Science Communication in the Fediverse – Mastodon and Open Science Network – WiNoDa Knowledge Lab

"But given the many different ways to connect in the Fediverse—why do almost all academic associations or institutions choose a Mastodon server, of all things, for their communities?

For one thing, because it offers what is likely the most successful implementation of the ActivityPub protocol—and for another, because, following Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, the new servers were intended to serve as a direct replacement for the dismantled “Science Twitter.”

Apparently, the developers of Bonfire also realized that potential is being wasted here. Bonfire isn’t a platform or an “app,” but rather a modular framework for building digital community spaces. Possible features include feeds (that interact with or federate with Mastodon, etc.), groups, user circles, and moderation tools… and if something is missing, you can develop it (or have it developed). (So far, Bonfire development seems to have been funded through crowdfunding: https://www.indiegogo.com/en/projects/bonfire/community#/section/project-story) So there’s no fixed set of features for Bonfire—instead, it’s based on a modular approach that anyone can customize and host on their own server. That is, if you have the technical skills, a server, and the time.

Open Science Network

This is where the initiators of the (planned) Open Science Network saw their opportunity. The Open Science Network aims to serve as a Bonfire-based platform for open academic discourse – including ORCID integration for user profiles."