## 🔑🔒 Account Creation ![[Untitled 3.mp4]] **For account creation and sign in, the homeserver is:** ``` 50501pgh.org ``` **Registration Token:** ``` QSKlecv1 ``` **Main Public Room:** ``` #public:50501pgh.org ``` **Or by clicking this link:** [50501 PGH Main Public Space](https://matrix.to/#/#50501-pgh-public:50501pgh.org) **If you have any issues you can email:** ``` [email protected] ``` --- ## 🔰 General **Q: What is Matrix?** > The most simple answer is, it's basically Signal but with more features. It's not affiliated with Signal in any capacity, but it looks, feels, and operates, on the user's end, very much the same. What's happening “under the hood” though is different but will not really matter to anyone using it. > > The real answer though is that Matrix is an open standard for decentralized, secure, real-time communication. It supports messaging, voice/video calls, and file sharing across connected groups. <div style="text-align: center;"> <img src="https://publish-01.obsidian.md/access/b355bc5890838593d4ae083c2e32b12e/Resources/Public%20Resources/-attachments-/ex-image-1.png" style="width: 90%;" alt="Centered image"> </div> **Q: Why not just continue to use Signal then if it's pretty much the same thing?** > Signal is a great platform to use as it’s very accessible, quick and easy to use, but It’s just not designed for larger scale collaborative groups and lacks many of the organization features necessary to make groups function smoothly. **Q: What is Element?** > Element is just *one* of client (apps) available for using the Matrix network. With apps like Signal, Discord or WhatsApp, there's only one official “client” app per platform, so this term isn't really used that much with them, i.e. if you want to go on Discord, you just go to the Discord app. In this case, there are multiple options depending on your preference. It's best just to use the classic Element app as many of these other “client apps” don't fully support all of the features available which can lead to an incomplete experience. > > Element is to Matrix, what Gmail/Outlook is to email. **Q: Do I really have to learn about all this computer stuff to use it?** > Nope! You can just download the app, make a username, and you're ready to message. Most user’s experience will, for the most part, be pretty on par with everything else they've ever used, just with some extra bells and whistles. **Q: Is it difficult to get started with Matrix?** > Not any more difficult than signing up on any other platform. Completely free (for users) and just need an email, username and password, and you’re good to go! Even if you wanted to start your own rooms, you could do so, absolutely free, on the default Matrix platform. **Q: How do I get it?** > By simply clicking here the appropriate link. | Mobile | Computer | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | [iPhone](https://apps.apple.com/app/vector/id1083446067) | [Mac](https://packages.element.io/desktop/install/macos/Element.dmg) | | [Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=im.vector.app) | [Windows](https://packages.element.io/desktop/install/win32/x64/Element%20Setup.exe) | > Also, if on a computer, you can use the web/browser version without installing **anything**, but may require you to sign in for each use for that reason. It is **fully** **featured** and completely usable though, and good for just poking around and getting a feel for things. [Click here to check out the web browser version.](https://app.element.io/) > Sometimes it will be recommended to get the Element “X” version, which is advertised as a “streamlined mobile version” but there are many useful features that have been stripped out, so the default Element app should be sought out instead. **Q: How do I join the 50501 PGH Group?** > After you create an account and you're logged in, [click here](element://room/!wiFDgigosQanPknAUk%3A50501pgh.org?via=50501pgh.org&via=matrix.org&via=matrix.fiftyfifty.one) > > If that doesn't work, while in Element, hit the button on the bottom right → “explore rooms” → copy and paste the text below to find the room, then join. ``` #public:50501pgh.org ``` > Message the main Admin in there (@50501PGH) and let them know what other chats/channels you'd like to be added to and what your corresponding Signal name was, and they'll help you get sorted as best as they can! --- ## ✨ Features **Q: So what other things make Matrix worth switching for?