There are directories of Fediverse projects:
However, they tend to be a little messy and not easily skimmable. I also wanted to focus on Fediverse alternatives to existing services, although I do like the idea of going on beyond what is offered by current social media.
So, inspired by this discussion (and others), I thought a curated list of the main alternatives (with beginner-friendly sites) might be handy (especially with a potential influx of new users):
Reddit/threadiverse:
Twitter:
Social networks (Facebook, Google+):
- Friendica - works as a hub and publishing platform connected to the Fediverse and beyond (Twitter, Tumblr, etc)
- diaspora* - Friendica is technically part of diaspora*
- Socialhome
Instagram:
YouTube:
WhatsApp:
- Matrix - not as interconnected as the core ActivityPub services but it integrates well with Lemmy to provide secure DMs (just add your Matrix ID into your Lemmy profile)
Media hosting (Flickr, YouTube, SoundCloud, DeviantArt):
- MediaGoblin - are there public instances you can join?
Blogs:
Activity planning (Facebook events):
Goodreads:
Dropbox/Drive/Collaboration
LinkedIn:
Linktree:
Music:
Podcasts:
Delicious:
Dating apps:
- Alovoa - not yet part of the Fediverse but it’s planned
Pinterest:
- Pinetta - still early days there but as people have asked before
Search engine (although not federated themselves they search big chunks of the Fediverse):
- Lemmyverse
- Fedi-search - Lemmy, kbin, Mastodon and PeerTube
- Lemmy Search
And if you need some more background then try the Fediverse New User Orientation.
Illustrations from Wikipedia
My first introduction to this whole thing was Diaspora* during its development and eventual launch. It was such a nice departure from the usual big social media apps, so I’m kind of sad that there isn’t more “connection” between it and what’s going on now. It almost seems like it’s on its own island.
I also was on diaspora, it was cool for a while actually, not a ton of users but quite a bit of activity. Seemed to dry up though and seems like they were having spam and technical problems. Any idea what it’s like today?
It’s still pretty much identical to how it was. There’s an iOS app now, but I’m not sure how much development goes on with it (which is unfortunate).
I loved it as a FB replacement, and still prefer it, but it seems like it’s not quite as busy as other places in the fediverse.
Yeah, I went to diaspora after Google+ was shut down but didn’t end up doing very much on there.
Doing the research has made we want to go and dust off the old account, if I can find it. However, I might sign up with Friendica for a new start. Probably look into that this weekend.