There’s a new playbook being written right now when it comes to the future of social media. The early-mover advantage is still in effect, and there’s a lot to figure out. Gone are opaque algorithms and the whims of any single company.
The fediverse represents a chance for quality journalism to shine again.
We talked to two leaders at fedi-forward publications — @TheConversationUS's @BostonAbrams, and @404mediaco's @jasonkoebler — about why they’re investing in the open social web, what they’ve learned so far, and their advice for other publishers just getting started.
@molly0xfff is a leading cryptocurrency critic, but get to know her and you’ll see she’s anything but cynical about the future of the web. Hear why this researcher, writer and software engineer thinks so in this fascinating conversation with @mike:
Nel 2024, per la prima volta, si ha finalmente la sensazione di avere una massa critica di persone e piattaforme interessate a ridare vita a Internet per riportare in vita ciò che abbiamo perso e creare qualcosa di nuovo. Solo nell'ultima settimana ci sono state conversazioni fra #Mastodon, #Flipboard, #TheVerge, #Buttondown, #WriteFreely e diversi co-autori della specifica #ActivityPub. C'è la sensazione palpabile che questo possa essere l'anno del web aperto!
Dall'11 aprile, i curatori di @Flipboard hanno ricevuto più di 100.000 apprezzamenti, like e risposte da persone di tutto il #fediverso. Alla luce di questo segnale positivo da parte della comunità, oggi stanno federando altri 100 account che rappresentano più di 2.500 riviste su tutto, dal clima alla cultura!
Se state cercando ancora di capire cos'è Flipboard e cosa fa nel Fediverso, date un'occhiata qui:
I’ve been absolutely digging curating links on #space and more in many magazines on my #Flipboard account, now that it’s fully federating! 🚀🤓 Here’s my federated Flipboard username to follow: @moonmehta
645 days after setting up my own Mastodon instance, I finally tackled tuning my Postgres database config last wk & today setup multiple Sidekiq Processes after my queue got to 10K for the second time this wk
I read the guides multiple times over those 645 days but it never clicked in my head. I was afraid to mess with Sidekiq because I didn't want to brick my instance.
Then today, during the thunderstorm, the old grey cells clicked in and I understood.
I'll be honest. I am using my ElasticSearch powered Mastodon search more than Google now.
I followed #Flipboard's relay, which adds a lot of content from their magazines that link to sites as well as some other relays. I think they are the culprit for my now fixed long pull queues. Today there was no backlog. First time since I followed their relay.
Soon I'll need to work on database optimization, which will probably move it from this server.
It finally motivated me to tackle a server 'honey-do' project that I had been putting off for 645 days.😂
I'm just thankful I am finding neat and relevant content from #Flipboard's relay when I search, and I do several times a day, even if I don't see the Flipboard post when it comes through the firehose.✋ 👊
Wow! I’m one of the earliest writers for which #Flipboard has enabled federation. I curate links on #space & #Moon exploration on there, which you can now follow from Mastodon or anywhere in the Fediverse @moonmehta!
Question for the people! -- What platforms on the Fediverse offer the best content discovery capabilities? Services like Flipboard and Threads are integrated into the Fediverse now, we should be getting a lot of contents, but when I search for specific topics, the results are still really sparse. #fediverse#lemmy#mastodon#threads#flipboard
So far we've federated 450 #Flipboard accounts which have now received more than 100,000 likes, boosts, replies and follows from people in the #fediverse. Today we are federating another 100 people who are curating terrific magazines that people in the fediverse can now enjoy.
Here's just one of my many favorites:
Addressing Climate Change Locally
By Ms. Coleman La Salle
High school Biology and Anatomy Teacher in Portland, Oregon
Note that it takes time for newly federated magazines to populate so click on "Browse more on original profile" in order to see all the stories in the magazine. Once you follow, you'll see new stories as they are added in real time.
Via @tchambers, more @Flipboard boards are federating today! Flipboard has seen over 100,000 #fediverse interactions and is opening up 100 more boards today.
I believe Flipboard will prove to be a counterweight to Threads and a prime location for news & pundits (as #Meta does not really desire the latter two on their platforms).
Woohoo 🎉 Today, we federated another great group of Flipboard curators, adding over 2,500 Flipboard Magazines to the fediverse on topics like history, climate, culture, space and education.
And check out these five newly federated Magazines we love:
Water: stories related to water issues curated by climate diplomacy expert Anna Schulz @water-rivertravel
Quantum: cutting edge physics from quantum mechanics to cosmology @quantum-LilacLounge
S.T.E.A.M.E.D.: curating stories in science, technology, engineering, architecture, math, medicine, and design @s-t-e-a-m-d-gqlewis
Spyglass: curated by M.G. Siegler, a long-time technology investor and writer @spyglass-mgsiegler
City Life: curated by George Hahn, a self-proclaimed urban raconteur and self-made thousandaire in pursuit of sartorial stealth and effective living @city-life-georgehahn
Wondering what a Magazine is? A Magazine is a curated feed of posts about a specific topic or interest that is followable, just like a profile.
