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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.
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!
|
