case, we have a directory of Japanese media content creators on our server’s site. You can send a reply to @chikorita157 to have your name added. With that, I hope to see more of your faces at Mastodon.
Too long, didn’t read: We have reached the point of no return for Twitter. Twitter is pretty much done with this change. Most, if not all, tools for sharing blog posts and Twitter mirror will stop working on February 9th.
Now it’s advisable to move to Mastodon before the migration tools stop working. Sakurajima, a server for Anime Bloggers, Japanese media creators and their subscribers, is still open for registration. While you can join any instance, it’s advisable to avoid joining the big instances like Mastodon.social/online or instances that is not sufficiently moderated. You should probably move to a smaller/medium server if you are on a big one.
Also, make sure you set a password/email for any account you use sign in with Twitter with.
Very interesting, I was already in my way to create a Mastodon account. It looks a bit more like old internet forums than modern social media.
Not too surprising since each server has it’s own rules and the ability to talk to other members on the same server. The only thing that is different is that it can communicate with other servers that are compatible with the same aforementioned protocol.