Flipboard’s new ‘social websites’ help publishers and creators tap into the open social web

On Thursday, Flipboard introduced an innovative concept called social websites, aiming to empower creators and publishers to establish their own online spaces. These new platforms are designed to aggregate discussions already occurring across the open social web, incorporating decentralized networks like Mastodon and Bluesky alongside other publicly accessible content. The social websites serve as a central hub, bringing together social media posts, videos, podcasts, newsletters, and various other dialogues under the control of the creators. This means users can merge profiles and content from platforms such as Bluesky, Mastodon, Threads, YouTube, as well as blogs and RSS feeds into one cohesive destination. Flipboard envisions these social websites as a transformative model for social media, granting communities greater ownership and control over how their content and discussions are structured. Over the past few years, the company has actively embraced decentralized social media and is now enhancing access to the open social web for creators and publishers. “Social websites enable podcasters, creators, and publications to cultivate communities around their endeavors while managing the overall experience, including the algorithm,” remarked Flipboard CEO Mike McCue in a recent blog post. He emphasized that instead of building a community from the ground up, creators can utilize these social websites to seamlessly integrate existing conversations surrounding their podcasts, videos, and newsletters. This launch represents the first web-based extension of Surf, Flipboard’s reader app that facilitates exploration of the open social web. Powered by Surf feeds, these social websites have already attracted partnerships with various publishers and creators. Notable publications such as The Verge, WIRED, Rolling Stone, 404 Media, and The Oregonian have set up their own social websites, allowing readers to follow journalists, podcasts, videos, and discussions in one centralized location. In a noteworthy example, creator David Rushing developed All Net, a social website dedicated to NBA enthusiasts, which consolidates basketball discussions, league updates, videos, and live game commentary. To create a Surf feed, users can visit surf.social, register, and select the “+ Create Feed” option. Following a straightforward process, they can add sources, designate a community hashtag, and apply filters to personalize their feed. Once established, owners can assign a custom domain through the feed header’s menu, allowing them to share their social website with others. Flipboard emphasizes that these social websites are designed to extend beyond the Surf platform, making them shareable across the internet. “By aggregating content and discussions from various social platforms, Surf social websites evolve into go-to destinations for staying updated on topics of interest,” the company states. Excitingly, this is just the beginning, with more customization tools on the horizon, such as personalized headers, color schemes, and enhanced feed management features.