Hi new people!! 👋 If you are used to newer platforms, joining a non-algorithmic social media site can come with a learning curve.
Before sending someone a friend request, please read their profile. People often explain who they want to connect with, what communities they are looking for, and what kinds of interactions they are comfortable with. Sending a request without reading any of that can make it seem like you are adding people randomly or have bad intentions.
It is also best not to send someone a friend request and immediately message them. When there has been no interaction first, it can feel overly familiar and may make people think you are soliciting something, ragebaiting, bullying, or trying to cause trouble.
The usual etiquette is to interact with people through bulletins, forums, blogs, or profile comments before moving into private messages. That gives people a chance to recognize you and get a sense of who you are.
People also tend to use each feature a little differently:
- Bulletins are for daily updates, videos, questions, jokes, and casual posts.
- Blogs are usually for longer thoughts, stories, art, tutorials, reviews, or more personal writing.
- Statuses are for sharing what you are feeling or doing in the moment. Some people also use them as a permanent message on their profile.
These are not strict rules, just common communication norms that make it easier to connect with people respectfully. 🥰 (but to each their own)
