How is ActivityPub implemented?

  • Resolved starapple

    (@starapple)


    1 year, 7 months ago

    I seem to want to reinvent the wheel of having readers follow my site’s posts, something WordPress natively offers when people make comments, but I’d like to make it more communal and sharable so as to enable more viral spread.

    Is that what this ActivityPub plugin facilitates? If “yes”, how is this enabled?

    In the old posts editor, and depending on the design of your theme, you could simply select/deselect whether comments were allowed on a post. With block editing and the focus shifted to layout and design, how is ActivityPub added or not added to a post’s comments feature?

    I have installed AP and would love to know how it is implemented and configured. Having read some of the relevant topics on this forum I can share below what I see having navigated to the well-known link but I have no idea what to deduce from the output:

    https://www.abengnews.com/.well-known/webfinger

    {"code":"rest_missing_callback_param","message":"Missing parameter(s): resource","data":{"status":400,"params":["resource"]}}

    Can someone please post a link to a working installation of AP?

    Thanks.

    • This topic was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by starapple.
Viewing 11 replies - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
  • cybeardjm

    (@didierjm)

    1 year, 7 months ago

    Hi,
    You probably know it, but ActivityPub works as a protocol in relation to the Fediverse (i.e. Mastodon).
    Once ActivityPub plugin is installed (as well as NodeInfo & WebFinger at least), your WP blog becomes an instance, and can be searched under the author’s name in various platforms. New posts will then appear in the TL for people who subscribe to it from their instance.
    I use it on 2 of my blogs.
    You can check:
    main blog
    that will appear as this instance for this author.
    If you log under the author’s id, a submenu (Profile / Followers) will tell you who’s subscribed to your instance. If someone adds a comment to a post, it’ll appear on your blog too (but AFAIK, you can’t directly reply from WP).
    I’m not very good at technical stuff, but I know you can inspect JSon data to check if everything works and what the output is.
    Hope this helps.
    Sincerely
    DJM

    Thread Starter starapple

    (@starapple)

    1 year, 7 months ago

    @didierjm, thanks for your reply. Ironically, I visited your site last night after reading one of your previous questions and I commented on your Manu Dibango post.

    I’m finding that there’s nothing intuitive for the site owner or the end user who’s familiar with popular social media to which posts are submitted (eg. automatically to Twitter or Facebook when a post is published or the reader who comments.)

    I see a Followers (Fediverse) link added to the Users menu. However, in the block editor I don’t see anything related to AP.

    From your reply you’re saying I also need to install at least two other plug-ins to get to basic functionality, then readers must join communities to be part of a discussion and enable sharing?

    cybeardjm

    (@didierjm)

    1 year, 7 months ago

    Oh, yeah saw your comment (validated).
    There’s nothing to “see” on the WP blog per se, except followers list and potential comments.
    And indeed, the WP blog becomes a “standalone” instance (see here).
    All new posts are automatically “syndicated” and the best way is for you to subscribe to your instance (e.g. via your Mastodon profile) and reshare or like or comment… so that it appears in your or Local TL.
    There’s indeed no block function, as the content as a whole is published, juste like a new “toot” in Mastodon (usually with most formatting preserved).
    The 2 plugins will help discover the AP/WP instance, that’s all.

    ActivityPub is a protocol for decentralized connections.
    It doesn’t “add” functions to WP, just allows it to be part of the Fediverse.
    People probably could/might develop extensions and plugins and features above it… But thx to Matthias, this works fine.

    Hope this helps.
    Sincerely
    DJM

    cybeardjm

    (@didierjm)

    1 year, 7 months ago

    Check Settings / ActivityPub for a few options on how your posts appear etc.

    Thread Starter starapple

    (@starapple)

    1 year, 7 months ago

    Aha! Got it now @didierjm. Seems what you just explained should be in the Description/FAQ/Readme as there’s a need to tell what AP doesn’t do. I misled myself to believe it was somehow integrated with commenting on the posts.

    I came to this after learning a couple days ago about Mastodon, which I am yet to see in action but was considering running on my self-hosted server, tied to reviving flagging user interest.

    Thanks again @didierjm.

    cybeardjm

    (@didierjm)

    1 year, 7 months ago

    You’re welcome.
    Yeah, jump on the Mastodon bandwagon first and then things will get clearer re:Fediverse, decentralization (of sort), interaction between instances even if different platforms : check Pixelfed (vs Instagram), PeerTube (vs YouTube), Friendica, Funkwhale, Owncast, Misskey etc.
    Your WP blog with AP will then just become one of the instances, and others may interact with it… Have fun exploring!
    Sincerely
    DJM

    Thread Starter starapple

    (@starapple)

    1 year, 7 months ago

    @didierjm This is slightly off topic but I just joined a server and wondered how to associate AP posts from my site with my @mstdn.social id.

    cybeardjm

    (@didierjm)

    1 year, 7 months ago

    You can’t “join” them.
    Your MSTDN id is yours.
    Your blog will have his own id (mainly the blog’s author).
    Try this: in the search box, type my id (cybeardjm) and you’ll see 3+ (the 4th is a dead server):
    * [@]amf. is my AMF blog
    * [@]www. is my main blog
    * the last is my profile on mstdn

    As I wrote earlier: search for the blog author’s id and subscribe to/follow your blog (and can even set an alarm to be reminded of new posts).
    That’s all…
    The blog’s instance has an “autonomous” life, // to your profile…
    DJM

    Thread Starter starapple

    (@starapple)

    1 year, 7 months ago

    @didierjm, do you mean I have to register the blog separately as I registered myself?

    I added my blog to my profile: Abeng Social

    I still don’t grasp how a new post on the site is posted to my time line.

    • This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by starapple.
    cybeardjm

    (@didierjm)

    1 year, 7 months ago

    Sent you a direct message on Mastodon.
    Better close convo here 😉
    DJM

    Thread Starter starapple

    (@starapple)

    1 year, 7 months ago

    Will check it @didierjm. Just seeing this reply but haven’t got a notification for the Mastodon DM.

Viewing 11 replies - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
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