A brand new app referred to as Tapestry, which launched Tuesday, aggregates and organizes info from throughout the online and social networks in a single place. It’s, in some methods, like this technology’s FriendFeed, for these sufficiently old to recollect the sooner try from the Internet 2.0 period to combination feeds and social media updates in a single vacation spot for discovery and dialogue.
However whereas FriendFeed inspired discussions on-site, constructing a social community of its personal — and in the end attracting an acquisition by Fb — Tapestry works higher as a reader.
The issue the app addresses is one which’s changing into extra frequent because the open social internet grows: So as to sustain, individuals have to make use of tons of companies and accomplish that a lot app-switching.
Amid a flurry of improvement that features the rising social networks Bluesky and Mastodon, designed to rival the tech giants with open supply software program and decentralized energy constructions, there’s additionally the problem of maintaining with associates and followers who’ve now scattered throughout quite a few locations after leaving X’s and Meta’s platforms.
Addressing this downside is Tapestry’s major draw however this might, in the meanwhile, additionally restrict the app’s enchantment past the early-adopter crowd.
A unified app
At present, most individuals have already got processes, workflows, and most well-liked apps they use to maintain up with information websites, blogs, podcasts, and YouTube movies from favourite creators. Tapestry proposes to vary that. It presents a single place to test for these updates alongside these from different social networks you could use, like Bluesky, Mastodon, Tumblr, and others.
Constructed by the group that designed one of many authentic third-party Twitter shoppers, Twitterrific, Tapestry proposes to introduce a brand new kind of timeline, very similar to Twitter’s, the place all updates scroll by. There are additionally further, extra superior instruments you need to use to configure that timeline — like choosing which content material to mute and which to “muffle,” or collapse — so you’ll be able to decide to view it if desired whereas limiting display area.
The latter can be utilized to enhance each the aesthetics and the vibe of your timeline. As an example, you could wish to muffle political matters so that they don’t overwhelm your display as you scroll or muffle spoilers of your favourite TV reveals.
After including the social accounts, RSS feeds, blogs, podcasts, and extra that you simply wish to view inside Tapestry, you’ll be able to then arrange your timeline, in addition to further timelines, providing a customized view of this info. As an example, you may have a timeline targeted solely on Apple information, blogs, and podcasts, or one on your social networks, like Bluesky and Mastodon.
To get one of the best use out of Tapestry, you’ll have to offer a number of thought to the kind of info and updates you wish to monitor and the way you’d prefer to see them organized. Viewing all the pieces in a single feed will be noisy due to all of the social app updates. Your timelines are basically Tapestry’s model of customized feeds (just like Bluesky’s feeds, however with the flexibility to drag from a number of companies, not only one). Meaning you’ll be within the job of feed creator, not simply client — a minimum of till a extra sturdy developer ecosystem arrives.
Feeds and Connectors
Whereas it appears like Tapestry is making an attempt to scratch an itch that open social internet early adopters might now have, its aggregation of all of your content material into timelines can really feel overcomplicated at occasions, and a few of its consumer interface decisions want extra polish.
As an example, Tapestry defaults to opening feeds in-app once you select the choice to “open authentic” from the “extra” (three-dot) menu on particular person posts.
Additionally, tucking away the flexibility to have interaction with the unique content material with an additional faucet doesn’t make this one of the best app for individuals who prefer to rapidly take part in social conversations as they scroll. For those who open gadgets in-app, you’ll have to log in to the social community to have interaction. You’ll possible wish to set this to open feeds in “Safari” so Tapestry opens the related iOS app instantly (like Bluesky) the place you’ll be able to like, reply, or repost.
Sadly, meaning Tapestry isn’t actually fixing the necessity to keep a number of accounts throughout a number of apps.
One other design alternative that may very well be complicated entails the app’s two sections the place you’ll be able to add sources. One is known as “Feeds” and one other is known as “Connectors.” The previous allows you to add “content material that seems in your timeline,” and the latter is supposed to “create feeds that populate your timeline.” (For those who’re scratching your head at these descriptions, you’re not alone. The app wants to supply extra of an evidence.)
Because it seems, Connectors are supposed to work extra like plug-ins or add-ons. They run in a JavaScript sandbox and might be constructed by a group of third-party builders who wish to lengthen the Tapestry ecosystem with new feeds of their very own. Sadly, these Connectors can’t embody sources like Fb, Instagram, X, or others that don’t supply open feeds.
An extensible app is a intelligent concept however one that would have been pushed additional down the challenge’s roadmap. Initially, the group ought to deal with testing the premise that customers need to view info from throughout the online, not simply the social internet, as “timelines” within the first place. Do customers need RSS, podcasts, social media, and different companies blended, as a substitute of utilizing separate apps?
A transitional step or the long run?
Tapestry isn’t the one one which’s enthusiastic about placing customers answerable for their feeds and sources for information and knowledge.
Newer social apps like Bluesky and even Meta’s Threads launched the idea of customized feeds, whereas startups like Graze supply superior feed-building instruments, and Flipboard launched a brand new app referred to as Surf for constructing customized feeds from throughout companies. In contrast to Tapestry’s, Surf’s consumer interface allows you to view feeds that may be filtered to be considered in numerous codecs — watch, learn, or hear — or you’ll be able to decide to see all the pieces mixed into one, relying on which tab you choose.
Different apps like Feeeed and Reeder have additionally emerged to deal with related points round feed consumption.
One downside these options intention to deal with is that at present’s open social networks work on totally different protocols. Mastodon, Pixelfed, and others use ActivityPub, and Bluesky and a rising variety of shoppers are constructing on its underlying protocol, AT Protocol. In the meantime, older information websites, blogs, and podcasts distribute their updates throughout the open protocol RSS.
At present, bridges are being constructed to attach networks like Bluesky and Mastodon, social apps like Threads are integrating with ActivityPub, whereas WordPress blogs and e-newsletter platforms like Ghost are working to hitch the open social internet generally known as the fediverse, by way of ActivityPub.
That leaves us in a transitional interval the place you’ll be able to’t simply choose your most well-liked app and anticipate to see all of it.
As an alternative, we’re being given instruments to mix feeds and sources nonetheless we see match. However a few of these efforts really feel like non permanent measures as a brand new, extra open web — the place all the pieces finally connects — remains to be being constructed.
