{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "#indieweb",
        "url": "https://mastodon.social/tags/indieweb",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://social.ayco.io/@ayo/114368961605633847",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>Set up `h-card` on <a href=\"https://ayo.ayco.io\"><span>https://</span><span>ayo.ayco.io</span><span></span></a></p><p>Then, requested to join webrings<br />- <a href=\"https://fediring.net/\"><span>https://</span><span>fediring.net/</span><span></span></a><br />- <a href=\"https://webring.bucketfish.me/\"><span>https://</span><span>webring.bucketfish.me/</span><span></span></a></p><p>What else can I do to join the indieweb? \ud83d\ude04</p><p><a href=\"https://social.ayco.io/tags/indieweb\">#<span>indieweb</span></a></p>",
        "text": "Set up `h-card` on https://ayo.ayco.io\n\nThen, requested to join webrings\n- https://fediring.net/\n- https://webring.bucketfish.me/\n\nWhat else can I do to join the indieweb? \ud83d\ude04\n\n#indieweb"
    },
    "published": "2025-04-20T06:51:00+00:00",
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "44571928",
    "_source": "8007",
    "_is_read": false
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "#indieweb",
        "url": "https://mastodon.social/tags/indieweb",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://front-end.social/@elly/114368267081845894",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>Crip Technoscience Manifesto</p><p>\ud83d\udd16 <a href=\"https://catalystjournal.org/index.php/catalyst/article/download/29607/24772?inline=1\"><span>https://</span><span>catalystjournal.org/index.php/</span><span>catalyst/article/download/29607/24772?inline=1</span></a><br />\ud83d\udd17 <a href=\"https://ellyloel.com/crip-technoscience-manifesto/\"><span>https://</span><span>ellyloel.com/crip-technoscienc</span><span>e-manifesto/</span></a></p><p><a href=\"https://front-end.social/tags/Crip\">#<span>Crip</span></a> <a href=\"https://front-end.social/tags/Mad\">#<span>Mad</span></a> <a href=\"https://front-end.social/tags/Disability\">#<span>Disability</span></a> <a href=\"https://front-end.social/tags/Ableism\">#<span>Ableism</span></a> <a href=\"https://front-end.social/tags/Accessibility\">#<span>Accessibility</span></a> <a href=\"https://front-end.social/tags/Design\">#<span>Design</span></a> <a href=\"https://front-end.social/tags/Development\">#<span>Development</span></a> <a href=\"https://front-end.social/tags/IndieWeb\">#<span>IndieWeb</span></a> <a href=\"https://front-end.social/tags/Self\">#<span>Self</span></a> expression <a href=\"https://front-end.social/tags/Capitalism\">#<span>Capitalism</span></a> <a href=\"https://front-end.social/tags/Tech\">#<span>Tech</span></a></p>",
        "text": "Crip Technoscience Manifesto\n\n\ud83d\udd16 https://catalystjournal.org/index.php/catalyst/article/download/29607/24772?inline=1\n\ud83d\udd17 https://ellyloel.com/crip-technoscience-manifesto/\n\n#Crip #Mad #Disability #Ableism #Accessibility #Design #Development #IndieWeb #Self expression #Capitalism #Tech"
    },
    "published": "2025-04-20T03:54:22+00:00",
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "44571149",
    "_source": "8007",
    "_is_read": false
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "#indieweb",
        "url": "https://mastodon.social/tags/indieweb",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://babka.social/@kolev/114367598597601381",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>One issue with my <a href=\"https://babka.social/tags/IndieWeb\">#<span>IndieWeb</span></a> <a href=\"https://babka.social/tags/WordPress\">#<span>WordPress</span></a> <a href=\"https://babka.social/tags/blog\">#<span>blog</span></a> is that I cannot get replies to go into the proper thread. My replies are stand-alone. (<a href=\"https://calebh.top/?p=222\"><span>https://</span><span>calebh.top/?p=222</span><span></span></a>)</p>",
        "text": "One issue with my #IndieWeb #WordPress #blog is that I cannot get replies to go into the proper thread. My replies are stand-alone. (https://calebh.top/?p=222)"
    },
    "published": "2025-04-20T01:04:22+00:00",
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "44570471",
    "_source": "8007",
    "_is_read": false
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "#indieweb",
        "url": "https://mastodon.social/tags/indieweb",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://gamedev.lgbt/@illuminesce/114367045914025629",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>Homestarrunner gets it</p><p><a href=\"https://gamedev.lgbt/tags/indieweb\">#<span>indieweb</span></a> <a href=\"https://gamedev.lgbt/tags/homestarrunner\">#<span>homestarrunner</span></a></p><p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z7kVH9xePM&amp;ab_channel=homestarrunnerdotcom\"><span>https://www.</span><span>youtube.com/watch?v=2z7kVH9xeP</span><span>M&amp;ab_channel=homestarrunnerdotcom</span></a></p>",
        "text": "Homestarrunner gets it\n\n#indieweb #homestarrunner\n\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z7kVH9xePM&ab_channel=homestarrunnerdotcom"
    },
    "published": "2025-04-19T22:43:49+00:00",
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "44569821",
    "_source": "8007",
    "_is_read": false
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "#indieweb",
        "url": "https://mastodon.social/tags/indieweb",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://social.ayco.io/@ayo/114367033700525140",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>The <a href=\"https://social.ayco.io/tags/IndieWeb\">#<span>IndieWeb</span></a> principles explains a lot of what motivates me in the web</p><p>My favorites<br />- own your data<br />- make what you need<br />- use what you make<br />- open source<br />- build platform agnostic<br />- celebrate pluralism (diverse approaches instead of monoculture)<br />- above all, have fun</p><p>\ud83d\udc49 <a href=\"https://indieweb.org/principles\"><span>https://</span><span>indieweb.org/principles</span><span></span></a></p>",
        "text": "The #IndieWeb principles explains a lot of what motivates me in the web\n\nMy favorites\n- own your data\n- make what you need\n- use what you make\n- open source\n- build platform agnostic\n- celebrate pluralism (diverse approaches instead of monoculture)\n- above all, have fun\n\n\ud83d\udc49 https://indieweb.org/principles"
    },
    "published": "2025-04-19T22:40:42+00:00",
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "44569822",
    "_source": "8007",
    "_is_read": false
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "#indieweb",
        "url": "https://mastodon.social/tags/indieweb",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://mastodon.social/@PuercoPop/114367009374021539",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>I've been meaning to get off reddit, maybe this will be the final nudge? One thing that I'll like to avoid is having multiple accounts across the Fedi. I with that <a href=\"https://mastodon.social/tags/activitypub\">#<span>activitypub</span></a> projected adopted <a href=\"https://mastodon.social/tags/indieweb\">#<span>indieweb</span></a>'s IndieAuth</p>",
        "text": "I've been meaning to get off reddit, maybe this will be the final nudge? One thing that I'll like to avoid is having multiple accounts across the Fedi. I with that #activitypub projected adopted #indieweb's IndieAuth"
    },
    "published": "2025-04-19T22:34:31+00:00",
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "44569789",
    "_source": "8007",
    "_is_read": false
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "#indieweb",
