Post AnjLIXzSOiQEy4uHTs by markwitton@sauropods.win
(DIR) More posts by markwitton@sauropods.win
(DIR) Post #AnhHuvdu7QX3CCx59M by markwitton@sauropods.win
2024-11-04T11:09:02Z
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I'm wondering if my time at Mastodon is coming to an end. Alongside issues with engagement (which is pretty essential for what I do, I'm not just after a dopamine fix!), most of the notifications I get here are spam posts, sometimes numbering dozens within a few hours. Reporting and blocking them has done little to stem the feed, and it's a tedious job.I'm more active on Bluesky, which is growing a good palaeo and palaeoart community. Find me at https://bsky.app/profile/markwitton.bsky.social.
(DIR) Post #AnhInfOKF4j4ijlZ4a by DavidTanner@toot.wales
2024-11-04T11:18:56Z
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@markwitton That’s strange. I just don’t get any spam notifications, never have here.
(DIR) Post #AnhJFWDjvrPaO15zqC by mike@sauropods.win
2024-11-04T11:23:56Z
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@markwitton I know it will be no comfort to you to know this, but I have seen very very little spam on here — way less than I ever did on The Other Place.We'll miss you if you go.
(DIR) Post #AnhJjJ7ZCUveRjPe9A by llewelly@sauropods.win
2024-11-04T11:29:22Z
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@markwitton I'll miss you if you go. Whatever you decide, I am glad you were here for a while.
(DIR) Post #AnhOyBedk7PNP5nT6m by idoubtit@mstdn.social
2024-11-04T12:28:04Z
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@markwitton I think you might expect BlueSky to get messy as well. It’s inevitable. And then monetization. I’m not ok with that but some people are.
(DIR) Post #AnhPG1ZZxsWfLfw2ls by royal@theres.life
2024-11-04T12:31:27Z
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@markwitton I love your work; this is the only way I follow you.
(DIR) Post #AnhXejUB9GnI7phaUq by Looming
2024-11-04T14:05:26.914537Z
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@markwitton I believe there's a Bluesky/Activitypub available I need my fix of paleoart :2050:
(DIR) Post #AnhXitfREf6ErSxDrk by Looming
2024-11-04T14:06:12.081290Z
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@markwitton *bridge
(DIR) Post #AnhlqAUoSq6ORKLUx6 by AdamStuartSmith@sauropods.win
2024-11-04T16:44:20Z
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@markwitton I'm sorry to hear this. It's odd how much spam you're receiving, you must be being targeted, or just unlucky! I'm fortunate I don't get any spam here, despite us being on the same server, so hopefully its a problem that can be resolved for you.This is the only social platform I'm active on or plan to be active on in the future (apart from the DinoToyForum etc.), so I'll miss your posts and updates if you leave. If you do, I sincerely hope you pop back every now and then.
(DIR) Post #Anhn1XFWJ9o09DB1Au by dinogami@sauropods.win
2024-11-04T16:57:35Z
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@markwitton Echoing others: I receive no spam at all on my Mastodon account. I am not sure I know what spam on Mastodon even looks like...? I hope this is maybe just a settings tweak to fix for you! Hate to see you go!
(DIR) Post #AnjLIUvnlqiRTsAoro by mike@sauropods.win
2024-11-04T16:54:53Z
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@AdamStuartSmith @markwitton Same here. It's Mastodon all the way for me — I just don't have the bandwidth to badger about with half a dozen different social networks. (I get that it's different from someone in Mark's situation).
(DIR) Post #AnjLIWAj9qFVKSAFlo by AdamStuartSmith@sauropods.win
2024-11-05T10:38:44Z
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@mike @markwitton It can be annoying maintaining an online presence spread across multiple sites, but there's a bigger factor for me: traditional Social Media networks make me unhappy. I don't like what they have become, or what they will inevitably become in the case of the new ones.The decentralised, open, algorithm-free, ad-free, model of Mastodon and the new Social Web is so appealing to me I'm willing to put all my eggs into that basket to help speed along a change I want to see.
