Connected Places is about understanding the vague group of social networks that are all connected to each other. This collection of networks has a variety of names: social web, open web, fediverse, ATmosphere, decentralised social networks. All of these names refer to slightly different things, which have a significant overlap.
For people new to this space, a short introduction. What the platforms/apps/networks all have in common is that they are built upon open internet protocols. These open protocols make the platforms interoperable, anyone can set up their own site/server/app and communicate and interact with the existing network.
The two main important protocols:
- ActivityPub, a W3C protocol on which the fediverse is build.
- AT Protocol (ATProto), made by the Bluesky company, on which the Bluesky app and the ATmosphere network is build.
The fediverse and ActivityPub
The fediverse is an interconnected network of independent social platforms. These independent platforms are often called servers or instances, and operate independently with their own rules, moderation and operation. These servers can communicate with each other, allowing people on server A to talk with their friends on server B.
The ActivityPub protocol is used by all the communities on the network to talk with each other. Think of ActivityPub as a message delivery service: the protocol allows each server to send messages, videos and more to each other.
Every server in the fediverse is a community that is used for a specific function, such as microblogging, video hosting, or a forum. When you join the fediverse, you sign up for a server as your home place on the network.
The term fediverse refers to