Newsletter platform Ghost adopts ActivityPub to ‘bring back the open web’

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the growing support for open platforms and the ActivityPub protocol, which enables interoperability between different social media and content sharing services. It highlights the newsletter platform Ghost's plans to integrate ActivityPub in 2024, as well as the broader trend of the "fediverse" - a network of open and interoperable social services.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Ghost's Support for ActivityPub

1. What are Ghost's plans regarding ActivityPub integration?

• Ghost plans to ship ActivityPub integration in 2024, which the founder says was the platform's "most requested feature over the past few years".
• Ghost is working with Mastodon and Buttondown on implementing ActivityPub support.
• Ghost says paid content "should work fine" with ActivityPub, which is a new development compared to other platforms.

2. How does Ghost compare the benefits of ActivityPub to email?

• Ghost draws an explicit comparison between ActivityPub and email, stating that open protocols like email allow users to share content and audiences across different platforms, unlike closed networks that compete for users.
• Just as email is used by more people than any single platform or social network, the ActivityPub network aims to provide access to a larger audience across multiple platforms.

[02] The Fediverse and Open Platforms

1. What is the "fediverse" and how is it gaining momentum?

• The fediverse refers to the network of open and interoperable social services that have been gaining momentum over the past year.
• The idea is that these federated networks will allow users to follow and share content between them, without needing multiple accounts or follower lists on different platforms.

2. How do open platforms compare to closed social networks?

• Closed social networks are in a "zero-sum competition for users", limiting reach to only those on the same platform.
• Open networks like the fediverse can grow larger because they don't depend on the success of any one company, and allow sharing of users across platforms.

3. What is the broader trend regarding social platforms and federation?

• The article suggests that any new social platform that launches without an eye towards federation may not stand a chance, as the energy and momentum is behind the federated, open networks of the fediverse.