Notices by Chris Trottier (atomicpoet@atomicpoet.org)

Here’s the other thing: as much folks on Mastodon say they don’t like Bluesky, and they’ll never join it – the fact is that Bluesky’s higher network effect has resulted in a a lot of folks who used to thumb their noses at Bluesky joining Bluesky.

Hell, I post more often on Bluesky now – even though I don’t like it. And for those longer posts that won’t fit on Bluesky, I even provide a “READ MORE” link so people on Bluesky can read the rest of my post. (see attached image).

So now I’m on Bluesky, talking about the Fediverse, because people who used to be on Mastodon are like, “Hey Chris, I still want to hear from you, can you post here please?”

And I’m like, “Okay, it’s more work – but whatever.”

At some point, I want this Bridgyfed thing to be more common – and please, for the love of god, work with my Akkoma server – because I’d rather just bridge it.

Now some of you might think, “Hey, Meta will eventually enable ActivityPub entirely, right?” – which would finally kill this silly protocol war. But again, I’m skeptical that it will be done. And even if it is done, so what? Will Threads allow posts from there to be bridged to Bluesky?

sigh

Damn it, we’re going to need to go beyond microblogging and Twitter-like services to grow this network, and that means building the stuff that Meta and Bluesky won’t.

To be blunt, I’m thrilled that Pixelfed is what’s growing the Fediverse right now. That app finally pushed accounts over the 11M mark after hovering around 10M for more than a year.

The reality is, Mastodon is no longer going to cut it.

Most people who are looking for a Twitter alternative are migrating to Threads or Bluesky. And while Threads has some Fediverse integration, I have little confidence that they’ll integrate with the Fediverse entirely – because Meta will be Meta.

Now for Mastodon to actually grow, there needs to be other ActivityPub-enabled apps that are not Twitter-like. And that means other uses cases for the Fediverse not only need to be developed but have thriving communities that coalesce around them.

But how does this actually help Mastodon? You see, those other apps build Mastodon’s network effect. And a network effect is what makes any social media app more useful. If you want to talk to a more diverse array of people, you need a wider and wider network effect.

Which then extends Mastodon’s reach even further. In fact, beyond Mastodon. Which makes Mastodon more useful.

So if you want Mastodon to not just survive, but also thrive – perhaps even grow and leap frog Bluesky and (perhaps) Threads, then apps like Pixelfed are critical.

RE: https://atomicpoet.org/objects/2dcad543-239e-4664-9e38-4ba4a86cc09b

Let’s address the HOA of the Fediverse, and the threat that those people are coming here:

You have the ability to block. And not only do you have the ability to block but also the ability to block entire servers – or even defederate if you want.

So yes, if you’re afraid of the scary Tiktokers, just use the tools you already have – instead of bemoaning how they’ll “destroy” the Fediverse.

This again. The HOA always has to show up, raise a stink when people join the Fediverse.

Thankfully, most folks on Pixelfed and Loops will likely be unaware of this since text-only posts are invisible on those servers.

But don’t worry. Those scary Gen Zers won’t ruin the precious Fedi.

RE: https://mk.magicka.org/notes/a350f48gjzfn01fv

Happy Friday, everyone!

I want to take a moment to talk about Pixelfed and the incredible vibe it has right now. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you absolutely should. Pixelfed just launched this week on both the Apple App Store and Google Play, and it’s been an amazing experience.

What do I mean by “vibe”? Well, let me explain. This week, I resurrected my Pixelfed.social account. I originally ran my own Pixelfed server, but eventually discontinued it to consolidate my Fediverse presence on atomicpoet.org. I don’t regret that decision—it made sense at the time. But rejoining Pixelfed.social and kickstarting my account again has been nothing short of amazing.

Let me tell you what I’ve been seeing:

• Young women crocheting sweaters
• Cats yawning
• Stunning sunsets
• Heavy metal bands striking dramatic poses
• Breathtaking black-and-white photography

And honestly, this is very different from the rest of the Fediverse. I’m not saying the rest of the Fediverse is bad, or that people should stop talking about politics or tech debates. It’s just that the Fediverse has its own vibe, and Pixelfed—specifically Pixelfed.social, though I haven’t explored other servers—has a vibe that’s uniquely joyful and hopeful.

I’ve seen people celebrating new beginnings, leaving platforms like Instagram and TikTok. One of my favorite things about Pixelfed right now is that people just don’t care about the usual Fediverse debates. They’re not talking about protocols, stacks, or politics (though there’s a bit of that, but it’s minimal).

For example, if someone’s crocheting a sweater? That’s fine. They deserve a space to share that sweater, and I’m here to admire it.

This vibe made me think: what if the Fediverse at large leaned into this kind of approach? Instead of reinventing the Twitter wheel, we could take a page from Dan’s book. Dan, the creator of Pixelfed, has tailored this platform to offer a novel, focused experience.

Here’s what makes Pixelfed unique:

1. Photos are front and center. Pixelfed doesn’t show text-only posts. Every post must have a picture, so images take priority, with text as a secondary element. It’s reminiscent of how Instagram started, and it works beautifully.
2. Mastodon integration. You can view people’s Mastodon accounts on Pixelfed, but when you do, their photo posts are displayed in an Instagram-like way.
3. Focus on the local feed. Right now, Pixelfed emphasizes the local feed over the global one, creating a strong sense of community. It’s not about debates or concepts; it’s about sharing aesthetics and celebrating creativity.
4. Minimalism as a design principle. Dan seems to deeply understand the idea of a minimum viable product (MVP). Some users are complaining about the lack of features like dark mode, filters, or borders. But simplicity is the point. The app is intentionally simple, and that minimalism enhances the overall experience.

At its core, Pixelfed is about the feeling you get when you scroll through the feed. It’s about people sharing genuine pieces of themselves—and that’s what makes it stand out.

So, if you’re thinking about building a Fediverse app, take notes from Dan: build a unique experience.

And with that, I’ll leave you to enjoy your Friday. Cheers!

Looks like pixelfed.social, the largest Pixelfed server, just now reached 200K accounts!

@evan @timbray I agree. I want Bluesky to succeed, which is why I post there, and also why I’m considering running my own PDS.

But the gap in actual server counts is huge. And other than Bluesky, there’s few viable apps.

This week, people migrated to Pixelfed from Instagram and TikTok—not an app that runs ATP.

If you want to simplify ActivityPub integration with your project, here are libraries for the following languages:

• Go
• Ruby
• Rust
• JavaScript
• Python

Android Authority also has their review of Pixelfed.

Amusingly, they say this about it:

What sets Pixelfed apart is its classic Instagram-like approach that prioritizes sharing photos and videos with like-minded people.

Okay, it really is hilarious that Pixelfed stands out because it’s a lot like Instagram was. But yeah, I agree.

https://www.androidauthority.com/pixelfed-launches-mobile-app-3516668/

From what I’m seeing, most Pixelfed registrations are from TikTok – not Instagram.

Also, TikTok will be shut down – not sold!

So I hope @dansup is fully prepared for the avalanche that’s coming on Sunday – because that’s when the TikTok ban fully comes into effect.

https://www.theinformation.com/articles/tiktok-prepares-for-immediate-shut-off-in-the-u-s-on-sunday

By the way, it’s better for Mastodon’s long-term survival that its share of Fediverse distribution software falls.

It means more diversity: that ActivityPub use cases have increased, and that there’s less expectation for Twitter-like (microblog) experiences.

RE: https://atomicpoet.org/objects/e41ff006-836e-4bf2-9f03-f9231e30136d