Create a Mastodon account
You want to get started with Mastodon but don’t have an account yet? These are the first steps to get you going.
First things first: the concept of instances
Unlike most other social networks, Mastodon is decentralised. In practical terms, this means there isn’t a single central platform (such as Instagram) where you sign up; instead, you must choose a a specific server (also known as an ‘instance’ on Mastodon) through which to use Mastodon.
This is similar to an email address: even when you create an email address, you choose a specific email server (identified by the part after the ‘@’ in an email address).
However, you can interact and communicate with users from other instances as normal. This means you can follow users from other instances and comment on their posts, just as you would on other microblogging platforms (e.g. Bluesky, X). In ‘day-to-day’ use, users hardly notice the differences between the various instances.
What are the benefits of the instance-based system?
Mastodon is not a platform owned by a single company. Consequently, no one can ‘buy out’ Mastodon, and no single individual can control Mastodon’s algorithm. If you don’t like it on one instance, you can simply move your account to another one. We’ve compiled further advantages at “Why Mastodon?”.
There are various ways for newcomers to Mastodon to find the instance that suits them best.
The University of Innsbruck operates two of its own Mastodon instances, which are open to members of the university:
- one instance for staff and organisational units: social.uibk.ac.at
- an instance for students: social.student.uibk.ac.at
Instructions on how to register for the relevant instance can be found below under ‘Registration for university staff’, ‘Registration for organisational units’ and ‘Registration for students’.
Unfortunately, the University of Innsbruck’s service is only available to staff, students and organisational units within the university. However, there are numerous other services that we recommend, which you can use free of charge.
Some useful links:
Official overview of all available instances: Join Mastodon – Servers
Select regional instances via a map: Fediverse near me
What should I look out for when choosing an instance? Reddit post
Tip: To sign up for Mastodon, you need to follow a link to the relevant instance. There is therefore no single web address for signing up to Mastodon. Consequently, you cannot simply Google ‘Mastodon’ and click on the first link, any more than you can Google ‘email’ to log in to your email account.
Example: If you use Mastodon via the University of Innsbruck’s staff instance, then social.uibk.ac.at is the link to sign in to Mastodon. If, on the other hand, you use the ‘Mastodon Social’ instance, for example, then you sign in via the link mastodon.social.
Registration for university staff
Staff at the University of Innsbruck can use the social.uibk.ac.at platform and register there using their usual C-ID and password. (Two-factor authentication must be set up – if this is not yet the case, simply follow this link: Guide to setting up two-factor authentication).
Click on the ‘Log in or register’ button in the top right-hand corner.
The University of Innsbruck’s login window for single sign-on is now displayed.
Log in there using your C-ID, password and two-factor authentication.
Your Mastodon account has now been created automatically and you are logged in to the University of Innsbruck instance.
Your username is automatically derived from your university email address; this is usually @VornameNachname@social.uibk.ac.at.
You can now set up your account by adjusting a few settings. You can find out more about this below.
Please note: It may happen, particularly on Windows computers, that you are already logged in to the computer with a user ID and have been authenticated via SSO. Please ensure that this matches the user you wish to register with Mastodon. If this is not the case (for example, if you also manage a work account), you will need to open a different browser or a new window in incognito mode / private mode.
See: Web Single Sign-On, the section ‘Log in with a different account’.
Registration for organisational units
Organisational units may also operate a Mastodon account on the social.uibk.ac.at instance. This requires a functional account (ideally one of your own) for Mastodon. If you have one, please follow the steps below.
Please note: As the username is derived from the email address provided during initial registration, it is essential that you register a suitable email address beforehand. The upper and lower case letters from the email address are retained, although this is not significant. Characters such as ‘-’ and ‘.’ are removed. This username cannot be changed.
Click on the ‘Log in or register’ button in the top right-hand corner.
The University of Innsbruck’s login window for single sign-on is now displayed.
Log in there using your C-ID, password and two-factor authentication.
In order for the Mastodon account to be created, it must first be approved by our administration team.
The best way to do this is to send an email to fediverse@uibk.ac.at so that we can get the ball rolling.
Once your account has been created, you can set it up by adjusting a few settings. You can find out more about this below.
Registration for students
Students at the University of Innsbruck can set up a Mastodon account on the social.student.uibk.ac.at instance and register there using their usual C-ID and password. (Two-factor authentication must be set up – if this is not yet the case, simply follow this link:Guide to setting up two-factor authentication).
Click on the ‘Log in or register’ button in the top right-hand corner.
The University of Innsbruck’s login window for single sign-on is now displayed.
Log in there using your C-ID, password and two-factor authentication.
In order for the Mastodon account to be created, it must first be approved by our administration team.
The best way to do this is to send an email to fediverse@uibk.ac.at so that we can get the ball rolling.
Once your account has been created, you can set it up by adjusting a few settings. You can find out more about this below.
For everyone: Set up an account
1. Increase visibility
If you’d like your account to be easier to find, we suggest selecting the following options. Click on ‘Preferences’ in the right-hand column and then tick the box next to:
Public profile > Privacy and reach > Include profile and posts in search algorithms
Public Profile > Privacy and Reach > Automatically accept new followers
Public Profile > Privacy and Reach > Include public posts in search results
Public Profile > Privacy and Reach > Include profile page in search engines
Note: This approach is particularly recommended for organisational unit accounts. For individual accounts, a case-by-case assessment is required.
2. Customise your profile settings
As with other social networks, you can edit various aspects of your profile, such as your display name (which, unlike your username, can be edited), profile descriptions, additional fields for links, and your profile picture and cover photo.
Have you finished setting up your account?
Then read the rest of our guide: