Welcome back! We've been on a break for the past few months, but with the new year, we're doubling down on our efforts to keep the Fediverse informed on the latest developments of the space. We've got a lot of exciting things in store for you, so buckle up.

Fediverse

As always, there's a whirlwind of development happening around this space, even if it's not immediately obvious. Apps and platforms are being developed, organizations are renewing commitments to improve the network, and people are sharing all kinds of resources on how to get involved.

Apps and Updates

Loops is Now on the App StoreWe did it. After months of building, testing, and countless late nights, Loops is officially available on the App Store. It’s been quite a ride since October. We shipped OAuth support, launched the mobile beta, built a whole new project website, and kept adding features people actually wanted. The ForLoops Official BlogDaniel Supernault

Loops, the open source, federated alternative to Tiktok, has now landed on the Apple App Store. Finally, the app is available to the general public on both iOS and Android. Check out the Community Roadmap to see where future development is heading!

Publish your videos with PeerTube for mobile! | JoinPeerTubeThe PeerTube mobile app continues to grow and now includes a creator mode! Let’s take this opportunity to review the latest developments and the impro…JoinPeerTube

Recently, PeerTube updated their mobile app to include publishing capabilities, so now mobile users can upload videos directly from their phones!

Launch: Domain BlocklistsIn November last year, we began developing additional user-facing moderation features for Bridgy Fed users. While blocking users across the bridge was always possible via DMs, we knew it would be easier for users to manage their lists on the Bridgy Fed settings page, and it would also enable usA New SocialAnuj Ahooja

A New Social has announced a new feature for their Bridgy Fed project, which now makes it possible to block domain names across the bridge. This is a solid quality-of-life improvement, and we can't wait to see what A New Social does next!

Bonfire 1.0.1: Building MomentumWe’re back with an update focused on making your social web experience livelier, more connected, and truly yours. Plus updates on the crowdfunding campaign and what’s next.

Bonfire is already back with a 1.0.1 update, adding loads of new features like hashtag following, post scheduling, support for the Mastodon API, and lots of other things. This release has tons of features, fixes, and improvements, which you can read about in the changelog. Also, Bonfire's crowdfunding campaign is still open for late pledges.

Bandwagon.fm - December 2025December 2025

Bandwagon is a music service for the Fediverse, and has been doing amazing work over the past 12 months. Ben Pate reflects on what has happened over the past year, and teases a preview roadmap of what's happening in 2026.

Protocol and Ecosystem

New Social Web Working Group at W3CToday the W3C standards organization announced a new working group to advance the ActivityPub and Activity Streams standards. The Social Web Foundation, as a W3C member organization, will be partic…Social Web Foundation

The Social Web Foundation has announced an official Social Web Working Group at the W3C. The group is chartered through January 31st, 2028, and will "...maintain the ActivityPub, WebSub, Activity Streams, Activity Vocabulary,
MicroPub, Linked Data Notifications, and Webmention specifications, as
well as related Notes."

The Fediverse ExperimentExperimenting with a new internetSearch Engine with PJ VogtPJ Vogt

Earlier this month, the Search Engine podcast announced a new Mastodon instance called "The Forkiverse". The effort is a collaboration with Hard Fork's Kevin Roose and Casey Newton. Since its initial announcement, instance has grown to 9,500 user accounts.

There Is One Fediverse. There Are A Thousand Ways To Join It.When I showed my sister-in-law my toot.wales feed, she gave the response I believe most people genuinely feel: “It’s lovely! If only there was an app.” She doesn’t want a pr…jaz-michael king's blogFollow this Blog on Fediverse

Jaz-Michael King from IFTAS has published a really nice overview of how he worked with the Newsmast Foundation to produce a special app for his instance, toot.wales. He also shares some of the tools he's been specifically building for his community to make users lives easier.

Arts and Music

The Indie Beat TelevisionA consent driven live stream of indie music videos and animation from artists across the Fediverse. See Now Playing info at https://mastodon.social/@tibtvnowplayingbot - Fediwall at https://shorturl.at/CrWD3 - Submit your videos at https://theindiebeat.fm/the-indie-beat-tv/ - CAUTION: Many videos have flashing lights!The Indie Beat Television

Popular Fediverse radio streaming service The Indie Beat FM has opened up an MTV-like 24/7 live stream featuring original Fediverse content and programming. The service provides a variety of shows, including music videos, podcasts, and interviews.

NHAM Update Opus 12 (Fedi MTV Edition)NHAM Update Opus 12 (Fedi MTV Edition) by @sknob@mamot.fr It’s been a while, hasn’t it? No comment. Ahem. Let me jump right in! The Indie Beat Television The big fedi-music-related event since the last Opus post was of course the launch of The Indie Beat Television (@TIBtv@tv.theindiebeat.fm). To say that it went well would be [...]NHAMFollow

Our friends over at NHAM are creating videos and media for The Indie Beat TV. Here, they reflect on their individual efforts and what they're making.