(DIR) Post #AnjLIX7DeN2MFrWxwO by mike@sauropods.win
2024-11-05T10:47:34Z
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@AdamStuartSmith I agree 100%. I'd love to be reaching more people, especially when I publicise new blog-posts, but in the end that's worth much less to me than the fact that Mastodon is a fun experience while Twitter is wretched — and every other privately owned network will inevitably go the same way.(Again, I realise that commercial factors mean that the equation is different for @markwitton.)
(DIR) Post #AnjLIXzSOiQEy4uHTs by markwitton@sauropods.win
2024-11-05T10:56:19Z
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@mike @AdamStuartSmith Yes, this is a complicated decision. I wish I were in a position where I could be more idealistic about social media. Alas, if I don't get word out about books, Patreon etc, I don't get to eat!I'm envious that you don't get spam here! I had ten posts overnight - random QR codes posted from Japanese users. They're all from different servers and accounts, so I can't universally block them. Instead, I have to tediously report each one.
(DIR) Post #AnjLXgZ0nuCptykv7w by mike@sauropods.win
2024-11-05T10:59:03Z
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@markwitton @AdamStuartSmith "Alas, if I don't get word out about books, Patreon etc, I don't get to eat!" <-- Yeah, I totally get it.
(DIR) Post #AnjLdbV8XUAfwElVXU by mike@sauropods.win
2024-11-05T11:00:07Z
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@markwitton @AdamStuartSmith That is so strange about the spam. I'm not sure I've ever had a single one. (I have SEEN one or two, in replies to threads I followed, which is why I'm not quite sure I've not seen one that was sent directly to me.)Probably worth asking around to see if this is a known phenomenon?
(DIR) Post #AnjLoge5kiXP4xErNQ by markwitton@sauropods.win
2024-11-05T11:02:10Z
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@dinogami They're mostly just links or QR codes. I've started blocking the servers they use as I have read that spammers use poorly regulated ones for their attacks, but it doesn't feel great doing so. Cutting off big chunks of users on a social media site doesn't feel right!
(DIR) Post #AnjMGRCclM9dI8cizw by markwitton@sauropods.win
2024-11-05T11:07:10Z
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@mike @AdamStuartSmith There's not much on it so far as I can tell, but I'm not alone: https://community.nodebb.org/topic/10efff28-d6c6-44b7-b4e6-a3f97687d76b/this-latest-wave-of-spam-here-on-mastodon-is-seriously-getting-to-be-very-frustrating-to-say-the-least.Solutions are few, though. At times it can be one new post every 30 minutes, so it's pretty annoying!
(DIR) Post #AnjMWKro5RMmH6T1RQ by markwitton@sauropods.win
2024-11-05T11:10:03Z
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@theadhocracy Several folks have suggested some sort of "bridge", I'll look into it. Reminds me to the good ol' days when social media sites allowed automatic cross-posting, before everything got siloed and megacorporate.
(DIR) Post #AnjMchHHfzqzWDPvqy by markwitton@sauropods.win
2024-11-05T11:11:13Z
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@DavidTanner I seem to be part of a lucky few who get _all_ the spam!
(DIR) Post #AnjMdYIAZR3NwJEt5k by mike@sauropods.win
2024-11-05T11:11:21Z
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@markwitton @AdamStuartSmith Why you, though? It's so perplexing. I thought it might be that you are being targeted for having passed some threshold for number of followers, but it looks like you and I have similar numbers so it's probably not that.
(DIR) Post #AnjMjnpBjYPjqmfDmq by markwitton@sauropods.win
2024-11-05T11:12:29Z
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@llewelly Thanks - given the suggestions that I might be missed, maybe I'll keep posting updates here, even if it's unlikely to be my social media "home". I wish we weren't so fragmented now.