Flipboard curators have seen over 100,000 boosts, likes and replies from people across the fediverse since April 11. Given this positive signal from the community, today we're federating another 100 accounts representing more than 2,500 Magazines about everything from climate to culture. Read more here:
I love seeing all the great #Flipboard content in the federated timeline. Some of it is clickbaity but the good thing is we have the tools to filter and control what we see and where we see it.
I recommended following the creators and magazines that interest you and put them in their own 'Flipboard' list.
😂 That was odd! When I mentioned @darnell on my #WordPress blog, it pinged my #Flipboard account on my iPhone even though #ActivityPub is not yet activated (I received a push notification, which later revealed nothing 😆).
Explanation on how the Fediverse benefits Flipboard@mia also posted that creators on Flipboard can apply to have their accounts Federated.
If you’re interested in getting your Flipboard account federated, you can apply here. Please note: we are currently only federating creators and curators who have two or more active Magazines and no trust and safety issues. (Flipboard on Medium)
I already applied, although due to my Flipboard account’s small size, I doubt I will get selected—but the worst answer I will receive is “No.” (I am @darnell which is not Federated yet as of this post).
I already have numerous accounts in the Fediverse, & for those wondering why, the answer is simple: I like to curate! 😂 Here is a list of my accounts on the Fediverse thus far:
@darnell 🕺🏾 Darnell Clayton: personal blog sharing my name. I originally created it to distinguish myself from other Darnell Clayton’s (one was in the adult film industry who I did not want others to confuse as me). Powered by WordPress
@darnell 🐘 Darnell (One): Primary status update & Fediverse Firehose—everything connects here (powered by Mastodon)
@darnell 🦁 Darnell (M.O.E.): My Misskey instance where I discuss Movies, Opuses, & Entertainment.
@darnell 📸 Darnell (Out Of Office): My Pixelfed instance where I show pictures outside of work (usually while traveling). Manually porting pictures from Instagram.
@darnell 💻 Darnell (Seize The Day): Various thoughts about technology (internet, software, etcetera). Powered by WriteFreely via Write.as
@darnell 👨🏾💻 Darnell (TeleVerse): Poltical, cultural & sometimes technological rantings into the digital cloud. Powered by WordPress
@darnell 🌍 Darnell (Africa): My opines about what is happening on my favorite continent. Powered by WordPress
@darnell 🧵 Darnell (Threads): personal status update where I can connect with family, friends & frenemies addicted to Meta
@darnell 🧘🏾♂️ Darnell (Creative Outlet): My Creativity site where I feature inspirational art, quotes, spiritual wisdom, music & videos.
@darnell 🔞 Darnell (Hard News): Topics not suitable for work. Covering some of the more violent & horrors afflicting humanity that need to be discussed, but not around children. Powered by WriteFreely via Write.as
Back On Topic (Flipboard)
Last year, in December, I suggested Flipboard federate magazines (I do not think I was the only one suggesting this) & to my surprise, Flipboard began federating magazines in February this year.
I believe Flipboard will become the largest instance in the Fediverse due to ActivityPub being activated by default (Threads, by contrast, will turn off ActivityPub by default) & potentially become a central information hub that could rival Google News.
I currently use @mastofeed (by @Barredo) to connect my Flipboard account to Mastodon, but Flipboard’s RSS feed does not reveal my commentaries when sharing) which can be confusing.
If my Flipboard account has ActivityPub activated, I could repost my thoughts from Flipboard to the Fediverse with my opinions intact.
Update:@mike (CEO of Flipboard) replied from Mastodon, and his federated response showed up below as a comment!
We ran a webinar on April 18 for creators and curators who are curious about the fediverse, have a federated Flipboard account, and don't know what to do next. Here's a link to the recording, plus the TL;DR bullet points if you don't have time to watch it.
@Flipboard's newest food writer in residence is Louisa Moje. Her interest in cooking is fuelled by her Nigerian roots and global travels, and she's also passionate about fashion and is a qualified pharmacist. Read more about her in this blogpost, and follow her in the fediverse here: @foodpluswords_
When he built a bridge to connect Bluesky to Mastodon and other ActivityPub-powered platforms, @snarfed.org@snarfed.org started a new chapter for the fediverse. The software engineer opens up to @mike about his rollercoaster ride in the latest episode of Dot Social: