Integrating WordPress with the Fediverse: Automattic Acquires ActivityPub Plugin
Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, Tumblr, and other web publishing tools, has recently acquired the ActivityPub for WordPress plugin, making it easier for WordPress.com sites to integrate with the Fediverse. The Fediverse is the decentralized web powered by interconnected servers running open source applications, including Mastodon, Pixelfed, and others. This acquisition will allow WordPress.org and WordPress.com blog owners to reach readers on federated platforms, view the blog posts, and reply with comments, making it easier for bloggers to expand their audience.
The ActivityPub plugin has been downloaded over 35,000 times to date and supports federated platforms including Mastodon, Pleroma, Friendica, HubZilla, Pixelfed, SocialHome, and Misskey. The plugin's developer, Matthias Pfefferle, will now work for Automattic and have access to further resources and support to improve the plugin's functionality over time.
This acquisition follows a number of moves by other publishers to embrace the Fediverse, such as Medium launching its own Mastodon server and integrating with ActivityPub, and Flipboard launching its own instance on flipboard.social and integrating with Mastodon.
Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg has been bullish on the promises of the Fediverse, and this acquisition is just the first step in testing and experimenting with the plugin. The company has also been testing other protocols, such as Nostr and Bluesky, to see how they can be integrated into their platforms.
While the terms of the plugin's acquisition haven't been disclosed, this wasn't a large purchase as the plugin is a small, one-person operation. The developer will start working for Automattic in April.
In summary, the acquisition of the ActivityPub for WordPress plugin is a significant step towards integrating WordPress with the Fediverse and expanding bloggers' audiences beyond traditional platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
(via: TechCrunch)
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