Friend

This article is an x-post from m/quickstart

Quick note before starting: although this article is far from comprehensive, I wanted to get something done in time for the next wave of reddit migrants when the third party apps close down.

What you see below was written in anticipation for the same set of questions from new users being asked again and again.

If you want me to add anything in, or make any corrections, comment here and I will do my best to make amendments before I repost it on 1st July. Thanks!

All screenshots were taken using the kbin Web version on chrome for android, unless otherwise specified.

How to use this guide

This article is a work in progress, but what I am hoping to achieve is an easy to follow, quick to consume guide that presents you with the knowledge you need in a somewhat logical order.

To that end, I have divided it up into sections, or 'tiers'. The idea being that once you are confident at one tier, you can move up to the next. So let's start with...

1. Lurker Tier

Intro to subscriptions and magazines (kbin communities)

• How to subscribe to a magazine
• How to search for a magazine using keywords
• How to find a Fediverse/kbin substitute for a subreddit
• How to see a list of all the magazines you are subscribed to
• How to only view content from magazines you are subscribed to
• How to block a magazine or user
• How to block an entire domain (i.e. all communities it hosts)

Other basic navigation

• How to get back to the kbin homepage
• How to get back to the magazine frontpage from a thread or post
• How to view a magazine's microblog
• How to view replies to your comment (chrome for android)
• How to send a direct message (DM) / private message (PM)

Voting and boosting content

• What happens when you upvote something?
• What happens when you boost something?
  Warning: your votes and boosts are publicly visible to anyone who visits your profile.

Optional quality of life settings

• How to get notified when someone replies to your thread or comment
• How to enable infinite scroll
• How to show or hide NSFW 18+ adult content
• How to enable or disable federation
• How to view comment lines showing parent/child/root relationships
• How to view full size images on a magazine homepage without going into the threads

Exploring the Fediverse

• Should you create accounts on other Fediverse sites?
• How to get a more diverse mixture of threads on the kbin front page
• How to view the front page of a different instance
• How to add a community from the Fediverse if it does not appear when you search for it in kbin

Useful information

• Known issues to be aware of
• How does the Fediverse relate to software like kbin, lemmy and Mastodon, and what are some examples of instances of these different types of software?
• An app for iOS and Android is under development

2. Contributor Tier

Basic terminology

Don't worry if all these terms don't click with you right away. You might even be able to disregard a few of them. Either way, you can always come back and refer to this later.

• A 'magazine' is a kbin community

• Magazines contain 'threads' and a 'microblog'

• The terms thread and microblog can cause some confusion, so we'll clear that up soon. But first...

• A thread is a discussion based on either an 'article' (i.e. text post), a link, a photo, or a video (although video is not yet supported)
  How to create an article

• A 'comment' is a response to a thread

• A 'microblog' is a collection of 'posts' that are based on the magazine itself as opposed to a single article, link, photo, or video

• Confusingly, a post can still contain things like images, it's just that its replies will appear alongside all the other microblog posts
  How to upload an image to display on a post

• Responses to microblog posts are called 'replies'

• The distinction between comments and replies is significant because they are split by type in your user profile by those names.

• A 'favourite' is a thread you have upvoted using the arrow button
  How to view your favourites

Threads vs microblog posts

Staying engaged

• How to view a list of your threads, comments, posts, and replies

• How to view which users have been interacting with your content

3. Addict Tier

To make good use of the tips in this tier you must have the prerequisite knowledge from tiers 1 and 2.

Tips in this tier may also be quite quirky (e.g. only works on desktop) or require detailed explanations. Or they might be advanced niche tips for users looking to get the absolute most out of kbin.

• DESKTOP ONLY: Configuring kbin homepage to show only threads from your Subscriptions, Favourites, or Moderated magazines

• List of formatting markdown with examples

• How to customise the look and UI functionality of kbin using scripts and stylesheets

Although you've reached the end, this article is still a work in progress. If you've any corrections, or feel something is missing, you can reach out to @Friend or post to m/quickstart. Thanks for reading!

I'm feeling a real positive energy and community spirit as a result of the sudden fragmentation of reddit's foundational use base.

And I love how chaotic it is! How there is so much to learn. How each new platform is separate yet somehow meshed in a way that will only become clear with time. I love the performance issues, even -- just because it feels new, like something exciting is happening.

It reminds me of what the net used to be like before everything became just variations of a single beige blob. Reddit's frontpage was essentially churn. There was value in its smaller subs, but after over a decade of use, everything became all too familiar. And looking back, I preferred reddit way more before they changed the up/downvote counter. But that's all in the rear view mirror now.

We're all participating in a huge shift, and it won't be the familiar, convenient, linear path we've all become accustomed to. And I love everybody's optimism and willingness to pitch in to build a better web for future generations.