When people discover Jottings, I often get asked: "How is this different from Mastodon?" It's a fair question—both exist in the post-Twitter landscape as alternatives to algorithmic social networks. But they're solving for fundamentally different needs.
Let me explain the difference through the lens of what each platform is designed for.
What Mastodon Is
Mastodon is a federated social network built on ActivityPub. Think of it as a decentralized Twitter replacement where you can choose which instance (server) to join, and you can interact with people across all instances. Your account is tied to a specific instance—something like @username@mastodon.social or @username@fosstodon.org.
The genius of Mastodon is federation. You're not locked into one company's infrastructure. If you disagree with your instance's moderation policies, you can migrate to another instance. The protocol enables interoperability across servers. It's social media reimagined for community and distributed ownership.
But there's a cognitive load that comes with it. Choosing an instance matters. Moderation policies differ. Discovery algorithms are minimal (which is by design). You're still fundamentally participating in a social network—your posts can go viral, you're visible to thousands of people, and there's an implicit pressure to engage with the community.
What Jottings Is
Jottings is simpler: it's a personal microblog hosted on your own domain. When you write on Jottings, you're publishing to your space on the internet. There's no federation, no algorithm, no instance selection. Just you, your content, and your domain.
The trade-off is real. You lose discoverability. Without federation or a centralized network, strangers won't stumble upon your posts. But you gain something equally valuable: full ownership. Your content is yours. Your domain is yours. Your audience isn't borrowing access to someone else's infrastructure.
Jottings includes RSS feeds, so people who want to follow you can subscribe. There's no algorithmic engagement. You're not chasing metrics. Your posts exist independent of who "boosts" them or how the protocol distributes them.
Key Differences at a Glance
Mastodon:
- Federated across instances
- Social network with ActivityPub protocol
- Algorithmic discovery (or lack thereof, by design)
- Tied to an instance you choose
- Public and searchable by default
- Built for community and interaction
- Vulnerable to instance downtime
Jottings:
- Your own domain
- Personal microblog
- No algorithmic discovery (you share links)
- Complete ownership of infrastructure
- Private by default (you control visibility)
- Built for writing and persistence
- You control availability
Why You Might Choose Mastodon
If you want to participate in a social community and interact with people across a decentralized network, Mastodon is excellent. If you care about being part of a movement away from corporate social media, Mastodon's federation model is compelling.
Mastodon works when you value:
- Community interaction
- Real-time conversations
- Being part of a larger ecosystem
- Decentralized infrastructure
- The ability to switch instances
Why You Might Choose Jottings
If you want to own your corner of the internet without managing comments, moderation, or community dynamics, Jottings is cleaner. Your blog is a publication, not a conversation.
Jottings works when you value:
- Ownership and control
- Long-form or serialized short-form content
- No algorithmic pressure
- A clean, distraction-free writing space
- A sustainable personal website
They're Not Mutually Exclusive
Here's the thing: you don't have to choose. I have a Mastodon account. I also have Jottings. These tools serve different parts of my internet presence.
When I want to engage in conversations and be part of the Fediverse, I'm on Mastodon. When I want to publish something that feels more permanent and tied to my identity (rather than just my account on a server), I use Jottings.
Some people use Jottings as their primary "home" on the internet and cross-post to Mastodon for distribution. Others do the reverse. Some use Jottings for longer posts and Mastodon for shorter thoughts. The combination makes sense.
Building for the Indieweb
I built Jottings with a specific philosophy: your website should be yours. Not borrowed from a platform. Not dependent on someone else's API staying stable. Not subject to changing terms of service.
This isn't a criticism of Mastodon. Federation is genuinely innovative. But there's value in something simpler—a personal website that's just yours, served from your domain, backed by your content.
Mastodon is about community. Jottings is about ownership. Both matter.
What About RSS?
One thing worth mentioning: Jottings has RSS feeds. That's powerful. It means people can follow you without needing to be on the Jottings platform. Your content is portable. If you ever want to move to another tool, your subscribers aren't stranded—they just need a new feed URL.
Mastodon's ActivityPub feeds work similarly, except the protocol is more standardized and the distribution is built into the network layer.
The Verdict
If I had to sum it up: Mastodon is a social network. Jottings is a personal website. They scratch different itches.
Choose Mastodon if you want conversation and community at scale. Choose Jottings if you want a home base that's entirely yours. Choose both if you want the best of both worlds—community when you want it, and ownership always.
The internet is big enough for both. More importantly, it's big enough for your personal domain too.