Getting Started

Last Updated: February 18, 2023

Requirements

CounterSocial is accessible using all modern web browsers or via the official CounterSocial (CoSo) mobile apps for iPhone and Android devices. iPad users can access the platform via the device’s web browser. The platform is currently unavailable to users located in Russia, China, Iran, Syria, and North Korea, as well as those arriving via certain VPN, TOR, or proxy addreses.( Why? )

Please whitelist Counter.Social with ad blockers, shields, or VPN tunnels through your browser or device.

Creating Your Account

To sign up for a free account visit:

Desktop/Browser Version: https://counter.social

Mobile App Downloads: iPhone or Android

Your username is fixed and cannot be changed following account activation. This is a security feature to prevent bots and trolls from manipulating the platform. The ONLY way to change your username is to delete your account and create another. Note that once an account is deleted, all traces of the account are permanently removed and cannot be recovered, even by the administrator. The username cannot be reused as a security precaution to prevent others hijacking your name and posing as you.

Attention

Following sign-up, you will receive an email from CounterSocial with instructions on activating your account. If you cannot locate that email, you may request a duplicate confirmation email by clicking “Didn’t receive confirmation instructions?” below the login field.

Choose Your Default Layout

We understand that everyone uses social media in different ways and for different reasons, so we have added the ability to switch to different layouts. If you are looking for a similar user experience to what you are used to on other platforms, you can switch to a simplified, single-column layout at any time or stay with the default, advanced multi-column mode.

To switch from Advanced to Simplified mode, locate the link in the right-column navigation section and select “Switch to Simplified Mode.” You will find the link to switch back to Advance Mode in a similar location in the new layout.

Choose Your Theme

Two site themes are available for both desktop and official mobile app users. If you are using the advanced layout, you’ll find this setting by clicking on “Edit Profile” link below your screen name and navigating to the “Preferences” section. For simplified mode users, click on the “settings” link found on the right side of the page and click on the “Appearance” tab. Remember to click the “Save Changes” button or check mark icon at the bottom of the page to activate your selection.

Set Up Your Profile

You can find all preferences and settings by clicking on the “Edit Profile” link at the top of your profile page (Advanced Layout) or through the “Settings” link found in the right-side navigation column (Simplified Layout). There is also an “Edit Profile” button found on the top of your profile page in both modes. You can access your profile page by clicking on your Display Name.

Note

Remember to scroll to the bottom of the page and click the “Save Changes” or Check Mark icon after making any changes.

Display Name

While your @handle is fixed and unchangeable, you may update your Display Name at any time. The character limit is 24. In the example below, JΞSŦΞR ✪ ΔCŦUΔL³³°¹ is the Display Name and @th3j35t3r is the handle or “screen name.”

Other than badges and a blue check to denote PRO members, CounterSocial does not grant special status or symbols to individual accounts. Users are free to include symbols in their Display Names and the emoji library is available to all users. You can include country flags, check marks (of any color!;-)) or other symbols as your imagination dictates.

How to Add an Emoji to Your Display Name

On the main Coso page, navigate to the Post Box.
Click on the Insert emoji symbol in the upper right corner of the Post Box to reveal the list of system and custom emojis.
Scroll through the emoji and find something snazzy.
Tap to enter one (or more) emoji into the text area.
Copy the symbol(s) and go immediately to “Edit Profile”.
Click “yes” if a pop up asks if you want to Leave site? and continue to the Edit profile area.
Paste the symbol(s) in the “Display Name” and/or “Bio” fields.
Scroll down and click “Save Changes” before returning to CounterSocial.

Bio

Write a short description of yourself to display on top of your profile page. The character limit is 500. Feel free to include hashtags that define your professions, interests, or group memberships so others can find you when those terms are searched.

Avatar

Your avatar is the photo or image that appears on top of your profile and next to your post. The default for new users is an egg. Uncrack it now in “Edit Profile” by uploading a PNG, GIF, or JPG image no larger than 2MB in size. Your image will be resized to 85x85 pixels. Square images are preferred.

Configuring Your Preferences

After you have set up your personal profile, use the field below the profile image uploader to set up the following preferences:

Public Landing Page (PLP)

Your CoSo profile is private by default. This means that your profile and posts cannot be indexed by search engines, and cannot be crawled by spiders or archiving services.

All users can enable their public landing page to allow their profile and posts to be viewed and shared outside of CoSo. To enable PLP, navigate to Edit Profile –> Appearance. Your public share link will be visible below the settings box. Once PLP is enabled, a badge will appear on your profile page to launch your PLP while also letting other users know you are open to having your content shared with the world.

Lock Account

Check the “Lock account” box to make your profile unviewable to all CoSo users except those you have accepted as friends. If this box is checked, you will need to manually approve all friend requests. Follow requests will appear on your profile page. To approve, click the three dots to the right of your Display Name for a flyout menu and choose Follow Requests to see who is asking. You can click through to their profiles before choosing to accept or reject the request. No harm no foul, follower counts are not worth a hill of beans here.

Automatic Direct Message Scrubber (ADMS)

PRO users can enable ADMS to automatically scrub any direct message YOU SENT after 24 hours. You can also enable this feature for any direct message SENT TO YOU by a 3rd party, permanently removing both sides of the conversation from all devices. Once deleted, they can not be recovered (not even by CoSo Admins).

To activate ADMS, navigate to your settings and find the option in the Preferences section (Advanced Layout Users) or the General section (Simplified Layout users).

Note

You can exclude messages from being scrubbed by typing “/noscrub” (without quotes) anywhere in the post. This will turn the feature off for only the intended message.

Directory Listing (Coming Soon)

While the Directory is currently in development, select this box to be included in a searchable index of Counter.Social users when it launches. If you have included hashtags in your bio, your profile will be listed in each respective hashtag group.

Custom Profile Fields

CoSo allows you to display up to 4 items in a table at the top of your bio. You can use these fields to display your location, pronouns, website/social links, or labels.

If including links to websites that you control, a verification method is provided which will result in a green check next the links at the top of your profile. Currently, this feature is only available for sites that allow you to embed HTML code.