What is following?
Following in Patchwork is like following in Twitter. It means you'll see the posts and actions of the person you follow.
Can I talk to the people I follow?
Only if they follow you. If you want to converse with somebody, you'll both need to follow each other.
What are Pubs?
Pubs host users' feeds and files on the public Internet.
Without a Pub, you won't be able to reach anybody outside of your WiFi, so you want at least one.
How do I join a Pub?
Ask the Pub's operator for an invite-code. You can use the invite-code in Patchwork to join the Pub.
Can I change Pubs?
Yes. You can change Pubs, and use more than one at once.
Why do Pubs exist?
SecureScuttlebutt is a peer-to-peer network, but not all users can connect to each other because of inherent limitations of the Internet.
Pubs ensure that everybody can participate.
How do I create my own Pub?
See HOWTO: Setup a Pub
Who can read my public messages?
Anybody can, even if they're not following you when you make the post.
Who can read my channel messages?
Anybody can. Channel messages are public.
Who can see my profile, and who I follow?
Anybody can (currently). Profiles are public.
Who can read my private messages?
Only the recipients. Private messages are encrypted end-to-end, so not even Pub operators can read them.
Who can see which messages I open, or what I search for?
Nobody. Patchwork runs on your device, so nobody can track your clicks around the application.