        "url": "https://mastodon.social/tags/indieweb",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://mastodon.social/@readbeanicecream/114366634980884383",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>Share your <a href=\"https://mastodon.social/tags/Loops\">#<span>Loops</span></a> on your <a href=\"https://mastodon.social/tags/blog\">#<span>blog</span></a> or <a href=\"https://mastodon.social/tags/personalwebsite\">#<span>personalwebsite</span></a> </p><p><a href=\"https://readbeanicecream.surge.sh/2025/04/19/share-your-loops/\"><span>https://</span><span>readbeanicecream.surge.sh/2025</span><span>/04/19/share-your-loops/</span></a></p><p><a href=\"https://mastodon.social/tags/blogging\">#<span>blogging</span></a> <a href=\"https://mastodon.social/tags/smallweb\">#<span>smallweb</span></a> <a href=\"https://mastodon.social/tags/smolweb\">#<span>smolweb</span></a> <a href=\"https://mastodon.social/tags/personalweb\">#<span>personalweb</span></a> <a href=\"https://mastodon.social/tags/fediverse\">#<span>fediverse</span></a> <a href=\"https://mastodon.social/tags/indieweb\">#<span>indieweb</span></a></p>",
        "text": "Share your #Loops on your #blog or #personalwebsite \n\nhttps://readbeanicecream.surge.sh/2025/04/19/share-your-loops/\n\n#blogging #smallweb #smolweb #personalweb #fediverse #indieweb"
    },
    "published": "2025-04-19T20:59:18+00:00",
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "44569302",
    "_source": "8007",
    "_is_read": false
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "#indieweb",
        "url": "https://mastodon.social/tags/indieweb",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://indieweb.social/@confusedalex/114366138618796132",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p><span class=\"h-card\"><a class=\"u-url\" href=\"https://pleromer.net/users/usernameswift\">@<span>usernameswift</span></a></span> The <a href=\"https://indieweb.social/tags/indieweb\">#<span>indieweb</span></a> is a movement going into this direction. It's a really nice and cozy space :)</p>\n<a class=\"u-mention\" href=\"https://pleromer.net/users/usernameswift\"></a>",
        "text": "@usernameswift The #indieweb is a movement going into this direction. It's a really nice and cozy space :)"
    },
    "published": "2025-04-19T18:53:05+00:00",
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "44568557",
    "_source": "8007",
    "_is_read": false
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "#indieweb",
        "url": "https://mastodon.social/tags/indieweb",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://oceanplayground.social/@matt/114365646855705425",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>i don't know if it's a good idea or not, but I'm making a tool that scans my blog for links, and if those links have webmention recievers, it'll send a webmention and record that this was done in a little sqlite db</p><p>my sort of long term goal is to reduce any friction in using webmentions. i'll integrate my own receiver into the blog content itself, somehow, as well</p><p>naturally i am doing this instead of reading or writing</p><p><a href=\"https://oceanplayground.social/tags/indieweb\">#<span>indieweb</span></a></p>",
        "text": "i don't know if it's a good idea or not, but I'm making a tool that scans my blog for links, and if those links have webmention recievers, it'll send a webmention and record that this was done in a little sqlite db\n\nmy sort of long term goal is to reduce any friction in using webmentions. i'll integrate my own receiver into the blog content itself, somehow, as well\n\nnaturally i am doing this instead of reading or writing\n\n#indieweb"
    },
    "published": "2025-04-19T16:48:01+00:00",
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "44567693",
    "_source": "8007",
    "_is_read": false
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "#indieweb",
        "url": "https://mastodon.social/tags/indieweb",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://node.lordmatt.co.uk/2025/04/19/posts/do-you-have-a-smol-website-a-person-blog-or-other-non-corperate-internet-thingie/",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p><strong>Do you have a smol website, a person blog, or other non-corperate internet thingie?</strong></p><p>If so, I\u2019d be interested in browsing it and probably adding an entry to <a href=\"https://lordmatt.co.uk/about/matts-pixel-wall/\">my pixel</a> wall if you have a wee 88\u00d731 graphic for me to use. A return link is optional but appreciated.</p><p>My wall is here: <a href=\"https://lordmatt.co.uk/about/matts-pixel-wall/\">https://lordmatt.co.uk/about/matts-pixel-wall/</a></p><p><a class=\"u-tag u-category\" href=\"https://node.lordmatt.co.uk/tag/blogs/\">#blogs</a> <a class=\"u-tag u-category\" href=\"https://node.lordmatt.co.uk/tag/indie/\">#indie</a> <a class=\"u-tag u-category\" href=\"https://node.lordmatt.co.uk/tag/indieweb/\">#IndieWeb</a> <a class=\"u-tag u-category\" href=\"https://node.lordmatt.co.uk/tag/old-school/\">#oldSchool</a> <a class=\"u-tag u-category\" href=\"https://node.lordmatt.co.uk/tag/personal-website/\">#personalWebsite</a> <a class=\"u-tag u-category\" href=\"https://node.lordmatt.co.uk/tag/smolweb/\">#smolweb</a></p>",
        "text": "Do you have a smol website, a person blog, or other non-corperate internet thingie?\n\nIf so, I\u2019d be interested in browsing it and probably adding an entry to my pixel wall if you have a wee 88\u00d731 graphic for me to use. A return link is optional but appreciated.\n\nMy wall is here: https://lordmatt.co.uk/about/matts-pixel-wall/\n\n#blogs #indie #IndieWeb #oldSchool #personalWebsite #smolweb"
    },
    "published": "2025-04-19T15:34:47+00:00",
    "photo": [
        "https://files.mastodon.social/cache/media_attachments/files/114/365/359/765/828/518/original/7d1355ae3e8a1125.png"
    ],
    "post-type": "photo",
    "_id": "44567110",
    "_source": "8007",
    "_is_read": false
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "#indieweb",
        "url": "https://indieweb.social/tags/indieweb",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://mastodon.scot/@leeperry/114364886852005247",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>I decided to use micro.one and echofeed to upgrade my rss feeds into micro.blog. All being well, this micropost will appear there in a more readable fashion, similar to how it appears on mastodon and bluesky.  <a href=\"https://mastodon.scot/tags/indieweb\">#<span>indieweb</span></a>  <br /><br /><a href=\"https://lee-perry.co.uk/microfeed/2025-04-19-micro\"><span>https://</span><span>lee-perry.co.uk/microfeed/2025</span><span>-04-19-micro</span></a></p>",
        "text": "I decided to use micro.one and echofeed to upgrade my rss feeds into micro.blog. All being well, this micropost will appear there in a more readable fashion, similar to how it appears on mastodon and bluesky.  #indieweb  \n\nhttps://lee-perry.co.uk/microfeed/2025-04-19-micro"
    },
    "published": "2025-04-19T13:34:44+00:00",
    "photo": [
        "https://cdn.masto.host/indiewebsocial/cache/media_attachments/files/114/364/886/866/124/139/original/61ca6ec399764ee8.png"
    ],
    "post-type": "photo",
    "_id": "44566096",
    "_source": "8007",
    "_is_read": false
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "#indieweb",
        "url": "https://indieweb.social/tags/indieweb",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://social.lol/@dominikhofer/114364763284311242",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>A long overdue update on what's been going on over the last few months.</p><p><a href=\"https://dominikhofer.me/a-lot-has-happened\"><span>https://</span><span>dominikhofer.me/a-lot-has-happ</span><span>ened</span></a></p><p><a href=\"https://social.lol/tags/lifeupdate\">#<span>lifeupdate</span></a> <a href=\"https://social.lol/tags/university\">#<span>university</span></a> <a href=\"https://social.lol/tags/personal\">#<span>personal</span></a> <a href=\"https://social.lol/tags/running\">#<span>running</span></a> <a href=\"https://social.lol/tags/indieweb\">#<span>indieweb</span></a></p>",
