Twitter vs Mastodon

Could Mastodon Replace Twitter?

Mastodon is trying to bank on the event of massive layoffs and get as much users as possible. The layoffs included 75% of moderation team (the team that checks tweets and vet’s twitter account for that verified blue check mark). Elon Musk’s actions and unhinged antics (his tweets are hilarious) drove over millions of users in search of the new home. Enter’s Mastodon.

Apart from sharing a name with a extinct genus Mammut who prowled the lands of North America and metal band, Mastodon isn’t that much different on Twitter. I can respect taking the opportunity for a quick win.

But on the other side their product isn't ready (in same way as Clubhouse wasn’t). The technology is there but their go-to-market strategy doesn't make a lot of sense.

I’ve tried signing up for Mastodon and although the website is nice and pretty, I had no idea how to use it

• which server to choose

• how do I interact with

• where are the first few wins - seems like a lot of work

Their “open source” and “decentralized” main value props does nothing for me as a user. For a regular user the technology and "sausage-ingredients" are 5th level of priority.

Why do you still think tons of people use Wordpress even though the it's slow as handicapped snail and embrace TikTok even though their privacy policy could claim your internal organs if you papercut your little finger.

I see few problems with Mastodon’s model which will either be their downfall or force them to become it's own subcategory for smaller number of users (that’s not bad, I still use Forsquare and Swarm).

They will have to fix some things tho:

• Differentiation: Their product is not different enough (the value prop of “platform not for sale” may appeal to users where political justince is high on personal hierarchy of needs. Great but no-one would use the product on a daily basis just because of that. honestly, it just seems like a Twitter with a different UI. We’ve already got Twitter that has all our peers, meme lords, and mentors - why would anyone move to a more desolate and confusing place? Checking out with the founders they did say that they are not trying to make a Twitter-clone, hence you won’t see likes and reshares under ’tuts” (Mastodon’s name for tweets). But it looks and feels the same tho.

• Onboarding: Hella confusing tbh. We all know that you don’t get more than a few seconds of attention from a user. You don’t get to “aha” moment, you’ll rarely get a second chance

• Quick wins - where are they? Correlated to the previous point, there are no quick wins. Slack made it right back in the day because you were woo-ed by beutiful interface and the onboarding immediately asked you to invite your friends to throw emojis to each others face. Tinder also had a “win” since it showed you attractive (fake?) mates so you kept on pushing that slot lever in hopes to get a match (jackpot). With Mastodon, all you get is confused look on what to do now

• Fomo-ed Users - I’m seeing the similar behavior on Mastodon where fomo-ed individuals (mostly marketers like you and me) are there to stake it out as first users and start afresh on a new platform (a.k.a exactly the same behaviour as you’d see on Clubhouse). Not necessary a bad thing since the spoils of being first outweigh the resources, however the palpable feeling of desperation to get there can turn potential users to stay.

Looking at the daily active users, that's exactly what's happening. The retention isn't there.

The ol' leaky bucket syndrome.

What could Mastodon do?

1. Find their positioning and alignment. How’s this product different (and better) than Twitter. Who is it for exactly?

2. Remove frictions. Take a scorching hot steam iron and press all those onboarding friction wrinkles.

3. Respect the User. Treat a new user like a VIP and throw as much value in their face i.e. here’s all your favorite people, all the hot takes on your favorite subject, and here’s are the spiciest visually gratifying posts that invites you to come back tomorrow for another digital dose.

3 Savage Tweets

3 Wicked Songs

Ooooh I got you a nice little mix this week.

Shakey Graves is singer/songwriter with one of the best live performers with unlimited energy. This track sounds like an intro song to a spaghetti western.

I'm on a little bit of a groovy modern jazz kick for the last month. But dang - this combo of breakbeats, horns and synth soundscapes are perfect for enjoying an evening tea next to a lava lamp.

Finish up with a punk piece song from an all-girl band. That lofi guitar crunch brings back memories. Enjoy 🤘🤘

Underdog of the Week

I've been enjoying Chenell Basilio's Newsletter: Growth in Reverse where she reverse-engineers creators path to success.

The best ways to learn apart from making your own mistakes, is learning from mistakes of others 🙃

Check her out if you're interested how creators gain traction and find their niche.

What did you think of this one? I would love your feedback.

🤘🤘

d.