** > Due to the large number of people attempting to collaborate with one another, there are many things included in how Matrix operates that make this process *easier*. ### 👥 Separate Rooms and Contacts Very often in apps such as Signal, rooms/channels can become lost and difficult to find again under the constant shuffling of contacts and other rooms. Having people and rooms separated out into different areas can make finding your desired destination much easier. ### 🧵 Threads > One such feature available, only available with the Element Desktop and Mobile apps, is the ability to reply directly to a message and start a “mini” chatroom, called a *thread*, directly within that person’s message. <div style="text-align: center;"> <img src="https://publish-01.obsidian.md/access/b355bc5890838593d4ae083c2e32b12e/Resources/Public%20Resources/-attachments-/Desktop---Reply-in-thread.png" style="width: 90%;" alt="Centered image"> </div> > It’s very common for just a few people to end up accidentally dominating and derailing the topic of conversation in a room, essentially grinding group progress to a halt. It can be confusing to know when the right time to switch to another room would be, or if it's actually worth it. Threads allow those who wish to discuss niche aspects or subjects to do so, without ruining theirs or the rest of the room’s momentum. These threads are also viewable to anyone else and stay within the room they were started in, so anyone can jump in at any time if they wish. <div style="text-align: center;"> <img src="https://publish-01.obsidian.md/access/b355bc5890838593d4ae083c2e32b12e/Resources/Public%20Resources/-attachments-/Mobile---Thread-list.png" style="width: 90%;" alt="Centered image"> </div> [More information about this feature can be seen here](https://element.io/blog/introducing-threads-in-beta/) --- ### 🎁 Spaces > Some other features that make it easier to find things is the ability to group multiple rooms together in a sort of folder, called [Spaces](https://element.io/blog/spaces-blast-out-of-beta/). This allows related rooms to stay together without the risk of them being lost in the shuffle, as is true with many other platforms. This can be something as simple as grouping multiple rooms together for a singular event, or even just all public rooms in one space and all private ones in another, or any other way that works best for those involved. <div style="text-align: center;"> <img src="https://publish-01.obsidian.md/access/b355bc5890838593d4ae083c2e32b12e/Resources/Public%20Resources/-attachments-/spaces-add-existing-02-min.gif" style="width: 90%;" alt="Centered image"> </div> --- ### 🗳 Polls > [Polls](https://element.io/blog/element-welcomes-polls/) are natively included as a part of each room. In other messaging apps, it can be difficult to keep track of specific messages that some use to “react” to as a way to gather consensus. Polls provide a way to notify everyone of an ongoing vote while also tracking the history for future use. <div style="text-align: center;"> <img src="https://publish-01.obsidian.md/access/b355bc5890838593d4ae083c2e32b12e/Resources/Public%20Resources/-attachments-/image-4.png" style="width: 90%;" alt="Centered image"> </div> --- ### 📢 Announcements > Along with polls, each room also has their own dedicated announcements area in which any message (by a designated member) can be pinned so that it can remain at the top of the room until otherwise removed. Multiple messages can also be pinned, which can be accessed by clicking the same area at the top of the room. This can allow important information to remain visible to all members and cuts down on the amount of extra separate channels needed to stay updated. --- ### 🔗 Message Linking Very often, when someone is trying to explain what someone else has said, they will often resort to screenshotting. In Element, specific messages can be linked to and shared via... well, a link, that can be clicked which allows others to see for themselves what has been shared or to jump right into the conversation as well (assuming they're authorized to be in that room). --- ## 🛠️ Server & Accounts **Q: I saw that you can make accounts on a specific “home server”. What is that about?** > Since matrix is not managed by a giant corporation, that means individual groups can make their own areas on their own servers. For most people, this doesn't really matter, but a “home server” is a specific place that accounts and rooms can be registered to not encounter censorship from some outside force. > > Making an account on a specific home server is a privilege that is extended by those on that server. It does come along with some benefits, like the ability to create rooms and manage some other things natively, in a sort of “home field advantage” sort of way. **Q: If someone makes an account on a specific home server, can they join rooms on other servers?** > To put it simply, yes! There is nothing special or complicated that needs to be done to go to anyone else’s rooms, similar to how it would be on any other platform. Those with accounts on their own home servers will just have some special abilities that reflect a certain level of assumed trust. But for all intents and purposes, everything else will be completely normal! **Q: Do I need to run my own server to use Matrix?