The goal should be that the fediverse or #SocialWeb not be a separate thing but instead an attention layer on the open web. That every bit of text, audio or video can go viral via human boosts like a post here. With replies attached. Then everything we make for public consumption can become "social media". #APnative
That's different than direct messages or posts in your private groups. That's social networking imo.
For this reason, I'm very undecided whether they should use the same protocol.
Your Website Could Be Your Social Media Account
a corollary to this is boosting a link to an article, video or podcast (or someday the #APnative thing itself). the difference is that you may not have time to check it out yet and should before you forward it on. that's why I love the bookmark but wish it was integrated with our reader/player apps.
people are only using video cause they want to take advantage of the YT algo. our push back should be saying corporate algos are bad for lots of reasons but we can give you human boosts. but that requires making podcast episodes #APnative. finding a way to run podcasts off of #ActivityPub in addition to RSS.
It's great but you can't boost it directly ala AP. I see AP as the successor to RSS. I'd like to see people using AP instead of RSS for podcasts. Still decentralized but it would make it possible for the actual episode, not just lots of different links to it, to go viral. With all the comments attached.
isn't this what making articles #APnative would do if you made that reply from your own AP server?
I need to know more. is there a podcatcher that lets me plug in a fedi account that is actually an #APnative podcast feed?
I want to share this article by @anildash about markdown but being a kinda related subject, it's also probably the place to advocate for making articles (everything really) #APnative.
Cause I'd rather have bookmarked it in Mastodon, had it automatically show up in my social graph connected read it later app, then boosted it from there after I'd read it. Allowing for virality but keeping the tally of boosts of the article (and favorites and replies) all in one place.
https://www.anildash.com/2026/01/09/how-markdown-took-over-the-world/
Does my idea of other works now being made #APnative, being a differentiator from not just closed platforms but also #bluesky & #ATproto, make sense?
AFAIK articles, videos, podcast episodes and songs etc can be made #AcrivityPub enabled from the start from now on, allowing lots of innovation but esp boosting/favoriting the work itself, not just a post that links to it. Replies get attached directly. Social media becomes less its own thing than an attention layer on the open web. Creators win.
great work but I already love using @wallabag for this.
and they use an approach everybody should today: make a FOSS app that is available on the web and mobile, but also let us use their backend or our own. funding comes from enough people using theirs. but we can always leave.
the next step imo is to incorporate the fedi. show most popular in our social graph and add articles via bookmarking. let us boost and favorite from the app.
william.maggos