        "text": "A long overdue update on what's been going on over the last few months.\n\nhttps://dominikhofer.me/a-lot-has-happened\n\n#lifeupdate #university #personal #running #indieweb"
    },
    "published": "2025-04-19T13:03:19+00:00",
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "44565821",
    "_source": "8007",
    "_is_read": false
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "#indieweb",
        "url": "https://mastodon.social/tags/indieweb",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://fedi.shuppy.org/objects/54a874c0-49a0-4b04-9f95-a835285275ac",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>just tried to (a) build a fedi importer for <a href=\"https://shuppy.org\">shuppy.org</a> and (b) generate tag pages for all of the tags i\u2019ve used in my posts, not just those in the nav. this has proven possible, but way more painful than it ought to be.</p><p>what is an interesting post? the greatest question in the history of autost, locked after 12239 commits of organic growth</p><p><a href=\"https://shuppy.org/posts/10000165.html\">https://shuppy.org/posts/10000165.html</a> <a href=\"https://fedi.shuppy.org/tag/autost\">#autost</a> <a href=\"https://fedi.shuppy.org/tag/indieweb\">#indieweb</a></p>",
        "text": "just tried to (a) build a fedi importer for shuppy.org and (b) generate tag pages for all of the tags i\u2019ve used in my posts, not just those in the nav. this has proven possible, but way more painful than it ought to be.\n\nwhat is an interesting post? the greatest question in the history of autost, locked after 12239 commits of organic growth\n\nhttps://shuppy.org/posts/10000165.html #autost #indieweb"
    },
    "published": "2025-04-19T12:18:16+00:00",
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "44565485",
    "_source": "8007",
    "_is_read": false
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "#webmention",
        "url": "https://mastodon.social/tags/webmention",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://epiph.yt/blog/2025/impressum-2-11-0-veroeffentlicht/",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>Ich freue mich, die Verf\u00fcgbarkeit unseres n\u00e4chsten Upgrades f\u00fcr Impressum Plus mit Version 2.11.0 anzuk\u00fcndigen, das mit einigen aufregenden neuen Funktionen kommt!</p><p> [\u2026]</p><p><a href=\"https://epiph.yt/blog/2025/impressum-2-11-0-veroeffentlicht/\"><span>https://</span><span>epiph.yt/blog/2025/impressum-2</span><span>-11-0-veroeffentlicht/</span></a></p><p><a class=\"u-tag u-category\" href=\"https://epiph.yt/blog/tag/activitypub/\">#ActivityPub</a> <a class=\"u-tag u-category\" href=\"https://epiph.yt/blog/tag/composer/\">#Composer</a> <a class=\"u-tag u-category\" href=\"https://epiph.yt/blog/tag/fediverse/\">#Fediverse</a> <a class=\"u-tag u-category\" href=\"https://epiph.yt/blog/tag/plugin/\">#Plugin</a> <a class=\"u-tag u-category\" href=\"https://epiph.yt/blog/tag/webmention/\">#Webmention</a> <a class=\"u-tag u-category\" href=\"https://epiph.yt/blog/tag/wordpress/\">#WordPress</a></p>",
        "text": "Ich freue mich, die Verf\u00fcgbarkeit unseres n\u00e4chsten Upgrades f\u00fcr Impressum Plus mit Version 2.11.0 anzuk\u00fcndigen, das mit einigen aufregenden neuen Funktionen kommt!\n\n [\u2026]\n\nhttps://epiph.yt/blog/2025/impressum-2-11-0-veroeffentlicht/\n\n#ActivityPub #Composer #Fediverse #Plugin #Webmention #WordPress"
    },
    "published": "2025-04-19T10:10:00+00:00",
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "44564955",
    "_source": "8007",
    "_is_read": false
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "#webmention",
        "url": "https://mastodon.social/tags/webmention",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://epiph.yt/en/blog/2025/impressum-plus-2-11-0-released/",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>I\u2019m happy to announce the availability of the next upgrade for Impressum Plus with version 2.11.0 that comes with some exciting new features!</p><p> [\u2026]</p><p><a href=\"https://epiph.yt/en/blog/2025/impressum-plus-2-11-0-released/\"><span>https://</span><span>epiph.yt/en/blog/2025/impressu</span><span>m-plus-2-11-0-released/</span></a></p><p><a class=\"u-tag u-category\" href=\"https://epiph.yt/en/blog/tag/activitypub/\">#ActivityPub</a> <a class=\"u-tag u-category\" href=\"https://epiph.yt/en/blog/tag/composer/\">#Composer</a> <a class=\"u-tag u-category\" href=\"https://epiph.yt/en/blog/tag/fediverse/\">#Fediverse</a> <a class=\"u-tag u-category\" href=\"https://epiph.yt/en/blog/tag/plugin/\">#Plugin</a> <a class=\"u-tag u-category\" href=\"https://epiph.yt/en/blog/tag/webmention/\">#Webmention</a> <a class=\"u-tag u-category\" href=\"https://epiph.yt/en/blog/tag/wordpress/\">#WordPress</a></p>",
        "text": "I\u2019m happy to announce the availability of the next upgrade for Impressum Plus with version 2.11.0 that comes with some exciting new features!\n\n [\u2026]\n\nhttps://epiph.yt/en/blog/2025/impressum-plus-2-11-0-released/\n\n#ActivityPub #Composer #Fediverse #Plugin #Webmention #WordPress"
    },
    "published": "2025-04-19T10:10:00+00:00",
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "44564956",
    "_source": "8007",
    "_is_read": false
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "#indieweb",
        "url": "https://mastodon.social/tags/indieweb",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://mastodon.art/@NiwlCraft/114363740472020489",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>Updated the \"tools of the trade\" section on my website with some info about paints I use.<br /><a href=\"https://honora.neocities.org/tools\"><span>https://</span><span>honora.neocities.org/tools</span><span></span></a></p><p><a href=\"https://mastodon.art/tags/indieweb\">#<span>indieweb</span></a> <a href=\"https://mastodon.art/tags/MastoArt\">#<span>MastoArt</span></a></p>",
        "text": "Updated the \"tools of the trade\" section on my website with some info about paints I use.\nhttps://honora.neocities.org/tools\n\n#indieweb #MastoArt"
    },
    "published": "2025-04-19T08:43:12+00:00",
    "photo": [
        "https://files.mastodon.social/cache/media_attachments/files/114/363/740/548/686/803/original/788ed1363c8f2fb2.jpeg"
    ],
    "post-type": "photo",
    "_id": "44564456",
    "_source": "8007",
    "_is_read": false
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "#indieweb",
        "url": "https://mastodon.social/tags/indieweb",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://fosstodon.org/@dvshkn/114362159738014174",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>Bravo to SourceHut for making noise about this. No, site operators should not just \"handle this volume of traffic\". Foisting rising resource requirements on site operators will centralize the web.</p><p><a href=\"https://sourcehut.org/blog/2025-04-15-you-cannot-have-our-users-data/\"><span>https://</span><span>sourcehut.org/blog/2025-04-15-</span><span>you-cannot-have-our-users-data/</span></a></p><p><a href=\"https://fosstodon.org/tags/sourcehut\">#<span>sourcehut</span></a> <a href=\"https://fosstodon.org/tags/llm\">#<span>llm</span></a> <a href=\"https://fosstodon.org/tags/indieweb\">#<span>indieweb</span></a></p>",
        "text": "Bravo to SourceHut for making noise about this. No, site operators should not just \"handle this volume of traffic\". Foisting rising resource requirements on site operators will centralize the web.\n\nhttps://sourcehut.org/blog/2025-04-15-you-cannot-have-our-users-data/\n\n#sourcehut #llm #indieweb"