** > Nope! Just like how you don’t need to make a website to visit other websites, same concept here. **Q: What happens if I lose my account info?** > If you used an email address, just send a password reset request to that email. If you made it on a particular home server, the people there can help you reacquire it. **Q: What does centralized or decentralized mean?** > When you make a page/account/subreddit on a platform like Facebook/Instagram/Reddit, all the influence and control is still *technically* retained by the owners of those platforms. That is what’s considered *centralized*. > *Decentralized* means that each space is completely independent of one another, like separate islands, and there is no central authority or jurisdiction over all of them, despite them all being connected. They all just agree to “speak the same computer language (protocol)” much like how different websites can be wildly different from one to the next. <div style="text-align: center;"> <img src="https://publish-01.obsidian.md/access/b355bc5890838593d4ae083c2e32b12e/Resources/Public%20Resources/-attachments-/image.png" style="width: 90%;" alt="Centered image"> </div> --- ## 🔐 Security & Privacy **Q: Can I use Matrix without giving out my phone number or personal info?** > Yes. Unlike apps like Signal or WhatsApp, Matrix does **not** require a phone number or name. You can create accounts with just a username and password, no personal identifying info is necessary unless you choose to add it. **Q: Doesn't that mean bad actors could make accounts?** > This is true of any platform, but the fact that each space is run completely independently gives groups a much greater level of freedom over their own space to assess and deal with bad actors. **Q: What is “end-to-end encryption”? Why is it important, and does Matrix have it?** > End-to-end encryption just means that any messages or data that you send out from one device or “end”, is scrambled or encrypted, *before* it even leaves your device. Think of this as locking your mail in a secure lockbox before it even leaves your house and *only* gets opened once it's inside the house of the recipient. <div style="text-align: center;"> <img src="https://publish-01.obsidian.md/access/b355bc5890838593d4ae083c2e32b12e/Resources/Public%20Resources/-attachments-/image-1.png" style="width: 90%;" alt="Centered image"> </div> In this case, this feature is turned on by default unless particular groups have turned that feature off for their rooms, which can be easily verified one way or the other. **Q: What does “open source” mean?** > Matrix as a standard is open source, which simply means that the actual code used to create the product is openly viewable so that any problems or issues can be addressed and fixed. > > Without being familiar with this sort of stuff, at first glance, it can *seem* like an issue, like you're “giving your cards away” but think about it this way. People who know how to build skyscrapers, fast cars, or secure safes are not scared to show off how good their work is. It’s better to buy a safe from a salesman who’s *confidently* willing to show you how strong their safes are, rather than expecting you to just “*take their word for it*”. **Q: Can some rooms be private and some public?** > Yes. You can configure rooms to be invite-only, restricted to certain areas, or open to anyone. **Q: Does Matrix support disappearing messages?** > Yup! As long as the group who made the space set it up that way. Not only that, but because the platform is housed on specific group's platforms, there is no risk of some sort of third-party company in the middle “retaining” that data. Once it's gone, it's gone, in a good way. --- ## 📲 Clients & Apps **Q: What is a client app?** > A client app is simply the term used for any bit of software used to access something. In the case of Signal/Discord/etc., it’s the actual *app* you use to actually message people. **Q: Is Matrix only available on phones?** > Nope! It’s available on all platforms. There are even versions of it that run completely on a web browser (on desktop/laptop), requiring no installation of any kind! > Element for a desktop and Element X on mobile is a good place to start if you’re not sure. **Q: Do I have to make a new username for each one of these different apps to try them out??** > Nope! The same username and password can be used for all of them as they all access the same information. **Q: Does it support voice/video calls?** > Yes. > - **1-on-1 calls** use directly. > - **Group calls** use Jitsi (or Element Call, depending on setup). --- To try out Element/Matrix for yourself, head on over to www.element.io