Note this page and all the pages in this directory are now on our Community Docs page: community.hachyderm.io/docs/account-types/
We distinguish between 2 main types of accounts that we use to measure and moderate here on Hachyderm: specialized accounts and user accounts. (Specialized accounts are sometimes also referred to as "novelty" accounts on other platforms.) User accounts are when a single user is interacting with the platform as themselves and not on behalf of a company (Company Inc.) or project (OSS project, podcasts, etc.) and/or not posting with a singular purpose or topic and/or bot accounts.
For specialty acounts: we recognize and have rules around some. If an account is not a user account and not one of the recognized account types below, then it is not a type permitted on this server. This is to prevent automated / single post / corporate account (etc.) posts from overtaking regular users. If you would like to create a specialized account type that is not on this list, please reach out to the moderators first at [email protected]. Unrecognized specialized account types will be removed. Recognized account types that do not follow the rules of their account types will be moderated as needed.
Some specialized account types are invite only. Unapproved specialized accounts that are invite only will be suspended. If you are interested in creating a specialized account that is invite only, you must first reach out to us at [email protected].
User accounts are also referred to as General Accounts, which are briefly described on our General Accounts Page. In general:
- Follow server rules
- Don't create type confusion with a specialized account type
For the latter, if you are an individual user then you shouldn't have a username or About page that might indicate that you are a company, project, or other form of specialized account. As a specific example, if you have an account name like MyUserCompany or MyPodcast then you will be considered that specialized account type based on name or About page and be bound by those rules.
Influencer Accounts = Large Userbase Accounts
Anyone who has more than 25k followers on an existing platform is what we refer to as an Influencer Account. The only special rule here is that we request that you reach out to us in advance at [email protected] before migrating as we will likely need to assist with the migration to prevent follows getting "stuck", etc.
The common rules for all specialized account types are:
- Your username and display name must clearly indicate what you are
This means for companies, OSS projects, podcasts, newsletters, etc. then the username must match the company / project name. For most other account types this means "describe what you are" via username, e.g. "CuratedTechJobPosts". - You must be verified with your company, project, etc. page
If your company, project, newsletter, etc. has a web page then that web page must be verified on your profile.
Company and Project Account Types
Special / Focused Content Account Types
These will have their own separate pages soon, but include:
- Newsletters
- Podcasts
- Streamers
- Curated Posting Accounts
Automated Posting / Bot Account Types
Below are the FAQ for all Hachyderm accounts.
Yes. Posting about your company is different from a corporate account. Feel free to say whatever you want about your company.
Yes. Posting about your project is different from an open source account. Feel free to say whatever you want about your project.
Not without working directly with the moderators.
Yes. However, we do not want a single person to operate a high number of accounts.
We understand the importance of being anonymous from a security, gender, safety, and mental health perspective.
Yes. Within reason. We expect you to use your best judgement in not flooding our servers. We understand you might need more than one account. However, it is not a free for all. We understand security, gender, safety, and mental health, and safe space from work are all reasons to create multiple and anonymous accounts.
We prefer if you didn't. We are trying to build a curated network of professionals on Hachyderm and would encourage you to move these accounts to another instance.