Mastodon is an open-source, federated social media platform that allows users to set up distinct instances that can (usually) communicate with each other. I’ve been interested in this idea for a long time and think it keeps what I like about platforms like Twitter while getting rid of some of the problems inherent to big, powerful platforms (I like Cory Doctorow’s write-up here).

When buzz started in April 2022 about a change of ownership at Twitter, I decided this was a chance to really try this out, and I’ve set up a few Mastodon accounts. Like the distinct sections on this website, these different accounts cover different areas of my life:

• my Myself posts get redirected to @spgreenhalgh@tooting.ch, a Swiss-based instance, where I also publish other posts on personal interests and projects
• my Relationships posts get redirected to @spgreenhalgh@dads.cool, a parenting-focused instance, where I also publish other posts on family life and friendships
• my Work posts get redirected to @spgreenhalgh@sciences.social, a social science-focused instance, where I also publish other posts on teaching and research
• my Communities posts get redirected to @spgreenhalgh@mozilla.social, an instance run by the tech-focused Mozilla non-profit, where I also publish other posts on politics and religion.

All of my posts also get redirected to my Micro.blog account (which actually also does the RSS ➡️ Mastodon forwarding for me as well). As of early 2023, you can follow @spgreenhalgh@micro.blog from any Mastodon account to get everything.