Nostr notes by We Distribute

Last summer, Tim delivered a two-part online sermon on the Seven ...

2026-04-30T15:54:09Z

Last summer, Tim delivered a two-part online sermon on the Seven Deadly UX Sins plaguing the Fediverse: first [the diagnosis](https://www.timothychambers.net/2025/06/18/113327.html ), then [the path to redemption](https://www.timothychambers.net/2025/06/24/the-seven-deadly-fediverse-ux.html ). Sean wrote [his own set of solutions](https://deadsuperhero.com/mitigating-the-7-deadly-fediverse-ux-sins/ ). It was the kind of tough love we felt the Open Social Web desperately needed: unflinching about problems, genuinely hopeful about fixes.

It kicked off a lot of [great and constructive discussions.](Renaud Chaput (npub1zu5…pytj)/114706733168205464">https://indieweb.social/Renaud Chaput (npub1zu5…pytj)/114706733168205464 )

But redemption requires actual **work.** Good words alone aren’t enough.

So we decided to play professor every 6 months or so, and grade these redemption efforts; not on vibes, not on good intentions, but on what’s actually shipped since then. And what is about to. The goal is not to be a wagging finger, but to applaud and focus attention on good work. And maybe incite donations and volunteering to move other things faster.

Between Tim’s years running Indieweb.social and Sean’s decade-plus chronicling the distributed web at We Distribute, we’ve watched these problems persist longer than we’d like to admit.

**The grading scale:**<li>A: Shipped and working. Users benefiting right now.</li><li>B: Solid progress. Real commits, real momentum, shipping soon.</li><li>C: Good ideas on paper. Some movement, waiting on execution.</li><li>D: Acknowledged problem. Minimal progress.</li><li>F: Crickets. Or actively getting worse.</li>

If we missed anything, reach out and we’ll update this. Let’s dig in.## <li><a href="#the-list-of-sins">The List of Sins</a><ul><li><a href="#sin-1-instance-selection-paralysis">Sin 1: Instance Selection Paralysis</a></li><li><a href="#sin-2-timeline-turmoil">Sin 2: Timeline Turmoil</a></li><li><a href="#sin-3-remote-interaction-purgatory">Sin 3: Remote Interaction Purgatory</a></li><li><a href="#sin-4-dm-disasters-waiting-to-happen">Sin 4: DM Disasters Waiting to Happen</a></li><li><a href="#sin-5-ghost-conversations-and-phantom-followers">Sin 5: Ghost Conversations and Phantom Followers</a></li><li><a href="#sin-6-part-1-search-without-surveillance">Sin 6 (Part 1): Search Without Surveillance</a></li><li><a href="#sin-6-part-2-content-discovery-mirage">Sin 6 (Part 2): Content Discovery Mirage</a></li><li><a href="#sin-7-user-discovery-hell">Sin 7: User Discovery Hell</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#reflections">Reflections</a><ul><li><a href="#the-final-report-card">The Final Report Card</a></li><li><a href="#the-professors-notes">The Professors’ Notes</a></li><li><a href="#extra-credit-what-you-can-do-to-help">Extra Credit – What You Can Do to Help</a></li><li><a href="#in-conclusion">In Conclusion</a></li></ul></li>#

The List of SinsAs with our previous analysis efforts, we’ve split everything up into sections to make it easier to read, navigate, and parse. These are long-standing issues both Tim and Sean have seen in the Fediverse, with reflections on how things may or may not have changed in the past six months.##

**Sin 1: Instance Selection Paralysis****Redemption: One Single Social Home to Join, Many Doors Later**###

The ProblemNew users arrive ready to escape Big Tech, and we immediately hit them with 8,000 servers named like medieval taverns crossed with startup pitches. Half bail before creating an account. Why does this happen? Our best reasoning suggests that initially joining an instance feels like a big commitment, and people often have to do this while knowing very little about the community they’re getting into.###

Our Suggested FixThe problem is akin to walking into a restaurant with a really, really big menu. You may have had some idea of what you initially wanted, but as you thumb through the different choices, you start to realize you actually are *less certain* about what to get. Choice is good, but this is *overwhelming*.

**Here’s the thing:** keep the offering of choices simple for people just starting out, and offer a single no-brainer choice to get the ball rolling. If centralization is a concern, it’s possible to offer a curated round-robin of trustworthy servers, preventing any individual instance from being overloaded. While everybody wants some level of choice, they also want a reduction in friction. This is one way to do both.###

What’s Happened RecentlyMastodon’s mobile apps have long defaulted to mastodon.social with an optional “choose another server” toggle—exactly where it should be. As they stated in [their February 2026 blog post](https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2026/02/mastodon-is-for-the-people/ ): “As people fled from traditional social media in late 2022, we made a strategic decision to send new sign-ups directly to mastodon.social. This choice was driven by our desire to reduce cognitive load for new users and ensure a stable onboarding experience.” That was the right instinct.

New fediverse apps focused on individual communities like the [Toot Wales app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/t%C5%B5t-cymru-toot-wales/id6758692452 ), completely streamline this purely into their server. This is part of [Newsmast’s](https://newsmastfoundation.org/ ) overall strategy of empowering news and other local communities, and creating dedicated apps and servers specific for each, with specific onboarding for each community.

Image courtesy of Newsmast Foundation
But recently, the Mastodon team has also recognized the problem and added this: “Right now, too many newcomers default to the largest servers. We want to change that—because Mastodon is best when communities are spread across many independent servers.” They’re actively working on a new mobile flow that points users to other servers. That is very close to our round-robin suggestion. Maybe better, as it does some performance checks for best servers near you.

On web: Mastodon 4.4 shrunk web onboarding from four steps to two—real progress, even if incomplete.

**Other platforms are also leading:**<li><a href="https://piefed.social">PieFed</a>; shipped an <a href="https://piefed.social/auth/instance_chooser">instance chooser</a> very close to our suggestion. It includes a big simple way to join the flagship but also with a “help me choose” button for those who want to go deeper. And like Mastodon: a sophisticated instance chooser that sorts by lots of easy-to-grasp criteria for those who want to dig into it.</li><li><a href="https://loops.video">Loops</a>; sends users directly to their main server via <a href="https://joinloops.org">JoinLoops.org</a>;. Simple, direct. (No round-robin, but we applaud the simplicity as a first start.)</li><li><a href="https://holos.social">Holos</a>; takes a radical approach: running a complete ActivityPub server on your phone (from the developer of <a href="https://fedilab.app">Fedilab</a>;). No server choice because your phone IS your server. The relay provides a stable identity, but onboarding is zero-friction because the concept simply doesn’t exist. See <a href="https://holos.social/how-it-works">how it works</a> and the <a href="https://holos.fedilab.app/faq">FAQ</a>;. It’s early-days, but fascinating proof that “pick a server” can be eliminated entirely.</li>###

What’s Still BrokenWeb onboarding across most of the Fediverse: PixelFed, PeerTube, Misskey, etc., all still ask users to solve a puzzle before joining. At the very least, JoinMastodon.org has improved to a “two choices” flow, but we look forward to seeing this exact same mobile UX being applied to Web. It’s in the works.

For most platforms, it’s more hazing ritual than clean onboarding. And other than the planned effort underway at Mastodon (which at first will be mobile only), none of the others have tried the more simple round-robin idea yet. There no doubt would be some complexity in setting this up, but It’s just waiting there for folks to try.

Sean proposed [something more ambitious](https://deadsuperhero.com/mitigating-the-7-deadly-fediverse-ux-sins/#my-proposal ): identity-first onboarding, where you import your social graph and content *before* choosing a server. The idea: set up a “pre-identity” that pulls in your posts and connections from other networks, then pick a server that fits. Tools like [Bounce](https://blog.anew.social/bounce-a-cross-protocol-migration-tool/ ) from A New Social are experimenting in this direction. It’s still aspirational, but points toward a future where “pick a server” isn’t the first question new users face.###

Final Grade**Grade: B-**

Mastodon, PieFed, Loops, and Holos earn serious credit for shipping (or about to ship) big parts of what we suggested. PieFed’s instance chooser is particularly noteworthy, but could be integrated on. Now the rest need to follow.##

**Sin 2: Timeline Turmoil****Redemption: One Feed To Rule Them All (at First)**

“Relativity” by MC Escher###

The ProblemMastodon and a lot of other Fediverse platforms offer three different timelines for representing social activities: Home, Local, and Federated. Each more metaphysically confusing than the last. “Home” at least makes sense, because it’s everyone you’re following. “Local” sounds cozy, but is actually your server’s collective brain dump. “Federated” is the cosmic firehose of everything, everywhere, in languages you don’t speak.

Kind of like what happened after the Tower of Babel
What people want is to be able to easily cut through all the noise and connect with people on the subjects that they care about the most. It’s not so much that we want a bunch of different timelines, but a way to dig into one timeline in a bunch of different ways.###

Our Suggested FixCut the interface down to one feed, with some tools to bring desired behavior to the forefront. Use progressive disclosure to introduce others as “power-ups,” not puzzles. “Want to see what’s trending nearby?” “Curious about the wider Fediverse?” Let them level up like a video game character.###

What’s HappenedMastodon web has since hidden the extra feeds by default, to their credit. They also did this in Mastodon 4.5:

**Feed Toggles:** Admins can now selectively disable specific content feeds (like the Federated Timeline or Trending) for both logged-in users and unauthenticated visitors. Good: enables admins to choose simplicity.

[**Loops**](https://loops.video ) **launched something especially interesting:** They present both a “Following” feed (chronological, people you trust) and a “For You” feed (algorithmic discovery). The key distinction from TikTok: “For You” is powered by engagement and social graph signals, not ads or dark patterns. As they put it: “A calm chronological Following feed for the people you trust—and a For You feed that surfaces new creators. No dark-pattern growth hacks.”

(Minor nitpick: we’d suggest they move “Local” feed back under “Explore” and make it only “Following” and “For You.” But we digress.)###

What’s Still BrokenNo platform implements the true progressive disclosure idea yet. Multi-timeline confusion remains the default on PeerTube, Misskey, and others.

As Sean put it: “We don’t need *more* timelines, we need *better* ones.” Projects like [FediAlgo](https://github.com/ronilaukkarinen/fedialgo ) and[ Channel.org](https://home.channel.org ) are experimenting with custom feeds and algorithmic filtering, following Bluesky’s lead. The goal isn’t to replicate TikTok’s dopamine machine, but to give users powerful ways to sort and filter their Home timeline without needing to understand federation theory. Sean has been following the [ActivityPub Client to Server API developments](https://github.com/swicg/activitypub-api/issues ), with a few clients beginning to experiment with that – notably Ghost and WordPress Reader apps – and we think there may be room for innovating on unified feed UX there.###

Final Grade**Grade: B+**

Kudos to Mastodon for giving each admin the ability to choose to bury the feeds that never made sense to each individual server community. Loops gets credit for the right framing. Closest to fully solved. The biggest thing now is to focus on intuitive ways that users can filter and curate their own timeline experiences. When more critical mass of platforms actually hide extra timelines until users ask, we’re looking at an A.##

**Sin 3: Remote Interaction Purgatory****Redemption: Protocol Handlers and JavaScript Salvation**

Source: The Flammarion Engraving###

The ProblemFollowing someone on a different instance involves copy-paste gymnastics, cryptic search boxes, and prayers to the federation spirits. Every extra step cuts user retention in half. Why do we have to do this manually in 2026? The awkward truth is that many long-term Fediverse users have simply gotten used to it, but there are definitely better ways to handle the UX shortcomings.###

Our Suggested Fix Browser protocol handlers (like mailto:) to let users set their home server once. For browsers without support, a lightweight JavaScript fallback.###

What’s HappenedThis one’s complicated. Again: non-issue on mobile apps, but a problem from day one on web.

