About Community Square
Welcome to the Community Square! This is an experimental category dedicated to testing federation with other connected communities. Our goal is to explore and develop ways to seamlessly connect and collaborate across different community platforms, enhancing engagement and interaction.
What is Federation?
Federation allows multiple online communities to connect and interact with each other while maintaining their independence. By enabling cross-platform communication and collaboration, we aim to create a more interconnected and vibrant network of communities.
Overview of ActivityPub and Other Federated Platforms:
- ActivityPub: ActivityPub is an open, decentralized social networking protocol that provides a client-to-server API for creating, updating, and deleting content, and a federated server-to-server API for delivering notifications and content across different servers. It is widely used in various federated social platforms to enable seamless interaction between users on different instances.
- Mastodon: Mastodon is a popular open-source social network server that uses ActivityPub. It allows users to create profiles, post updates, and follow others across different Mastodon instances, creating a decentralized and interconnected social network.
- PeerTube: PeerTube is a decentralized video hosting platform that also uses ActivityPub for federation. It allows users to host videos on their own instances while sharing and interacting with videos across the PeerTube network.
- Pleroma: Pleroma is another federated social networking platform that is lightweight and flexible. It supports the ActivityPub protocol and enables users to interact with others across different Pleroma and ActivityPub-compatible instances.
- Friendica: Friendica is a decentralized social network that supports multiple federation protocols, including ActivityPub. It aims to be a bridge between various social networking platforms, allowing users to interact across different networks seamlessly.
Introducing Community Engine
The Community Engine is an ambitious project designed to act as an interconnected federated community bridge. Developed by Better Together Solutions, it aims to support cooperatives, non-profits, and other community-focused organizations in their mission to foster meaningful relationships and drive positive social impact.
Key Features of Community Engine:
- Federated Connectivity: Built with federation in mind, Community Engine uses protocols like ActivityPub to connect and interact with other federated platforms seamlessly.
- Member Management: Efficiently manage community members, track engagement, and maintain relationships.
- Event Planning: Organize and promote events, workshops, and activities to enhance community participation.
- Resource Sharing: Provide a centralized space for sharing documents, tools, and other valuable resources.
- Communication Tools: Facilitate effective communication through forums, messaging, and notifications.
- Accessibility: Ensure the platform is accessible to all users, incorporating best practices for inclusivity and usability.
Goals of Community Engine:
- Support Community Building: Provide tools that help communities grow and thrive by fostering connections and collaboration.
- Empower Organizations: Enable organizations to efficiently manage their operations, engage their members, and achieve their missions.
- Promote Open Source: Encourage the development and use of open-source software to create transparent, adaptable, and sustainable solutions.
- Advance Cooperative Principles: Embed cooperative values into the platform to support democratic participation, shared ownership, and collective decision-making.
Objectives of Community Square:
- Test Federation Capabilities: Experiment with various federation protocols and technologies to understand their potential and limitations.
- Enhance Connectivity: Develop and refine methods for seamless communication and collaboration between different community platforms.
- Foster Collaboration: Encourage cross-community projects, discussions, and events to build stronger ties and shared knowledge.
- Gather Feedback: Collect feedback from participants to improve federation processes and address any challenges encountered.
How You Can Participate:
- Introduce Yourself: Start by introducing yourself to the community. Share your interests and what you hope to achieve through federation.
- Engage in Discussions: Participate in discussions about federation, share your experiences, and propose ideas for improving connectivity.
- Test Features: Help test federation features and provide feedback on your experience. Your input is crucial for identifying issues and making improvements.
- Collaborate on Projects: Join or propose cross-community projects. Collaborate with members from other connected communities to achieve common goals.
Need Help?
If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out to our moderators. We are here to help you navigate this experimental category and ensure a successful experience.
Thank you for being part of the Community Square. Let’s explore the possibilities of federation and build a more connected and collaborative network of communities together.