    },
    "published": "2025-04-19T02:01:12+00:00",
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "44562826",
    "_source": "8007",
    "_is_read": false
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "#indieweb",
        "url": "https://mastodon.social/tags/indieweb",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://indieweb.social/@sainthood/114361259780265288",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>Finally finished reorganizing my link directory! It also includes a subdirectory with a bunch of useful webdev links.</p><p>\ud83d\udd17 <a href=\"https://sainthood.xyz/links/\"><span>https://</span><span>sainthood.xyz/links/</span><span></span></a></p><p><a href=\"https://indieweb.social/tags/IndieWeb\">#<span>IndieWeb</span></a> <a href=\"https://indieweb.social/tags/SmallWeb\">#<span>SmallWeb</span></a> <a href=\"https://indieweb.social/tags/PersonalWebsite\">#<span>PersonalWebsite</span></a> <a href=\"https://indieweb.social/tags/LinkDirectory\">#<span>LinkDirectory</span></a> <a href=\"https://indieweb.social/tags/webdev\">#<span>webdev</span></a></p>",
        "text": "Finally finished reorganizing my link directory! It also includes a subdirectory with a bunch of useful webdev links.\n\n\ud83d\udd17 https://sainthood.xyz/links/\n\n#IndieWeb #SmallWeb #PersonalWebsite #LinkDirectory #webdev"
    },
    "published": "2025-04-18T22:12:19+00:00",
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "44561583",
    "_source": "8007",
    "_is_read": false
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "#indieweb",
        "url": "https://mastodon.social/tags/indieweb",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://mstdn.social/@QueerMatters/114361251545751171",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>I wanted to make this a reveal in a blog post but I have NOT the spoons for that today <img alt=\":kek:\" height=\"16\" src=\"https://files.mastodon.social/cache/custom_emojis/images/000/366/785/original/9c5d46e95b352f49.gif\" title=\":kek:\" width=\"16\" /></p><p>So instead y'all are gonna get a low energy toot from me. </p><p>I worked more on the design today, and getting <a href=\"https://mstdn.social/tags/11tyCMS\">#<span>11tyCMS</span></a> to recognise the directory structure of a <a href=\"https://mstdn.social/tags/11ty\">#<span>11ty</span></a> website and populate the collections list accordingly.</p><p>Just need to add saving, adding and deleting functionality and we'll be good to go for MVP status \ud83d\udc40 </p><p>Watch this space for more updatessss!</p><p><a href=\"https://mstdn.social/tags/indieweb\">#<span>indieweb</span></a> <a href=\"https://mstdn.social/tags/webdev\">#<span>webdev</span></a> <a href=\"https://mstdn.social/tags/Programming\">#<span>Programming</span></a></p>",
        "text": "I wanted to make this a reveal in a blog post but I have NOT the spoons for that today \n\nSo instead y'all are gonna get a low energy toot from me. \n\nI worked more on the design today, and getting #11tyCMS to recognise the directory structure of a #11ty website and populate the collections list accordingly.\n\nJust need to add saving, adding and deleting functionality and we'll be good to go for MVP status \ud83d\udc40 \n\nWatch this space for more updatessss!\n\n#indieweb #webdev #Programming"
    },
    "published": "2025-04-18T22:10:14+00:00",
    "photo": [
        "https://files.mastodon.social/cache/media_attachments/files/114/361/251/569/995/087/original/0e586a144a1307c9.png"
    ],
    "post-type": "photo",
    "_id": "44561584",
    "_source": "8007",
    "_is_read": false
}

If I ran Mastodon

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2025-04-18T18:54:16+00:00",
    "url": "https://werd.io/2025/if-i-ran-mastodon",
    "name": "If I ran Mastodon",
    "content": {
        "text": "This is the second part in a three-part series. Part one was about Bluesky. To make sure you get part three, make sure you\u2019re subscribed.\n\nIn 2011, I sat on a panel at SXSW Interactive with Blaine Cook, the former Twitter CTO who had demonstrated an decentralized integration with the social media platform Jaiku, and Christian Sandvig, who at the time was the founder of the Center for People and Infrastructures at the University of Illinois.\n\nThe argument I presented was that social media sites are, at their core, search engines: people want to search for their friends\u2019 names and topics they\u2019re interested in, and are generally not excited to remember the URI of someone\u2019s identity. Any decentralized social media network is going to need to create a great search experience if it wants to win users from centralized services. That search experience is not necessarily where the networks need to start, but it is where they need to end up.\n\nAs evidence, I brought up the time that the tech news website ReadWriteWeb briefly outranked Facebook for the search term \u201cfacebook login\u201d and received thousands of very confused visitors wondering why their favorite site had changed. People weren\u2019t typing \u201cfacebook dot com\u201d into their browsers; they were searching for Facebook.\n\nIt was not well-received by the decentralization community in the audience. \u201cPeople know how to use URLs,\u201d someone said, disdainfully. \u201cThat\u2019s how browsers work.\u201d\n\nFourteen years later, in Ghost\u2019s latest update about joining the ActivityPub network, they noted:Many people have requested a more comprehensive search function, and are confused about the lack of username autocomplete, or why - when they search for keywords like \"news\" or \"pugs\" - nothing comes up. This problem exists across almost every ActivityPub product out there.There is a long-standing disconnect between the technical assumptions of the open source decentralized web community and the expectations of mainstream users. The result has often been products that feel exciting and powerful for technical early adopters and mystifying to everyone else.\n\nEarlier this year, Mastodon revealed that it was hiring a new CEO and moving to a new non-profit entity. In the spirit of my previous post about how I\u2019d approach Bluesky\u2019s product strategy, I want to explore how I\u2019d think about Mastodon, too. What would I do if I was the CEO of Mastodon?\n\nIn practice, Mastodon is actually three entities: the new, European-based non-profit; its original, German non-profit, which is now a wholly-owned for-profit subsidiary; and a US 501(c)3 that is primarily used to allow it to fundraise from American sources. For the purposes of this discussion, I\u2019m going to treat it like one cohesive whole, headquartered in Europe, although there may be nuances to how each one is led.\n\nIt describes its mission like this:To replace centralised platforms with robust social networking software that is inherently decentralised, open source and fully interoperable, with a commitment to privacy.It has also described its mission like this:To create the tools and digital spaces where people can build authentic, constructive online communities free from ads, data exploitation, manipulative algorithms or corporate monopolies.These are different! The first explicitly calls to replace the existing social networking landscape with decentralized, open source software. The second one is less combative; instead of replacing the existing ecosystem, it implies an alternative ecosystem, free from exploitation and monopoly control.\n\nMastodon\u2019s declared \u201cvision\u201d is:To reimagine the social media landscape, one that is inclusive, diverse, user driven and supports dialogue.Vision statements describe the world an organization wants to create. They\u2019re not frivolous. The most famous one in software is Microsoft\u2019s, which was a computer on every desk and in every home, running Microsoft software. This concreteness of vision allowed Microsoft to make strategic decisions clearly: would a proposed strategy potentially lead it to this world, or would it not?