Today marks a significant moment in the life of the Fediverse. Leadership of Mastodon is transitioning from Eugen Rochko @npub1vl7j...f6g0 to Felix Hlatky @npub10gcu...0m2k who steps into the role of Executive Director. Eugen’s contribution to the web cannot be overstated. His vision, persistence, and commitment built the foundation so many of us now stand on — including thousands of independent communities committed to better social spaces.

A gentle reminder: much like tech support, moderation is most visible when something goes wrong. The vast majority of moderation work - unseen, unpaid, and often unacknowledged - quietly contributes to a safer, more welcoming experience for everyone. There is no justification for careless or irresponsible moderation. At the same time, it is important to recognise that this network is sustained by thousands of volunteers who prevent the most harmful content from ever reaching you. cont'd

I'm seeing a lot of conversation around usernames and the implementation of reserved words or profanity/harmful language filters. This ties in to to a soon-to-be-available feature in Mastodon that will enable rules to proactively moderate account usernames. The IFTAS Community Library has a reserved words resource page at

Reserved Words Resources – IFTAS

As with all moderation tools, all friction is good friction, nothing is perfect. Used well, reserved word rules are a vital tool in the toolkit.