I'm still wasn't not sure of the topology of these spaces so I asked chatGPT. Here's the gist of it (I edited and rearranged the reply):
- Fediverse is a network of interconnected social media platforms that are decentralized and based on open protocols.
- Mastodon is a one of the social media platforms within the Fediverse that resembles Twitter.
- Lemmy is also a social media platform within the Fediverse that is similar to Reddit.
The Fediverse is a network of interconnected social media platforms that are based on open protocols and standards. It's like a collection of different communities that can communicate and interact with each other. These platforms are often decentralized, meaning that they are not controlled by a single entity or company.
Mastodon is one of the most popular platforms in the Fediverse. It's similar to Twitter, but with some key differences. Mastodon allows users to create accounts, post messages (called toots), follow other users, and interact with their posts by liking, reposting, or replying to them. One of the significant advantages of Mastodon is that it is decentralized, which means that anyone can set up their own Mastodon instance (a server), and users from different instances can still connect and interact with each other. Think of it as many different communities hosted on different servers, but they can all communicate and share information with each other.
Lemmy is another platform in the Fediverse, but it is more similar to Reddit. It allows users to create communities (called instances) based on specific topics or interests. Users can join these communities and post links, text, or discussions related to that topic. Other users can then upvote, comment, and participate in those discussions. Like Mastodon, Lemmy is also decentralized, so there can be multiple instances of Lemmy running independently, but they can still interact with each other.
I'm new to the platform (looking for an alternative to reddit) and here's what Bard has to say:
Q: How is kbin different from lemmy
A:
Kbin and Lemmy are both federated social networks that are similar to Reddit. However, there are some key differences between the two platforms.
UI and UX
Kbin has a more polished and modern UI than Lemmy. The layout is more intuitive and the features are easier to find. Lemmy, on the other hand, has a more traditional Reddit-style UI.
Voting
Kbin uses a different voting system than Lemmy. In Kbin, upvotes are called "favorites" and downvotes are called "ignores." This system is designed to encourage users to upvote posts that they find interesting or valuable, rather than just upvoting posts that they agree with.
Microblogging
Kbin also supports microblogging, which allows users to post short updates that are visible to everyone on the network. Lemmy does not currently support microblogging.
Federation
Kbin is fully federated, which means that it can communicate with other ActivityPub-based social networks. This allows users to follow and interact with each other across different networks. Lemmy is also federated, but it is not as fully federated as Kbin.
Overall
Kbin and Lemmy are both good options for users who are looking for a federated social network that is similar to Reddit. However, Kbin has a more polished UI, a different voting system, and support for microblogging. If these features are important to you, then Kbin is the better option. If you are looking for a more traditional Reddit-style experience, then Lemmy is a good choice.
Here is a table summarizing the key differences between Kbin and Lemmy:
here are 2 more websites you can find information from:
- https://jointhefediverse.net/ explains things in a simple way. I especially like the analogy with email, and I'd add: just like you aren't able to login to gmail and outlook with the same username (email address) and password, you can't login to a fediverse instance with your credentials from another one.
- https://fediverse.party/en/fediverse/ offers a more technical overview, giving you a bird's eye view of the fediverse by listing the major fediverse platforms and protocols (yes, activitypub used by lemmy/kbin/mastodon isn't the only protocol in the fediverse, there are others…)