The Social Web Foundation Is Shaping the Next Era of the Web
The Social Web Foundation has been established to promote the Fediverse, enhance user control, and decentralize internet power, partnering with major companies and advocating for the ActivityPub protocol's adoption.
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The Social Web Foundation has been launched to promote the growth of the Fediverse, an interoperable social network based on the ActivityPub protocol. This network allows users from different services to interact seamlessly, with Mastodon being the most recognized platform among others like Threads and Flipboard. The foundation aims to enhance individual control, innovation, and the overall social media experience, while addressing concerns related to journalism, activism, privacy, and safety. Founding members include notable figures such as Mallory Knodel, Evan Prodromou, and Tom Coates, who will serve as Executive Director, Research Director, and Product Director, respectively. The foundation has partnered with several influential companies, including Automattic, Ghost, and Meta, indicating a shift from traditional social media strategies. The foundation will also engage with standards organizations like the W3C to advocate for user education and support for ActivityPub. The overarching goal is to decentralize power on the internet and create a more stable foundation for social applications, with the expectation that more platforms will adopt the ActivityPub protocol in the coming years. The Social Web Foundation represents a significant step towards realizing a federated social web that prioritizes open standards and user agency.
- The Social Web Foundation promotes the Fediverse, an interoperable social network.
- Founding members include experts in technology and social media.
- The foundation partners with major companies like Automattic and Meta.
- It aims to decentralize internet power and enhance user control.
- ActivityPub protocol adoption is expected to grow among new and existing platforms.
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Evan Prodromou Launches the Social Web Foundation
Evan Prodromou launched The Social Web Foundation to enhance the ActivityPub ecosystem and the Fediverse, focusing on education, policy, protocol development, and infrastructure while maintaining a decentralized approach.
Launch of Social Web Foundation
The Social Web Foundation has been established to enhance connections between social platforms using the ActivityPub protocol, promoting user control and innovation while focusing on education and interoperability in social networking.
Holy Hell, the Social Web Did Not Begin in 2008
The article critiques the Social Web Foundation's redefinition of the social web, arguing it oversimplifies its rich history and threatens diversity by focusing solely on ActivityPub. A humble approach is recommended.
5 commentsRegarding activitypub itself: it is a very heavy protocol that can only operate with cryptographic signing of communications. That means you need to be running an active program to compute the cryptography. Activitypub cannot be implemented statically like many better social web protocols can (ie, indieweb webmention). That means activitypub websites are fragile and won't last more than a few years without active maintainence. This is bad for the long term health of the web created by human persons.
I sure hope this activitypub-centric "Social web foundation" doesn't take over for the W3C like they say. But even if they do, it's too late, W3C's role was already taken over by the corporate run WHATWG years ago.
This is spoken like someone with technical vision, not product vision.
Content owners don't want these networks shared. The data inherent - who follows who, what the pause over when scrolling, etc. - is where the value is and companies don't want to give that up.
I've worked in app platforms before, specifically trying to build this kind of "follow the entities you want across platforms, your network is unified" solution, and the companies do not want this and will not play ball. The users don't care about this - at least nowhere near as much as they care about being on the apps where their friends or the content they want to create is.
Related
Meta Moves to More Directly Connect to ActivityPub, but Is It Open?
Meta is integrating Threads into the ActivityPub standard, aiming for decentralization in social media. Concerns arise over control and openness, with worries about Meta's true intentions despite efforts to minimize risks.
Meta's Threads enables Fediverse replies and likes
Adam Mosseri announced Threads' integration with the Fediverse, allowing interactions with Mastodon accounts. Tumblr plans to transition to WordPress for better Fediverse integration, enhancing user engagement and open social media's importance.
Evan Prodromou Launches the Social Web Foundation
Evan Prodromou launched The Social Web Foundation to enhance the ActivityPub ecosystem and the Fediverse, focusing on education, policy, protocol development, and infrastructure while maintaining a decentralized approach.
Launch of Social Web Foundation
The Social Web Foundation has been established to enhance connections between social platforms using the ActivityPub protocol, promoting user control and innovation while focusing on education and interoperability in social networking.
Holy Hell, the Social Web Did Not Begin in 2008
The article critiques the Social Web Foundation's redefinition of the social web, arguing it oversimplifies its rich history and threatens diversity by focusing solely on ActivityPub. A humble approach is recommended.