Introducing A New Social: A Nonprofit Organization Focused on the Open Social Web
In a significant development for the open social web, a new nonprofit organization called A New Social has been established to connect the social network Bluesky with the wider fediverse. The organization, which will incubate Bridgy Fed as its first project, aims to bring together developers, researchers, startups, and industry leaders working on infrastructure for the open social web.
The Founders: Ryan Barrett and Anuj Ahooja
A New Social was founded by CTO and Bridgy Fed founder Ryan Barrett, along with engineering leader Anuj Ahooja. Ahooja has been actively involved in fediverse-related projects and has previously advised a service that aimed to fund the fediverse through paid subscriptions to premium feeds.
The Birth of A New Social
The idea for A New Social came about as Bridgy Fed grew from a personal side project to one attracting wider attention, including contentious debate about how the technology should be built. Barrett realized that the work would become a more established infrastructure and required some sort of organizational structure and additional voices offering input and direction.
Initially, Barrett was open to raising outside capital from venture capitalists (VCs) but admitted that he didn’t see a clear business model for Bridgy Fed. Instead, he teamed up with Ahooja, who was planning to organize a collection of utilities under a nonprofit structure with A New Social.
The Mission of A New Social
A New Social aims to work with existing leaders in the space, such as Bluesky, Flipboard, Meta (which is integrating with ActivityPub via its app Threads), and Mastodon, to identify open social projects and connect the different open ecosystems that are currently separate from one another. The organization will focus on raising funds through crowdfunding, grants, and investments from industry partners.
The Incubation of Bridgy Fed
As the first project incubated within A New Social, Bridgy Fed will continue to work towards connecting the social network Bluesky with the wider fediverse. The project has already gained attention for its innovative approach to linking Bluesky with other platforms using ActivityPub and AT Protocol.
The Role of Other Organizations in the Open Social Web
A New Social plans to work with other organizations, such as the Social Web Foundation (SWF), which was co-founded by Evan Prodromou, the co-author of the ActivityPub protocol. SWF aims to expand the fediverse and make the user experience even easier.
Additionally, A New Social will collaborate with the Independent Federated Trust & Safety (IFTAS) as it grows. These partnerships demonstrate a growing recognition of the importance of working together to build a more open social web.
The Future of A New Social
As A New Social begins its journey, it is clear that there will be much experimentation and innovation in the field of open social networks. With Bridgy Fed as its first project, the organization has already taken a significant step towards bridging the gap between Bluesky and the fediverse.
The work of A New Social will undoubtedly contribute to the growth and development of the open social web, providing new opportunities for users, developers, and organizations alike.
Get Involved
To stay up-to-date with the latest developments from A New Social, follow them on their website or social media channels. If you’re interested in contributing to the project or collaborating with A New Social, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Together, we can build a more open and connected social web for everyone.
Related Articles
- Nearly 10 years later, Tumblr TV launches to all as a TikTok alternative: Sarah Perez
- How to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads: Rebecca Bellan