As we noted last summer: Native apps like [Ivory](https://tapbots.com/ivory/ ), [Mona](https://apps.apple.com/app/mona-for-mastodon/id1659154653 ), and [Ice Cubes](https://apps.apple.com/app/ice-cubes-for-mastodon/id6444915884 ) sidestep this entirely—great for their users, doesn’t help the open web.

Desktop browser support for protocol handlers has now grown to ~90%. We could ship something that works for most desktop users today, with JavaScript covering the rest. [Tim gave some sample code here](https://www.timothychambers.net/2026/04/14/proposal-for-fediverse-remote-content.html ). But mobile browsers still don’t support protocol handlers at all—and mobile is now the majority of web traffic.

The FediDev community has debated protocol strings for years. “web+ap! fedi+ap! activity+whatever!” But that debate may be settling: **mobile apps are adopting web+ap.** [Fedilab shipped web+ap support](https://codeberg.org/tom79/Fedilab/issues/1160 ) (confirmed April 2026), [Holos Discover](https://holos.social ) is implementing it, and [Tusky has an open issue](https://github.com/tuskyapp/Tusky/issues/5027 ) to add support. This creates a path where Android users can tap a web+ap: link and have it open directly in their Fediverse app—bypassing the browser entirely.

**On a semi-adjacent front:** A new tech named “Activity Intents” is starting to gain adoption. It doesn’t solve this UX sin now, but might in the future. For today: think of it as a standardized “follow this account” or “like this post” button that any website can use, like the old Facebook buttons embedded across the web. Tomorrow it might help with this exact Remote Interaction Sin.

Activity Intents are kind of like the Android Intents system, but specifically for individual social interactions on remote sites.
Activity Intents [(FEP-3b86)](https://codeberg.org/fediverse/fep/src/branch/main/fep/3b86/fep-3b86.md ) merged into Mastodon in March 2026. [Emissary](https://emissary.dev ) has it. [PieFed](https://piefed.social ) and [Loops](https://loops.video ) support it now too. As does [WordPress’s ActivityPub plugin](https://github.com/Automattic/wordpress-activitypub ). Watch this space.

Sean also highlighted [Hubzilla’s MagicAuth](https://hubzilla.org/help/developer/zot_protocol#Magic_Auth ), which is a cookie-based approach that lets you interact with remote servers as if you’re logged in. It’s been around for years but never gained cross-platform adoption. The concept is sound: your browser carries credentials that remote servers can verify, letting you like, follow, and reply without the copy-paste dance. If ActivityPub platforms adopted something similar, this sin could be fully redeemed.

But we saved the most interesting thing here for next:

Here is a [promising idea of a new approach from Mastodon’s CTO](https://oisaur.com/@renchap/115717294799434548 ) that began to be implemented in Mastodon 4.6 and will evolve in future versions: where in the not-distant future, the fediverse server you post on would tag URLs pointing to ActivityPub objects, letting other web apps see that “cheat sheet” note, and automagically letting native fediverse apps open content directly without copy-paste.

To our view this feels like the ultimate answer to a large portion of – but admittedly not all – of this problem; but that shouldn’t delay getting the partial fixes out the door while we await that. We feel the above fixes – Protocol Handlers, Javascript backups, and Object Tagging working in combo have the potential to **strip away 90% of the UX pain** that users currently face 100% of the time. We don’t need to solve the ‘web architecture’ problem to solve the ‘user frustration’ problem.”###

What’s Still BrokenThere’s a lot of great ideas, and some early motions in the right direction. Unfortunately, the Web experience largely remains copy-paste purgatory. Users don’t see fantastic underlying infrastructure in place to deal with future problems, they see the friction they’re experiencing here and now.###

Final Grade**Grade: D-**

The roadmap exists. The browser support exists for desktop. Mobile apps are finally adopting web+ap. But the user-facing Web experience hasn’t improved. We’re not bumping the grade for plumbing users can’t see yet, but hope to by the next report.##

**Sin 4: DM Disasters Waiting to Happen****Redemption: Direct Messages That Aren’t a Death Trap**

“Hey, you accidentally mentioned the guy you’re gossiping about in that private message. He read everything.”###

The ProblemPrivate messages in most Fediverse apps are what can be described as a “foot gun”, that is, something to shoot yourself in the foot with unintentionally. Private messages live in the same composer as public posts. One wrong toggle separates “venting to a friend” from “broadcasting to the Fediverse.” Plus, as of today, no encryption—DMs are plaintext dressed as secrets.###

Our Suggested FixThe main headache here is that direct messaging appears to be a separate, distinct interface designed to mimic email or DMs, but it’s really just a post authoring system pretending to be a messaging pane. There’s also some legitimate UX confusion between what a “Private Message” is supposed to be, as opposed to what a “Private Status” is supposed to be. That’s because they’re the same thing, being used in two different ways.

What we need to do is break direct messages out of the status authoring flow, and give it a different interface with distinct behavioral cues. Confirmation modals explaining when someone not in the recipients field is being mentioned might be a good temporary workaround. Visual indicators that these messages aren’t encrypted are a good idea, too.

Sean’s offers a simpler framing: stop calling them “Private Mentions” and build real DMs, where addressing happens outside the post body.###

What’s HappenedThis is the redemption success story.

[Phanpy](https://phanpy.social ) shipped nearly everything we asked for: separate composer, dramatically different visual styling, private messages in their own tab. It now has an [iOS app (iPhanpy)](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/iphanpy-for-mastodon/id6755365082 ) and remains one of the most thoughtfully designed clients. See the [source code](https://github.com/cheeaun/phanpy ). Help it and iterate on it.

[Newsmast](https://newsmast.org ) previews show similar design philosophy. Which will power [a whole suite of new open source apps](https://www.blog-pat.ch/apps-for-change/ ).

The core UI for so much of the rest of the Fediverse? Still hasn’t caught up. (At least so far.) You can still accidentally blast a private thought to the world with one wrong toggle. But at least the path is proven. Phanpy did the homework. Everyone else can copy it.###

What’s Still BrokenMany clients use the risky unified composer. UX still often implies direct messages are in some way private although they in every way are not encrypted.

**Adjacent Big News:** Mastodon announced [Sovereign Tech Agency funding](https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2026/04/sovereign-tech-agency-funding/ ) for E2EE direct messages. Work begins late 2026, with implementation targeted for Q2 2027. They’ll coordinate with the Social Web Foundation’s E2EE project and implement ActivityPub E2EE extensions once the W3C delivers a specification. Real encrypted DMs are finally on the roadmap. And in a first: [ Holos has E2EE](https://holos.fedilab.app/e2ee ) using Signal Protocol for Holos-to-Holos DMs.###

Final Grade**Grade: B+**

Phanpy gets an A. The ecosystem gets a C. Averaging to B+ because the solution exists and is shipping in a number of key places—it just hasn’t propagated everywhere. This is how redemption should work: one app leads, others follow. Now we need the following to happen.##

**Sin 5: Ghost Conversations and Phantom Followers****Redemption: Filling in the Blanks**###

The ProblemFederation means you only see what your server has fetched. Replies go missing. Threads arrive with limbs amputated. Follower counts are carnival mirrors—someone shows “800 followers” on their server, you see 12 on yours.###

Our Suggested FixAuto-fetch surrounding context when users open posts. Show a “fetching…” indicator.###

What’s Happened**Ghost Conversations: Done. Shipped. Users benefiting. HOORAY!**

[Mastodon 4.5](https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2025/11/mastodon-4.5/ ) (November 2025) includes automatic reply backfilling: “Users on servers running 4.4 and earlier have likely experienced the confusion of seeing replies appearing on other servers but not their own. Mastodon 4.5 automatically checks for missing replies upon page load and again every 15 minutes, enhancing continuity of conversations across the Fediverse.”

Other platforms have been working on this too—[NodeBB](https://nodebb.org ) reports that backfill from Mastodon instances is “working really well” as more instances upgrade.

Credit where due: the initial Mastodon contribution for this came from[ Jonny (Dr. jonny phd (npub1ljm…w8tm))](https://neuromatch.social/@jonny ), a new Ruby coder who pushed through anyway. Then the Mastodon team jumped in to review and further implement. That’s how open source should work. That is exactly the sort of developer contributions we hope these reports help incite on various fediverse development efforts.###

What’s Still Broken Phantom follower counts remain an unchanged set of carnival mirrors. The new backfill fixes missing *conversations*, not missing *follower graphs*. Your server still only knows about followers it has seen, so remote accounts show wildly inaccurate counts. No fix shipped yet.

**Special note:** [Mastodon’s CTO and Tim had some interesting chats over how this might be fixed in the future](Renaud Chaput (npub1zu5…pytj)/114755604618534388">https://hachyderm.io/Renaud Chaput (npub1zu5…pytj)/114755604618534388 ). In essence, this strategy for ghost followers proposes that servers should fetch remote profile data on-demand only for the specific followers a user is currently browsing, then automatically purge that data from the local database unless the user explicitly chooses to follow those accounts. This would provide the “missing” visibility of followers, that users crave while avoiding the needless database bloat of storing thousands of accounts that the user never intends to follow.###

Final Grade**Grade: A- **

**This is what redemption looks like for ghost conversations.** A real problem, identified. Code written and merged. Feature shipped. Users benefiting. A- instead of A because phantom followers remain broken, this needs to branch out beyond Mastodon, and some edge cases remain.##

**Sin 6 (Part 1): Search Without Surveillance****Redemption: Discovery That Respects Privacy**

“Jephthah’s Daughter Coming to Meet Her Father”, Gustave Dore###

The Problem Search is opt-in, buried in settings. At [FediForum 2024](https://fediforum.org ), Mastodon CTO Renaud Chaput confirmed only 8-10% of users have opted in—not because they chose privacy, but because they never found the setting. The other 90%+ simply never touched it.###

Our FixNudge users to opt in during onboarding and when searching. Surface curated feeds. Let admins set appropriate defaults for their communities.###

What’s HappenedMastodon from version 4.3 onward now allows server admins to choose search as “opt out” or “opt-in” as appropriate to each server’s communities needs – and as always, users can still choose which option they wish, and many servers, like Tim’s own [Indieweb.social](https://indieweb.social/ ) are choosing to enable it as opt-out. Other servers with different community needs are choosing the defaults they need.

Here’s the big news: [Fediscovery](https://fediscovery.org ) is actually available, in an early and evolving form. The[ Fediscoverer reference implementation](https://github.com/mastodon/fediscoverer ) exists, specs are published, and [Manyfold](https://manyfold.app ) shipped integration in [v0.123.0](https://manyfold.app/news/2025/09/16/release-v0-123-0.html ). FASP support is in Mastodon 4.4 behind a feature flag. This is the first of hopefully many “Fediverse Auxiliary Service Providers” or “FASP’s” that can be plugged into any Mastodon or soon any Fediverse server to add functionality to that server. In the case of “Fediscovery” it adds more powerful search. We have big hopes this will dramatically increase search, for as far as it goes.

