@paulg The @user@instance format is good within Fediverse. Maybe one day it will be as common and obvious as an email address. For a direct link (on a web page) to your Mastodon profile, the second format is better. This also what I would use on a business card. EDIT: And if you want to prevent links and Mastodon handles from being reformatted in your post, just put a Zero Width Space in between. I use the “WORD JOINER” (U+2060). EDIT2: Corrected the order that corresponded to your deleted post ago.

@paulg I think the former is more common but the latter is way easier for people who aren't that familiar with Mastodon.

@paulg I don't think it makes a big difference, as people familiar with Mastodon know how to convert from one to the other. Mostly I prefer the "https" form (unless within Mastodon) as it is an established URI and thus usually renders a clickable link which is more useful (and clearer for those unfamiliar with Mastodon) (Both work in the Mastodon search box, but I have occasionally seen no results with the http form if the server is under load.)

@paulg I mostly use the web-link coz it then actually turns into a clickable link in most places whereas the double-@ system doesn't work outside of Fediverse itself.

@paulg I've seen a little more of the former on the birdsite. Also, please consider adding alt text to your image - #disabled people will thank you!

@paulg Don't know if this is the right answer, but given Mastodon is so new to people, I've been using the https:// link because it's easily understood.

@paulg There is no usual anymore, whatever you think is easier in a context. So many people came that culture has mostly changed, even content warnings aren't what they used to be. For instance by the creator of Mastodon @Gargron: https://mastodon.social/@Gargron/109323056922301691

@paulg the first one is better because that is what people copy paste into the upper left corner box to follow people. The latter adds an extra step for anyone not on your server. Not sure what you mean on the text question. 500 is plenty of characters IMO.

@paulg The @xxxx@yyyy.zzzz is more practical for follows. An http link will not allow people who are not on the same instance to follow, whereas the email-like representation can be copy-pasted by anyone into the search bar in about 2 clicks. HTTP can be defanged, but the @ cannot be escaped. This is a feature to prevent doxing. In the same way any mention of @ in DMs (or "mentioned people only" visibility) will automatically add&notify the mentioned account for the same reason.

@paulg It doesn't matter. Both can be used to find you by putting into a mastodon search bar. The first is useful as a slug. For example, https://sigmoid.social/@paulg@mas.to will open your page. The second is useful as a standalone link.

@paulg The former lets you search and add you from within someone else's server. The latter takes you directly to your page but I might not be able to follow unless I'm also on mas.to. That's my understanding anyway - it's a tad muddled.

@paulg I prefer @user@instance because that’s what I end up using to search for and follow people. The URL link only works if I’m on the same server as the other user. If you’re on different servers, you just end up going to the URL to copy the handle from there. Also, It looks like code blocks are being discussed here: https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/issues/13544 I hope they implement them.

@paulg The former

@paulg the first one is common for Mastodon ecosystem. I'm afraid, that in twitter you can't escape picturization.

@paulg anyone searching “paulg” can find you

@paulg type ‘paulg’ in the search this is what comes up

@paulg I've seen both formats used. The latter is more convenient for those who want to follow you, as it's "click-able."

@paulg I would say the handle since the HTTP link always open the host instance and the user may not be registered there. Searching the handle allows to follow you through the fediverse.

@paulg IMO the https:// URL style is best from a usability perspective - it comes clickable with instructions, and savvy clients do (in my experience) handle it exactly as they handle the email address style.

@paulg I would say first one if you're saying it to people who use Mastodon and second one to people who don't use it

@paulg I use the „https://„ variant for now until more people are familiar with how Mastodon works. Hope the @kevka variant will eventually prevail as it feels more natural.

@paulg I prefer the former, took a while to get used to it. But it’s nice to have something new to learn after all these years. Keeps the synapses snappy

@paulg The former is more useful to me, though the mechanics of adding followers manually in Mastodon needs some work

@paulg try https://www.upsidedowntext.com

@paulg both options are super inconvenient; I hope we'll find another solution.

@paulg I prefer https://mas.to/@paulg I find that using @ twice is very confusing ..

@paulg good question. Also, I saw this on your website but I could not quite understand how to actually follow you here since the onboarding requires choosing a server 🤷

@paulg I prefer second one.. It's a direct link. If they are on your server they can instantly follow you, else they can copy the username from the page that opens up and go to their server and search+follow. It's slightly annoying.. But you get the hang soon. Typically use direct link if you are on a popular server

@paulg most people use @user@instance but I wish more people would use https:// to encourage a smoother onboarding process.

@paulg The https link is an easier concept to just see someone's posts. When you try to explain to people how following works across different servers that seems more confusing. You have to copy-paste the @username@server construct or https into your own server's search bar. While getting used to Mastodon, I often made the mistake of trying to log into a different server by following links and not understanding how following worked.

@paulg try https://www.upsidedowntext.top/