Any questions regarding this instance is here.
General
What is Mastodon? Is it Twitter?
Mastodon is very similar to Twitter as it’s a microblogging social network. However, Mastodon is not centrally managed as the network consists of instances, which connect up to other instances through federation. This makes it possible to follow people that are on different instances.
In short, your account on an instance is like an email address. You can follow other users on the same instance or other instance like you would by subscribing to a blog or a mailing list. The only difference is that you can interact with the users you follow instead of just receiving new updates or content.
If you new to Mastodon, read the quick start guides:
What is Firefish? Is this Mastodon?
Firefish is Fediverse software that works with ActivityPub, which is the same protocol that Mastodon uses. While they are both microblogging software that uses ActivityPub, they have different feature sets.
Is it possible to share new blog posts automatically if I own a blog?
Yes through a plugin if you self-host a WordPress blog or have a plan with WordPress.com that allows plugins.
The setup is simple. Go into the Mastodon Auto-Post settings once you install the plugin. Type in the URL of the Mastodon instance and then authorize the app.
If you have a WordPress.com blog, you can connect your Mastodon/Firefish account with WordPress.com/Jetpack Social to autoshare your posts.
I didn’t receive a verification email.
Check your Junk Mail/Spam folder. If you didn’t receive it, send an email to the email address on the about this instance page and I can manually approve your account.
How do I find friends on Mastodon if they are on Twitter?
This service can help.
Is registration separate for the forums?
Yes, but you may login using your Mastodon account, as long you use an account from this instance. Otherwise, use a different provider or register with an email. Only OAuth providers from Mastodon, Discord, and WordPress.com are supported currently. Email verification is not required, but you need to provide an email.
How do I get verified?
Verification is free on Mastodon. In the Mastodon settings under Profile, there should be a section for Verification. copy that code and stick it to your blog or website. After a minute, you should get a green checkmark.
There is a novelty ”blue checkmark” as a emoji available if you want it. You don’t need to pay $8 a month for it.
Can we trust you with our data created on the platform?
We are fully compliant with the Mastodon Covenant. The servers are backed up every day and there is a backup System Administrator if the owner is unable to respond to a server emergency.
Do I need to register an account at Sakurajima to interact with other users on the platform?
Not necessary. The strengths of Mastodon and Firefish is that you can be on any Mastodon/Firefish server and follow any users here. It can interact with other Fediverse software like Pixelfed, Lemmy, KBin, and more. You just need to copy their handle as appeared on their profile, go to the instance you are on, paste it in the search field and you will find them.
Note that some instances are defederated from interacting with our servers. We primarily ban instances that promote hate and far-right extremist ideology (alt-right, neo-nazis, white nationalism, etc). While most speech is allowed, we have the right to restrict certain speech that can harm user’s safety on the platform.
Remember, free speech is not 100% guaranteed on this blog if you don’t follow the rules above, it only protects speech from the government.
Why I can’t see images/media from pawoo.net on Sakurajima?
This is due to legal liability issues with child-pornography laws in the US with the PROTECT Act of 2003. You will need to view the post on pawoo to view the media, but you will still be able to follow users from there. Also, while you can follow instances that allow lolicon content, you won’t be able to see media or it won’t appear in the local or federated timeline, unless you follow the account on a server that has a limited restriction.
Please do not use this instance if you intend to promote/share/defend lolicon content.
Why can’t I follow a user or see a post on X server?
The server might be offline or blocked from federation. We block known Fediverse and Mastodon servers that promote hate content, extremist content (e.g. Alt-Right, Neo Nazi, conspiracy theories), and/or has content that break federal laws. We do not publish a list of banned instances to prevent any drama.
If you intend to post hate speech or extremist content or intend to harass people, please do not join this instance.
I haven’t received a verification email. What should I do?
First, try a different email as some providers may block the email though SPAM filters. If you are still having trouble, send an email to sakurajimamastodon@ateliershiori.moe. Note that burner emails are blocked from account signups due to abuse.
Are you willing to merge with X community?
No, and I think it’s beneficial to have more than one anime themed instance as it gives users more choices. Also, you don’t want to end up with a situation that a big instance gets banned due to bad actors.
Can you block X instance. They don’t agree with my ideology/view points.
Only instances that break the rules are blocked. This includes instances and servers that have hate/extremist content, “free speech/non-moderated” instances, untagged NSFW, lolicon content and any content illegal according to US Federal Law. Outside that, please use the blocking/filtering features to hide content from users and instances that you don’t like. While we don’t want our instance to become a cesspool, but at the same time, we do not want to become an echo chamber.
Why did you block X server? Can you unblock it, I’m innocent!
To comply with the Mastodon Covenant, we will suspend servers that have hate speech, lolicon/shouta, rampant harassment, conspiracy theories, extremist and ideologues. Our server makes up a diverse set of users from different backgrounds and our goal is to create a safe and inclusive space to allow creators to share their creations while allowing Japanese media/culture fans to talk about what they are passionate about. We have zero tolerence when it comes to hate speech, harassment, and other extremism.
We rely on Mastodon Art’s and Artisan Chat’s block lists and sometimes Fediblock Deduped, only suspending servers that federate with servers that allow hate speech or break our terms of service. We do not suspend/defederate servers that commit to the Mastodon Covenant. Only in certain circumstances that we may choose to limit/silence them instead. We also don’t suspend Japanese servers, but instead moderate them by a user basis, except for Pawoo, which is limited/silenced and media storage disabled. We shadowban (limit/silence) accounts that post lolicon/shouta and suspend those that exclusively posts this content.
We do not remove suspensions, unless taken off by our trusted sources. Blocks are considered permanent unless we make a mistake. If so, we will audit your instance, but chances we will change our mind is near zero.