We've Joined the Fediverse! Here's What That Means for You.

I’m thrilled to announce a major upgrade to the site: we are now federated! This is a huge step for the site and I want to explain what it means and how you can be a part of it.

What is "Federation" and the "Fediverse"?

Think of social media as a collection of towns. Traditionally, a platform like Twitter or Facebook is a single, isolated town. Everyone who wants to talk to someone in that town has to be a resident.

The "fediverse" is more like a network of interconnected towns. Each town (or "server" in the fediverse) is independent, but they all use the same language, like a shared postal service. This means someone in "Mastodonville" can send a message directly to someone in "Threadsburg" without ever leaving their own town.

By federating our site, we're building our own town within this network. We're still our own unique space, but our content and our profile can now be seen, followed, and interacted with by people on other federated platforms.

This is a big win for open standards and decentralization. It means:

• You're in control: You can follow us from the platform you prefer, without having to create a separate account on our site just to stay updated.
• Wider reach: Our content can now be discovered by a much broader audience across the fediverse.
• Resilience: The network is not controlled by a single company, making it more resistant to censorship and platform changes.

How to Follow Us

Here's how to follow us from some of the most prominent platforms in the fediverse.

On Mastodon and other ActivityPub platforms:

Mastodon and many other platforms (like Pixelfed, Friendica, and more) use the same ActivityPub protocol. To follow us, simply copy and paste our unique address into the search bar of your Mastodon app or web client:

@index@kylepauljohnson.com

Once you search, our profile will appear, and you can click "Follow." You'll then see our posts directly in your home timeline, just like any other account you follow.

On Threads:

Threads is a newer player in the fediverse, and it's still rolling out its full federation features. If you have a public Threads profile and have enabled fediverse sharing (in your settings), you can search for and follow our profile by using our full address:

@index@kylepauljohnson.com

Threads has been making it easier to discover federated accounts, and our posts will show up in your feed alongside other Threads users.

On Bluesky:

Bluesky uses a different protocol called the AT Protocol. While it's not directly compatible with ActivityPub platforms like Mastodon and Threads, a growing number of "bridges" are being built to connect the two worlds.

To follow us from Bluesky, you may need to use a bridging service like Bridgy Fed. Once you've set up a bridge, our account will appear on Bluesky, allowing you to follow, like, and repost our content. The best way to stay on top of the latest developments here is to search for our full username on Bluesky and follow the instructions provided by any bridging services that appear.

We're incredibly excited about this new chapter and look forward to building a more open and connected community with all of you. Happy federating!