\n\nBy this definition, Mastodon\u2019s declared \u201cvision\u201d reads more like another mission: well-intentioned, but still focused on what it opposes, not what it aims to build.\n\nThe implication is some confusion over the difference between Mastodon\u2019s reason for being (its why) and its immediate goals (its what and how). The first step to establishing a robust direction for Mastodon is to clear this up. We need to define:The mission: why Mastodon exists\nThe vision: what\u00a0world it intends to create, in service to that mission\nThe strategy: how, concretely, it will take its next steps to get there\nIf I was stepping into the CEO\u2019s shoes, here\u2019s what I would propose. The following revised statements are inspired by Mastodon\u2019s existing three mission statements, as well as Mozilla\u2019s mission statement:\n\nMission: To ensure the social web is a commons that is open, accessible, decentralized, and safe for all.\n\nVision: A world where everyone can easily join and create authentic, constructive online communities that are free from ads, data exploitation, manipulative algorithms, or corporate monopolies.\n\nStrategy: To build and steward the world\u2019s best decentralized, open source community platform, based on the ActivityPub protocol.\n\nI suspect people on the Mastodon team might bristle at \u201cthe world\u2019s best\u201d; like many highly-principled people, it\u2019s not their style to be competitive. My point is to help the team aim high: it\u2019s not enough to build an open source, decentralized community platform, although that\u2019s a significant achievement in itself. It\u2019s got to be really good.\n\nOf course, those statements \u2014 really good, the world\u2019s best \u2014 are subjective. They invite probing into what it means to be great.\n\nMy mission and vision statements imply certain characteristics. Here\u2019s what I think are the minimum requirements for Mastodon to be a viable decentralized platform for communities; these things aren\u2019t what will make it great, but what it needs to provide in order to exist at all.\nOpen source: anyone can view, modify, and re-share its code. Development is maintained with a participatory approach that actively invites contributions from outside the core organization.\n\nDecentralized: based on an open protocol that allows anyone on one Mastodon instance to communicate with anyone on another, with a coherent and consistent user experience across the network.\n\nPermissionless: anyone can use Mastodon without signing an agreement with the Mastodon organization. Mastodon cannot prevent someone from using the software, and the software does not rely on centralized services provided by Mastodon itself.\n\nSafe: the platform includes infrastructure for communities to manage moderation, prevent abuse, and establish effective trust and safety norms.\n\nUsable: the platform follows modern UX patterns, is mobile-friendly, accessible, and easy to onboard onto across devices and user skill levels.\n\nSearchable: users can find relevant people, resources, and conversations across the network with ease and precision.\n\nDiscoverable: users can find and join communities that match their interests.\nBut meeting the table stakes isn\u2019t enough. If Mastodon is going to set the standard \u2014 not just participate \u2014 in the next era of social media, it needs to offer something more than principled infrastructure. It needs to be the platform people want to use.\n\nFrom the beginning, Mastodon has worn its values on its sleeve. When you click through from the website to sign up, you\u2019re presented with a plurality of different servers to start from, all with different owners who have signed a server covenant that attempts to keep users safe and ensure a decent baseline experience. This is a principled approach: nobody could accuse Mastodon of trying to maintain a monopoly over the network. On the other hand, before they can get started with reading, posting, and sharing on the network, users need to consider which server owner is trustworthy and can meet their needs. This user experience \u2014 principled but hard to understand \u2014 is where many users drop off, never to return.\n\nFor users that really care about decentralization, the need to make this up-front choice is a sign that Mastodon is ideologically aligned. But for everyone else, it\u2019s a sign that the team doesn\u2019t care about their experience.\n\nThe same goes for features like quote-posting: the ability to reshare someone\u2019s post with your own commentary added. This originally emerged organically from Twitter\u2019s userbase; people were doing it themselves before Twitter turned it into a core feature. It\u2019s become a key part of Bluesky\u2019s platform, and has been a longtime Mastodon feature request. But quote-posts can also be a vector for abuse, so the team is undergoing a careful process to implement it that might take years.\n\nFor users that want Mastodon to be as safe as possible, this approach could demonstrate that the team really cares about their needs. For everyone else, it\u2019s a sign that they shouldn\u2019t expect the features that have become normal elsewhere.\n\nPeople who deeply care about safety and decentralization see Mastodon as responsive and aligned. Others might see it as slow, frustrating, and lacking baseline social features. To thrive, Mastodon needs to overcome this dissonance.\n\nI think the key is in its role as a community platform. Every Mastodon server is its own community, with its own norms, settings, standards, and ideals. We should stop calling them instances or servers, and treating them as homogenous nodes in a wider network. Instead, we should describe each Mastodon site as being a community in itself.\n\nMastodon should be the WordPress of decentralized communities.\n\nEach Mastodon-powered community should have its own look and feel \u2014 and its own distinct features. Mastodon\u2019s greatest strength isn\u2019t in being a single network \u2014 it\u2019s in being an ecosystem of communities, each with its own identity, design, tooling, and norms.\n\nOne of the challenges of the current signup process is that every Mastodon community looks and acts more or less the same. Right now, choosing a server often means parsing descriptions and guessing which admin seems trustworthy. Instead, every community should feel alive with its own personality: not just a hostname and a set of rules, but a clear sense of what it's for and who it's for, and an experience and set of features that match this purpose.\n\nWhat if:A community for climate scientists featured up-to-date live dashboards and research highlights?\nA queer art collective could display an evolving digital gallery of its members\u2019 work?\nA Black-led tech community could feature tools for job support, mentorship, and organizing?\nDecentralization is flexibility: one size does not need to fit all. In this world, the decision about whether or not to enable quote-posting, join network-wide search, or let news websites know they\u2019ve been linked to is devolved to individual community owners, not the platform owners themselves. The decision about whether to build a large, expansive fediverse or keep it small and safe is devolved too: any community owner can decide how locked down or opened up their space should be, because it\u2019s their space.