Yup, it's much easier for content creators and aggregators to broadcast their stuff over the Fediverse. No API fees and restrictions. Just become a node in the network. Then as they make useful content available on the Fediverse, the Fediverse will grow its userbase, returning something to the content creators.
This is what is going to drive federated social media. Once marketing types can figure out that they won’t need to maintain 12 different social media presences and can host it on their own domain, they’ll gladly subsidize general purpose instances to make it easier for people to access their content.
I think the thing that people are going to struggle with is that the lack of an algorithm spoon feeding them content. This is, of course, a good thing. However the addicts won't get their fix.
TBH, I have this problem too. I want an algorithm to sift through the firehose. I want to be able to control it though. I'd like to potentially have multiple options. The sorting algorithms in Lemmy are an example for this.
One thing to add, it looks like Flipboard is all in on the Fediverse: they've announced plans to support ActivityPub in Flipboard itself, turning it into a federated service.
I don't get how Flipboard is even a product when opening any browser gives you a wall of aggregated news stories unless you explicitly set it not to. Any website dedicated to that in 2023 is like a factory that just sucks in air and blows it out the other side.
I often think this. I use a mix of reeder, feedly, vore, instapaper to see what I like.
However I look at my parents and they’ll use Apple News or whatever news source they trust in a browser.
Flipboard is used because it makes it easy for people to find aggregated information. What’s easier than something that already does the aggregation for you?
Often we take for granted things we consider to be normal. I would think everyone has uBlock Origin installed (i’ve used it for years) or something similar, but this is clearly not the case.
I’ve used Flipboard for a really long time. Not because I think it’s good or anything, but because I haven’t found anything that’s just so much better whenever I’ve looked. I particularly appreciate the widget on my Home Screen because it usually has at least one thing I’m inspired to read. I did install Feedly, but I don’t use that any more than Flipboard, and it seems to do the exact same thing.
If you or anyone else have recommendations to something tangibly better though, I’m all ears.
Bells ringing... I remember that name... Search for it on the play store, holy crap, yes! That's the app I used to replace Google Reader! Go to install it to try it again... Wait... Why does it say "Open" and not "Install"?
That app has survived several phones without being opened lol. Poor thing. [tumbleweed rolls by]
Am i going crazy or is this exactly what the fediverse needs to get popular... Businesses and people switching to the fedi making everyone else switch.
Great, Mastodon is really starting to be able to replace much more of Twitter now.
The only thing i miss from Twitter was the local accounts I followed for info, will be a while before they all abandon and move over, but hopefully in the end.
You can use third party frontends like Nitter on Web or Fritter/Squawker on Android (available on F-Droid) to still follow accounts for info without the requirement of having an account anywhere. With the condition that viewing is the only thing you can do.
I left Twitter over an year ago and I use the frontends I mentioned to follow about 20 accounts for info on varied topics.
When I had it, flipboard was designed to be pretty and I did like that aspect of it. But I haven't used it in at least 5 or more years and I don't remember having to sign into it. That being said, I thought it was gone (like a service that had been ended).