We like the work that [Holos Discovery](https://discover.holos.social/how-it-works ) is doing, both in terms of powerful search while respecting privacy – and hope they consider turning that into a FASP as well. From Holos Discovery’s site:

We also suggested upping curated feed accounts into search. We’ll discuss those more in the next section…###

What’s Still BrokenNo opt-in nudging. Adoption for search indexing is still so low. Other platforms should follow Mastodon’s lead and make indexing opt-in/opt-out choices something that each server can decide for themselves.

**Our recommendation:** Let non-Mastodon server admins also set the indexable default for new accounts. Not to force users, who should always be able to override for themselves, but to let admins who understand their communities make appropriate choices.###

Final Grade**Grade: B**

Upgraded because Fediscovery is actually available, not just “in development.” Also that Mastodon made search opt-in a server by server choice. The infrastructure is real. The FASP momentum is real. But still potential energy, not yet kinetic. More adoption and this can move up to an A.##

**Sin 6 (Part 2): Content Discovery Mirage****Redemption: Make Great Content Unmissable**

“Elijah in the Wilderness”, Gustave Dore###

The Problem Catch-as-catch-can trending topics. No fediverse-wide algorithmic curation (by design). But also no human curation surfaced. Wandering alone in the void, occasionally stumbling across a good post.###

Our Suggested FixSurface curated feeds prominently. Turn server public streams into followable actors (via privacy-respecting ServerBots and server-based Collections). Index everything in Fediscovery FASPs.###

What’s HappenedAs with the other Search UX Sin, here we think “Fediscovery” is the real solution. But it needs to be fed curated lists of amazing feeds and accounts and conversations.

We watch this space with hope that curated lists of feeds pull their way into FASP based search and account recommendation engines, but the devil will be in the details, and hope that enough FASP’s evolve that no one becomes overly centralized.

The raw materials of “feed accounts” exist: [Newsmast](https://newsmast.org ) channels, [Flipboard](https://flipboard.com ) magazines, [Surf](https://surf.flipboard.com ) feeds, [Lemmy](https://join-lemmy.org )/[PieFed](https://piefed.social )/[Mbin](https://github.com/MbinOrg/mbin ) communities with upvoted posts. They’re just hard to make, non-standardized, and not integrated into discovery flows. Ironic, all things considered.

**News:** Tim has actually built a trial proof-of-concept FASP for surfacing “feed accounts” like [these](https://about.flipboard.com/fediverse/how-flipboard-is-using-our-new-federated-magazines/ ), or [these](https://home.channel.org/channels ), directly into the bloodstream of Mastodon and other fediverse server recommendation systems. If that works out, he’ll open source that for others to carry it forward. If you have Fediscovery running and want to alpha test, reach out.

[Friendica](https://friendi.ca ) has long maintained [shared directories for years](https://dir.friendica.social/search?field=country&q=USA )—servers can opt into bridging their directories, proving cross-instance discovery works. The rest of the fediverse can take some notes from that.

Mobile apps like Ice Cubes and Mona and others do hacks to make following and browsing remote public server feeds work simply, and folks are using that. Our past ServerBot idea (turning each server’s public stream into a followable Fediverse actor) is achievable today using a few kludgy but workable techniques. We haven’t seen anyone do it yet, but it could ship quickly.

**Other activity on feeds has occurred since:**<li><a href="https://join.piefed.social/">PieFed</a>; has proposed their own FEP for a feed format for federating out PieFed communities. They implemented it, enabling communities or sets of communities to become one account feed. Rimu writes: “Feeds are federated, can be created by anyone and can be public or private. There are now hundreds of feeds at <a href="https://piefed.social/feeds">https://piefed.social/feeds</a>;. A feed being federated means that people using other instances can subscribe to feeds that were created on your instance, in the same way that people can subscribe/join [Threadiverse] communities on remote instances.” </li><li><a href="https://tags.pub">Tags.pub</a>; launched: It is a global hashtag server built by the Social Web Foundation. As <a href="https://socialwebfoundation.org/2025/10/tags-pub/">this blog post describes</a>: “The idea is simple: tags.pub collects publicly posted content from across the Fediverse and redistributes it based on hashtags. When you follow a hashtag account like <a rel="mention" class="u-url mention" href="https://tags.pub/profile/photography">@photography</a>;, you’ll see posts tagged <a rel="tag" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://wedistribute.org/tag/photography/">#photography</a>; from servers your instance might never have heard of. It fills in the gaps that decentralization naturally creates.” Evan has <a href="https://github.com/mastodon/fediverse_auxiliary_service_provider_specifications/issues/60">proposed a FASP</a> to turbocharge this even more, and function, which is a bit like a very focused relay. Which is the point of FASP’s in essence. Yes. More.Please. </li><li><a href="https://bsky.social">Bluesky</a>; has shown the power of AT Proto-based Feeds as a central innovation on their platform. Even in a closed beta, Surf Social is thriving with massive numbers of great highly curated feeds being created, consumed, and shared. </li><li>The <a href="https://github.com/swicg/activitypub-remix?tab=readme-ov-file">W3C Social CG working group</a> has been convened to standardize exactly this. In part of that group’s kick-off they said: “We’ve seen a number of new features and services launching recently, having to do with aggregating and remixing feeds. Surf, Channel.org from Newsmast. There’s interest in illustrating/declaring the ‘recipe’ of what went into the feed (accounts, hashtags, algorithm) so that it can be reused, forked, and so on.” But it has been quiet for a bit. That work cannot happen fast enough.</li>

This is proven, non-theoretical, and users are ready. LFG.###

Final Grade**Grade: C**

The ingredients are in the pantry, but in classic open source fashion, we have yet to bake a cake with them. This is more of a coordination and prioritization problem, and less of a technical one.##

**Sin 7: User Discovery Hell****Redemption: Starter Kits, I mean, “Collections,” to the Rescue**###

The ProblemServer directories on Mastodon servers are still simply flat walls of relatively unsorted profiles. Following lists from friends are invisible due to federation fragmentation. No “you might like.” Just vibes and dusty wikis from 2022.###

Our Suggested FixBetter directories. Federated Starter Packs with privacy controls so you can opt out of packs you don’t want.###

What’s HappenedServer directories like this one at Tim’s indieweb.scocial remain mostly useless in Mastodon. Sortable by “recently active” and… that’s about it.

**Starter Packs are shipping from multiple directions.**

[Loops Starter Kits](https://blog.joinloops.org/introducing-starter-kits/ ) are now live with opt-in consent—every featured account must agree to be there.

[Mastodon Collections](https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2026/04/designing-collections/ ) are rolling out within the next few weeks, already testable on mastodon.social. Key design choices reflecting lessons from Bluesky:<li>Smaller by design: 25 accounts max (vs Bluesky’s 150) to reduce spammy behavior</li><li>No “Follow All” button at launch: Avoids subpar feeds from mass-following stale packs</li><li>Real consent controls: Users can remove themselves without blocking the creator—something Bluesky still doesn’t offer</li><li>Notification on inclusion: You know when someone adds you</li>

More good news: this is becoming a defacto standard:[ Loops has said it will be compatible with Mastodon Collections](https://mastodon.social/@dansup/116392039703241875 ). Fedidevs has had starter kits of their own around for a while, and has [since committed to adapt it to be compatible with Collections too](https://indieweb.social/@tchambers/116379361988934974 ). You love to see it.

We’d suggest that mastodon servers build Collections support into the admin, where admins can expose top users to the rest of the community as a “starter kit.” Here is [one proof of concept startker kit for the Forkiverse server](https://fedidevs.com/s/ODQy/ ) using the Fedidev’s version of starter kits. [Here is one](https://fedidevs.com/s/ODQ3/ ) for Tim’s server, indieweb.social.###

What’s Still BrokenServer directories remain terrible. Other fediverse plaforms evolving this and adopting things like integrating Fediscovery Account recommendations are crucial there.###

Two things to watch####

Global hashtag discovery is getting real infrastructure. Services like [tags.pub](https://tags.pub/ ), [relay.fedi.buzz](https://relay.fedi.buzz/ ), and[tagpush.app](https://tagpush.app/ ) already provide followable ActivityPub actors for each hashtag—collecting public content in realtime. There’s now a [proposal to add a FASP interface](https://github.com/mastodon/fediverse_auxiliary_service_provider_specifications/issues/60 ) so servers can transparently enhance the existing “subscribe to hashtag” feature with global data streams. Currently, hashtag feeds only show content from accounts someone on your server follows. A global hashtag FASP would fill in the gaps automatically, but would also need to enable server admins to manage in ways that don’t swamp them or spike costs.

And the bigger structural issue: there’s no agreed ActivityPub standard for feed accounts. The [W3C SWICG Remixing and Aggregation Task Force](https://github.com/swicg/activitypub-remix?tab=readme-ov-file ) is working on related issues, and [FEP-1d80](https://socialhub.activitypub.rocks/t/fep-1d80-feed-actor-a-way-to-federate-a-collection-of-group-actors/5118 ) proposes a “Feed Actor” concept (emerging from PieFed’s work), but both are early. Flipboard’s magazines, Loops’ For You, Newsmast’s channels, Bluesky’s custom feeds—they all exist in isolation because nobody’s agreed on how feeds should federate. Without a standard, cross-platform feed discovery is impossible. If you care about discovery, get involved in the standards work.###

Final Grade**Grade: B-**

Upgraded because Collections are actually rolling out—not “coming soon,” but live on mastodon.social and shipping next week. Loops Starter Kits in production. The cold-start problem is getting real solutions with thoughtful consent controls.#

ReflectionsLooking over everything together, we can come up with a final report card based on what we’ve observed. This is not intended to overtly praise or condemn the Fediverse, but to realistically highlight where things are today. ##

**The Final Report Card**<tbody><tr><td>Sin</td><td>Problem</td><td>Grade</td><td>Status</td></tr><tr><td>1. Instance Selection</td><td>Onboarding chaos</td><td>B-</td><td>Mastodon, <a href="https://piefed.social">PieFed</a>,<a href="https://loops.video">; Loops</a>,<a href="https://holos.social">; Holos</a> lead</td></tr><tr><td>2. Timeline Turmoil</td><td>Three-feed confusion</td><td>B+</td><td>Mastodon buried feeds;<a href="https://loops.video">; Loops</a> has good framing</td></tr><tr><td>3. Remote Interaction</td><td>Copy-paste purgatory</td><td>D-</td><td>Infrastructure work, no user-facing fix</td></tr><tr><td>4. DM Disasters</td><td>Privacy time bombs</td><td>B+</td><td><a href="https://phanpy.social">Phanpy</a>; and Newsmast and others shipped it</td></tr><tr><td>5. Ghost Conversations</td><td>Missing replies</td><td>A-</td><td>Shipped in<a href="https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2025/11/mastodon-4.5/">; Mastodon 4.5</a>! (Phantom followers still broken)</td></tr><tr><td>6 (Part 1). Search</td><td>Opt-in buried</td><td>B+</td><td><a href="https://fediscovery.org">Fediscovery</a>; available; admins can set opt-in for their servers on Mastodon, not yet on other platforms.</td></tr><tr><td>6 (Part 2). Content Discovery</td><td>Wandering the void</td><td>C</td><td>Ingredients exist, Fedisvoery potential, no integration, no standard feed format yet.</td></tr><tr><td>7. User Discovery</td><td>Finding people is hell</td><td>B-</td><td><a href="https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2026/04/designing-collections/">Collections</a>  and compatible efforts rolling out on Mastodon, Loops, Fedidevs</td></tr></tbody>**Overall GPA: 2.5 (C+)**##

**The Professors’ Notes****Good news:** We have our first A grade. Ghost Conversations—that infuriating problem where you couldn’t see replies that existed elsewhere—is fixed in [Mastodon 4.5](https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2025/11/mastodon-4.5/ ). Shipped. Working. Users benefiting.