\n\nThe ability to theme Mastodon also means the ability to brand it. Today, every paid Medium subscriber can have an account on its Mastodon community, but that community looks like Mastodon, not Medium. The Newsmast Foundation\u2019s community looks exactly the same. The ability to deeply customize a Mastodon community allows organizations with deeper pockets to adopt the platform in a way that adheres to their existing standards. These users are more likely to invest in customizations \u2014 and in doing so, help grow the broader ecosystem.\n\nMastodon should treat its own flagship community, mastodon.social, as a living testbed \u2014 a place to experiment, learn from user behavior, and refine the experience. That\u2019s the community space that Mastodon itself owns. It can try new themes, run experiments with new features, and, yes, make it the default community new users try, so they can get a handle on what Mastodon is and how it works before they potentially move to another community. All with a best-in-class mobile app experience.\n\nSo far, I\u2019ve described a world where Mastodon communities are:\nVisually distinct: with themes and branding that reflect their identity and vibe.\n\nFeature-extended: with plugins or integrations tailored to the needs of a specific group \u2014 whether that\u2019s custom moderation workflows, polls, discussion threads, or event coordination.\nBut remember our vision statement? All of this only matters if it\u2019s easy. So we also need to add:\nEasy to spin up: where launching and running your own Mastodon community is as simple as starting a blog.\nThe mission can\u2019t be met if only technical people can create and run Mastodon communities. Part of the task of lowering this barrier to entry is about infrastructure: the underlying platform needs to be able to run simply on any number of hosting providers. Mastodon could also offer a turnkey service \u2014 similar to WordPress.com \u2014 that abstracts away the hosting layer entirely for non-technical users. Not only will this bring more people onto the network, but accessible hosted services will serve as an avenue to bring in funding.\n\nAnother part of the task is about running a healthy community: moderation, abuse prevention, and trust and safety. Some communities are equipped to provide this themselves, but others simply cannot. Mastodon can provide conduits to both paid and volunteer services to help communities keep themselves safe.\n\nFinally, there are the legal implications of running a community: adhering to local regulations and protecting community owners from undue risk. Just as newsletter platforms help writers comply with the CAN-SPAM Act, and WordPress.com makes handling DMCA takedowns straightforward, Mastodon can offer built-in tools and guidance to help communities stay legally compliant in their jurisdictions \u2014 without requiring every community owner to become a lawyer.\n\nWordPress has built a valuable ecosystem of plugin authors, theme designers, and infrastructure providers, who all gain as the ecosystem grows. The same can be true of Mastodon if it embraces its role as a movement-defining layer of a vibrantly diverse social web.\n\nThat means supporting an ecosystem where:It\u2019s easy for developers to build and monetize plugins, themes, and integrations.\nService providers, including Mastodon itself, can offer hosting, customization, moderation, or legal compliance as value-adds.\nOrganizations \u2014 from local newsrooms to global NGOs \u2014 can create spaces that reflect their missions and identities without starting from scratch.\nIn that vision, Mastodon is no longer just a destination. It\u2019s a foundation: a public utility for self-governed, interest-driven communities across the world. Some might be tiny and personal; others might grow large and influential.\n\nBut all of them would benefit from a shared protocol, a shared codebase, and a shared commitment to making the web better \u2014 without requiring lock-in or top-down control.\n\nThat\u2019s the opportunity: not just to build a platform, but to unlock a new era for the social web \u2014 one where communities are in charge.\n\nAnd that\u2019s where I\u2019d start if I ran Mastodon.\n\nPreviously in this series: if I ran Bluesky Product. Next up: if I was starting a new platform. Subscribe to get them all via email.",
        "html": "<p><img src=\"https://werd.io/file/68029f656e5ca3f9d9093062/thumb.jpg\" alt=\"Elephants in the dust at sunset\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" /></p><p><em>This is the second part in a three-part series. <a href=\"https://werd.io/2025/if-i-ran-bluesky-product\">Part one was about Bluesky.</a> To make sure you get part three, <a href=\"https://newsletter.werd.io\">make sure you\u2019re subscribed</a>.</em></p><p>In 2011, I sat on a panel at SXSW Interactive with <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaine_Cook_(programmer)\">Blaine Cook</a>, the former Twitter CTO <a href=\"https://thenewstack.io/why-a-twitter-founding-engineer-is-now-all-in-on-mastodon/\">who had demonstrated an decentralized integration with the social media platform Jaiku</a>, and <a href=\"https://stamps.umich.edu/people/christian-sandvig\">Christian Sandvig</a>, who at the time was the founder of <a href=\"https://infra-center.illinois.edu/\">the Center for People and Infrastructures</a> at the University of Illinois.</p><p>The argument I presented was that social media sites are, at their core, search engines: people want to search for their friends\u2019 names and topics they\u2019re interested in, and are generally not excited to remember the URI of someone\u2019s identity. Any decentralized social media network is going to need to create a great search experience if it wants to win users from centralized services. That search experience is not necessarily where the networks need to <em>start</em>, but it is where they need to end up.</p><p>As evidence, I brought up <a href=\"https://cybercultural.com/p/048-readwriteweb-facebook-login/\">the time that the tech news website ReadWriteWeb briefly outranked Facebook for the search term \u201cfacebook login\u201d</a> and received thousands of very confused visitors wondering why their favorite site had changed. People weren\u2019t typing \u201cfacebook dot com\u201d into their browsers; they were searching for Facebook.</p><p>It was not well-received by the decentralization community in the audience. \u201cPeople know how to use URLs,\u201d someone said, disdainfully. \u201cThat\u2019s how browsers work.\u201d</p><p>Fourteen years later, <a href=\"https://activitypub.ghost.org/recapping-feedback/\">in Ghost\u2019s latest update about joining the ActivityPub network</a>, they noted:</p><blockquote><p>Many people have requested a more comprehensive search function, and are confused about the lack of username autocomplete, or why - when they search for keywords like \"news\" or \"pugs\" - nothing comes up. This problem exists across almost every ActivityPub product out there.</p></blockquote><p>There is a long-standing disconnect between the technical assumptions of the open source decentralized web community and the expectations of mainstream users. The result has often been products that feel exciting and powerful for technical early adopters and mystifying to everyone else.</p><p>Earlier this year, <a href=\"https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/13/24342603/mastodon-non-profit-ownership-ceo-eugen-rochko\">Mastodon revealed that it was hiring a new CEO and moving to a new non-profit entity</a>. In the spirit of <a href=\"https://werd.io/2025/if-i-ran-bluesky-product\">my previous post about how I\u2019d approach Bluesky\u2019s product strategy</a>, I want to explore how I\u2019d think about Mastodon, too. What would I do if I was the CEO of Mastodon?