Mastodon and ActivityPub: I can't figure out what my handler is

[andreagrandi]

Hello,

I have a micro blog on my own domain: micro.andreagrandi.it and I have the username andreagrandi on micro.blog

I’m trying to understand what my ActivityPub handler is and I was reading this: ℹ️ Mastodon and ActivityPub

If, from Mastodon, I send a direct message to @andreagrandi@micro.blog I receive it perfectly.

But the instructions say: @you@yourdomain.com (if you have a custom domain name for your blog)

I do have a custom domain, but @you@micro.andreagrandi.it nor @andreagrandi@micro.andreagrandi.it work

Should I just use @andreagrandi@micro.blog or is there an additional handler based on my own domain?

p.s: I would suggest to include a real example in the help page

Thanks

[jsonbecker]

This page should show you everything: Micro.blog. I think it also allows you to change it to your domain if it was originally setup at Microblog.

Mine is already set that way:

[andreagrandi]

@jsonbecker

Micro.blog

Thanks for your reply! In the page you linked I see this:

which confirms I can use @andreagrandi@micro.blog but it doesn’t show any handle containing my domain (like the help page mentions), that’s what is confusing me.

[jsonbecker]

I think you need to add an alias (by clicking aliases) if you added your domain after creating your ActivityPub compatible account. I did this years ago so I don’t actually remember.

[jarrod]

You should be able to change it to use your custom domain through that Alias Reset button. And it’s best to do this early because followers to your @micro.blog handle won’t migrate automatically to your custom domain handle.

[andreagrandi]

Can I use both micro.blog username and the alias once I set the alias? Also, the text in the settings seems to imply that this is needed when we want to migrate from Mastodon. I don’t want to migrate from Mastodon, I want to keep them as two separate accounts.

[sod]

Yeah, you’re right, @andreagrandi. Aliases is a feature one can use when migrating from Mastodon to Micro.blog. It’s not for choosing a new ActivityPub username.

To change ActivityPub username from @andreagrandi@micro.blog to [whateveryouwant]@micro.andreagrandi.it, you have to tap the red, scary Reset button.

@andreagrandi

Can I use both micro.blog username and the alias once I set the alias?

Nope, you choose the only username you want to use after hitting the Reset button.

[andreagrandi]

@sod

@andreagrandi@micro.blog

Thanks for the clarification. I think that I’m going to keep using @andreagrandi@micro.blog then. It should be easier even for people to know which handle they are tagging.

[jarrod]

Thanks @sod! I goofed on my advice.

[manton]

You can certainly keep using the micro.blog domain, but to be honest I would reset to use your custom domain name now. The problem with the “Reset” button is that it essentially recreates your fediverse presence, so you lose followers on Mastodon. It’s better to switch to your domain name now before many people are following you.

I’m pretty sure we can remove that limitation in the future, but I’m not sure how yet. Micro.blog is really the only platform on the fediverse that allows username domain name switching like this.

[andreagrandi]

You all mean this reset button, right?

I haven’t advertised this micro blog much, so I don’t think anyone is following me from Mastodon yet.

I thought the “reset” would reset other settings in my micro blog, but if it’s just for this, I can use it.

I’m mostly interested in the possibility for people to reply/comment to my posts using that tag than in the possibility for people to follow me (but of course I don’t mind if it’s possible).

I will give the alias a try later (but seriously: I do like the @andreagrandi@micro.blog one!)

[manton]

Yep, that’s the button. It is only for the fediverse features. It has no affect on anything else with your blog.

Feel free to keep using micro.blog if you like it, though! We might offer micro.one as a domain name option too for anyone who wants something one character shorter.