Kirk

When using the official Mastodon app (as suggested in the "guide") "instances" are not a factor at all (unless the user specifically goes out of their way). A new user could have never even heard of the term "instance" and the above steps would work fine.

You don’t just download the app, create an account, and go.

Actually with Mastodon this is literally how it works.

EDIT: I should say this is how it works now, it didn't always used to be this way. The official Mastodon app used to ask the user to pick an instance, but for a number of years now it defaults every new account to mastodon.social unless they opt out. There was a big brouhah about centralization but the Mastodon devs felt it made for easier on boarding.

Potentially unpopular protip: I've blocked most of the "prolific" posters. My entire feed was becoming repurposed memes from 2015.

I'm happy there are people out there dedicating time to keeping Lemmy "active" but that is not how I want to live my life.

I love being able to have the small-forum feeling of my home instance but also feeling connected to communities elsewhere.

It's definitely the first thing I thought of too

FTA:

In response to the closure of the library entrance to Canadians—who represent at least half of the library’s clientele—the Haskell did what libraries do: found a way to serve its community anyway. It opened a back door, allowing all Canadians to continue to access the library via a small storage room, without crossing the border. Haskell also set up a fundraising drive to renovate this entrance and make it more accessible, asking for $100,000. In under two weeks, it raised $170,000 and counting. The library is essential. The community and the country at large are responding.

Turns out good web design skills does not always translate into other skills.

FTA:

In response to the closure of the library entrance to Canadians—who represent at least half of the library’s clientele—the Haskell did what libraries do: found a way to serve its community anyway. It opened a back door, allowing all Canadians to continue to access the library via a small storage room, without crossing the border. Haskell also set up a fundraising drive to renovate this entrance and make it more accessible, asking for $100,000. In under two weeks, it raised $170,000 and counting. The library is essential. The community and the country at large are responding.

If an instance has a lot of spam, admins tend to notice and block it. In the future it's likely admins will have more tools too, but for now the system works pretty well.

That is correct and echoes what I said

The Remote Watch Pass is only needed if neither you nor the server owner have a Plex pass: https://support.plex.tv/articles/requirements-for-remote-playback-of-personal-media/

When using an affected platform to stream personal video content remotely from a Plex Media Server, then one of the following needs to be true:

1. The admin account for the Plex Media Server has an active Plex Pass (which also allows remote playback for any other user streaming from that server)
2. Your account has an active Plex Pass
3. Your account has an active Remote Watch Pass

The remote playback restrictions do not apply to streaming music content to Plexamp or photos to our Plex Photos app.

I wish more people would understand that mastodon can talk to lemmy can talk to piefed etc…

I mean, raising awareness of that is the purpose of this community, yeah?