</p><p>In practice, Mastodon is actually three entities: the new, European-based non-profit; its original, German non-profit, which is now a wholly-owned for-profit subsidiary; and a US 501(c)3 that is primarily used to allow it to fundraise from American sources. For the purposes of this discussion, I\u2019m going to treat it like one cohesive whole, headquartered in Europe, although there may be nuances to how each one is led.</p><p>It <a href=\"https://joinmastodon.org/donor-policy/mastodon-ggmbh\">describes its mission like this</a>:</p><blockquote><p>To replace centralised platforms with robust social networking software that is inherently decentralised, open source and fully interoperable, with a commitment to privacy.</p></blockquote><p>It has also described its mission <a href=\"https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2025/01/the-people-should-own-the-town-square/\">like this</a>:</p><blockquote><p>To create the tools and digital spaces where people can build authentic, constructive online communities free from ads, data exploitation, manipulative algorithms or corporate monopolies.</p></blockquote><p>These are different! The first explicitly calls to <em>replace</em> the existing social networking landscape with decentralized, open source software. The second one is less combative; instead of replacing the existing ecosystem, it implies an <em>alternative</em> ecosystem, free from exploitation and monopoly control.</p><p>Mastodon\u2019s declared \u201cvision\u201d is:</p><blockquote><p>To reimagine the social media landscape, one that is inclusive, diverse, user driven and supports dialogue.</p></blockquote><p>Vision statements describe the world an organization wants to create. They\u2019re not frivolous. The most famous one in software is Microsoft\u2019s, which was a computer on every desk and in every home, running Microsoft software. This concreteness of vision allowed Microsoft to make strategic decisions clearly: would a proposed strategy potentially lead it to this world, or would it not?</p><p>By this definition, Mastodon\u2019s declared \u201cvision\u201d reads more like another mission: well-intentioned, but still focused on what it opposes, not what it aims to build.</p><p>The implication is some confusion over the difference between Mastodon\u2019s reason for being (its <em>why</em>) and its immediate goals (its <em>what</em> and <em>how</em>). The first step to establishing a robust direction for Mastodon is to clear this up. We need to define:</p><ul><li>The mission: <em>why</em> Mastodon exists</li>\n<li>The vision: <em>what</em>\u00a0world it intends to create, in service to that mission</li>\n<li>The strategy: <em>how</em>, concretely, it will take its next steps to get there</li>\n</ul><p>If I was stepping into the CEO\u2019s shoes, here\u2019s what I would propose. The following revised statements are inspired by Mastodon\u2019s existing three mission statements, as well as <a href=\"https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/mission/#:~:text=Our%20mission%20is%20to%20ensure,are%20empowered%2C%20safe%20and%20independent.\">Mozilla\u2019s mission statement</a>:</p><p><strong>Mission:</strong> To ensure the social web is a commons that is open, accessible, decentralized, and safe for all.</p><p><strong>Vision:</strong> A world where everyone can easily join and create authentic, constructive online communities that are free from ads, data exploitation, manipulative algorithms, or corporate monopolies.</p><p><strong>Strategy:</strong> To build and steward the world\u2019s best decentralized, open source community platform, based on the ActivityPub protocol.</p><p>I suspect people on the Mastodon team might bristle at \u201cthe world\u2019s best\u201d; like many highly-principled people, it\u2019s not their style to be competitive. My point is to help the team aim high: it\u2019s not enough to build an open source, decentralized community platform, although that\u2019s a significant achievement in itself. It\u2019s got to be <em>really good</em>.</p><p>Of course, those statements \u2014 <em>really good</em>, <em>the world\u2019s best</em> \u2014 are subjective. They invite probing into what it means to be great.</p><p>My mission and vision statements imply certain characteristics. Here\u2019s what I think are the <em>minimum</em> requirements for Mastodon to be a viable decentralized platform for communities; these things aren\u2019t what will make it great, but what it needs to provide in order to exist at all.</p><ul><li>\n<em>Open source</em>: anyone can view, modify, and re-share its code. Development is maintained with a participatory approach that actively invites contributions from outside the core organization.</li>\n<li>\n<em>Decentralized</em>: based on an open protocol that allows anyone on one Mastodon instance to communicate with anyone on another, with a coherent and consistent user experience across the network.</li>\n<li>\n<em>Permissionless</em>: anyone can use Mastodon without signing an agreement with the Mastodon organization. Mastodon cannot prevent someone from using the software, and the software does not rely on centralized services provided by Mastodon itself.</li>\n<li>\n<em>Safe</em>: the platform includes infrastructure for communities to manage moderation, prevent abuse, and establish effective trust and safety norms.</li>\n<li>\n<em>Usable</em>: the platform follows modern UX patterns, is mobile-friendly, accessible, and easy to onboard onto across devices and user skill levels.</li>\n<li>\n<em>Searchable</em>: users can find relevant people, resources, and conversations across the network with ease and precision.</li>\n<li>\n<em>Discoverable</em>: users can find and join communities that match their interests.</li>\n</ul><p>But meeting the table stakes isn\u2019t enough. If Mastodon is going to set the standard \u2014 not just participate \u2014 in the next era of social media, it needs to offer something more than principled infrastructure. It needs to be the platform people <em>want</em> to use.</p><p>From the beginning, Mastodon has worn its values on its sleeve. When you click through from the website to sign up, you\u2019re presented with <a href=\"https://joinmastodon.org/servers\">a plurality of different servers to start from</a>, all with different owners who have signed a <a href=\"https://joinmastodon.org/covenant\">server covenant</a> that attempts to keep users safe and ensure a decent baseline experience. This is a principled approach: nobody could accuse Mastodon of trying to maintain a monopoly over the network. On the other hand, before they can get started with reading, posting, and sharing on the network, users need to consider which server owner is trustworthy and can meet their needs. <a href=\"https://www.fastcompany.com/90808984/using-mastodon-is-way-too-complicated-to-ever-topple-twitter\">This user experience \u2014 principled but hard to understand \u2014 is where many users drop off, never to return.</a></p><p>For users that really care about decentralization, the need to make this up-front choice is a sign that Mastodon is ideologically aligned. But for everyone else, it\u2019s a sign that the team doesn\u2019t care about their experience.</p><p>The same goes for features like quote-posting: the ability to reshare someone\u2019s post with your own commentary added. This originally emerged organically from Twitter\u2019s userbase; people were doing it themselves before Twitter turned it into a core feature. It\u2019s become a key part of Bluesky\u2019s platform, and has been a longtime Mastodon feature request. But quote-posts can also be a vector for abuse, so the team <a href=\"https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2025/02/bringing-quote-posts-to-mastodon/\">is undergoing a careful process to implement it that might take years</a>.