Mastodon is preparing to roll out “Collections” in the next few weeks, a feature that allows you to find and create lists of accounts worth following, according to an announcement on Thursday. Collections, which take inspiration from Bluesky Starter Packs, will come with the ability to add up to 25 accounts to a single list.
If you’re on a participating server, you’ll be able to create a Collection with a short description and topic. You can also mark them as “sensitive,” which “hides the description and accounts behind a content warning.” As mentioned by Mastodon last year, Collections — then called “Packs” — will come with the ability to opt out of having your account appear in someone else’s list. You’ll receive a notification if an account adds you to a Collection, as well as get the ability to report a Collection as well.
Imani Joy, Mastodon’s head of design, writes in the announcement that Collections won’t have a “Follow All” button to start. “We read feedback that people on Bluesky often found themselves mass following accounts from stale Starter Packs, only to have a subpar feed afterwards,” Joy says.
The platform is also focusing on the creation, rather than the discovery of Collections, because the “number of community-created Collections needs to hit a critical mass before certain discovery experiences become impactful.” Eventually, Mastodon aims to give server owners the ability to recommend Collections during the onboarding process, replacing the recommended accounts feature.
Collections is rolling out the mastodon.social server in the coming week ahead of a broader launch with Mastodon 4.6.
