It’d be great if everyone on every other microblogging service switched over to Identi.ca today, but for a variety of reasons, it’s going to be a slow (in social media time) process.

It’s important to me to support the growth of Identi.ca by keeping all my updates and interactions on Identi.ca, but that doesn’t mean I don’t really miss my Twitter friends.

Here’s my strategy for staying in the loop:

1. Let your Twitter friends know where you went. My last post on my Twitter profile has a link to my Identi.ca profile page and to this blog.
2. Turn on SMS notifications for the updates I care about most. This group is largely composed of others who live in Seattle, because they often post updates that are relevant to me immediately (i.e. an impromptu event, someone needing a ride, etc.). I also see these people often and want to make sure I know what they’re up to.
3. Adding RSS feeds for other people I’m interested in. There are about 100 other people I’m interested in, but I don’t necessarily need to know what they’re doing in real time. These feeds are in their own Google Reader category, and I “Mark As Read” this folder each night so old, unread messages don’t pile up.
4. Send replies through FriendFeed, private email, or direct SMS. FriendFeed is the ultimate middleman right now, because as people start using it, the microblogging platform they’re using will matter less - making the transition to a federated instance like Laconi.ca that much easier. It’s also a heck of a lot easier to convince a Twitter user to signup for FriendFeed, because they don’t have to do anything once it’s setup. (Downside is, they may not see your replies quickly.)

I’d like to make a chart of which mobile service providers handle Identi.ca messages seamlessly, and which do not.

If you’ve used Identi.ca over SMS, can you please share in the comments which provider you used, which phone, and how the process works?

Here are two entries to get you started:

Verizon Wireless
Blackberry 8830
SMS works seamlessly - all messages come from the same address (XXXXXXXXXX@laconi.ca), so they thread, and I can respond to any message by simply replying to the message on my phone. I cannot tell the difference between “real” SMS messages and Identi.ca messages.
Verdict: YES

AT&T
iPhone (1st gen)
SMS is annoying - messages come from different numbers, so they don’t thread, and you cannot reply to the number and have it post a message. [The different numbers should all tie back to the same reply address at AT&T, but this does not appear to function properly.]
Verdict: NO

(This post will disappear once I collect the necessary information.)

Dent (n.) - A message sent on Identi.ca.

Dentevent or Dent Event (n.) - An organized meeting of Identi.ca users, usually in real life.

Dentup - See Dentevent.

Identicat (n.) - An Identi.ca user.

This glossary will be updated over time. If there’s a word you’re confused about, please ask in the comments!

Interested in setting up your own version of Identi.ca? Jay Ridgeway explains how to federate Laconi.ca in seven steps.

Identi.ca doesn’t yet support turning notifications on/off for specific users.

Until that’s ready, subscribe to the individual RSS feeds for people you’re particularly interested in (and keep these feeds in their own category). They update pretty quickly, and if you’re in Google Reader all day like I am, it’s a great way to catch conversation from your friends without simply refreshing the page.

If you aren’t already aware, you can also subscribe to single RSS feed of everyone you’re subscribed to - just go to your “Personal” tab and subscribe to the feed for that page.

If you’re already instant messaging, incorporating Indenti.ca into your routine is quick and easy. You can send and receive messages and manage tracks through IM.

1. Add “laconica@west.spy.net” to your IM friends list.
2. Here’s the list of currently available commands.

   add_service Add a service you can post to.
   autopost Enable or disable autopost
   help Get help for commands.
   off Disable updates.
   on Activate updates.
   post Post an update to a service.
   remove_service Remove (log out of) a service.
   services List all known services.
   track Track a topic
   tracks List your tracks.
   untrack Stop tracking a topic

   You can access this list at any time by sending “help” to the above address.

A billion props to @dustin for setting up this IM tool.

Getting started on any social network takes a bit of ramp-up time, but joining Identi.ca is worth it! Here are seven steps to get you started quickly.

1. Fill out your profile - and don’t forget an avatar! Your profile is an excellent conversation jumpstart. Take a minute and complete it. You could copy and paste your profile from another site, or take the chance to refresh your bio and really make it shine.
2. Follow 50 new people. Click the Identi.ca logo in the upper-left to access to public timeline, which shows the latest messages from all users. Subscribe to the authors of the last 50 messages (so long as their message isn’t blatantly spam). You can always unsubscribe later, after your community has expanded.

   I’ve seen a number of experienced users from other services who pop over to Identi.ca, post one message, and then leave, complaining that it’s too quiet. Building a community requires effort. Once upon a time, you had five followers on that other network, too.

3. Track five terms. “Tracking” notifies you whenever a message is posted, regardless of whether or not you’re subscribed to that person. You can track using Instant Messaging or track using RSS.

   Tracking is a great way to find new friends and participate in interesting conversations.

   Five suggested terms to track:

   • Name of your city
   • Name of your favorite coffee shop
   • An author who writes about something you’re skilled at
   • The word “help”
   • The first word starting with the letter “K” that comes to mind
4. Turn on notifications. You can receive the Identi.ca stream via IM, SMS*, or RSS. This allows you to listen to the conversation in real-time.

   *Okay, it’s technically not SMS [yet], but most users won’t be able to tell the difference. Try it out and see!

5. Dent a lot! Messages on Identi.ca are called “dents.” Say whatever’s on your mind, as often as you can. The more content you create, the more opportunities you’ll create for people to engage you in conversation.
6. Reply a lot! In turn, make an extra effort in the beginning to reply to other people. Once or twice a day, take a peek at the public timeline and see if there’s a conversation you can contribute to. This will help the community grow in a meaningful way.
7. Follow me! I’m @marinamartin on Identi.ca and I’d love to be one of your first subscribers.

Still have questions? Ask in the comments!

Tracking allows you to listen to (and participate in) conversations that are relevant to your interests, no matter who is doing the talking.

You can track your name, your business, your dog’s breed, or your old high school. In “How to Get Started Using Identi.ca - Fast!” we suggested a few more terms to track.

Here’s how to start tracking:

1. Click “Search” at the top of the page and search for: your company name, your name, or a keyword related to the brand you’re monitoring. (Be sure to use either “People” or “Text” search as appropriate.)
2. Every search results page has an RSS feed attached. Add each one to your preferred RSS reader.

   (Hint: You can also add “/rss” right before the “?” in the URL of the search results. Your final RSS URL will look something like this: http://identi.ca/search/notice/rss?q=banana)

That’s it!

You can also track using IM.

Tracking allows you to listen to (and participate in) conversations that are relevant to your interests, no matter who is doing the talking.

You can track your name, your business, your dog’s breed, or your old high school. In “How to Get Started Using Identi.ca - Fast!” we suggested a few more terms to track.

Here’s how to start tracking using IM:

1. Sign into your preferred IM client and send the message “track [keyword]” to laconica@west.spy.net.
2. If you want to stop tracking a word, send “untrack [keyword]” to laconica@west.spy.net.
3. If you don’t remember everything you’re tracking, send “tracks” to laconica@west.spy.net.

That’s it!

You can also track using RSS.

UPDATE: Bwana (@bwana) put together this instructonal video on using Identispy.