I always get these wrong. So I made a flowchart.

          A GUIDE TO POSTING ON THE FEDIVERSE
                 by @[email protected]

          +--------------------------------+
          |                                |
          | Is the post safe for children? |
          |                                |
          +---------+------------+---------+
                    |            |
+-----------+       |            |      +-----------+
|           |       |            |      |           |
|    YES    |<------+            +----->|    NO     |
|           |                           |           |
+-----+-----+                           +-----+-----+
      |                                       |
      v                                       v
+-----+-----------------+               +-----+-----+
|                       |               |           |
| Is the post intended  +<--------------+  USE CW   |
| for the entire world? |               |           |
|                       |               +-----------+
+-----+-----------+-----+
      |           |
      v           |
+-----+-----+     |                     +-----------+
|           |     |                     |           |
|    YES    |     +-------------------->+    NO     |
|           |                           |           |
+-----+-----+                           +-----+-----+
      |                                       |
      v                                       v
+-----+---------+    +------------------------+-----+
|               |    |                              |
| Set your post |    |  Is the post intended for    |
|   to PUBLIC   |    |   your followers but not     |
|               |    |    necessarily private?      |
+--+------------+    |                              |
   |                 +---+--------------------+-----+
   |                     |                    |
   |                     v                    v
   |                 +---+-------+      +-----+-----+
   |                 |           |      |           |
   |                 |    YES    |      |    NO     |
   |                 |           |      |           |
   |                 +---+-------+      +-----+-----+
   |                     |                    |
   |                     v                    v
   |    +----------------+--+  +--------------+-----+
   |    |                   |  |                    |
   |    |  Limit your post  |  |  Set your post to  |
   |    |    to UNLISTED    |  |   FOLLOWERS-ONLY   |
   |    |                   |  |                    |
   |    +-----------+-------+  +----------------+---+
   |                |                           |
   |                v                           |
   |           +----+-------------------+       |
   |           |                        |       |
   |           | Are you OK with people |       |
   +---------->+  from other instances  +<------+
               |   seeing your post?    |
               |                        |
               +-------+-------+-------+
+-+---------+         |       |         +-----------+
|           |         |       |         |           |
|    YES    +<--------+       +-------->+    NO     |
|           |                           |           |
+-----+-----+                           +-----+-----+
      |                                       |
      |                                       v
      |                       +---------------+-----+
      |                       |                     |
      |                       |  Set your post to   |
      |                       |     LOCAL-ONLY      |
      |                       |                     |
      |                       +------------------+--+
      |                                          |
      |                                          |
      |  +---------------------------------+     |
      |  |                                 |     |
      +->|  Does your post have an image?  |<----+
         |                                 |
         +------------+-------+------------+
+-----------+         |       |         +-----------+
|           |         |       |         |           |
|    YES    +<--------+       +-------->+    NO     |
|           |                           |           |
+-----+-----+                           +-----+-----+
      |                                       |
      v                                       |
+-----+-----------------------+               |
|                             |               |
|  Add a vivid description    |               |
|  for the visually impaired  |               |
|                             |               |
+-----+-----------------------+               |
      |                                       |
      v                                       |
+-----+-----------------------+               |
|                             |               |
|   Could it be considered    |               |
|    offensive by anyone?     |               |
|                             |               |
+-----+-----------------+-----+               |
      |                 |                     |
      v                 v                     |
+-----+-----+     +-----+-----+               |
|           |     |           |               |
|    YES    |     |    NO     +----+          |
|           |     |           |    |          |
+-----+-----+     +-----+-----+    |          |
      |                            |          |
      v                            |          |
+-----+-----------------------+    |          |
|                             |    |          |
|   MARK MEDIA AS SENSITIVE   |    |          |
|                             |    |          |
+-----+-----------------------+    |          |
      |                            |          |
      |                            v          |
      |        +-------------------+-+        |
      |        |                     |        |
      +------->|        POST         +<-------+
               |                     |
               +---------------------+

Here is a sideways version for people with wide screens.


A GUIDE TO POSTING ON THE FEDIVERSE              +-----------+      +------------------------+       +-----------+    +--------------+                                                                 +--------------------------+       +-----------+   +-------------------------------+       +-----------+   +---------------------+        +-----------+    +-------------------------+
                                                 |           |      |  Is the post intended  +------>+           |    |   Set your   |                                                                 |  Are you OK with people  +------>+           |   |                               +------>+           |   |  Add a description  |   +--->+           |    |                         |
                                              +->|    YES    +----->+        for the         |       |    YES    +--->+   post to    +---------------------------------------------------------------->+  from other instances    |       |    YES    +---+ Does your post have an image? |       |    YES    +---+         for the     |   |    |    YES    +--->+ MARK MEDIA AS SENSITIVE |
    +--------------------------------+        |  |           |      |      entire world?     +---+   |           |    |    PUBLIC    |                                                            +--->+  seeing your post?       +---+   |           |   |                               +---+   |           |   |  visually impaired  |   |    |           |    |                         |
    |           START:               +--------+  +-----------+      +---------------+--------+   |   +-----------+    +--------------+       +---------+    +--------------------------------+    |    |                          |   |   +-----------+   +---------------+---------------+   |   +-----------+   +--------------+------+   |    +-----------+    +-------------+-----------+
    |      Is your post safe         |                                              ^            |                                      +--->+   YES   +--->+   Limit your post to UNLISTED  +---+     +-----+--------------------+   |                                   ^                   |                                  |          |                                   |
    |        for children?           |                                              |            |                                      |    +---------+    +--------------------------------+               ^                        |                                   |                   |                                  v          |        +-----------+              |
    |                                |                                              |            |                                      |                                                                    |                        |                                   |                   |                   +--------------+----------+---+    |           |              v
    |                                +--------+  +-----------+      +------------+  |            |   +-----------+    +-----------------+----------+                                                         |                        |   +-----------+    +--------------+--------------+    |   +-----------+   | Could it be considered      |    |    NO     |    +---------+----------+
    +--------------------------------+        |  |           |      |    USE     |  |            |   |           |    |   Is the post intended for |    +---------+    +---------------------------------+   |                        |   |           |    |                             |    |   |           |   |  offensive by anyone?       +--->+           +--->+                    |
                                              +->|    NO     +----->+  CONTENT   +--+            +-->+    NO     +--->+   your followers but not   +--->+   NO    +--->+ Set your post to FOLLOWERS-ONLY +---+                        +-->+    NO     +--->+ Set your post to LOCAL-ONLY |    +-->+    NO     |   +-----------------------------+    +-----------+    |        POST        |
                                                 |           |      |  WARNING   |                   |           |    |   necessarily private?     |    +---------+    +---------------------------------+                                |           |    |                             |        |           +------------------------------------------------------>+                    |
by @[email protected]                              +-----------+      +------------+                   +-----------+    +----------------------------+                                                                                      +-----------+    +-----------------------------+        +-----------+                                                       +--------------------+