I have been using Mastodon for over 2 years (and Lemmy since August 2024).

I’m still a bit mystified about the use of Favorites.
Personally, I use them thusly:

  1. If I think a post is good in some way, but that my followers probably wouldn’t want to read it (if it’s in another language, or if it’s personal, etc.) So Favorite only, no boost.

  2. If I like a post, and I want to give it extra traction beyond the boost I am also giving it. (I use this a lot.)

The second use is based on the statement on the mastodon.social instance Explore page: “These posts from across the fediverse are gaining traction today. Newer posts with more boosts and favorites are ranked higher.” (emphasis added)

But I notice that most posts with many boosts don’t also have many Favorites, so clearly I am out of step with most Mastodon users.

So could people enlighten me on this? Thanks.

  • jason@engage.gogogoals.comEnglish
    3·
    2 days ago

    I was just wondering the same thing and also noticed that many posts will have a lot of boosts but little favorites.

    I favorite to show that I appreciate the post and maybe increase its algorithm ranking. I boost to allow my followers to see it and maybe other people in my instance. Although I get the feeling sometimes that boosting kind of feels redundant so I try not to boost other boosts unless it’s something that I think I’d absolutely beyond.