Chris Trottier (@atomicpoet)

So now the next question: why #Calckey? Calckey is not the only kind of Fediverse server software I operate, and it won't be the last. Currently, I also run a Pleroma server (atomicpoet.org) and a Pixelfed server (peerverse.space). And when #SpaceHost gets off the ground, I plan on running Lemmy, Friendica, Castopod, and Mastodon servers. However, I know exactly where the wind is blowing, and that's with *key apps. #Misskey is already taking Japan by storm. And #Calckey is gaining popularity here in the West. I've also heard that a few more *key apps are in development: one for organizations, the other one specialized for the African-American community. Here's what I've realized. For the Fediverse to truly take off, there needs to be more than just Mastodon. There needs to be something else that shows what *else* is possible on the Fediverse, and it looks like that realization of possibilities will be from the *key apps. If you asked me a year ago what I thought would take off next from the Fediverse, I would have said it will be Pixelfed or PeerTube. That might still be possible, but based on trends since February, it's more likely to be the *key apps. This is ultimately a good thing. For one thing, the popularity of *key apps will finally mean that Mastodon will not longer be synonymous with the Fediverse to the general public. But this also benefits Mastodon because this means that one of the best features of Mastodon will finally be demonstrated: interoperability with other apps. Once people see Mastodon talking with *key -- and vice versa -- they will finally appreciate the true promise of the Fediverse.