Micro.blog

{{short description|Microblogging site}} {{Infobox software | name = Micro.blog | author = Manton Reece | released = 24 April 2017 | license = Proprietary | genre = Social news }} {{DISPLAYTITLE:Micro.blog}} '''<dfn>Micro.blog</dfn>''' is a microblogging and social networking service created by Manton Reece.<ref name="noahread" /> It is the first large multi-user social media service to support the Webmention and Micropub standards published by the World Wide Web Consortium,<ref name="indieweb" /> and is part of the Fediverse, supporting ActivityPub.

== History == Micro.blog has features similar to Twitter or Instagram,<ref name="newyorker1"/> and provides for posting status updates, articles, photos, short podcasts, and video.<ref name="cutofmac1"/><ref name="colindevroe"/> Micro.blog also supports long-form blogging.<ref name="davidhoang"/><ref name="micro.blog:longerposts"/>

It was launched on April 24, 2017, after a Kickstarter campaign that reached its funding target within one day.<ref name="siliconhillnews1"/><ref name="kickstarter"/> The service was built using Jekyll, but later transitioned to Hugo.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Reece |first1=Manton |title=Custom templates, categories, new theme, and more |url=https://www.manton.org/2019/01/30/custom-templates-categories.html |access-date=25 January 2023}}</ref> Users can post using hosted accounts or import RSS feeds from other self-hosted blogs to syndicate them into the network from other websites they run. Users can also import their posts from Twitter, WordPress, Tumblr, and the defunct microblogging service App.net. Some of the Kickstarter Campaign rewards involved access to a book on Indie Microblogging that Reece committed to writing. A full draft of this now exists<ref name="indiemicroblogging:book1"/> (as of 2022-12-22) and is publicly available.

The web hosting service DreamHost supported Micro.blog's Kickstarter campaign,<ref name="dreamhost1"/> and announced their intent to help customers create independent microblogs hosted at DreamHost that are compatible with Micro.blog.<ref name="wptavern1"/>

== Philosophy ==

Micro.blog encourages users to publish under their own domain as part of its support for the IndieWeb<ref name="krycho"/> "POSSE" principles<ref name="micro.blog:about"/>—Publish (on your) Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere. This publishing model involves the end user posting content to their own domain name based site first, then using web standards to syndicate to multiple other social networks and platforms.<ref name="posse1"/>

Micro.blog supports syndication (referred as cross-posting on Micro.blog) to several locations: Day One, Flickr, LinkedIn, Mastodon, Medium,<ref name="micro.blog:crossposting"/><ref name="wptavern2"/> Nostr, PeerTube, Pixelfed, Threads, and Tumblr.{{cn|date=November 2025}}

It also supports importing from data exported from WordPress,<ref name="micro.blog:wordpress"/> and supports cross-posting from Instagram to micro.blog.<ref name="crosspost-instagram"/>

Micro.blog eschews many of the common features of Twitter and other microblogging platforms. For example, Micro.blog does not show follower counts,<ref name="indie-microblogging:popularity-contests"/><ref name="krycho"/> does not have hashtags,<ref name="book:indie-microblogging:ui-impacts-behaviour"/><ref name="manton-fake-news"/><ref name="colindevroe"/><ref name="indie-microblogging:discovery"/> public likes<ref name="indie-microblogging:popularity-contests"/><ref name="krycho"/> or trending topics,<ref name="manton-fake-news"/> does not have equivalents of retweeting<ref name="indie-microblogging:popularity-contests"/><ref name="manton-fake-news"/><ref name="indie-microblogging:misinformation"/><ref name="krycho"/> or quote tweeting, does not algorithmically recommend users and like Mastodon, and does not have full-text search as part of the service<ref name="indie-microblogging:discovery"/> or client apps. Reece says in his book: "It mirrors a philosophy we have with Micro.blog to launch without follower counts or public likes."<ref name="indie-microblogging:popularity-contests"/>

Unusually, for a social network, Micro.blog's first full time employee was a Community Manager, Jean Macdonald,<ref name="noahread"/> who—among other things—produces a hand-curated "Discover" section on Micro.blog.

Reece explains some of this in his book, saying: "I think more social networks should do things that don’t scale, prioritizing safety over profit. For example, in Micro.blog the featured posts in Discover are curated by humans instead of algorithms."<ref name="indie-microblogging:misinformation"/>

He also writes: <blockquote> Micro.blog doesn't make it particularly easy to discover new users, and posts don't spread virally. While some might view this as a weakness, and it does mean we grow more slowly than other social networks, this is by design. No retweets, no trending hashtags, no unlimited global search, and no algorithmic recommended users.

