Quick Links
Mastodon---the open-source social media platform---is having a moment. Hundreds of thousands of people are giving it a try, and if you're one of them, you're probably looking for some accounts to follow. We've got 10 fun ones to get you started.
It doesn't matter which Mastodon server you join; you can follow accounts from other servers as well. Following accounts from different servers can be a bit finicky, but pasting the URL of the account in the search bar is typically the most fool-proof method to find and follow.
Astronomy Picture of the Day
This account is a simple bot that posts NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day. The photo is accompanied by a brief description and photo credit along with a link to more information. Space!
Stripey
Stripey is an account that randomly generated striped wallpapers. It posts a high-res image every hour and they're always completely unique. If you prefer gradients, there's a sibling account for that too.
MetalBand.exe
MetalBand.exe is a personal favorite of mine. It's a bot that creates ridiculous fake metal band names and generates logos with very over-the-top stereotypical metal band fonts. Some classics include "Obliterated Funeral" and "Word God."
https://botsin.space/@metalband_exe
WikiWow
WikiHow is a (mostly) informative website that is known for having some bizarre illustrations and photos. The WikiWow account regular posts out-of-context images from WikiHow along with a link to the tutorial.
random color contrasts
Another cool color-based account is random color contrasts. It was inspired by Randoma11y.com, which is a website that generates pairs of contrasting colors. The posts include the name of each color along with its hex code.
https://botsin.space/@randomColorContrasts
Calvin and Hobbes
The beloved comic Calvin and Hobbes hasn't been in syndication since 1995, but the large library of strips are still posted daily on GoComics.com. You can see the daily coming in your Mastodon feed with this account.
https://botsin.space/@CalvinAndHobbes
Foxes Every Hour
Let's be honest, foxes are adorable. Want to see a cute photo of a fox in your feed every hour? Foxes Every Hour is the perfect account. Red, silver, artic, this account has them all.
https://botsin.space/@toomanyfoxes
Vote Chess
Vote Chess is an interactive Mastodon account. Every hour, a computer makes a move on a chess board. It's followed by a poll with possible moves. The community votes on which move should be made, then the winning move is executed and the process repeats until the game is over.
https://botsin.space/@VoteChess
XKCD Bot
This is a simple account that posts whenever there's a new XKCD comic. The infamous mouse-over text is even hidden behind a spoiler so you can still see it. Every post also includes a link to the comic on the XKCD website.
Star Trek Minus Context
Lastly, another "without context" account. This one is for the many iterations of Star Trek. It posts a screenshot from Star Trek without any captions or explanation about what's going on in the scene.
https://mastodon.social/@nocontexttrek
Moving to a new social network can feel daunting, especially if you don't see any of the familiar accounts you're used to following. Hopefully, with a few of these in your feed, you can start to feel more at home on Mastodon.