exploring-the-fediverse - Federated Mind

A bioluminescent deep-sea reef where different glowing organisms represent fediverse platforms all connected by light filaments running through a shared seafloor substrate

fediverse-beyond-mastodon

The Rest of the Ecosystem: Misskey, Pleroma, Friendica & more

Mastodon is the platform most people land on but it's not the only thing growing on the reef. Misskey built an expression-first culture. Friendica has been bridging networks since 2010. GoToSocial made the personal instance practical. In this post we cover all these and more.

Three protocol logos — ActivityPub, AT Protocol (Bluesky), and Nostr — arranged over a dark network graph visualization.

federation-across-networks

Nostr and the Protocol Bridges

Part 3 of Federation Across Networks. Part 1 covered Bridgy Fed and AT Protocol. Part 2 covered Threads' entry into the Fediverse. This series sits inside the broader Exploring the Fediverse umbrella.

Feature image: painterly illustration of a glowing gateway between the fediverse and Meta's world, with a Mastodon elephant at the threshold. Generated using Higgsfield AI (Nano Banana).

federation-across-networks

Threads Entered the Fediverse (With Caveats)

Part 2 of Federation Across Networks. Part 1 covered Bridgy Fed, the bridge connecting ActivityPub and AT Protocol. This series sits inside the broader Exploring the Fediverse umbrella.

Data flowing from the left side depicted in blue with a blue butterfly depicting Bluesky traffic flowing into a glowing orb in the middle. On the right side is data depicted in purple along w

federation-across-networks

The Bridge to Bluesky: What Happens When Two Protocols Try to Talk

Part 1 of the "Federation Across Networks" mini-series - a continuation of the "Exploring the Fediverse" umbrella series.

exploring-mastodon

The Exploring Mastodon mini series is complete. Here's everything.

Four posts on how the open social web works - from federation basics to server governance. Also out: free ebook + 57-min audiobook.

exploring-mastodon

Governance Is the New Differentiator: AI Policy, Moderation, and the Truth Social Cautionary Tale

Part 3 of Exploring Mastodon - the final post in this mini-series. Part 1 maps the AI policy spectrum. Part 2 covers the communities that give the network its texture. This post is the governance layer underneath both.

World map showing regional and language Mastodon instances — sfba.social, mastodon.scot, mstdn.jp, mastodon.uno, and others — pinned to their geographic locations.

exploring-mastodon

Place, Language, and Craft: The Communities That Give Mastodon Its Texture

Part 2 of Exploring Mastodon, a three-part mini-series inside the broader Exploring the Fediverse series. If you're new here, Part 1 covers the overall shape of the network: how instances work, why donation economics matter, and what AI policy reveals about a community's values.

exploring-mastodon

Mastodon Isn't One Place — It's a Constellation of Communities

Part 1 of Exploring Mastodon, a three-part mini-series inside the broader Exploring the Fediverse series. Mastodon is just a constellation of communities sharing one open protocol - to choose your home, pick a neighborhood.