Mastodon’s pace has accelerated. 4.4 brought FASP infrastructure and streamlined onboarding. 4.5 shipped quote posts with consent controls and reply backfilling. 4.6 is imminent with Collections and profile redesigns. [Activity Intents](https://codeberg.org/fediverse/fep/src/branch/main/fep/3b86/fep-3b86.md ) just landed. [Fediscovery](https://fediscovery.org ) is actually available to test.

**Frustrating news:** We’re still not doing some of the partial fixes that we could, and while none of these are “easy” or they would have been done literally years ago, we hope some of these suggestions in these reports focuses attention and donation and development where it matters.

Remote Interaction (Sin 3) remains the most embarrassing. Activity Intents is infrastructure—users don’t see infrastructure, they see copy-paste boxes. Protocol handlers remain unshipped despite years of documentation. Someone just needs to deploy them.

**What moved grades:**<li>Sin 2: B- → B+ (Loops framing, mobile apps de-emphasizing feeds)</li><li>Sin 5: B → A- (Ghost conversations fixed in 4.5!)</li><li>Sin 6 (Part 1): C → B (Fediscovery available, Search opt-in settable by admins on Mastodon)</li><li>Sin 7: C- → B- (Collections rolling out, Loops Starter Kits shipped)</li>##

**Extra Credit – What You Can Do to Help**<li>Other Platform Developers: Copy elements of <a href="https://piefed.social/auth/instance_chooser"> PieFed’s instance chooser</a>. Sorting by ping, not size, actively decentralizes. Mastodon, Pixelfed, Lemmy—your turn.</li><li>Mobile App Developers: Deploy protocol handlers. Be the first domino. Prove it works. Blog about it. This sin has been stuck at D too long. Get <a href="https://www.timothychambers.net/2026/04/14/proposal-for-fediverse-remote-content.html">into the weeds here on how it can be done TODAY</a>.</li><li>Programmers and Fediverse Developers: Integrate curated feeds into onboarding. Feature<a href="https://newsmast.org">; Newsmast</a> and<a href="https://flipboard.com">; Flipboard</a> in suggested follows. Make great content findable from day one.</li><li>Server Admins and Developers: Support FASP’s for Discovery Search and more.</li><li>Help standardize federated feeds. Get involved with<a href="https://www.w3.org/community/socialcg/">; W3C SWICG</a> and<a href="https://socialhub.activitypub.rocks/t/fep-1d80-feed-actor-a-way-to-federate-a-collection-of-group-actors/5118">; FEP-1d80</a>. The Fediverse desperately needs agreement on how feeds should work.</li><li>Mastodon server admins: <a href="https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2025/11/mastodon-4.5/">Upgrade to Mastodon 4.5</a>. Reply backfilling alone makes it worth it. Your users will thank you.</li>##

**In Conclusion**The Fediverse has what Big Tech can’t buy: passion, values, and a community that gives a damn. Now we have proof that caring *can* turn into shipping.<li>Ghost Conversations—fixed. </li><li>Starter Kits—shipping. </li><li>Discovery infrastructure—building. </li><li>Quote posts—done right, with consent controls. </li>

The Mastodon team is moving faster than they have in years. [Loops](https://loops.video ) proves a single developer with good taste can ship features the whole ecosystem should copy. [PieFed](https://piefed.social ) shows smart defaults can actively decentralize.

The Open Social Web won’t win on ideology alone. It’ll win when a normie can join, find friends, discover content, and interact seamlessly—without understanding federation theory.

We’re closer than we were. These grades reflect that honestly.

Redemption is within reach. Some has already arrived.

Who’s bumping their grade next?

*Follow-up to Tim’s* *[Part 1](https://www.timothychambers.net/2025/06/18/113327.html )*[](https://www.timothychambers.net/2025/06/18/113327.html )*and *[*Part 2*](https://www.timothychambers.net/2025/06/24/the-seven-deadly-fediverse-ux.html )*, and Sean’s* [*solutions*](https://deadsuperhero.com/mitigating-the-7-deadly-fediverse-ux-sins/ )*.*

*Tim Chambers (*[*Tim Chambers (npub1vag…mjkp)*](https://indieweb.social/@tchambers )*) runs* [*Indieweb.social*](https://indieweb.social )*. Sean Tilley (*[*@deadsuperhero@wedistribute.org*](https://wedistribute.org/@deadsuperhero )*) edits *[*We Distribute*](https://wedistribute.org )*.*

[Share](https://shareopenly.org/share/?url=https://wedistribute.org&text=The%20Seven%20Deadly%20Fediverse%20UX%20Sins%3A%20A%20Redemption%20Report%20Card )

Support for end-to-end encrypted messaging in ActivityPub has ...

2026-02-25T01:56:29Z

Support for end-to-end encrypted messaging in ActivityPub has been stated as [a long-term goal](https://socialwebfoundation.org/program-protocol-e2ee/ ) by the [Social Web Foundation](https://socialwebfoundation.org/ ), but the network might be gaining support for it sooner than anyone expected. [Ben Pate](https://benpate.dev/@ben ), the lead dev of [Emissary](https://emissary.dev/ ), posted to the network earlier this week:

> Since January, > [> Bonfire](https://bonfirenetworks.org )> and > [> Emissary](https://emissary.dev )> have been working on true E2EE in ActivityPub, using the > [> MLS protocol](https://swicg.github.io/activitypub-e2ee/mls )> — which is a successor to Signal protocol with better support for very large groups.

> Anyway, here’s today’s progress video of where I am. Here’s what works: exchanging public keys, creating groups, sending/receiving messages and replies, and realtime notifications.

> There’s a lot more to do. We’re planning on general availability in June, so right now we’re about 1/3 of the way into the project.

Funding for this feature [was secured through](https://www.sovereign.tech/tech/activity-pub ) the [Sovereign Tech Fund](https://www.sovereign.tech/ ), with leadership provided by the Social Web Foundation. Emissary and Bonfire [are both working on this project](https://github.com/swicg/activitypub-e2ee/issues ), and are due to provide deliverables by June 2026. The result of this work will eventually provide a clear standard in a future version of the ActivityPub protocol spec. A December 2025 draft of the existing spec can be read [here](https://swicg.github.io/activitypub-e2ee/mls.html ).##

A Quick DemoBen was nice enough to record a quick demo for people to get a visual representation of where things are currently, and what support for encrypted messaging looks like.

https://clip.place/w/ajgJ5Hi69bbbxHCK3nXNdj##

What’s Next?For now, implementers are working hard to iron out wrinkles and resolve outstanding points of ambiguity. The demo above already showcases a working product, although a number of client-side bells and whistles could be added for things like read receipts, native support for different content types, and autocomplete for looking up contacts.

The spec currently appears to propose an idea that client implementers could leverage end-to-end encryption through a future version of the [ActivityPub API](https://www.w3.org/TR/activitypub/#client-to-server-interactions ). While the proposal spec is relatively fleshed-out, it would benefit greatly from [community feedback](https://github.com/swicg/activitypub-e2ee/issues ).

[Share](https://shareopenly.org/share/?url=https://wedistribute.org&text=Federated%20End-to-End%20Encrypted%20Messaging%20is%20Coming%20Soon )

## Hi 👋We’re still alive, just kind of on a hiatus for the ...

2025-11-13T17:54:01Z

##

Hi 👋We’re still alive, just kind of on a hiatus for the moment. We want to get things going again soon, what cool developments have you seen happening in the #Fediverse recently?

The [Ghost.org](https://ghost.org ) project has been on an ...

2025-08-05T04:19:10Z

The [Ghost.org](https://ghost.org ) project has been on an incredible journey over the past few months, [documenting all of their hard work](https://activitypub.ghost.org/archive/ ) in the open, for the whole network to see. The team has shared the various challenges they’ve overcome, and the project has gone to develop a fantastic interface for using the platform for social purposes in addition to an authoring tool.<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"; width="12" height="12" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 12 12"><path fill="#fff" d="M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z"></path></svg>

I’ve actually been dogfooding Ghost for my personal site [since the March Beta](https://activitypub.ghost.org/social-web-beta/ ), and [wrote about the initial experience](https://wedistribute.org/2025/03/ghost-activitypub-beta/ ) earlier this year. There are a number of subtle improvements and feature additions now, and the dashboard is generally more stable and loads much more quickly. This new version also ships with [integrated comments](https://ghost.org/changelog/native-comments?ref=wedistribute.org ) and [better documentation](https://docs.ghost.org/?ref=wedistribute.org ), along with a vast amount of other changes under the hood.

Posts can now have image attachments with alt text. Profiles can now be customized. Notifications are clean and helpful.With that being said, Ghost members using the Beta likely won’t see major differences between the version they were using previously, and the 6.0 release now. The real story here is that anyone can now set up their own Ghost blog, switch on the Social Web integration, and be able to reach out to the rest of the network. Ghost’s [reported compatibility work](https://activitypub.ghost.org/the-longformers/ ) with WordPress and Flipboard will hopefully continue to bear fruit.

An article in my Ghost timeline vs an article as seen on Mastodon.If you were interested in self-hosting a Ghost installation, now is a great time to do it! Check out [the installation guide](https://docs.ghost.org/install ) if you’re doing it for the first time, or read up on how to [update your existing Ghost install](https://docs.ghost.org/update ) to use the new federation features!

[Share](https://shareopenly.org/share/?url=https://wedistribute.org&text=Ghost%206.0%20Ships%20with%20ActivityPub%20Support )

Today, our podcast features an interview with an Internet OG: ...

2025-07-31T12:47:23Z

Today, our podcast features an interview with an Internet OG: Evan Henshaw-Plath, aka Rabble. We talk about Twitter, Secure Scuttlebutt, and the evolution of Nostr!

https://wedistribute.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/S2E3.mp3

[The ActivityPub plugin ...

2025-07-24T01:39:21Z

[The ActivityPub plugin team](https://github.com/automattic/wordpress-activitypub ) at [Automattic](https://automattic.com/ ) has been doing some amazing work. Over the past few years, this single-person project has shifted from a single-person effort to a team of full-time developers. With the release of the 7.x branch of the ActvityPub integration plugin, [project devs announced](https://activitypub.blog/2025/07/09/7-0-0-i-will-follow-you/ ) that they would be working on bringing remote following capabilities to the plugin itself.

Today, [version 7.1.0 was released](https://activitypub.blog/2025/07/23/7-1-0-polishing-tables/ ) with a very early sneak peak at this new feature. While it’s currently hidden behind an “Advanced Options” toggle, it’s now possible to use the ActivityPub plugin to directly follow other Actors on the network.