Randy AKA Lime Bar - Building IndieBeat TV and Making Federated Music - The Lorenzo’s Music Podcast - The Lorenzo’s Music PodcastThis episode of the podcast, I meet musician Randy AKA Lime Bar who built the new IndieBeat TV music video networkTom RayTom Ray

Lorenzo's Music Podcast sits down to interview Limebar about his involvement with the TheIndieBeatTV project. It's a great discussion, and goes to show how connected the music community is within the Fediverse right now.

From Around the Network

X Is a Power Problem, Not a Platform ProblemFediverse Report #148: X is not a just platform problem anymore, it’s a power problem, and why you cannot compete as platforms with power.connectedplaces.onlineLaurens Hof

Laurens Hof from Connected Places wrote a really great piece analyzing the underlying problems that plague social networks like X and Facebook. The underlying issues highlighted involve power structures within the United States, and how they interact with X operationally.

A newbie’s guide to self-hosting with YunoHost. Part 3: Let’s install NextCloudA step-by-step visual guide for self-hosting newbies that shows off how to install NextCloud via the YunoHost systemElena RossiniElena Rossini

Elena Rossini has published her third installment in her YunoHost series, which focuses on easy-to-use tools for self-hosting. This one focuses on Nextcloud, the open source federated cloud system. Check out Part 1 and Part 2 as well!

Fediverse: An overview for community organizers | Stefan BohacekFediverse as a tool for communities and community organizers.Stefan BohacekStefan Bohacek

Stefan Bohacek put out a comprehensive guide for community organizers making the case for why the Fediverse is worth using for the purpose of building communities, and provides information to tools and moderation resources for first-time instance admins.

IFTAS Response to the European Commission’s Call for Evidence “Towards European open digital ecosystems”IFTAS welcomes this initiative and strongly supports the Commission’s recognition of open-source software as a strategic component of digital sovereignty, security, and innovation. The EU open-sour…IFTASFollow

Here, IFTAS commends the EU on embracing open source technology as a key to digital independence from Silicon Valley, and sheds some insight into the growing pains networks such as the Fediverse has had, particularly when it comes to funding developers and bolstering community-based moderation.

Growing the open social web: case studies from Newsmast - SFSCONSFSCON TalkSFSCON

Our friends over at Newsmast Foundation gave a great presentation at the South Tyrol Free Software Conference (SFSCON). Michael Foster and Saskia Welch talk about some of the challenges of running a nonprofit organization, doing advocacy for the Open Social Web, and some of the things their organization has been up to.

Bluesky

FR#150 – On ICE, Verification, and Presence As HarmBluesky built a verification system designed to distribute trust, and then didn’t use it when it mattered.connectedplaces.onlineLaurens Hof

Bluesky is currently in hot water for verifying the official Immigration and Customs Enforcement government account on their network. The backlash has created several discussions about the role of a social networking company or organization has when it comes to government compliance and protecting users.

Money for mutual resilience: Introducing Blacksky CashMutual aid has always been about more than money. But money, shared intentionally, can be a powerful expression of solidarity. This is us building toward that future.Blacksky AlgorithmsMarisa Rando

Blacksky Algorithms has announced an amazing new initiative to support mutual aid called BlackSky Cash. It's a thought-provoking effort with impressive goals, and it's exciting to see what's coming here.

Rudy wants revolution. (@rude1.blacksky.team)Any blacksky.app users who get banned from bsky should try logging into the staging.blacksky.community website. Looking to get feedback + identify any lingering bugs. Email support@blacksky.app with those. Missing data from non-Blacksky hosted accounts + older posts is expected https://staging.blacksky.communityBluesky Social

Speaking about Blacksky for a minute, it's worth bringing up the fact that the project is running a full infrastructure stack at this point. Their efforts have allowed Blacksky to run independently from Bluesky, while remaining interoperable with it.

Introducing Osprey V1.0: Open Source Infrastructure for Real-Time Abuse MitigationRobust Open Online Safety Tools or ROOST is a new non-profit entity designed to address the urgent need for accessible, high-quality safety tools in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Roost has announced a 1.0 release of Osprey, an open source tool for managing spam, harassment, and illegal content. It's used by Bluesky, Matrix, and Discord for rapid response to all kinds of incidents, and provides tools for investigation and management.

That's all for this edition! Stay tuned in the comings weeks for more stories and updates from our newsletter, and our main site at wedistribute.org!

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