WordPress.com, owned by Automattic, has announced the release of ActivityPub 1.0.0 for WordPress. This new release allows WordPress blogs to be followed by users on federated platforms like Mastodon, a decentralized social network. With ActivityPub 1.0.0, WordPress bloggers can now receive comments as replies on their own sites from followers on the fediverse.
Key Takeaway
WordPress.com, owned by Automattic, has released ActivityPub 1.0.0, allowing WordPress blogs to be followed by users on the fediverse, including Mastodon. With this new release, WordPress bloggers can now receive comments as replies on their own sites from followers on federated platforms.
What is the Fediverse?
The fediverse is a network of decentralized social platforms that includes Mastodon and other similar platforms. These platforms use the ActivityPub protocol, which allows users to connect with each other across different instances and websites. By enabling WordPress blogs to be part of the fediverse, Automattic is expanding the reach of WordPress bloggers to a wider audience.
Improved Features and Compatibility
Since the acquisition, Automattic has made significant improvements to the original software. Some notable enhancements include the ability to add blog-wide catchall accounts, previously only available on a per-author basis. Additionally, WordPress bloggers can now add a “follow me” block to encourage visitors to follow their profile, as well as a “followers” block to showcase their followers.
Furthermore, the release of ActivityPub 1.0.0 for WordPress includes bug fixes, completion of a security audit, and improved compatibility with various networks, including the latest version of WordPress, 6.3.
Increased Adoption and Support
At the time of acquisition, the ActivityPub plug-in already supported several federated platforms, such as Mastodon, Pleroma, Friendica, HubZilla, Pixelfed, SocialHome, and Misskey. The plug-in had already been downloaded 35,000 times, and the number of installations has now increased to 42,831.
While the support for ActivityPub currently applies to self-hosted WordPress blogs, Automattic design engineer Matt Wiebe teased that support for WordPress.com blogs is on the horizon.
The Promise of the Fediverse and Open Protocols
Automattic’s CEO, Matt Mullenweg, has been optimistic about the potential of the fediverse due to its decentralized nature and open-source server software. Mullenweg previously stated that Tumblr would add support for ActivityPub, and he has also been exploring other protocols like Nostr and Bluesky’s AT Protocol.
WordPress’s support for ActivityPub follows a trend of other publishers embracing the fediverse. Medium, for example, has announced its plans to launch its own Mastodon server and integrate with ActivityPub. The magazine app Flipboard has also created its own instance and integrated with Mastodon to allow its users to follow Mastodon updates within the Flipboard app.
