jaz-michael king's blog

2026-01-13 15:22:37

There Is One Fediverse. There Are A Thousand Ways To Join It.

Recently, I was sitting with my sister-in-law talking about social media. She has that nagging, familiar concern about corporate social: the feeling that we are all just products in someone else’s machine. I pulled out my phone, showed her my toot.wales feed, and started explaining how she could “save the web site to her home screen”.

She listened politely, then said the thing I believe most people genuinely feel:

“It’s lovely! If only there was an app…”

She does not want a “protocol”. She does not want to hear about “the Fediverse”. She just wants that feed on her phone without a homework assignment.

When I started toot.wales, I knew this instinctively. In the early days, I even paid a developer to fork a couple of open-source apps and hard-code them to our server. It was expensive and eventually I simply couldn’t sustain it, but I never lost sight of that goal.

Now, working with our brilliant friends at the Newsmast Foundation, we have finally delivered it: a simple, opinionated, “people-first” social app.

One community. One door.

The biggest design decision we made was the simplest: the app is hard-locked to toot.wales.

There is no “pick a server” screen or “find your instance”. There is no friction. This is not a Mastodon app; it is the Tŵt app, purpose-built for our community.

I’ve spent years building tools like StartHereSocial to help people navigate the maze of the Fediverse. But for toot.wales, I realised the answer isn’t a better map, it should be an inviting, open front door. If you want to join, you should be able to step right in.

Croeso: A warmer welcome

Alongside the app, I built a promotional web site at croeso.toot.wales. Croeso is Welsh for “welcome”, and that is exactly what it provides. It strips away the jargon, no talk of federation or decentralisation. Instead, it offers clear language about why this is “Better Social”.

It is joyful and unthreatening on purpose. We’re not here to preach at you to quit X or Facebook, and we’re not shaming anyone. We are simply inviting you to try something different. If you like the vibe, stay. If not, no worries. People stay because it feels good, not because they have been coaxed into a boycott.

A Fediverse of communities

Some people see the Fediverse as one giant global town square. I see it differently. For me, it’s a community of communities.

When people tell me “mastodon.social is too big”, my gut feeling is no, your server is too small. Communities only grow when we intentionally nurture them. It’s not up to a company in Germany to grow Tŵt. That’s on us, it’s our problem.

I want everyone in Wales (and the world!) to have a social option that is not drowned in surveillance and ad-tech. To get there, we have to design for clarity rather than complexity.

What’s inside the Tŵt app?

We have made some very deliberate choices to keep the app “human-shaped”:

• Private Mentions have their own space. You can’t create a private mention in the main composer and you will not see them in your timeline. We’ve put them in a dedicated “Conversations” tab to reduce mistakes and keep privacy intentional.
• Three simple tabs. You get Home (your personal feed), Tŵt (the “local” feed plus local replies), and Explore (your lists and hashtags, plus curated feeds for news, sport, culture and more). This creates a natural flow from your own interests to the wider community.
• Search is just search. There are no “trending” nudges or unsolicited content. If you’re looking for something, we help you find it. We don’t try to distract you along the way. (Trending is it’s own Channel.)
• True Bilingualism. English and Cymraeg sit side-by-side as equal choices. Digital spaces should reinforce our identity, not flatten it.

Celebrating the pioneers

The Tŵt ecosystem is already thriving because Welsh media organisations took a leap of faith into the open web. Groups such as Nation.Cymru, Golwg360, Swansea Bay News, and Wrexham.com did not wait to see which way the wind was blowing. They just started building, and are long-time Social Web citizens.

Whether it’s weather updates from North Wales Storms or local sports teams, these partners make the app feel “live” from the moment you log in. The app offers two pathways to consume this content, via Channels you can drop in and out of, or Starter Packs you can follow to bring them into your feed.

Why this matters

For those already comfortable with the Fediverse, using a web interface or the app of their choice is fine. But for everyone else, “just install the web site” is not meaningful advice.

People want “the app”. From the trusted app store. They want to tap an icon and feel at home, rather than feeling like they’re doing a technical chore.

If you run a community and like our approach, please feel free to use it. Whether it’s the onboarding flow, the “Better Social” messaging, or the focus on language equity, you are welcome to use my work as a template. If we want a healthier internet, we need more communities feeling empowered to build their own front doors.

The Tŵt app is our doorway. It is built for Wales and the Welsh, at home and abroad. It’s simple, it’s ours, and I can’t wait for you to try it. We plan on launching on Dydd Dewi Sant, a special day for Cymru, in the meantime you can get a preview at croeso.toot.wales/en/less-clut…

Newsmast Foundation - Newsmast

A social media charity The Newsmast Foundation is an educational charity, supporting the use of social media for good. We’re at the forefront of new, open social media.

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