Darnell (Seize The Day)

If you have never heard of Loforo before, do not feel surprised. I first came across them on FediDB which listed them as a Mastodon instance. However, upon visiting the website, it is clear that it is not powered by Mastodon but by its own code (at least from the outside).

My best description of Loforo is an ActivityPub Tumblr alternative whose vibe reminds me of the early days of Tumblr before the platform sold its soul to Corporate America.

Although the site does not have an official app, you can log into Loforo via your favorite Mastodon client (I used the official Mastodon app, as well as @MonaApp@mastodon.social to login), which makes me believe they are using Mastodon's API's within the code of their blogging platform.

Thus far, you can upload texts to the platform but not images through the Mastodon clients. I can also follow my Loforo account, but I can not reciprocate the following. Also, mentioning other Fediverse accounts outside the platform is not currently possible (a bug, perhaps‽).

On the website, you can upload images, videos, etcetera, to the platform to your heart's content.

Another surprise is that Loforo is the second most active ActivityPub blog platform in the Fediverse, behind only WordPress.

Here are Loforo's stats according to FediDB:

Here are WordPress's stats (who holds the Fediverse blogging crown):

Here are WriteFreely stats (note: This site is proudly powered by WriteFreely, via Write.as):

Here are Micro Blog's stats:

Suggestions For Improvements‽

If I could offer any suggestions to the Loforo team, it would be:

• Encourage the creation of third-party apps or launch an official app on iOS, iPadOS & Android. This app would be able to upload images & videos to the site, something currently lacking via the Mastodon apps.
• Resolve the Fedi mention bug, allowing people to mention other accounts in the Fediverse. However, I would make this an “opt-in” feature, similar to what WordPress has done (via a plugin or switching on a setting).
• Allow custom domains, either for a small monthly fee (which could help add extra funding to the site) or for free (only do the latter if it does not dramatically increase the cost to Loforo)
• Allow custom themes for Loforo, & allow their community to market premium themes. Free themes could be offered at no charge to the creators, while premium themes would require a small cut to the Loforo crew (I suggest a 90/10 split, with the 90% going to the theme creators).

Update: If anyone has any more suggestions, feel free to mention them to me at @darnell@one.darnell.one (as I would love to see them).

Is This The Tumblr Alternative The Fediverse Has Been Waiting For‽

With Tumblr not expected to join the Fediverse anytime soon, many folks have been seeking out an alternative to Automattic’s (the company behind WordPress) social blogging platform. Currently, a former Tumblr employee is creating a platform called Goblin as a Tumblr replacement, but the site is not ready for the masses.

I do believe that if Loforo can implement some of the suggestions I mentioned above (mobile apps, custom domains, resolve ActivtyPub bugs), they will quickly find themselves not only inheriting Tumblr's fallen crown but surpassing WordPress as well (at least in the Fediverse).

👨🏾‍💻 by @darnell@darnellclayton.com 🔛 @darnell@darnell.day 📧 darnell@darnell.day

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