Screenshot courtesy of [ActivityPub for WordPress](https://activitypub.blog )
This is still a relatively new feature, and the plumbing hasn’t been completely fleshed out yet. Team member [Konstantin Obenland](https://mastodon.social/@obenland ) explains further in the announcement:

> There’s really no functionality around it yet, beyond following accounts from other instances, as we have yet to start processing incoming posts and adding the ability to interact with them. But if you just can’t wait to show your appreciation for other accounts by following them, go wild!##

Why is this Important?The connection from WordPress to the rest of the Fediverse has always kind of been in a weird place. While the main ActivityPub integration for WordPress generally works great for sending articles to subscribers, following people directly *from* the WordPress dashboard has been messy. Right now, if you wanted to use your WordPress blog as an actual Fediverse account, you would need the following things:<li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/friends/"; data-type="link" data-id="https://wordpress.org/plugins/friends/"; target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Friends</a> – a social dashboard for WordPress, still in the early stages. This piece is primarily used for following other people in the Fediverse.</li><li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/enable-mastodon-apps/"; data-type="link" data-id="https://wordpress.org/plugins/enable-mastodon-apps/">Enable Mastodon Apps</a> – This implements a substantial amount of the Mastodon API, so that you can post microblog updates directly to your WordPress site.</li><li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/event-bridge-for-activitypub/"; data-type="link" data-id="https://wordpress.org/plugins/event-bridge-for-activitypub/">Event Bridge for ActivityPub</a> – This technically adds support for federated Events, by converting your site’s events calendar into something people on the network can subscribe to and indicate their attendance.</li>

With these three pieces, it’s possible to cobble together something that comes *close* to being a complete Fediverse user experience. Still, this process takes time to set up, can be prone to configuration issues, and sometimes has missing features. Having different plugins that all touch the ActivityPub integration can also be harder to test code and report issues.

We use [Tusky](https://tusky.app/ ) with our site for social purposes. It’s pretty good, but definitely could be better.By introducing remote following functionality directly into the ActivityPub plugin, the project team will effectively provide standard mechanisms for other plugins to directly rely on. In the near future, this might mean that you won’t have to rely on [Friends](https://wordpress.org/plugins/friends/ ) to be the broker of your social connections. Instead, Friends can just use what’s already put in place by the core plugin, and focus on ways to just work as a social dashboard.##

Also, Starter Packs!One other thing worth mentioning involves preliminary support for the Fediverse Starter Kits, a proposed recreation of [Bluesky’s Starter Pack functionality](https://bsky.social/about/blog/06-26-2024-starter-packs ). While there have been a number of attempts to make something similar for the Fediverse in the past, there has yet to be a Fediverse standard for lists filled with recommended users to follow. However, the WordPress team [has put in the effort](https://github.com/Automattic/wordpress-activitypub/pull/1919 ) to support [Pixelfed](https://pixelfed.org/ )‘s [Starter Kit Data Schema](https://github.com/pixelfed/starter-kits/issues/1 ) as a point of reference.

A screenshot of the importer in action. Credit: Matthias Pfefferle
In all, this release iterates on the current ActivityPub stack for WordPress, and could provide a stable foundation for a lot of future functionality that we’ve all come to expect from platforms such as [Mastodon](https://joinmastodon.org/ ), [Misskey](https://misskey-hub.net/en/ ), or even [Bonfire](https://bonfirenetworks.org/ ).

[Share](https://shareopenly.org/share/?url=https://wedistribute.org&text=WordPress-ActivityPub%20v%207.1.0%20Introduces%20Following%20Capabilities )

[Bandwagon](https://bandwagon.fm/ ), the music-sharing platform ...

2025-06-10T21:59:12Z

[Bandwagon](https://bandwagon.fm/ ), the music-sharing platform built on [Emissary](https://emissary.dev/ ), has seen a lot of success over the past few months. The site has grown to a catalogue of [over 300 different musicians](https://bandwagon.fm/artists ), spanning a wide range of different sounds and genres. After refining [search and discovery features](https://bandwagon.fm/2025-03-22-search-update ), project lead Ben Pate has decided to focus on [introducing a payment system](https://bandwagon.fm/2025-05-May-Update#whats-next-online-album-sales ) for music sales.##

What’s ComingThis new payment system allows for ways to financially support artists on the Fediverse, and the levels of support resemble a hybrid of what both Bandcamp and Patreon offer. Not only does this feature include line items for digital media, but a new mechanism for access and distribution. Additionally, the flagship instance of **Bandwagon.fm will be taking 0% of any money musicians make.**###

Premier PlansTo support development, Bandwagon’s flagship instance will be offering a **$10 per month Premier plan **that allows musicians to sell their music and offer their tracks at a higher bit-rate, among other features. To support the artist community, a number of Fediverse musicians will likely be gifted a lifetime Premier membership for free.###

Album and Track PurchasesOnce this feature becomes available to musicians, they will be able to configure a Merchant account to dictate what items they want to include for purchase. This could cover individual tracks, EP’s, or entire albums. It’s also possible to configure Support Levels with monthly billing.

Managing products and exclusive media in a merchant account.When someone buys music through Bandwagon, their purchases get added to a profile. If you’re a native Bandwagon user, those live in your account. If you’re visiting from another platform, purchased items instead live in a special Guest Profile that can be connected to a Fediverse identity.###

Special AccessAnother new feature unique to Bandwagon is the concept of Circles. These are special, privileged collections of followers who can pay to access exclusive content: special album drops, rare tracks, secret shows, and private “behind the scenes” posts can all be accessed by premium followers.

What’s remarkable about this system is how things are tied together: this mechanism checks for payment, recognizes a Fediverse handle, and grants access on that basis. Previously, other systems needed to provision this kind of thing manually: you might have been able to pay for something through Stripe or PayPal, but there wasn’t always a way to account for a user’s Fediverse identity afterwards. Instead, that all had to be dealt with by hand.

Posts, Events, and Media can now be scoped to specific audiences with CirclesThis also means that it’s possible to create multiple kinds of support levels, which could give a Bandwagon musician profile almost Patreon-like functionality. Different support tiers could receive access to different things, allowing rewards to stack with the level of donations. One level might receive private blog posts, whereas another might have access to a monthly track plus access to private blog posts.###

Alternate Payment MethodsFor the time being, Bandwagon will support Stripe and PayPal when the feature launches. However, Ben has stated an interest in supporting many more payment processors, in the hopes of providing choice to artists and buyers:

> Bandwagon will build integrations with private companies (lots of them, actually) but we will never depend on any one specific company. Open APIs are best, but when those are unavailable, we’ll connect directly to Stripe, PayPal, or anyone who can deliver benefits for indie artists. But If I have to integrate with one merchant provider to accept payments, then I’ll integrate with two, or seven, or as many as we can to guarantee that the companies we work with cannot abuse their position with monopoly power.

The project has also stated having zero interest in implementing support for cryptocurrencies. However, given that Bandwagon is an open source project, it wouldn’t be that surprising to see third parties build in support for various crypto payments for their respective communities.

A demonstration of a check-out purchase through Stripe, which also supports Apple Pay.##

Looking at the Big PictureOn the surface, these new features are big milestones for supporting the Fediverse music community. If we dig a little deeper, we’ll find that everything powering this new experience is part of the underlying Emissary platform. This is one more tool in Emissary’s arsenal for developers to build distinct services with donations, payments, and commerce in mind. Maybe in the future, we’ll see new kinds of Emissary apps that could act as replacements for DeviantArt, Nebula, or GameDev Market.

There’s a reason this development is so important: the Fediverse today lacks any kind of commerce. While it’s possible to support people out-of-band through things like Patreon or OpenCollective, the reality is that the experience is pretty fragmented. Being able to support artists, musicians, game designers, open source developers, and instance admins are a necessity for growing a healthy Fediverse. If we could build standardized support for this kind of market commerce across different platforms, it could have a huge impact on the network’s ability to sustain itself.

[Share](https://shareopenly.org/share/?url=https://wedistribute.org&text=Bandwagon%20is%20Bringing%20Music%20Sales%20to%20the%20Fediverse )

[FediForum](https://fediforum.org ), the network-wide ...

2025-05-28T23:00:18Z

[FediForum](https://fediforum.org ), the network-wide unconference for Fedizens, is back! The event has undergone a radical transformation to be more inclusive, with a diverse advisory board helping to build a safe and respectful space for attendees. Watch the latest presentations from the people building the network, participate in supportive discussions about what the Social Web currently needs, and watch cool demos from the latest apps and platforms!<tbody><tr><th class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">Thursday, June 5</th><td>8:00 am to 1:00 pm pacific time (UTC-7) Keynote: <a href="https://cubicgarden.com/">Ian Forrester</a> Keynote: <a href="https://craphound.com/bio/">Cory Doctorow</a><a> </a> Software speed demos Orientation session: What’s new in the Open Social Web? Collaborative agenda making and unconference sessions</td></tr><tr><th class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">Friday, June 6</th><td>8:00 am to 1:00 pm pacific time (UTC-7) Keynote: <a href="https://dustycloud.org/">Christine Lemmer-Webber</a> Collaborative agenda making and unconference sessions</td></tr><tr><th class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">Saturday, June 7</th><td>8:00 am to 1:00 pm pacific time (UTC-7) Software speed demos Collaborative agenda making and unconference sessions</td></tr></tbody>

Check [this page](https://fediforum.org/2025-06/ ) for a comprehensive schedule breakdown for each day! The unconference format allows attendees to help set the schedule for discussions and presentations.###

PricingFediForum offers the following price packages for admission:<tbody><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">Package</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">Price</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">General Admission</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">$40.00 + $3.29 fee</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">(Almost) Free Ticket</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">$0.67 + $1.32 fee</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">Contributor Ticket (support the community)</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">$100.00 + $6.29 fee</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">Platform Employee Ticket</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">$250.00 + $13.79 fee</td></tr></tbody>

[Mastodon](https://joinmastodon.org/ )’s work to highlight ...

2025-05-12T21:48:37Z

[Mastodon](https://joinmastodon.org/ )’s work to highlight their platform to journalists led to the opportunity to host an aperitivo, with special guests [Save Social](https://savesocial.eu/ ), at the [International Journalism Festival](https://www.journalismfestival.com/ ) (April 9th – 13th, 2025) in Perugia, Italy.

IJF brings together people from across the news industry to talk about the issues they face and celebrate the work they are doing. This year, Big Tech was one of the topics that dominated the panel discussions.##

Bonjourno MastodonAndy Piper speaking at the event. Source: Saskia Welch
Mastodon, represented by [Andy Piper](https://macaw.social/@andypiper ), Head of Communications, [Felix Hlatky](https://mastodon.social/@mellifluousbox ), CFO, and [Philip Schröpel](https://mastodon.social/@philipkristians ), Head of Staff, brought together supporters of the open social web, Big Tech-disbelievers, and curious locals to a small bar nestled in the old walls of Perugia.

Understanding that many in the audience were unfamiliar with Mastodon, Piper introduced the social platform to the room, highlighting the benefits for journalists. This included the work to highlight article authors, using the byline feature that [rolled out in July last year](https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2024/07/highlighting-journalism-on-mastodon/ ), and emphasis on the value of links to external publications.

Mastodon promised new tools to track referrals through links would be rolling out across the network soon but were already live on mastodon.social – the server run by the Mastodon team.##

Looking AheadHlatky spoke of Mastodon’s future as an organisation and [their ongoing work](https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2025/01/the-people-should-own-the-town-square/ ) to transition from a German gGmbH to a new European nonprofit. He acknowledged internal work to restructure and remove single ownership from Mastodon claiming, “No one gives you money if one owner can run away with it.”

There was a strong message that Mastodon wanted what is best for their users, rather than their pockets. A stark contrast to the Big Tech platforms that had been discussed across the Festival.