</p><p>For users that want Mastodon to be as safe as possible, this approach could demonstrate that the team really cares about their needs. For everyone else, it\u2019s a sign that they shouldn\u2019t expect the features that have become normal elsewhere.</p><p>People who deeply care about safety and decentralization see Mastodon as responsive and aligned. Others might see it as slow, frustrating, and lacking baseline social features. To thrive, Mastodon needs to overcome this dissonance.</p><p>I think the key is in its role as a community platform. Every Mastodon server is its own community, with its own norms, settings, standards, and ideals. We should stop calling them <em>instances</em> or <em>servers</em>, and treating them as homogenous nodes in a wider network. Instead, we should describe each Mastodon site as being a community in itself.</p><p>Mastodon should be the WordPress of decentralized communities.</p><p>Each Mastodon-powered community should have its own look and feel \u2014 and its own distinct features. Mastodon\u2019s greatest strength isn\u2019t in being a single network \u2014 it\u2019s in being an ecosystem of communities, each with its own identity, design, tooling, and norms.</p><p>One of the challenges of the current signup process is that <em>every Mastodon community looks and acts more or less the same</em>. Right now, choosing a server often means parsing descriptions and guessing which admin seems trustworthy. Instead, every community should feel alive with its own personality: not just a hostname and a set of rules, but a clear sense of <em>what it's for</em> and <em>who it's for</em>, and an experience and set of features that match this purpose.</p><p>What if:</p><ul><li>A community for climate scientists featured up-to-date live dashboards and research highlights?</li>\n<li>A queer art collective could display an evolving digital gallery of its members\u2019 work?</li>\n<li>A Black-led tech community could feature tools for job support, mentorship, and organizing?</li>\n</ul><p>Decentralization is flexibility: one size does not need to fit all. In this world, the decision about whether or not to enable quote-posting, join network-wide search, or let news websites know they\u2019ve been linked to is devolved to individual community owners, not the platform owners themselves. The decision about whether to <a href=\"https://evanp.me/2023/12/26/big-fedi-small-fedi/\">build a large, expansive fediverse or keep it small and safe</a> is devolved too: any community owner can decide how locked down or opened up their space should be, because it\u2019s <em>their space</em>.</p><p>The ability to theme Mastodon also means the ability to <em>brand</em> it. Today, every paid Medium subscriber <a href=\"https://me.dm/explore\">can have an account on its Mastodon community</a>, but that community looks like Mastodon, not Medium. The <a href=\"https://newsmast.social/explore\">Newsmast Foundation\u2019s community</a> looks exactly the same. The ability to deeply customize a Mastodon community allows organizations with deeper pockets to adopt the platform in a way that adheres to their existing standards. These users are more likely to invest in customizations \u2014 and in doing so, help grow the broader ecosystem.</p><p>Mastodon should treat its own flagship community, <a href=\"https://mastodon.social/\">mastodon.social</a>, as a living testbed \u2014 a place to experiment, learn from user behavior, and refine the experience. That\u2019s the community space that Mastodon itself owns. It can try new themes, run experiments with new features, and, yes, make it the default community new users try, so they can get a handle on what Mastodon <em>is</em> and how it works before they potentially move to another community. All with a best-in-class mobile app experience.</p><p>So far, I\u2019ve described a world where Mastodon communities are:</p><ul><li>\n<em>Visually distinct</em>: with themes and branding that reflect their identity and vibe.</li>\n<li>\n<em>Feature-extended</em>: with plugins or integrations tailored to the needs of a specific group \u2014 whether that\u2019s custom moderation workflows, polls, discussion threads, or event coordination.</li>\n</ul><p>But remember our vision statement? All of this only matters if it\u2019s <em>easy</em>. So we also need to add:</p><ul><li>\n<em>Easy to spin up</em>: where launching and running your own Mastodon community is as simple as starting a blog.</li>\n</ul><p>The mission can\u2019t be met if only technical people can create and run Mastodon communities. Part of the task of lowering this barrier to entry is about infrastructure: the underlying platform needs to be able to run simply on any number of hosting providers. Mastodon could also offer a turnkey service \u2014 similar to <a href=\"https://WordPress.com\">WordPress.com</a> \u2014 that abstracts away the hosting layer entirely for non-technical users. Not only will this bring more people onto the network, but accessible hosted services will serve as an avenue to bring in funding.</p><p>Another part of the task is about running a healthy community: moderation, abuse prevention, and trust and safety. Some communities are equipped to provide this themselves, but others simply cannot. Mastodon can provide conduits to both paid and volunteer services to help communities keep themselves safe.</p><p>Finally, there are the <em>legal</em> implications of running a community: adhering to local regulations and protecting community owners from undue risk. Just as newsletter platforms help writers comply with the CAN-SPAM Act, and <a href=\"https://WordPress.com\">WordPress.com</a> makes handling DMCA takedowns straightforward, Mastodon can offer built-in tools and guidance to help communities stay legally compliant in their jurisdictions \u2014 without requiring every community owner to become a lawyer.</p><p>WordPress has built a valuable ecosystem of plugin authors, theme designers, and infrastructure providers, who all gain as the ecosystem grows. The same can be true of Mastodon if it embraces its role as a movement-defining layer of a vibrantly diverse social web.</p><p>That means supporting an ecosystem where:</p><ul><li>It\u2019s easy for developers to build and monetize plugins, themes, and integrations.</li>\n<li>Service providers, including Mastodon itself, can offer hosting, customization, moderation, or legal compliance as value-adds.</li>\n<li>Organizations \u2014 from local newsrooms to global NGOs \u2014 can create spaces that reflect their missions and identities without starting from scratch.</li>\n</ul><p>In that vision, Mastodon is no longer just a destination. It\u2019s a foundation: a public utility for self-governed, interest-driven communities across the world. Some might be tiny and personal; others might grow large and influential.</p><p>But all of them would benefit from a shared protocol, a shared codebase, and a shared commitment to making the web better \u2014 without requiring lock-in or top-down control.</p><p>That\u2019s the opportunity: not just to build a platform, but to unlock a new era for the social web \u2014 one where communities are in charge.</p><p>And that\u2019s where I\u2019d start if I ran Mastodon.</p><p><em>Previously in this series: <a href=\"https://werd.io/2025/if-i-ran-bluesky-product\">if I ran Bluesky Product</a>. Next up: if I was starting a new platform. <a href=\"https://newsletter.werd.io\">Subscribe to get them all via email.</a></em></p>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Ben Werdmuller",
        "url": "https://werd.io/profile/benwerd",
        "photo": "https://werd.io/file/5d388c5fb16ea14aac640912/thumb.jpg"
    },
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    "_id": "44561487",
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