To people making alternatives, consider adding ActivityPub support
Posted by Electronic-Phone1732@reddit | RedditAlternatives | View on Reddit | 15 comments
ActivityPub is the protocol used by lemmy, mbin and piefed.
Since they all use a common protocol, people on lemmy can interact with people on piefed, and vice versa.
Its like email, since you can send an email to anyone on any provider, because they all use a common protocol (SMTP).
https://www.w3.org/TR/activitypub/ details the base spec, https://join-lemmy.org/docs/contributors/05-federation.html defines lemmy's addons to the spec, and https://docs.joinmastodon.org/spec/activitypub/ defines mastodon's implementation.
georgehotelling@reddit
A benefit of adding ActivityPub is that it bootstraps your site with content.
If your app can speak ActivityPub, your site will have access to all the content from the Fediverse. No one wants to use a site without any users, this gives you access to plenty of existing users and content.
Electronic-Phone1732@reddit (OP)
Exactly!
Beneficial_Exam_1634@reddit
ActivityPub also works on Peertube I think.
Electronic-Phone1732@reddit (OP)
It does, you can comment on videos from mastodon on it.
acreakingstaircase@reddit
Good idea.
I’m personally not sure how about the open protocols… if I go to KFC I don’t want to order a Big Mac.
ewofij@reddit
I think I get what you’re saying, sorry to join the metaphor dogpile:
to me, a forum and Instagram aren’t “McDonalds” and “Burger King” - ideally, a forum is like a friend’s house. It would kill the vibe if I went to my friend’s house and tried to order a Big Mac.
I think adopting a protocol to share content has its issues because “posts” are less than half of a network – the other parts include “vibe,” moderation, presentation/algorithm, content format. Sharing user identity makes a little more sense, but I’m not sure people want to do that on casual social sites.
habarnam@reddit
How about if you go to the food court at the mall? Doesn't it feel nice to hang out with your friends and they can still get KFC?
Electronic-Phone1732@reddit (OP)
Why not? It kills network effects, which are whats keeping people on reddit, and other shit platforms.
acreakingstaircase@reddit
I just don’t understand it. If a platform is shit then move onto another one.
Electronic-Phone1732@reddit (OP)
As I said, network effects, the people I would like on the new platform are still on the old one. With an open protocol, I can still interact with people on the shit platform, while using a nice one.
triangularRectum420@reddit
But the old platform has my favorite artists, friends, family, content, etc.
Am I expected to convince all of them to move to another platform, everytime the current centralized platform inevitably goes to shit?
virtueavatar@reddit
It's like going to KFC instead of McDonalds and being able to order either chicken or a big mac or both.
Mental_Tea_4084@reddit
Wrong analogy.
If you go to KFC, you'd have to eat through your nose instead of your mouth. At McDonald's, they have the 'eat with your mouth' protocols, that's the one you want to use at KFC too.
acreakingstaircase@reddit
But are the protocols not so different apps can communicate with one another? So kfc talking to McDonald’s?
Mental_Tea_4084@reddit
The app is how you consume the content, aka your mouth. So kfc to your app, and McDonald's to your app. Not KFC to McDonald's.
If we really want to get into the weeds with this analogy, the protocol is the food delivery infrastructure. Roads, trucks, etc. The restaurant is what prepares the food for you to consume. It doesn't really make sense for a restaurant to reinvent roads and cars.
You'd still want to use those roads to drive over to KFC, rather than use the special KFC roadways just to eat some chicken
A more relatable analogy is email. Do you want to only receive emails from other gmail accounts? Or would you like to receive email from all the other email providers too?