To echo the sentiment, Mastodon then invited [Björn Staschen](https://eimsbuettel.social/@bjoernsta ) from [Save Social](https://savesocial.eu/ ) to speak.##

Save SocialBjörn Staschen presenting Save Social at the event. Source: Saskia Welch
Save Social is a predominantly German-speaking effort to turn away from Big Tech social media platforms and strengthen alternatives. In less than three months, [their petition](https://weact.campact.de/petitions/save-social-soziale-netzwerke-als-demokratische-kraft-retten ) has reached 200,000 signatures.

“We, as a society, have to be part of the solution,” said Staschen. “We want to strengthen alternative platforms. Ensure freedom of expression by creating diversity and transparency.”##

Converting AttendeesWhen it came to joining Mastodon, Schröpel admitted there are “multiple ways”, but that the Mastodon team are able to support individuals and organisations in setting up their own instance or offer advice on the network.

Philip Schröpel presenting ways to join Mastodon. Source: Saskia Welch
However, joining the platform continues to be a barrier for many users. A group of Italian women who attended the event abandoned their short effort to join the platform half-way into the presentation, confused about where to go and which app to use.

Alongside presenting Mastodon as an alternative platform, the aperitivo offered one of the only opportunities to take tangible action against Big Tech at IJF – attracting doers, rather than the commentators that lined the panels of the main event.##

Wrapping Up“There’s a mix of people in this room right now with the same instincts we have to save democracy,” Piper said in his closing remark, encouraging collaboration and action.

Based on the [panels](https://media.journalismfestival.com/ ) at IJF 2025, journalists are more worried than ever about the role they play in democracy. Witnessing the actions of the White House, many journalists are now calling for an “EU alternative” to Big Tech platforms.

Mastodon now has the opportunity to present themselves as the EU alternative and help journalists protect democracy.

[Share](https://shareopenly.org/share/?url=https://wedistribute.org&text=Mastodon%3A%20Giving%20Journalists%20Options%20Away%20From%20Big%20Tech )

[FediForum](https://fediforum.org/ ) is a virtual ...

2025-04-01T01:14:34Z

[FediForum](https://fediforum.org/ ) is a virtual “unconference” that meets twice a year to showcase new developments, hold community discussions across a variety of important subjects, and give members of the wider Fediverse an opportunity to connect. For the most part, it’s been a successful effort to bring the network together and talk about ideas and future directions worth taking. However, the event has recently found itself at the center of controversy, and has been subsequently canceled.##

Transphobia From a Co-OrganizerOne recent development still fresh within community awareness involves Kaliya “IdentityWoman” Young, co-organizer of the unconference alongside Johannes Ernst. Community members recently stumbled into problematic rhetoric made by Kaliya regarding her position on transgender athletes in women’s sports.

> Sex isn’t a “gender orientation” it is really simple biology.

> Gamete size – its really simple.

> Stop confusing young autistic vulnerable people.

> **— Date Unknown**

> You think it IS moral to have male-bodied people who identify as trans women playing in elite comparative sport for female-bodied people?

> Gender can be socially-constructed.

> Sex is not. Female categories for sport where hard won. They need to stay female.

> **— April 8th, 2023**

> There are only two sexes.

> Gender expression can be broad and have a vast range of possibilities – literally 100s if not 1000s.

> Sex denialism is dangerous.

> We can have both things together. 2 sexes, 1000s of genders.

> **— Jul 10th, 2023**

> Telling male children who have feminine tights they must be female is what is happening and it is hurting boys.

> Go listen to detransitioners and what has happened as the culture has gone competely bonkers confusing sex and gender.

> **— March 31st, 2023**

There are more receipts floating around, however Kaliya appears to have deleted most of her Mastodon posts and marked her X account as Protected. These statements stand in stark contrast to her latest Mastodon statuses.

> I fully acknowledge the right of trans people to exist, thrive and live their lives to the fullest with equal rights and dignity. They have always been welcome at events I have helped organize over the last 20 years.

> **— March 29th, 2025**

When asked whether she still held her more problematic views in a follow-up comment, Young responded ambiguously with “I fully stand by the statement you are commenting on.”##

Community ResponseWithin the following 24 hours of the community learning about these statements, a number of prominent community figures have signaled an intent to withdraw from FediForum entirely, citing a sense of discomfort and lack of safety for event attendees. A number of people have stated a desire to form an alternate event, and are currently discussing details.###

Official UpdatesJohannes Ernst stepped forward shortly afterwards with a public update:

> In the past day or so, it was pointed out that my FediForum co-organizer has made some public statements that are incompatible with the kind of community we want to bring together at FediForum, and that I personally disagree with. Accordingly, Kaliya and I have agreed that she will be transitioning out of FediForum.

> **— March 30th, 2025**

This response rang hollow for some community members, and raised more questions about whether or not Young would still be attending the event or getting paid from the proceeds. One day later, FediForum posted an official update to clarify matters.

> Organizational update: FediForum, this time, is organized entirely by @j12t . The previous co-organizer is no longer involved.

> Johannes’ previous announcement said “transitioning out” because there were a lot of accounts to transfer and settings to change and responsibilities to be moved so the transition could not be immediate. However, we have been scrambling and believe it is now complete.

> (It is possible we missed something. If so, please point this out, gently if possible :-))

> **— March 31st, 2025**

While this more or less resolves the immediate issue, the organization continues to receive criticism for its management, communication, and handling of the situation.##

Official CancellationIn [a series of posts](FediForum (npub1cza…d6az)/posts/Asd6IOG0qgG1cwJ7tA">https://social.wedistribute.org/FediForum (npub1cza…d6az)/posts/Asd6IOG0qgG1cwJ7tA ), the FediForum account officially confirmed the event will be held at a later date. The transcription can be read below.

> We’ve all had a difficult few days. Tempers are high. Some of what’s been happening in the Fediforum comments section has reached insult-only stage and I have heard of physical safety concerns.

> This is needs to stop, right now, none of this helps anybody.

> So hold it, people.

> **FediForum April 1-2 is canceled, to be rescheduled at a future date.**

> In this environment, it is hard for me to see how a typical FediForum event could be successful tomorrow or the day after, we all need a time out. So I’m pulling the plug right now.

> Registration is disabled as of now. Everybody who has a ticket can ask for a full refund. If you don’t, we will credit the purchase price for a future FediForum. Use the e-mail on our contact page > [> https://fediforum.org/contact/](https://fediforum.org/contact/ )

> My apologies to the people who have diligently prepared for demos, presentations and sessions, and all of you who just wanted to come and help build a better social media future at FediForum.

> We will create opportunity for you in the future, even if it’s a little hazy right now how and when this future will come to pass. Thanks for your understanding.

> As next steps forward, we will be organizing a set of roundtables to listen to the FediForum community, to hear how we can do better — with a reconstituted organizing team. I clearly am not able to do this myself.

> We want to do this with the community, and with all parts of the community, including trans folks, black people, and the many other marginalized groups that are under attack from so many directions these days. We want to do what we can to stand with you.

> We will start this discussion tomorrow morning, right at the time when FediForum was supposed to start. We scrap the agenda that we were supposed to have, and make it a townhall or roundtable listening session, depending on how many people show.

> We have the online venue, you probably have reserved time for FediForum and have received invite codes already, we might as well use it.

> This one time, the roundtable / townhall will be for people who have invite codes already from their FediForum registration, to hopefully keep the size manageable. In the future, we will broaden participation.

> I realize now that have made a number of mistakes in the past few days, as well as before, top of which is that I have not communicated better — in both directions. Some misunderstandings as well as real problems could have been avoided.

> Thanks everybody who pointed this out. We/I need to fix this and do better, and I appreciate your help.

> But I own this. So: sorry!

> I want to thank everybody who got in touch, and in particular those of you (you know who you are!) who went out of their way to sit down with me to patiently and constructively explain their views on how we got here, and ideas on how to move forward.

> There’s lots I learned and I so much appreciate it! I owe you.

> We will update websites, venue etc as soon as we can and send cancelation notices by e-mail. Bear with us, that might take a bit.

> I’m looking forward to seeing you — and listening to you — in the morning!

[Share](https://shareopenly.org/share/?url=https://wedistribute.org&text=FediForum%20Has%20Been%20Canceled )

Recently, [Ghost ...

2025-03-20T21:55:02Z

Recently, [Ghost announced](https://activitypub.ghost.org/social-web-beta/ ) that their new ActivityPub offering is available in public beta. The company has been famously public with documenting their development, soliciting feedback from the wider community about how their integration should work. We took some time today to explore the beta, and showcase what the system can currently do. Keep in mind, these are still early stages for the platform, and [there’s a lot of development](https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/commits/main/ ) happening behind the scenes.##

The New Timeline[]( )
The first big change you’ll likely notice is that Ghost’s dashboard now incorporates a timeline under the **Home** tab. The layout is simple and minimalist, and breaks out into several different sections: **Inbox**, **Feed**, **Notifications**, **Explore**, and **Profile**.###

Inbox vs FeedOne interesting design choice involves how content is split up between views. Long-form articles from your subscriptions show up in the Inbox, but general statuses instead land in the Feed. This seems like a good design decision, since Ghost is trying to straddle the line between being a social reader, and a general microblogging platform. You can easily keep track of your subscriptions and reading list, while also being able to move at a much faster pace on the timeline.

Inbox, left. Feed, right.In our testing, we followed a variety of different actors from across the Fediverse, including our ActivityPub-enabled WordPress site. Happily, our articles showed up in the Inbox without a hitch, and clicking on one opened up a clean reader view. This all happens without navigating away from your position in the Inbox or the Timeline.

Clicking on profiles also renders a social view for any Actor recognized by Ghost’s platform. There are still a few hiccups here: remote profiles can be a bit slow to load, and posts don’t always show up right away. Given that this is still a beta, it’s very likely that Ghost [will continue to focus](https://activitypub.ghost.org/warp-factor-5-mr-sulu/ ) on performance improvements.###

Social InteractionsSo, what does the experience of using Ghost’s social dashboard feel like? Honestly, it’s pretty slick. It’s hard to measure exactly how well the design nails the overall experience, considering I just set my own Ghost site up two days ago. As more interactions come in, this will be easier to measure.####

PublishingA form for status updates sits at the top of the feed, and it’s minimalist and unobtrusive. At the moment, it’s not particularly fleshed-out: hashtags, mentions, polls, visibility scopes, quote posts, and attachments don’t currently exist. This is something that I really hope to see improve in the short term, given that most of the Fediverse supports these basic features.####

NotificationsNotifications are also pretty simple here, but they look nice and can stack together when multiple people perform the same interaction. It might be nice to have the ability to filter notifications and view them by type, but this is a pretty decent start.####

Commenting and DiscussionsOne really nice affordance Ghost makes involves how comments work. Prior to this new development, Ghost historically did not natively support comments, and the main workaround most people relied on was to integrate [Disqus](https://disqus.com/ ) or another third-party commenting system. Now, social commenting is supported in several places: on the feed, in side discussions, and on article entries themselves.

One slight annoyance here is that the commenting system technically supports threaded conversations, but doesn’t do the best job at showing which parts of a thread have replies. You kind of just have to click in to a section and hope to see some responses.####

Search and DiscoveryCurrently, search and discovery are pretty limited. Ghost offers an Explore tab that highlights a number of featured accounts across the Fediverse, but it’s a short list. Search, on the other hand, just lets you look up people through their ActivityPub handles. It works, but it would be nice to be able to pull in remote content the way other Fediverse platforms do.

