My advice to the new citizens of Mastodon. First of all: Welcome! Thank you for being around.
Find at least one interesting profile by going through their timeline. Have a look at their followers and who they follow. Follow them all :) You can always unfollow later. Give it a bit of time. You don’t have to frantically check your timeline. Once a day or even a week is the better approach. You’ll be surprised how a slow but steady approach results in a fascinating timeline. Hope this helps!
But also. This is a federated place. Many instances. No algorithm. But you are in control. Know that we have some bots and trolls here. So don’t be afraid to mute and block generously. Your timeline. Your decision. You don’t owe anyone anything. You decide. Don’t be afraid to use that responsibility.
Why do I consistently say citizen and not user? Well, check my profile ;) I believe that federated networks are a necessary step to full decentralisation and I am working on the missing link ;)
Finally, if you get a new follower and they have a profile picture and a few lines on their profile of who they are, reward them immediately with a follow. Again. You can always unfollow later. Go back to my first toot. A new citizen that finds you interesting will ideally follow you, your followers and those you follow. That's how we close the feedback loop and become better and more inspiring every day :)