If you’re joining Mastodon now, here’s important advice:

1. Join a small instance
2. If you’re part of a big instance, consider joining a small instance
3. If you have technical know-how, self-host your own instance
4. If for whatever reason you want to stay on a big instance, make your own back-up instance (like I have)

MOST IMPORTANTLY: If you don’t know what an instance is, learn about it immediately.

—@atomicpoet