Kirk
A Fedi instance requires a time commitment, there are some good suggestions in here but I recommend some alternative frontends.
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.
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.
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