The biggest opportunity here involves Ghost’s expansive user base. There are a huge amount of Ghost publications out there. As more people and organizations opt into the beta, it would be great to see a similar design to how Ghost’s [publication explore page](https://ghost.org/explore/ ) works.

Top of the landing page for Ghost’s publication directory.##

Things We’d Love to SeeThis is more of a “wish list” than it is a set of defined expectations, but we think there are some things Ghost could do to really shine. <li>Privacy Scopes / Settings: some people will inevitably want to make some or all of their posts private, or choose not to be searchable on the network. Right now, this new timeline and integration lack any sort of configuration.</li><li>Profile Customization: Currently, Ghost doesn’t really let you customize your Social Web profile. Sure, you can see it, and it’s populated with data from your publication. However, some people are going to want to set an avatar and a header that don’t necessarily match their publication settings.</li><li>Rich Interactions: it would be great if the publisher modal could support hashtags, mentions, quote posts, polls, attachments, and visibility scopes. These are general baseline features supported by most Fediverse platforms to some degree.</li><li>Mastodon API: An increasing amount of Fediverse platforms leverage the Mastodon API to make use of the <a href="https://joinmastodon.org/apps"; target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">many, many Mastodon apps</a> out there. In lieu of an official Ghost mobile app, this would be a great way for people to stay tapped in to the Social Web with very little friction.</li><li>Identity Migration: I would love to move my whole Fediverse identity onto Ghost at some point. The WordPress-ActivityPub plugin <a href="https://github.com/Automattic/wordpress-activitypub/pull/1416"; target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">has recently started supporting this</a>, but being able to “move with your feet” is a great feature.</li><li>Discovery / Explore: Let us find existing Ghost publications that have ActivityPub enabled! Let us subscribe directly through the protocol!</li><li>Template / Theme Support: From a design perspective, I would love to find a way to incorporate my status updates into my blog’s theme. This is something we’ve been experimenting on with WordPress, and it would be cool to see more publishing platforms support this.</li>##

The Bottom LineOverall, the future is looking really bright! Ghost has done a phenomenal job in talking about their progress and findings in their [ActivityPub Newsletter](https://activitypub.ghost.org/archive/ ), and their product is really starting to take shape. I ended up migrating [my personal blog](https://deadsuperhero.com ) over for testing purposes, but I think I’m going to stick with it. What Ghost is promising in slick, polished, and works incredibly well. If they can focus on smoothing the rough edges, it will be a huge win for Fediverse publishing.

[Share](https://shareopenly.org/share/?url=https://wedistribute.org&text=Hands%20on%20with%20Ghost%26%238217%3Bs%20New%20ActivityPub%20Beta )

Note: SXSW ticket purchases are not required for this event. ...

2025-02-20T04:19:08Z

*Note: SXSW ticket purchases are not required for this event.*

Flipboard and Surf are excited to host the first-ever Fediverse House at SXSW. Join us to learn about the brave new world of decentralized social media and why it promises a better way for consumers, creators, brands, and even democracy itself.

Located just three blocks from the Austin Convention Center, at the Speakeasy (412 Congress Ave.), the Fediverse House creates a space for strategic conversations, networking opportunities, and refreshments throughout the day. You’ll hear from visionaries, builders, and open-source advocates from places like Bluesky, Threads, the Social Web Foundation, and 404 Media.##

Schedule###

Sunday, March 9**Accelerating Innovation Across the Open Social Web (Part 1)** /[ RSVP](https://lu.ma/oc052rvr )<li>9am: Fediverse House at SXSW is open! Stop by for coffee and a morning of inspirational talks on the future of social and the internet.</li><li>9:30am: Welcome from Mike McCue, CEO and Co-Founder, Flipboard</li><li>9:45am: “A Better Web Is Possible” with Molly White, Researcher, Software Engineer and Writer</li><li>10am – 11am: David Imel’s “Fediverse Corner” with Mike Masnick, Board of Directors, Bluesky; Evan Prodromou, Co-author ActivityPub and Research Director, Social Web Foundation; and Peter Cottle, Software Engineer, Threads</li><li>11:30am – 1:30pm: Networking session and light lunch, presented by the Social Web Foundation </li><li>2pm – 3pm: Developer meetup and book signing with ActivityPub Co-author Evan Prodromou /<a href="https://lu.ma/bvump3m6">; RSVP</a></li>

**Accelerating Innovation Across the Open Social Web (Part 2)** /[ RSVP](https://lu.ma/cnr8fi3j )<li>4pm – 4:45pm: TBA</li><li>5pm – 5:45pm: Fireside chat with Bluesky CTO Paul Frazee and Mike McCue </li><li>6pm – 7pm: “Dot Social Live” with David Imel, co-host of <a href="https://podcasts.voxmedia.com/show/waveform-the-mkbhd-podcast">Waveform podcast</a>, and Mike McCue</li>

**The Open Social Social** /[ RSVP](https://lu.ma/vqb0crrl )<li>7pm – 10pm: Evening party — refreshments and tunes with your new fedi friends </li>###

Monday, March 10 **The New Playbook /**[ RSVP](https://lu.ma/dvfp9lri )<li>9am – 9:45am: “From Walled Gardens to the Open Social Web: The Next Evolution of Brand Storytelling” with Gina Michnowicz, CEO and CCO at The Craftsman Agency</li><li>10am – 10:45am: “Creators and the Fediverse,” with Peter Cottle, Software Engineer, Threads, and TBA, moderated by Shira Lazar, Creator and Founder of <a href="https://flipboard.com/@whatstrending">What’s Trending</a></li><li>11am – 11:45am: “Building Communities,” with Rose Wang, COO, Bluesky, and Andy Piper, Developer Relations Lead, Mastodon, moderated by Mia Quagliarello, Head of Creator Community, Flipboard</li><li>12:30pm – 2pm: Networking lunch and demo of<a href="https://surf.social/">; Surf*</a>, a new kind of browser unifying the social web, with Mike McCue</li>

**Publishers in the Fediverse /**[ **RSVP**](https://lu.ma/k5meba69 )<li>3pm: Fireside chat with <a href="https://pluralistic.net/">Cory Doctorow</a>, Journalist and Sci-Fi Author, and Mike McCue </li><li>4pm – 4:45pm: “Publishers: Audience and Autonomy” with <a href="https://www.404media.co/">404 Media</a>’s Jason Koebler, Texas Observer’s <a href="https://kitoconnell.com/">Kit O’Connell</a>, and TBA</li>

**404 Media Takeover and** **Evening Party** /[ RSVP](https://lu.ma/hffhi9sn )<li>5pm – 5:45pm: “Generative AI Is Eating the Internet”: 404 Media’s Sam Cole and Jason Koebler and <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/brian-merchant/blood-in-the-machine/9780316487740/">Blood in the Machine</a>’s Brian Merchant discuss how AI slop is taking over the internet, and how humans can fight back.</li><li>6pm – 6:45 pm: “Indie Media Happy Hour and Q&A”: A free-flowing discussion about how to set up and run an independent media outlet featuring 404 Media and friends </li><li>7pm – 10pm: Evening party hosted by your friends at 404 Media</li>

*To get access before SXSW, go [here](https://waitlist.surf.social/ ) and use SURFSXSW as the referral code.*

The Fediverse’s premiere Trust & Safety organization is ...

2025-02-19T17:32:16Z

The Fediverse’s premiere Trust & Safety organization is struggling to make ends meet, and needs help with meeting its goals.

https://wedistribute.org/2025/02/iftas-funding-crisis/

In the face of public backlash, a Fediverse developer is forced ...

2025-02-03T15:56:25Z

In the face of public backlash, a Fediverse developer is forced to shut down a hobby project after people misunderstood what it did.

https://wedistribute.org/2025/02/fedionfire-shutdown/

After years of hardcore development, the Pixelfed project is ...

2025-01-23T14:40:58Z

After years of hardcore development, the Pixelfed project is taking a big next step by seeking crowdfunding dollars on Kickstarter.

https://wedistribute.org/2025/01/pixelfed-kickstarter/

Meta’s social microblogging platform has enabled a new, ...

2024-12-05T01:03:20Z

Meta’s social microblogging platform has enabled a new, fundamentally important feature: the ability to look up and follow profiles from the network.

https://wedistribute.org/2024/12/threads-fediverse-profiles/

This is our second microblogging test for the #Fediverse from ...

2024-09-26T19:20:15Z

This is our second microblogging test for the #Fediverse from #WordPress. Some things might still come up looking funky, we’re currently exploring how to make content look and feel as native as possible.

https://wedistribute.org/note/12189/

Bluesky’s Public Benefit Corporation expands its roster by ...

2024-08-07T14:55:01Z

Bluesky’s Public Benefit Corporation expands its roster by bringing in the author of “Protocols, Not Platforms” to help take them to the next level.

https://wedistribute.org/2024/08/mike-masnick-joins-bluesky/

A grassroots fundraising campaign for the 2024 election is ...

2024-08-06T21:48:57Z

A grassroots fundraising campaign for the 2024 election is trending towards half a million dollars raised by Fediverse members.

https://wedistribute.org/2024/08/mastodon-for-harris/

[NeoDB](https://github.com/neodb-social/neodb ) is similar to ...

2024-07-24T23:27:42Z

[NeoDB](https://github.com/neodb-social/neodb ) is similar to [Bookwyrm](https://wedistribute.org/platform/bookwyrm/ ), in the sense that it can be used to track reading progress on books, and lets users write reviews. Where it differs is that it allows people to track so much more: Movies, Albums, Games, TV Shows, and Podcasts are all included as possible entries. In theory, NeoDB could be used to review just about anything, which is part of what makes it so interesting.

[]( )
The project is particularly interesting due to [its origin story](https://neodb.net/origin/ ). It started off as a Chinese community dedicated to reviewing cultural works – books, music, films, games, you name it. Over the course of 15 years, this group produced a lively archive of personal insights, debates, and stories. Over time, this community has had to deal with account bans, deleted reviews, and removal of culutral works on their platforms of choice. Embracing the Fediverse has provided the community with a viable alternative.##

Project PhilosophyWe’re doing to get into the nuts and bolts of what features and capabilities NeoDB offers, because that’s what we do. Rather than simply *describe* features, however, I want to briefly touch on the *core philosophy* behind the platform’s design, and its significance.

The core of NeoDB’s concept is around data ownership, portability, and censorship resistance. Moreover, the platform offers an incredible piece of insight about data: “You don’t have to start over from scratch. You can totally just add your old data to your graph.” This idea is key to understanding what NeoDB actually is: a tool for piecing your online data together under one open, free, federated account.

You can even import podcast subscriptions?!
How do you build a comprehensive review system in a federated, decentralized social space? A traditional approach would have users perform manual data entry for whatever they’re reviewing, prior to actually writing a review. That kind of process can be arduous, and introduce a ton of friction. To work around this NeoDB does something brilliant: just pull that data from places where it already exists, and make it easy to find. So far, NeoDB supports the following sources:<li>IMDB</li><li>Letterboxd</li><li>GoodReads</li><li>Bandcamp</li><li>Spotify</li><li>Apple Music</li><li>Steam</li><li>BoardGameGeek</li><li>Podcasts via RSS</li>

And that’s just *to start with*. Because the real secret sauce here, the thing that makes NeoDB so compelling as a platform, is that you can just hook into existing systems to create search results. If someone writes a review for that result, hey, that review and the thing being reviewed can both be federated. You get a comprehensive catalogue of things *most people know about*, and an easy way to review or add them to your “To Read / To Watch / To Listen” list.