Micro.blog limits search and avoids public likes and reposts so that the snowball starts small and stays small. Instead of going viral and becoming a major problem, fake accounts can be spotted early and shut down if necessary.<ref name="indie-microblogging:misinformation"/> </blockquote>

== Client applications == * Wavelength<ref name="macstories:wavelength"/> * Sunlit 2.0<ref name="sunlit"/> * Icro 1.0<ref name="icro"/> * Gluon<ref name="gluon"/> * Micro Social<ref name="microsocial"/>

== See also == * IndieWeb * Microblogging * [https://book.micro.blog Indie Microblogging (by Manton Reece)]

==References== {{Reflist |refs= <ref name="noahread">{{cite web |last1=Read |first1=Noah |title=Intro to Micro.blog |url=https://noahread.net/blog/intro-to-micro-blog |website=Noah Read |access-date=2013-01-17}}</ref>

<ref name="indieweb">{{cite web |url=https://indieweb.org/indieweb_network |title=indieweb network - IndieWeb |website=indieweb.org}}</ref>

<ref name="newyorker1">{{cite web |url= https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/can-indie-social-media-save-us |title= Can "Indie" Social Media Save Us? |last= Newport |first= Cal |date=2019-05-18 |publisher= The New Yorker |access-date= 2019-11-18 |quote= In 2017, Manton Reece, an IndieWeb developer based in Austin, Texas, launched a Kickstarter for a service called Micro.blog. On its surface, Micro.blog looks a lot like Twitter or Instagram; you can follow users and see their posts sorted into a time line, and, if you like a post, you can send a reply that everyone can see. When I checked Micro.blog’s public time line recently, the top post was a picture of a blooming dogwood tree, with the caption “Spring is coming!” Even as it offers a familiar interface, though, everyone posting to Micro.blog does so on his or her own domain hosted on Micro.blog’s server or on their own personal server. Reece’s software acts as an aggregator, facilitating a sense of community and gathering users’ content so that it can be seen on a single screen. Users own what they write and can do whatever they want with it—including post it, simultaneously, to other competing aggregators. IndieWeb developers argue that this system—which they call posse, for “publish on your own site, syndicate elsewhere”—encourages competition and innovation while allowing users to vote with their feet. If Reece were to begin aggressively harvesting user data, or if another service were to start offering richer features, users could shift their attention from one aggregator to another with little effort. They wouldn't be trapped on a platform that owns everything they've written and is doing everything it can to exploit their data and attention.}}</ref>

<ref name="cutofmac1">{{cite web |url= https://www.cultofmac.com/617968/microblog-videos/ |title= Micro.blog now lets you post videos |last= Sorrel |first= Charlie |date= 2019-04-19 |publisher= Cult of Mac |access-date= 2019-11-18 }}</ref>

<ref name="colindevroe">{{cite web |last1=Devroe |first1=Colin |title=An interview with Manton Reece of Micro.blog |url=https://cdevroe.com/2018/01/19/interview-manton |website=Colin Devroe |access-date=2023-01-17}}</ref>

<ref name="davidhoang">{{cite web |last1=Hoang |first1=David |title=micro.blog - a social network for RSS lovers |url=https://www.davidhoang.com/blog/micro-blog-a-social-network-for-rss-lovers |website=David Hoang |access-date=2023-01-17}}</ref>

<ref name="micro.blog:longerposts">{{cite web |url= https://help.micro.blog/t/writing-longer-posts/27/6 |title= Writing longer posts |date= 2021-03-31 |publisher= Micro.blog |access-date= 2022-12-22 }}</ref>

<ref name="siliconhillnews1">{{cite web |url= http://www.siliconhillsnews.com/2017/01/04/indie-microblogging-kickstarter-project-in-austin-reaches-its-goal-in-one-day/ |title= Indie Microblogging Kickstarter Project in Austin Reaches its Goal in One Day |last= White |first= Nicholas |date= 2017-01-04 |website= Silicon Hill News |access-date= 2017-06-07 }}</ref>

<ref name="kickstarter">{{cite web |url= https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/manton/indie-microblogging-owning-your-short-form-writing |title= Indie Microblogging: owning your short-form writing |last= Reece |first= Manton |date= 2017-01-03 |website= Kickstarter |access-date= 2017-06-07 }}</ref>

<ref name="indiemicroblogging:book1">{{Cite web |url=https://book.micro.blog |title=Indie Microblogging (book) |website=micro.blog |access-date=2022-12-22}}</ref>

