Stefan Bohacek

Bluesky Announces Series A to Grow Network of 13M+ Users - Bluesky Bluesky now exceeds 13 million users, the AT Protocol developer ecosystem continues to grow, and we’ve shipped highly requested features like direct messages and video.

Good luck to the Bluesky team with figuring out how to pay back millions of dollars from Blockchain Capital and other VCs while also alienating their most dedicated users.

bsky.social/about/blog/1...

#enshittification

Mastodon is taking cues from Bluesky with plans for its own starter 'Packs' | TechCrunch Mastodon is planning to make it easier for newcomers to discover curated collections of users to follow by launching a new starter packs feature.

The nice thing about Mastodon/fediverse is that while things move slow (lack of funding, complexities of federated social media), things do improve over time.

Mastodon is now testing quote posts, and soon the work will start on starter packs.

techcrunch.com/2025/10/07/m...

Arguably, I don't find the fediverse quiet, but either way, the more people will give it a try, the less quiet it will become!

To be fair, the two main Mastodon servers, mastodon.social and mastodon.online do have quote posts now (the rest will get them soon), so it might be worth signing up on one of these to try things out.

In case this came across as a defense of the Bluesky team: Haha! God, no.

Ah, sorry if this came across as a defense, quite the opposite!

They do, but they're not really in the business of running a social media platform. Just the tech that lets you make your own.

bsky.app/profile/jay....

@ comrades who are enthusiastic about AT protocol: in light of recent events, what keeps you invested in ATP as a political project?

What revolutionary potential is there in a network that is primarily controlled by a commercial entity in the US?

A screenshot of a post from Mastodon.social Staff dated October 6, 2025, 11:02 AM: "Today a new account using a handle that is against our rules got past the filter we use to automatically block rule-violating accounts. We apologize to the individuals who were harmed by this failure on our part. We believe in building a safe community here on Mastodon.Social, and stand by our commitment to Ban Nazis. We have banned the individual in question. We have updated our filter, and are conducting an in-depth review to make sure this will not happen again."

Banning nazis is a pretty good rule, I like that.

What's happening here is a great example of why, at its core, ATProto is kind of a mess for end users.

At no point was the post deleted from the Haus of Decline's PDS (Personal Data Server, the thing that stores all of an account's information and posts).

What they actually did is, IMO, worse.
1/6

This is why I've been cawing pretty much non-stop since 2023 about how this isn't a decentralized platform (yet?).
You can host your data but bsky still controls the relays, the appview, the labellers, and every piece of infrastructure that isn't a database that contains the text of your posts.

If that doesn't convince you, check this out.

bots.stefanbohacek.com

Delusions of a Protocol On vaporware as an ideological product.

AT Proto has become a sort of ideological vaporware; a way for Jay Graber et al to run a social media platform while claiming they don't run a social media platform. This is just another iteration of the Silicon Valley monoproduct: power without accountability.

azhdarchid.com/delusions-of...

man. i hate it when mastodon people are right about things. that's annoying af

My pleasure, hope it's useful! Definitely let me know if you have any questions!

How to join Mastodon (and the fediverse) | Stefan Bohacek A guide for newcomers.

If you're interested!

stefanbohacek.com/blog/how-to-...

And lastly, I didn't make this one, but might be useful: fed.dembased.xyz

Hope some of this helps!

Preview domain blocks before moving to a new Mastodon instance | Stefan Bohacek See which connections you'd lose by moving to a new Mastodon instance.

A tool for previewing domain blocks before you migrate to a new server (if you already have an account and followers/follows you want to keep): stefanbohacek.com/blog/preview... (requires using a separate tool, which is linked)

Fediverse domain blocks | Stefan Bohacek Exploring fediverse domain blocks, an important tool that keeps the fediverse safe.

Here's a few links that might help!

My blog post on this topic from last year: stefanbohacek.com/blog/fediver...

One feature I do want to call out though, if Singal joined a mainstream fediverse server, he'd very likely just get booted.

And if one of the toxic servers accepts him? You can actually block that whole server.

Imagine. Blocking a whole server full of assholes. Very empowering.

A netizen’s guide to Mastodon and the fediverse | Stefan Bohacek Learning about the fediverse from the people who use it.

Hey, Bluesky, I see that some of you are thinking about giving the fediverse (which Mastodon is part of) a/another try.

Instead of sharing a yet another complicated "how to get started" guide, here's a bit about who's actually on there.

stefanbohacek.com/blog/a-netiz...

Come on, Jay. You think VCs cut checks because of the majesty of the code? You know what they meant. Why on earth would you be shitty and antagonistic about it? If all you had was an architecture and a dream, you’d be screwed. How the fuck can I tell devs in good faith to build on this platform rn?

Got to admit, telling 40 million users who already stopped posting on another site "what you going to do, stop posting?" is a brave move, let's see how that works out

#looptober Make music loops throughout every October!

Hey, do folks on Bluesky know about/take part in #looptober?

looptober.neocities.org

Join the fediverse! Learn about the fediverse and find your community.

Or, dare I say jointhefediverse.net?

Blacksky Algorithms | Decentralized Tools for Online Communities Empowering communities with self-hosted infrastructure for decentralized social networks. Blacksky enables safer, independent online spaces.

The point here is not "Bluesky bad" (although I do happen to think that), but folks might want to think about looking at projects like www.blackskyweb.xyz and northskysocial.com to make sure that when Bluesky inevitably enshittifies, they don't need do do yet another migration.

bsky.social/about/blog/1...

Also, @quillmatiq.com, if I may, a feature request for Bridgy Fed: get notified about bridged account suspensions.

Oh wow. I see it got suspended, interesting.

@support.bsky.team Any way to appeal this?

Account in question: bsky.app/profile/hypn...

This is a mirror of stefanbohacek.online/@hypno__bot.

Mastodon The original server operated by the Mastodon gGmbH non-profit

Always improving! We're finally getting quotes, and more privacy and safety features are coming as well.

techcrunch.com/2025/09/12/m...

I think looking at all the "how to join Mastodon" guides can be a bit confusing/intimidating, I'd just sign up on
mastodon.social and try things out.