You could literally [write a NeoDB integration](https://neodb.net/internals/catalog/#add-a-new-site ) for anything – Yelp reviews, Nexus Mods, business reviews from Google, Apps from an App Store, whatever – and then plug it into the Fediverse. This kind of approach could provide building blocks for a whole new generation of alternatives to popular review platforms, while also allowing users to move over all their old data at the same time. Platforms like Mastodon could hypothetically leverage NeoDB as a data source to enrich discovery and search.##

System ArchitectureNeoDB’s architecture is also noteworthy, because the backend is based on a highly modified version of [TakahÄ“](https://jointakahe.org/ ), a federated social platform. Not only does this allow users to interact with other parts of the Fediverse, it also enables instances to share reviews with one another through a relay system, aiding discovery by sharing things people are talking about.

Curiously, this platform allows you to integrate your account with your existing Fediverse and Bluesky accounts. The sign-in process is easy and straightforward, and gives the added benefit of automatically finding your mutuals already present on NeoDB. It also syncronizes your profile and avatar to match your other services.

It also appears that NeoDB supports cross-posting to your connected accounts…though, at the time of this writing, I wasn’t able to get it to work. Laurens Hof has an example of what reviews look like when posted to Bluesky, however.

https://bsky.app/profile/laurenshof.online/post/3kwp3mnrg7v25##

Building My Social GraphI decided to go all-in with NeoDB, to see what my resulting profile would look like. Surprisingly, there are far fewer integrations for data import than there are for search providers: right now, the platform only lets you import from Douban, Goodreads, Letterboxd, and RSS feeds for podcasts.

I decided to pull in my Goodreads data, Leterboxd movies, and podcast feeds to see what would happen. The import kicked off without any problems, and [my profile](https://neodb.social/users/deadsuperhero/ ) was soon populated with hundreds of entries. Hopefully, we’ll see an increase in the amount of available services to import from sometime soon…I would be ecstatic to pull in data from my Steam account someday.

I didn’t have to do anything other than import my podcast subscriptions. This page created itself, and even produced a list of playable episodes.
Podcast import is particularly interesting, as the process basically takes an OPML file from your dedicated podcast player, and automatically creates a dedicated page if one doesn’t already exist. I managed to import *[Decoder](https://neodb.social/podcast/68mw053EdcLd6zoVu3iP9J )*, *[Dot Social](https://neodb.social/podcast/111zO89QpizZOIY1SMGZ8V )*, and *[Decentered](https://neodb.social/podcast/0bNfiOj2qf6q3r0ntEziga )* without any major issues. It’s a really cool trick, and might be a great way for Fediverse-adjacent podcasts to promote themselves.

To the two people following me, I’m sorry.
There’s one minor setback to performing all these data imports: stuff that you pull in will automatically create items in your timeline. If someone’s following you, they might get inundated with lots and lots of updates as your entire library gets pulled in. This wouldn’t be so bad if the created status matched the timestamp of when you watched, read, or listened to something, but it all gets marked as happening on the same day the data got imported. I guess my point is, do all your importing before anyone follows you?##

Adding to the CatalogueNot everything shows up in the search results. I wasn’t able to find *[Delicious in Dungeon](https://neodb.social/tv/75MyuGLyRnRFsZ4nCuJzqF ),* *[Babylon 5](https://neodb.social/tv/3kWFRCpvlQsx3WlW4gxoqa ),* or *[Halt and Catch Fire](https://neodb.social/tv/6QK2VWCMI1zeQxuHocriz3 )* in my search for various television series to add to my profile, although there were some entries for individual seasons of shows. Some of this was because the entries were in Chinese, while others were broken out by seasons. Regardless, I needed to update the metadata, and in some cases, enter shows manually.

The manual creation process isn’t too hard to do, but I found myself confused by some of the fields at times. It’s not always obvious whether I need to fill out Duration for a show, or Episode Length. This is a situation where the platform would greatly benefit from some UX polish and a little bit of helper text.##

Writing ReviewsThe review system for NeoDB is pretty much everything you’ve come to expect from other platforms. In addition to a star rating system, there’s a progress tracker, a place to write a comprehensive review, privacy scopes, and the ability to cross-post to your social timeline.

[]( )[]( )Reviews automatically federate out from your NeoDB actor, which can be followed on different Fediverse platforms. Overall, they look pretty decent from the Mastodon side of things. I would love to see some compatibility work happen so that Bookwyrm could also parse NeoDB book reviews, but maybe that will happen in the near future.##

In ConclusionNeoDB is an absolutely fascinating project that flew under the radar. It does some extremely interesting things with data sources to bootstrap discovery and make it easy to review things. The project really leans in to the concept of building your social graph using data you already have from other networks. It’s intriguing to consider what things could be built on top of NeoDB, and how it might end up being a key piece of the Social Web.

We wish the NeoDB the best of luck in continuing to develop their platform, and can’t wait to see what happens in the near future.

[Share](https://shareopenly.org/share/?url=https://wedistribute.org/2024/07/neodb-review-culture&text=NeoDB%20is%20a%20Review%20System%20for%20Culture )

Even if you’ve been a part of the Fediverse for a long time, ...

2024-03-17T21:44:35Z

Even if you’ve been a part of the Fediverse for a long time, you’d be excused if you had never heard of [Nomadic Identity](https://joinfediverse.wiki/The_Zotlabs_projects ). Within the confines of Mastodon, it’s a relatively unknown concept. But, for some of us, it’s something of a pipe dream: decentralized identity management with remote access control. On paper, that doesn’t sound too exciting, but it’s a huge concept. Even more exciting: [the guy who designed it is bringing it to ActivityPub](https://fediversity.site/channel/mikedev?mid=https://fediversity.site/item/6b1992db-c504-44e8-ae0f-ac2f0dadb8b6 ).##

What the Heck is Nomadic Identity?Nomadic Identity is a concept pioneered by [Mike Macgirvin](https://fediversity.site/channel/mikedev ), a longtime builder in the Fediverse. If you’ve ever used Friendica, Hubzilla, or Streams, you’ve used software written by this guy.

Got Zot — Mike Macgirvin on building your own apps and protocols
An interview with the brilliant mind behind the Zot protocol, MagicAuth, and Nomadic Identity.

One of the big problems in federated social systems involves permissions, identity, and data. We can sum this up in three parts:<li>Permission Management – If I visit a friend’s site to interact with something, there typically isn’t a way for me to do anything while I’m over there. I have to go back to my server.</li><li>Identity Management – Okay, I have a way to validate that I’m really me. What do I have as a fallback if that fails?</li><li>Data Portability – What happens to my stuff if my server goes down? Can I move to another servers and get my statuses, messages, and interactions back? Could I even just do it temporarily, to keep my followers, while my server gets sorted out?</li>

From the end user’s side of the house, everything boils down to how their identities are coupled to their instances. ActivityPub-based systems like Mastodon do a pretty decent job with letting people migrate from one server to another, letting users pull in remote statuses from a URL, and letting users decide who is allowed to see or reply to their posts. It’s a far better situation than what came before ActivityPub.

At the end of the day, though, what is currently provided in the ActivityPub side of the network is somewhat limited, compared to what the Zot protocol brings to the table with Nomadic Identity. Let’s dive into the three different components: OpenWebAuth, Channel Relays, and Data Migration.###

OpenWebAuthOpenWebAuth used to be called “Magic Auth”, because of how seamless the experience is. Instead of only being able to manage things from your social dashboard, you can jump from one part of the Fediverse to another, and *your permissions will be granted automatically.* It all happens in the browser.

The way this works is relatively simple: your browser accesses a token inside of a cookie. That token references your Digital Identity in the Fediverse, verifies it, and a handshake is performed. Afterwards, anything you were given permission to access unlocks and becomes visible on the page.

https://spectra.video/w/jRVmwD2Bcs8iHQazJqMGZM

OpenWebAuth solves one of the most frustrating UX problems the Fediverse currently has: dealing with remote content that you discovered somewhere else.###

Channel RelaysChannel Relays are the second major piece of the puzzle here. Using a common ID, you can associate separate accounts across the network with one another. Each relay is verified through an Authorization process, and then each relay is tethered to one another like so:

Using your credentials, you can log into any one of these three relays, and post to your followers. If the server my work account is on suddenly goes down, I can still log in to my family account or blog, and keep interacting like nothing happened. I’m still in contact with my followers, and if I want, my relay accounts can replicate statuses posted from elsewhere.

A few clear benefits emerge from this:<li>Network Resilience</li><li>Censorship Resistance</li><li>Ease of Migration</li>

In fact, this mechanism is so good, it feeds directly into the next use-case: Data Migration.###

Data MigrationSo, we already have two pieces: multiple identities can be connected together across a network, logging into one can allow you to post from another, and a person can decide, at any time, which account will serve as their primary.

Because all of these things are set up, the act of moving your stuff becomes relatively trivial. All of your accounts are aware of each other. If you switch to a new primary, you can trigger an update to all of your existing conversation threads and comments to switch the author, and replicate the data on your end. Thanks to the way that Nomadic Identity is set up, those verified parts of your identity can perform those kinds of actions, whereas no other account can. ##

Why is This Important?As we continue to think about how to further develop the Fediverse and give people more robust tools capable of doing more things, we have to consider the plumbing that holds it all together. Identity Management is one of those pieces of plumbing that’s surprisingly shaky, and requires serious consideration.

> Digital Identities aren’t something unique to the fediverse and it’s not something Mastodon could stop if they wanted to. Nomadic identity is coming to the internet. The only question is who is going to own your identity. VISA/Mastercard, your government, Google, Microsoft, or you.Mike Macgirvin

As Threads, Tumblr, and other big social networks come into the space, developers need to think about the stakes. The user migration flow is decent for moving from one server to another, but it’s relatively brittle, and currently only updates a reference from one account to another. The network lacks meaningful ways for people to pull their posts, messages, and media from the place they left.

The biggest takeaway here is that these are mature, time-tested mechanisms that could add extra layers of user agency and control to the Fediverse. ##

What’s Next?Mike is already doing the work of figuring out how to retrofit these concepts onto ActivityPub. It’s likely that we’ll see additional [Fediverse Enhancement Proposals](https://codeberg.org/fediverse/fep ) to accommodate certain needs. For implementers, there are a few existing FEPs in the DRAFT stage that come recommended:<li><a href="https://codeberg.org/fediverse/fep/src/branch/main/fep/ef61/fep-ef61.md">FEP-ef61: Portable Objects</a></li><li><a href="https://codeberg.org/fediverse/fep/src/branch/main/fep/521a/fep-521a.md">FEP-521a: Representing actor’s public keys</a></li><li><a href="https://codeberg.org/fediverse/fep/src/branch/main/fep/8b32/fep-8b32.md">FEP-8b32: Object Integrity Proofs</a></li><li><a href="https://codeberg.org/fediverse/fep/src/branch/main/fep/61cf/fep-61cf.md">FEP-61cf: The OpenWebAuth Protocol</a></li>

[Share](https://shareopenly.org/share/?url=https://wedistribute.org/2024/03/activitypub-nomadic-identity&text=Oh%2C%20Zot%21%20Nomadic%20Identity%20is%20Coming%20to%20ActivityPub )