Exciting News: Tumblr Joins the Fediverse Following WordPress Migration!
Since 2022, Tumblr has been making headlines with its plans to join the fediverse—the open social web that utilizes the ActivityPub protocol, which is also employed by platforms like Mastodon and Threads. Recent updates from Automattic, the parent company of Tumblr, shed light on the timeline and methodology for this much-anticipated integration.
Tumblr’s Integration with the Fediverse
The integration of Tumblr into the open social web is set to occur through a pivotal transition to the WordPress infrastructure. This move will allow Tumblr users to federate their blogs using ActivityPub, similar to the existing capabilities available to WordPress.com users.
Benefits of the Migration
Automattic has confirmed that this migration will not only facilitate the integration with the fediverse but also open up possibilities for:
- Custom plug-ins
- Themes tailored for Tumblr
- Enhanced tools and features across both Tumblr and WordPress
Last summer, Automattic announced that it would migrate its extensive collection of half a billion blogs to WordPress. This strategic decision aims to create a more unified platform that leverages the open-source advancements from WordPress.org.
Challenges and Future Prospects
Despite some challenges within the WordPress community, this backend transition is expected to yield significant efficiencies without altering the beloved interface that Tumblr users are accustomed to. While Automattic has refrained from providing a specific timeline for the migration, a company representative expressed enthusiasm about the current phase of development.
User Inquiries and Feedback
Recently, Tumblr users have been actively inquiring about the state of the fediverse integrations. In a Q&A session on Tumblr’s Work In Progress blog, Tumblr emphasized that the integration with the fediverse was a major motivation behind the migration. They confirmed that it will definitely support existing ActivityPub plug-ins from WordPress, enabling blog owners to sync posts and engage with the broader open social web.
Considerations for Future Integrations
Despite the exciting developments, Automattic has not disclosed any plans for integration with the AT Protocol, which powers the emerging social networking platform, Bluesky. When questioned about Bluesky’s potential role in their plans, a spokesperson reiterated the focus on the progress with ActivityPub.
As the integration progresses, Tumblr users can look forward to enhanced functionalities and a more interconnected blogging experience within the vast landscape of the open social web.