Hello everyone!

[eniko@peoplemaking.games]

@cwebber i think activitypub is some sort of monoid in the category of endofunctors

not 100% sure tho

[cwebber@social.coop]

Feel free to boost this pretty widely, would love to learn about what ActivityPub is and why I should care

[raccoon@techhub.social]

Hey there @cwebber! Welcome to Fediverse network!

First, to answer your question, the "Fediverse" is what we call the broader network of Social Media servers which use the ActivityPub protocol to communicate and share posts with each other: basically, the Fediverse is the network, while Mastodon is just a software. Other servers might use software like Misskey or WordPress to make and display posts, which is why we don't just call it the "Mastodon" network.

Now, some advice to get you started on here...

There is no algorithm here, so we generate our feeds by following people and hashtags. I recommend you search up a few hashtags and follow them now to get started.

I also recommend you make a post talking about yourself, using the hashtag #introduction, and adding further hashtags for the things you intend to post about. That way, you can find some followers right away.

If you have any questions or need any help, feel free to ask!

Happy posting!

Edit:
Yes, I know I was tricked by a joke, lol.

[raccoon@techhub.social]

@cwebber
...aaand when I checked the first time, I saw the recent signup, but not the introduction, lol. Welcome to your new account anyway.

[trwnh@mastodon.social]

@[email protected] i know someone who can explain it really well -- you should ask @[email protected]

[vwbusguy@mastodon.online]

@cwebber A logistical marvel of engineering designed for the sole purpose of distributing cat pictures at scale using everyday things you have lying around the house, like a NetBSD toaster. Moderation here means being careful not to overheat the toaster you are using to serve the cat pictures.

#fediverse

[pastathief@indiepocalypse.social]

@cwebber Wait, did I just get suckered? I just saw an earlier post saying you co-authored the ActivityPub standard!

[natty@astolfo.social]

@[email protected] It's actually called ActivityPub's Monster, Fediverse is the new email thing

[evan@cosocial.ca]

@cwebber it's a protocol for trolling commenters across different social networks.

[faoluin@chitter.xyz]

@cwebber It's an update for the Cats-Over-HTTPS protocol

[blindcoder@toot.berlin]

@cwebber Wish I knew. Still trying to understand this information superhighway thingamajig.

[cwebber@social.coop]

@Raccoon oh thanks this is very helpful

[ikanreed@mastodon.social]

@cwebber It's a tool for mansplaining on as many different websites as possible at once.

[cwebber@social.coop]

@blindcoder me too

[sam@social.coop]

@cwebber @blindcoder oh that one's easy! The Information Superhighway is a series of tubes that wants to be free!

[alyx@alyx.social]

@cwebber Actually, it's called the Mastodon Network

The US based company Mastodon Inc. recently bought ActivityPub.

/hj

(Some tone indicators might be helpful here)

[badumtss@framapiaf.org]

@Raccoon hi you might want to check who you just explained ActivityPub to and maybe retract/redact your post, but I guess the bait was too good

[canageek@wandering.shop]

@cwebber oh this again.

I think the Fediverse is Starfleet's social network

[jami@hachyderm.io]

@Raccoon @cwebber awwuh sometimes the mansplains are sweet and welcoming (and, in fairness, "requested" here).

[joel@piou.foolbazar.eu]

@cwebber let’s try this way:
ActivityPub is the name of a technical protocol. Like HTTP is for websites.
Fediverse is a short word for Federated Universe. Which means software using ActivityPub can communicate which each other and form a kind of universe. Like Web browsers can all access the same Web contents/sites.
There are several Fediverse compatible software focusing on various subjects (messages, photos, books, etc). You may access their content from any of those.