What is Lemmy (and how do you use it)?
What is Lemmy (and how do you use it)?
What is Lemmy?
Lemmy is a discussion platform similar to Reddit. Users create posts, post pictures, make comments, and group up in "communities" to exchange ideas and talk about topics they are interested in.
How do you sign up for Lemmy?
You can sign up at wirebase.org/signup. That's the Lemmy server that this post is on.
Unlike Reddit, anyone can host a Lemmy server. All Lemmy servers talk to each other (a "mesh"), so regardless of which server you sign-up for, you'll be able to participate in worldwide discussions.
How do you use Lemmy?
After signing-up, you'll want to find "Communities" that you're interested in. These are like subreddits from Reddit.
To find one, first click "Communities" on the top menu bar, and type in the search bar. If the community you're looking for is listed, then great -- you can open it and start reading and commenting on posts.
If the Community you're interested in isn't listed, then it most likely exists, but has not yet been added to wirebase.org (or whichever server you're using). Subscribing to a new Community is straight forward (next section).
How do I find and add new Communities (subreddits) on Lemmy?
To add a Community, you need to: (1) Search for the Community; (2) Copy its address, and; (3) Enter the Community address. Keep in mind that you only need to do this one time, ever.
1. Finding Lemmy Communities: The easiest way to find Communities is by going to browse.feddit.de. On this site, you can search globally for a Community you are interested in. If there are multiple servers hosting the same Community topic, then you should add the one at the top with the most subscribers (this will be the most active).
2. Copy Community Address: After finding a Community, just click on the "copy address" button (image below).
3. Add the Community: On wirebase.org, on the Community screen, enter the address which you copied in the last step into the search bar (it's a URL). This adds the Community to the server. Refresh the Communities page and it will now appear.
How do I subscribe to a Lemmy Community?
To subscribe to a Lemmy Community, just go to the Community page, search for it, then hit "subscribe" on the right side.
This page is the central repository of Lemmy communities
https://lemmyverse.net/communities
At the top, click the house and change it to Wirebase.org and then you can subscribe to any and all of the available communities out there. I think the list is ranked from most popular to least. The search works really well too.
I noticed you have to interact with the community when you load it's page for the subscribe button to show. Just upvoting or starting a post and going back in the browser also works.
Hope this helps someone find the community they are looking for 👍
Well thank you for this explanation! Helped me to instantly understand how to use lemmy!:)