Getting started
Work in progress !!
This guide will help you get started using Fedibook as a regular user.
Getting an account
To get started you need an account on a Fedibook server. Fedibook is a federated network — individual servers run independently but work together as one connected whole. Find a server you trust, sign up, and verify your email address.
Logging in
Open your server's address in a browser. You will be greeted directly with the login screen.
Understanding Fedibook
When you first log in, Fedibook will feel empty. That is by design — Fedibook is built around the connections you make. Now is the time to find your friends and join some groups.
Friends, Groups, and Follows are the three key elements of Fedibook.
Friends & Groups
Friends are people you connect with who connect back with you. Friends see your posts and you see theirs. The idea is that a friend is someone you actually know and care about — someone you want to hear from when they had a great holiday, landed a new job, or shared something interesting. And someone you are happy to share the same with in return.
Groups bring together users around a shared topic — the local running club, enthusiasts of a hobby from all over the world, or a planning group for a friend's bachelor party. Group members do not have to be friends with each other.
Posts from both friends and groups appear together in the Friends & Groups feed in chronological order. You can also open any individual group to follow its feed on its own.
The World
Follows are like a lighter version of friendship. A follow is a connection to someone on Fedibook or anywhere on the Fediverse whose posts you enjoy — but who may not follow you back, and with whom you do not want to share your holiday stories.
Posts from people you follow appear in The World feed.
Your ActivityPub address
In the Fediverse, your ActivityPub address is how people find and connect with you — much like an email address for email. You can recognise an ActivityPub address by the extra @ at the front of what otherwise looks like an email address. For example, my address for the showcase instance is @sindum@fedibook.net.
When connecting with someone on the same server as you, you can use just their username. When connecting across servers, use the full ActivityPub address.
Adding a friend
Click the profile icon menu in the top right and select Friends. Click Add Friend and enter your friend's ActivityPub address. Click Send. Your friend request is now on its way.
Accepting a friend request
When someone sends you a friend request, a counter will appear on your profile icon menu to let you know action is needed. Open the menu — you will also see a count on the Friends item. Inside the Friends page you will find the incoming request. You have three options:
- Confirm — connects you as friends. You will see each other in the Friends & Groups feed.
- Follow — adds the person as a Follow instead. Their posts will appear in The World feed and they will not receive yours.
- Delete — ignores the request.