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+date = 2021-01-04
+title = "A Simple Guide to the Fediverse"
+description = "A simple guide to the fediverse, a federated universe of servers commonly used for sharing content, like social media."
+draft = false
++++
+
+## What is the Fediverse?
+
+The fediverse is a federated universe of servers commonly used for sharing
+content, like social media. So, instead of having to rely on a single
+organization to run the server (e.g. Facebook), the fediverse is a giant
+collection of servers across the world, owned by many people and organizations.
+
+Take a look at this depiction of a federated network.
+Each server in this photo is owned and run by different 
+administrators/owners.
+Federated networks are best explained as email servers: you have an email 
+account that exists on a server (e.g. Outlook), your friend has an account on 
+a different server (e.g. GMail), and another friend has an account on a 
+third server (e.g. ProtonMail).
+All three of you can talk and communicate back and forth without having to 
+be on the same server.
+However, responsible email admins are there to set rules and control the 
+traffic going in/out of the server.
+
+![Federated services diagram](https://img.0x4b1d.org/blog/20210104-a-simple-guide-to-the-fediverse/federated-example.svg)
+
+The main objective of this architecture is to decentralize the control within
+the internet connections. For example, if you run your own Mastodon instance,
+you and your users can't be censored or impacted in any way by authorities of
+another Mastodon instance. Some users have praised these features due to recent
+criticism of popular social media websites that may be over-censoring their
+users.
+
+This strategy is great for making sure control of the social web isn't
+controlled by a single organization, but it also has some downsides. If I create
+a Mastodon instance and get a ton of users to sign up, I can shut the server
+down at any time. That means you're at risk of losing the content you've created
+unless you back it up, or the server backs it up for you. Also, depending on the
+software used (e.g. Mastodon, Pixelfed, etc.), censorship may still be an issue
+if the server admins decide they want to censor their users. Now, censorship
+isn't always a bad thing and can even benefit the community as a whole, but
+you'll want to determine which servers align with your idea of proper
+censorship.
+
+However, these are risks that we take when we sign up for any online platform.
+Whatever your reason is for trying out federated social networks, they are part
+of the future of the internet. However, the popularity of these services is
+still yet to be determined, especially with the increased difficulty
+understanding and signing up for these platforms. Perhaps increased regulation
+and litigation against current social media sites will push more users into the
+fediverse.
+
+## Federated Alternatives to Popular Sites
+
+The list below is a small guide that will show you federated alternatives to
+current popular websites.
+There are many more out there, so go and explore: you might just find the 
+perfect home.
+
+### Reddit
+
+-   [Lemmy](https://lemmy.ml/instances)
+
+### Twitter/Facebook/Tumblr
+
+-   [Mastodon](https://joinmastodon.org)
+-   [Diaspora](https://diasporafoundation.org)
+-   [Friendica](https://friendi.ca)
+-   [GNU Social](https://gnusocial.network)
+-   [Pleroma](https://pleroma.social)
+
+### Instagram
+
+-   [Pixelfed](https://pixelfed.org)
+
+### Slack/Discord
+
+-   [Matrix](https://element.io)
+
+### Youtube/Vimeo
+
+-   [Peertube](https://joinpeertube.org)
+
+### Spotify/Soundcloud
+
+-   [Funkwhale](https://funkwhale.audio)
+
+### Podcasting
+
+-   [Pubcast](https://pubcast.pub)
+
+### Medium/Blogger
+
+-   [WriteFreely](https://writefreely.org)
+
+## Get Started
+
+The best way to get started is to simply sign up and learn as you go. If you're
+comfortable signing up through a Mastodon, Pleroma, or Friendica server, here is
+[a list of themed servers](https://fediverse.party/en/portal/servers) to choose
+from. If you're looking for something else, try a web search for a federated
+alternative to your favorite sites.
+
+Find a server that focuses on your passions and start there!