Title: Ghost to Join the Fediverse: A New Era for Open-Social Networking
Introduction:
Ghost, an open-source competitor to Substack, has announced its plans to integrate with the fediverse, a decentralized network of interconnected servers that includes popular platforms like Mastodon and Pixelfed. This move will allow Ghost’s blog and newsletter authors to become fediverse accounts, enabling users to follow, interact, and reply to their posts from their preferred app. With an expected influx of tens of millions of users, Ghost’s integration will contribute to the projected 170 to 200 million users on the fediverse by this summer.
The Power of Federation:
Federation, enabled by the ActivityPub protocol, has proven successful with platforms like WordPress. Ghost plans to leverage federation to connect its publishers and users seamlessly with other federated services such as Mastodon, Threads, and Flipboard. This integration will enable Ghost authors to receive replies as comments on their own sites, promoting a more interactive and engaging user experience.
Collaboration in the Fediverse:
Ghost’s announcement received positive feedback, with offers of assistance pouring in from Mastodon CTO Renaud Chaput. This collaboration highlights the shared vision of building a stronger and more interconnected open-social network.
Details of Ghost’s Federation Plans:
In its official announcement, Ghost outlined its plans for federating its service in 2024. Publishers will soon have the ability to follow, like, and interact with each other from their own websites, mirroring the experience of a social network. Additionally, users will be able to follow and engage with users on other federated services. Ghost aims to create a seamless experience by integrating an ActivityPub-powered feed into its platform, allowing users to follow people, publications, and topics of interest from across the web.
Benefits of ActivityPub Integration:
Ghost emphasized the advantages of integrating with ActivityPub, emphasizing the flexibility it affords platforms in presenting content while maintaining compatibility with other services. Readers will have multiple options for subscribing to authors’ content, including email subscriptions, RSS, and ActivityPub. Furthermore, ActivityPub can support gated access for sites with paid subscriptions, providing authors with control over their subscriber base.
Maintaining Control and Increasing Interest:
Ghost’s integration with the fediverse aligns with its mission to empower creators and ensure they retain control over their subscribers. This move has attracted attention from high-profile authors who have switched to Ghost, including Casey Newton from The Verge and Garbage Day. Notable publishers such as 404 Media, Buffer, Kickstarter, David Sirota’s The Lever, and Tangle have also joined the platform, further enhancing its reputation.
Conclusion:
Joining the fediverse marks a significant milestone for Ghost as it expands its reach and enhances user engagement. The integration with ActivityPub enables a more decentralized and customizable approach to content distribution, granting users greater flexibility in how they consume and interact with their favorite authors. With an increasing number of influential figures migrating to Ghost, the platform is poised to become a leading player in the open-social networking landscape.