> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://birchtree.me/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Boost more cool shit
- URL: https://birchtree.me/blog/boost-more-cool-shit/
- Published: 2026-10-23T13:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T13:00:03.000Z
- Author: Matt Birchler
- Tags: Links

FlohGro in response to [my post](https://birchtree.me/blog/why-does-this-chart-just-go-down/) asking if we're happy with Mastodon being an ever-shrinking social network: [Be Generous With Boosts](https://flohgro.com/blog/be-generous-with-boosts/?ref=birchtree.me)

> No. I joined Mastodon in the same first wave that Matt Birchler describes, and I've enjoyed it every day since. At the same time, it's sad to see individuals and (small) businesses feel the need to return to X. I don't want to. While cycling today, my first conclusion was: I'll be more generous with boosts on Mastodon.

I don't know if you've heard this about me, but I kind of love data. I also love a social network that has free and open APIs. I've used that API to pull the date that my followers joined Mastodon.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/31/25312b2a-2d5b-4d01-ba92-e6755efc202c/content/images/2026/10/Pasted-image-20261022175403.png)

2/3 of my current followers followed me in the 8 months after the great Twitter migration. I've heard from a couple people that building an audience today is exceptionally hard on Mastodon, and while this data doesn't show when people followed me, it does seem pretty clear that my follower count is largely dependent on a group of people who joined Mastodon in the great migration 4 years ago.

Boost more cool shit. Post more cool shit. That's fundamentally how we make Mastodon a place more people want to hang out.