(DIR) Post #AnjMpeq83Hr3iotb9M by markwitton@sauropods.win
2024-11-05T11:13:34Z
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@Looming That might be something to look into!
(DIR) Post #AnjNLlqfWsIuj3Sdua by markwitton@sauropods.win
2024-11-05T11:19:22Z
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@idoubtit I'm sure it won't remain a utopia forever, but - as a freelancer - I have to throw my lot in with the guys who provide bigger platforms. Spreading word about my work is how I make a living. I've taken something of a stand, leaving Twitter (where I had >30K followers) after Musk took over, but I can't only be idealistic about where I pitch my tent. I have to focus on where my stuff is seen and shared: Mastodon, sadly, isn't that place.
(DIR) Post #AnjNRjTlFfpN79aZZg by markwitton@sauropods.win
2024-11-05T11:20:26Z
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@royal Thanks! I might try to find a way to bridge posts from Bluesky. Or, with folks saying that I'll be missed, maybe I'll just put up with the spam and keep posting occasionally.
(DIR) Post #AnjNa80hvd9lVv0E7c by markwitton@sauropods.win
2024-11-05T11:21:57Z
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@AmyIsCoolz I've certainly not seen much of a palaeoart community here. It's a catch-22, obviously: folks like me leave because the community isn't here, but without folks like me, there is no community!
(DIR) Post #AnjNnXp7GeFDKtyiZ6 by JonnyT@mastodon.me.uk
2024-11-05T11:20:35Z
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@mike @markwitton @AdamStuartSmith It's a known phenomenon. If you don't already do so, follow the [#]fediblock tag to get insights into issues and bad servers (though also the spats between instances) as they arise.Fwiw, Mark, there is software that lets you publish to multiple platforms at once, if you aren't already using it. Eg Buffer (social media management tool) or, if an iOS user, the recently released Croissant for Mastodon, Bluesky + Threads.
(DIR) Post #AnjNnZNXU9NE9x5irI by markwitton@sauropods.win
2024-11-05T11:24:22Z
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@JonnyT Thanks for both bits of info! The cross-posting tool is definitely of interest.
(DIR) Post #AnjNwkkaZgtw2DFfHc by JonnyT@mastodon.me.uk
2024-11-05T11:25:53Z
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@markwitton NB Obscured the hash so it isn't polluting the fediblock mentions in my other post.Croissant for macOS/iPadOS/iOS: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/croissant-cross-posting/id6670288979Buffer: https://buffer.com/
(DIR) Post #AnjOWbzKd6YtHgFKOO by royal@theres.life
2024-11-05T11:32:40Z
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@markwitton I wonder if there are solutions to the spam. It isn't something I encounter, but I am in no way a public figure.
(DIR) Post #AnjQ7VT5vwInjQKATo by markwitton@sauropods.win
2024-11-05T11:50:24Z
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@royal It seems to be randomly targeted. I assume names are just scraped from some database somewhere. I guess I got lucky!
(DIR) Post #AnjS12DRyob1B634Hg by royal@theres.life
2024-11-05T12:11:46Z
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@markwitton Do make sure your admin knows. They may have tips.
(DIR) Post #AnjeqNJSV68SpN6eES by faassen@fosstodon.org
2024-11-05T14:35:20Z
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@markwittonInteresting. I don't get many spam posts, but then I don't run an instance.
(DIR) Post #AnjiSfvY2bIzQRsQEq by jdanois@theres.life
2024-11-05T15:15:58Z
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@markwitton Hi, I recomend Hubzilla https://hubzilla.org/page/info/discover a very interesting alternative.
(DIR) Post #AnjlIUZThtppAkODmC by dinogami@sauropods.win
2024-11-05T15:47:41Z
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@markwitton I've also heard about the QR code scams, but haven't seen one yet. I don't know if they're actually produced by humans or by bots; if the latter, blocking them shouldn't be a big deal...?