<ref name="dreamhost1">{{cite web |url=https://www.dreamhost.com/blog/pitching-support-open-web/ |title=Pitching in to Support the Open Web |last=DreamHost |date=24 January 2017}}</ref>

<ref name="wptavern1">{{cite web |url=https://wptavern.com/micro-blog-project-surges-past-65k-on-kickstarter-gains-backing-from-dreamhost |title=Micro.blog Project Surges Past $65K on Kickstarter, Gains Backing from DreamHost |date=26 January 2017}}</ref>

<ref name="micro.blog:about">{{Cite web |url=https://micro.blog/about |title=Micro.blog |website=micro.blog |access-date=2019-02-28}}</ref>

<ref name="krycho">{{cite web |last1=Krycho |first1=Chris |title=Some Thoughts on micro.blog |url=https://v5.chriskrycho.com/journal/some-thoughts-on-micro.blog/ |website=Sym·poly·mathesy |access-date=2023-01-17}}</ref>

<ref name="indie-microblogging:popularity-contests">{{cite web |last1=Reece |first1=Manton |title=Popularity Contests |url=https://book.micro.blog/popularity-contests/ |website=Indie Microblogging (book) |publisher=Manton Reece |access-date=2023-01-17}}</ref>

<ref name="book:indie-microblogging:ui-impacts-behaviour">{{cite web |last1=Reece |first1=Manton |title=UI impacts behavior |url=https://book.micro.blog/ui-impacts-behavior/ |website=Indie Microblogging (book) |publisher=Manton Reece |access-date=2017-01-17}}</ref>

<ref name="manton-fake-news">{{cite web |last1=Reece |first1=Manton |title=Fake news |url=https://www.manton.org/2016/11/22/fake-news-and.html |website=Indie Microblogging (book) |publisher=Manton Reece |access-date=2023-01-17}}</ref>

<ref name="indie-microblogging:discovery">{{cite web |last1=Reece |first1=Manton |title=Discovery |url=https://book.micro.blog/discovery/ |website=Indie Microblogging (book) |access-date=2013-01-17}}</ref>

<ref name="posse1">{{Cite web |url=https://indieweb.org/POSSE |title=POSSE - IndieWeb |website=indieweb.org |access-date=2019-02-28}}</ref>

<ref name="micro.blog:crossposting">{{Cite web |url=https://help.micro.blog/2016/cross-posting-twitter/ |title=Cross-posting to Twitter, Medium, Mastodon, and more |website=help.micro.blog |language=en |access-date=2019-02-28}}</ref>

<ref name="indie-microblogging:misinformation">{{cite web |last1=Reece |first1=Manton |title=Misinformation |url=https://book.micro.blog/misinformation/ |website=Indie Microblogging (book) |access-date=2023-01-17}}</ref>

<ref name="wptavern2">{{cite web |url= https://wptavern.com/micro-blog-adds-tumblr-cross-posting |title= Micro.blog Adds Tumblr Cross-Posting |last= Gooding |first= Sarah |date= 2019-08-26 |publisher= WP Tavern |access-date=2019-11-18 }}</ref>

<ref name="micro.blog:wordpress">{{Cite web |url=https://help.micro.blog/2018/setting-up-wordpress/ |title=Setting up WordPress |website=help.micro.blog |language=en |access-date=2019-02-28}}</ref>

<ref name="crosspost-instagram">{{Cite web |url=https://help.micro.blog/2017/instagram/ |title=Cross-posting to Micro.blog from Instagram |website=help.micro.blog |language=en |access-date=2019-02-28}}</ref>

<ref name="macstories:wavelength">{{cite web |url=https://www.macstories.net/reviews/microcasting-on-microblog-with-wavelength/ |title=Microcasting On Micro.blog With Wavelength}}</ref>

<ref name="sunlit">{{cite web |url=https://www.macstories.net/reviews/sunlit-20-released-as-a-microblog-and-wordpress-photo-blogging-app/ |title=Sunlit 2.0 Released As A Micro.blog And Wordpress Photo Blogging App}}</ref>

<ref name="icro">{{cite web |url=http://manton.micro.blog/2018/05/09/icro.html |title=Icro 1.0}}</ref>

<ref name="gluon">{{cite web |url= https://gluon.app/ |title=Gluon }}</ref>

<ref name="microsocial">{{cite web |url= https://microsocial.micro.blog/ |title=Micro Social }}</ref> }}

== External links == * {{Official website|https://micro.blog/}}

{{Microblogging}} {{Online social networking}}

Category:Microblogging software Category:Blog hosting services Category:Internet properties established in 2017 Category:Software that federates via ActivityPub