YSK: When making posts on Lemmy/Kbin always put at the end some hashtags related to your post topic.
So users from Mastodon and Pixelfed can interact with your post without even need to use their Lemmy/Kbin account or learn about "how to use the ActivityPub".
This also helps to have more content avaliable across the Fediverse due to better discoverability.
Currently the only official API I could find is this one. It doesn't say anything about posting and it's calling threads "entries" (I assume it was renamed before I got here)....
#ActivityPub has a standard client API called the Client-to-Server API (C2S). You could start reading up on that and maybe even prototype something to convince the devs to implement it. The C2S would enable apps that work with any compliant fediverse service
The highlights:
The Dutch government officially launches their #Mastodon server
Mastodon hits 2m active users, but a dev also reports that there is currently no work being done on big features
A meta engineer joins the #activitypub working group in the W3C
New blog post: Understanding ActivityPub - Part 2: Lemmy
This time, I'm taking a look at Lemmy, the Reddit alternative for the Fediverse. Follow along to explore how Lemmy uses the ActivityPub protocol to sync data between different instances. See how Mastdon and Lemmy can talk to each other, and where the communication falls short. And try it out yourself on ActivityPub.Academy.
An #ActivityPub protocol extension where you can host your own identity server or use a public one and login to any ActivityPub service through that (thereby using any interface with the same Fedi account) would be kinda nice I guess.
Being thrown back onto a different platform (and the corresponding interface) just to comment is really bad in terms of UX. 😕 It kinda works for (Micro)blogs, Image Blogs and Video platforms. Forums probably too... but Link Aggregators like Kbin or Lemmy? Meh.
This may be a very unpopular take on here, but I feel that some people on #ActivityPub / #Fediverse are showing some elitism.
While I do understand the very real threat that #Meta poses to communities and understand the want...I'm sorry...NEED to protect them, a lot more people are out here trying to take some moral high ground.
It just seems really weird to me outside of the desire to be trendy by hating on the next big thing, but also being very assholey to those who choose to or have to use it in order to communicate.
Understand, for most people, the Fediverse is complicated and they want something simple.
Others have businesses where their clientele are on other platforms.
#Meta objective with #Threads is to attract the VIP accounts on #Twitter. Nothing else.
These accounts are 'broadcasters' in nature, they have many times more followers than people they follow, and they generate a lot of traffic.
These accounts and their traffic are 'low hanging fruit' since #Musk decided to make Twitter unbearable for its users and even risky for its own sponsors to continue paying for adds.
But Meta, with all its shortcomings, is the best positioned to grab those accounts. They have solid infrastructure, good developers, decent discrimination of bots vs humans... and even an acceptable moderation (despite the terrible mental health toll on their overseas moderators).
Now, there are basically 4 types of these VIP accounts:
1.- VIPs who are already in #Instagram - no major action needed, just the ability to post text-only instead of pictures and video. Many people already do that my posting text-made-pictures or neutral pictures with interesting captions.
2.- VIPs who are already discontented with all commercial social media platforms abusing and polluting their content with adds and other algorithm-driven content before it reaches to their audiences - these are potential candidates to once and for all decide to run their own websites or #Fediverse sites and connect directly to their audiences. They need a quick connection to their followers though, so the action here is to provide them with a quick access to the massive crowd of Instagram and they will be very happy.
3.- VIPs (high traffic generators) who are controversial standers, whose posts are sometimes even illegal... but juicy because they attract a lot of clicks. To grab these Meta needed a way to not be seen as the host, curator or publisher, but still being able to 'pipe' their traffic. Any ideas? - Yes, tell them to run their own instance and apply 2.-
4.- VIPs who are already VERY pissed with all commercial social media and have chosen to make the Fediverse their new home by joining some instance, and they are very happy with smaller audiences, our blocking and defederating patterns and our conversational way of socialising - These are very few and they will never join nothing that smells like Meta, so no action is possible.
We must note that none of these people with millions of followers can ever join any of our instances or they will immediately make them crash, so they need something rock solid and scalable.
So now I understand what all the Meta joining the Fediverse is all about... just using it temporary for grabbing those accounts.
Of course, the next action will be to tinker with their implementation of #ActivityPub a little bit, just enough to making it incompatible with the rest of the Fediverse... we've been there before.
And after all that, we will continue happily ever after as two different universes as we have always been. 😎
@Gargron
I think #Mastodon will be a game changer once the #Fediverse is recognised as the way fwd in social media and other apps such as #Threads adopt the #ActivityPub protocol. Silo apps such as #Twitter will die a slow death.
As Meta’s new App Threads has now launched, it's important that I definitively state our stance on blocking federation with Meta if they choose to adopt ActivityPub:...
I just had a look at #Meta's recent press release about #Threads, and something caught my attention right away.
For the very first time, they're acknowledging another #Fediverse platform alongside #Mastodon. Specifically, they're highlighting that #WordPress can now connect through #ActivityPub.
