Mastodon User Guide

ElectricMonk runs a Mastodon instance at mastodon.electricmonk.io — a federated microblogging platform similar to Twitter/X, but with no algorithm, no ads, and no corporate control. You own your posts and your identity.

Logging In

Mastodon uses ElectricMonk SSO — no separate account needed.

1. Go to mastodon.electricmonk.io
2. Click Sign in
3. Click ElectricMonk SSO
4. Authenticate with your ElectricMonk credentials
5. You're in — your account is automatically created on first login

Your Profile

After first login, visit your profile to set it up:

• Display name — your friendly name shown on posts
• Bio — a short description of yourself
• Avatar and header image — personalise your profile
• Fields — add links or key/value metadata (e.g. website, pronouns)

Go to Preferences → Profile to edit these.

Posting

Posts on Mastodon are called toots (or just posts in newer versions). To post:

1. Click the Compose box in the left panel
2. Write your message (up to 500 characters)
3. Set your visibility:
   • Public — visible to everyone, appears in federated timelines
   • Quiet public — public but not boosted into other timelines
   • Followers only — only your followers see it
   • Mentioned people only — direct message
4. Click Publish

Content Warnings

Use the CW button to add a content warning. Your post body is hidden behind the warning text — useful for sensitive topics, spoilers, or long threads.

Following People

• On this instance — search for @username and click Follow
• On other instances — search for @username@instance.social (e.g. @someone@fosstodon.org)
• You can follow anyone on any Mastodon or ActivityPub-compatible server

Timelines

• Home — posts from people you follow
• Local — all public posts from mastodon.electricmonk.io users
• Federated — public posts from across the wider Mastodon network

Boosts and Favourites

• ⭐ Favourite — like a post (the author is notified)
• 🔁 Boost — share a post to your followers (like a retweet)
• 🔖 Bookmark — save a post privately for later

Notifications

The 🔔 Notifications tab shows:

• Mentions of your account
• New followers
• Boosts and favourites of your posts
• Direct messages

Lists

Organise the people you follow into Lists for focused timelines. Go to Lists in the left panel to create and manage them.

Mobile Apps

Mastodon is supported by many third-party apps. Recommended:

When prompted for your instance, enter: mastodon.electricmonk.io

Federation

Because Mastodon is federated via ActivityPub, your account at mastodon.electricmonk.io can interact with users across thousands of other instances including mastodon.social, fosstodon.org, infosec.exchange, and many more — just like email works across different providers.

You appear to others as @yourname@mastodon.electricmonk.io.

Privacy and Data

• Your posts and data are stored on ElectricMonk's own hardware
• No third-party tracking or advertising
• You can export your data at any time via Preferences → Import and Export
• You can migrate your account to another Mastodon instance and take your followers with you

Need Help?

Contact support via the portal or reach out on Matrix at chat.electricmonk.io.