Diaspora/Diaspora

What is a “mention”?

A mention is a link to a person’s profile page that appears in a post. When someone is mentioned they receive a notification that calls their attention to the post.

How do I mention someone when making a post?

Type the “@” sign and start typing their name. A drop-down menu should appear to let you select them more easily. Note that it is only possible to mention people you have added to an aspect.

Can I mention someone in a comment?

Since version 0.7.0.0, yes! You can mention someone in a comment the same way you would do it in a post, by typing “@” and then start typing their name. Please note that when you comment on a post which is not public, you can only mention users who have already interacted with the post.

Is there a way to see the posts in which I have been mentioned?

Yes, click “@Mentions” in the left-hand column on your home page.

Pods

What is a pod?

A pod is a server running the diaspora* software and connected to the diaspora* network. “Pod” is a metaphor referring to pods on plants which contain seeds, in the way that a server contains a number of user accounts. There are many different pods. You can add friends from other pods and communicate with them. There’s no need to open an account on different pods! One is enough – in this way, you can think of a diaspora* pod as similar to an email provider. There are public pods, private pods, and with some effort you can even run your own.

I just joined a pod, how can I find people to share with?

If you want to invite your friends to join diaspora*, use the invitation link or the email link in the side-bar. Follow #tags to discover others who share your interests, and add those who post things that interest you to an aspect. Shout out that you’re #newhere in a public post.

How do I use the search box to find particular individuals?

You can search for people by entering their username or their diaspora* name (the name that is shown on their profile). If neither of these methods work, enter their full diaspora* ID (username@podname.org). If your search doesn’t work the first time, it could be due to network latency. Try it again.

Posts and posting

How do I hide a post?

If you point your mouse at the top of a post, an X appears on the right. Click it to hide the post and mute notifications about it. You can still see the post if you visit the profile page of the person who posted it.

How can I format the text in my posts (bold, italics, etc.)?

diaspora* uses a simplified system called %{markdown}. The publisher has buttons to make it easy to format your text. If you want to format your post manually, you can find the full Markdown syntax %{here}. The preview tab means you can see how your message will look before you share it. Remember that you can’t edit it once posted, so use the preview to make sure it’s perfect before pressing Share!