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+date = 2021-01-04
+title = "A Simple Guide to the Fediverse"
+description = "Learn about the basics of the Fediverse."
++++
+
+## 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.cleberg.net/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!