Mastodon is about to release its idea for Bluesky starter packs

Mastodon is preparing to roll out “Groups” in the next few weeks, a feature that lets you find and create lists of accounts worth following, according to Text. Announcement on Thursday. Groups you are inspired by Bluesky packages for beginnersIt will come with the ability to add up to 25 accounts to a single list.

If you’re using a shared server, you’ll be able to create a group with a short description and topic. You can also mark it as “sensitive,” which “hides the description and calculations behind a content warning.” As Mastodon mentioned last yearGroups — then called “Packages” — would come with the ability to opt out of your account appearing on someone else’s list. You’ll receive a notification if an account adds you to a group, and you can report the group as well.

Imani Joy, Mastodon’s head of design, wrote in the announcement that groups will no longer have a “follow all” button to get started. “We read reviews that people at Bluesky often found themselves following group accounts from meaningless starter packs, only to get a subpar feed afterwards,” Joy says.

The platform also focuses on creating groups, rather than discovering them, because “the number of community-created groups must reach a critical mass before certain discovery experiences become impactful.” Ultimately, Mastodon aims to give server owners the ability to recommend groups during the setup process, replacing the Recommended Accounts feature.

Groups is rolling out the Mastodon.social server next week ahead of a wider launch with Mastodon 4.6.