Now, you know Meta's PR department doesn't say things by accident. So here's why this is a big deal. Last time I checked, WordPress powers a whopping 43% of the Internet. Yeah, you heard that right! If you visit a website, there's a good chance it's using WordPress as its CMS.
Now, if even a fraction of those WordPress sites start federating, it could have a huge impact on the network effect of the Fediverse. Of course, Meta isn't oblivious to this. I've been talking about the potential of WordPress and ActivityPub for quite some time now.
But if you're particularly observant, you might also notice that they mention #Tumblr. We've known for a while that Tumblr is likely to integrate ActivityPub into their platform.
But here's an interesting tidbit: Did you know that one company, Automattic, not only owns Tumblr but is also the driving force behind WordPress?
I don't want to jump to conclusions, but once again, PR departments don't just drop hints randomly. I have a strong feeling that Meta has been having some high-level discussions with Automattic about the future of ActivityPub. It wouldn't surprise me if Meta has some insights into Automattic's upcoming plans for the Fediverse.
Have you seen the latest update from the #Instagram Help Center? It offers insight into how #Meta views the #Fediverse. Let's take a closer look at the highlighted text together:
"#Threads is planning to use a protocol called #ActivityPub to connect with other servers that support this protocol. Our aim is to enable communication between Threads and users on different fediverse platforms that we don't own or control."
Now, considering everything we know about Meta and their business practices, you might wonder why they're doing this. Well, here are a few reasons that could shed some light:
Regulatory pressure: While Meta is doing its best to compete with #Twitter, they also want to avoid appearing like a monopolistic force. By joining the Fediverse, they can show regulators that they are simply becoming part of an existing social network.
Zuckerberg's strategy: Mark Zuckerberg has been observing what's been happening with Twitter ever since Elon Musk acquired it, and he's learned some lessons. Twitter has faced criticism for various missteps like alienating journalists, restricting API access, and even requiring logins to view tweets. Zuckerberg wants to assure people that Threads is different from Twitter and avoid those same pitfalls.
Embracing social media decentralization: It's widely acknowledged in the social media industry that the future lies in decentralization. The era of closed-off platforms is gradually coming to an end. Just as Compuserve couldn't survive the open Internet, walled garden social media platforms won't be able to thrive in the open Fediverse. Meta doesn't want to become the next Compuserve.
Early entry into an emerging ecosystem: Meta is eager to establish itself in the emerging Fediverse ecosystem, much like they tried to do with the Metaverse. Being an early player allows them to take a leadership position before other major players like #Google, #Apple, and #Automattic jump on board.
However, it's worth noting that there might be a personal rivalry at play here. There have been rumors of a rivalry between Zuckerberg and Musk, and it seems they don't particularly like each other. So, one could speculate that Zuckerberg might want to undermine Musk by taking down Twitter, the platform Musk acquired for a hefty sum of $44 billion.
Hope that provides some context and clarity on why Meta is making these moves.
What do you think about Meta’s Fediverse explainer?
I just want to say sorry to @gruber for comparing him to a child who had his toy taken away. My bad!
Now, I personally found @gruber's complaint a bit short-sighted. On one hand, he claims not to like Meta, even comparing them to a criminal organization. But as soon as there's some regulatory resistance against Meta, he starts complaining.
Here's the thing: do we really want Meta to continue behaving like a criminal organization? Or should we have laws in place to keep them in check?
I can't help but wonder if Meta would even consider integrating with #ActivityPub if it weren't for the EU's regulatory pressure. Honestly, I highly doubt it.
As someone who is greatly respected in the tech community, I truly hope that @gruber would stand on the side of privacy rather than monopolies. After all, it's an important issue, right?
I really hope the #fediverse doesn't pre-emptively defederate and/or block #Threads from joining the fun when it finally enables #ActivityPub features.
Getting a mainstream audience onboarded will surely stress systems, but it will also spur growth and innovation to deal with the new scale.
@joelmartinez@AndyGER Maybe our friends and family are better off not sharing their data with an intentionally addictive platform that will use it to manipulate what they see, or even fuel violence if it suits them. It's looking more like it's going to remain a walled garden anyway, and I'm skeptical that they'll ever get around to federating with #activitypub.
I've got a funny little story for you. So, a while back, someone was all like, "Hey, #Mastodon and #ActivityPub are totally done for because Bluesky is this massive gorilla with loads of cash!" And you know what? I've been saying for ages that if Bluesky is a gorilla, then #P92 (or #Threads, as the kids now call it) is a ginormous whale! And guess what? Tonight, my friend, I've been proven right!
Hold on to your hats because Threads has gone from zero to millions of users in less than a day!
Any updates on the official API? (kbin.social)
Currently the only official API I could find is this one. It doesn't say anything about posting and it's calling threads "entries" (I assume it was renamed before I got here)....
On Blocking Meta's New Threads App
As Meta’s new App Threads has now launched, it's important that I definitively state our stance on blocking federation with Meta if they choose to adopt ActivityPub:...