Automattic (the company behind WordPress & Tumblr’s new overlord) keeps trying to make me ditch the WordPress iOS/iPadOS app for JetPack (which I loathe).
Annoying JetPack alert in the WordPress iOS/iPadOS App
Switching over to the JetPack app brings up this warning.
Another annoying JetPack warning when using the app
Just for fun I tried installing the plugin from the app & unsurprisingly it did not work. Installing plugins from the JetPack app has been wonky for me, which is why I prefer using the WordPress app or going online.
I only use the JetPack app for alerts/pings (Automattic removed that from the main WordPress app), but I think I am just going to delete the JetPack app as I do not see the added benefit of keeping it around, outside of comment approval.
So @miaq from Flipboard posted a video explaining to creators how Flipboard will work in the Fediverse.
Explanation on how the Fediverse benefits Flipboard
@mia also posted that creators on Flipboard can apply to have their accounts Federated.
If you’re interested in getting your Flipboard account federated, you can apply here. Please note: we are currently only federating creators and curators who have two or more active Magazines and no trust and safety issues. (Flipboard on Medium)
I already applied, although due to my Flipboard account’s small size, I doubt I will get selected—but the worst answer I will receive is “No.” (I am @darnell which is not Federated yet as of this post).
I already have numerous accounts in the Fediverse, & for those wondering why, the answer is simple: I like to curate! 😂 Here is a list of my accounts on the Fediverse thus far:
@darnell 🕺🏾 Darnell Clayton: personal blog sharing my name. I originally created it to distinguish myself from other Darnell Clayton’s (one was in the adult film industry who I did not want others to confuse as me). Powered by WordPress
@darnell 🐘 Darnell (One): Primary status update & Fediverse Firehose—everything connects here (powered by Mastodon)
@darnell 🦁 Darnell (M.O.E.): My Misskey instance where I discuss Movies, Opuses, & Entertainment.
@darnell 📸 Darnell (Out Of Office): My Pixelfed instance where I show pictures outside of work (usually while traveling). Manually porting pictures from Instagram.
@darnell 💻 Darnell (Seize The Day): Various thoughts about technology (internet, software, etcetera). Powered by WriteFreely via Write.as
@darnell 👨🏾💻 Darnell (TeleVerse): Poltical, cultural & sometimes technological rantings into the digital cloud. Powered by WordPress
@darnell 🌍 Darnell (Africa): My opines about what is happening on my favorite continent. Powered by WordPress
@darnell 🧵 Darnell (Threads): personal status update where I can connect with family, friends & frenemies addicted to Meta
@darnell 🧘🏾♂️ Darnell (Creative Outlet): My Creativity site where I feature inspirational art, quotes, spiritual wisdom, music & videos.
@darnell 🔞 Darnell (Hard News): Topics not suitable for work. Covering some of the more violent & horrors afflicting humanity that need to be discussed, but not around children. Powered by WriteFreely via Write.as
Back On Topic (Flipboard)
Last year, in December, I suggested Flipboard federate magazines (I do not think I was the only one suggesting this) & to my surprise, Flipboard began federating magazines in February this year.
I believe Flipboard will become the largest instance in the Fediverse due to ActivityPub being activated by default (Threads, by contrast, will turn off ActivityPub by default) & potentially become a central information hub that could rival Google News.
I currently use @mastofeed (by @Barredo) to connect my Flipboard account to Mastodon, but Flipboard’s RSS feed does not reveal my commentaries when sharing) which can be confusing.
If my Flipboard account has ActivityPub activated, I could repost my thoughts from Flipboard to the Fediverse with my opinions intact.
Update:@mike (CEO of Flipboard) replied from Mastodon, and his federated response showed up below as a comment!
I’ll make sure you are federated on Monday.
I am looking forward to Monday!
Pork Sauce PotBeef Sauce PotBoth Beef & Pork Sauce PotsBoth Pots Lids Closed For SimmeringTesting out Pork Sauce
Satellite phone: checkout Iridium, but there are plenty of options available elsewhere
Wise International Debit Card: Convert money into local currency & avoid exchange fees. You can also establish a presence at a local bank without visiting the bank using their services
YouTube: watch videos of previous traveler to avoid breaking local laws & navigate around trouble spots
…to see if they would consider adding more governmental accounts to the Fediverse.
Since the public campaign phone numbers of President Biden & Vice President Harris are displayed publicly on Threads, I messaged both & asked if they would activate ActivityPub on more government Threads accounts, & government websites powered by WordPress.
Me asking Joe Biden to activate ActivityPub on more government accounts on Threads & WordPressMe asking Kamala Harris if she will activate ActivityPub on her Threads account
Currently, only two governmental accounts have activated ActivityPub & both are on Threads:
There are numerous United States 🇺🇸 government accounts using Threads (as well as leaders of the various agencies with personal accounts), & to my knowledge, only two have entered the Fediverse—which is disappointing.
Interestingly, there are also government websites that use WordPress (which also powers this blog), which means all they have to do is install the ActivityPub plugin by @pfefferle (who now works for Automattic, the company behind WordPress) for government sites to enter the Fediverse.
A few good men examples of what a WordPress blog’s handle looks like in the Fediverse are:
If government websites powered by WordPress were to install & activate the ActivityPub plugin, it would allow them to broadcast information to the Fediverse without relying on the good graces of a corporate social giant.
Several high-profile government WordPress websites who I want to see on the Fediverse include:
Promos from companies I did business with (just once)
Vacation deals I signed up for while seeking travel destinations
Random Substack emails from people who somehow add me as a subscriber
…I am now receiving hundreds of emails a day! As in every day! Those are the emails that make it to my various inboxes & are not rendered as spam.
This is what it feels like nowadays whenever I open my Email accounts:
Email 📧 in real life
To avoid attending to an inbox full of hundreds of messages from all over planet Earth, I will unsubscribe from most newsletters and all news alerts & mark all Substack emails as spam.
…are a geek highlight of mine. Yeah, sometimes certain apps will not work, but those are usually fixed within a few days as developers often are on the beta version as well.
When it comes to updating iDevices, I usually start with the iPad first…
iPadOS Update
…followed by iPhone…
iPhone OS update
…& finally finishing up with Apple Watch ⌚️.
Apple Watch OS update
I update my iDevices one at a time just in case there is an issue that bricks the device (that way I can contact Apple Support). It has never happened before, but I am just being paranoid & cautious. 😅
