Social networking platform, Flipboard, is stepping into a new era with its latest app, Surf. Initially available under an invite-only beta, the concept behind Surf is unlike Flipboard’s original app, where users curated content from various sources into a personalized magazine. The new app navigates users through a diversified online social landscape, incorporating services like Mastodon, Bluesky and public web content including blogs, podcasts, and YouTube videos.
Revolving around open protocols like RSS, Bluesky’s newer protocol AT Protocol, and ActivityPub, Surf operates more like a browser for social content. Users can create custom feeds by blending real-time searches, keywords, popular hashtags, specific RSS feeds, YouTube channels, podcasts and more around chosen interests.
With about 30,000 predefined topics, it is possible to “Keep Feed on Topic” by filtering out unrelated posts. Users can choose how to view feeds with tabs such as “Watch” for videos and “Listen” for podcasts. In the foreseeable future, the ability to curate feeds by merging different topics will also be added.
Furthermore, Surf can unite diverse communities spread across multiple platforms via custom feeds. Additionally, Flipboard’s primary magazine app has expanded its horizon by syncronizing with open services like Mastodon and Bluesky.
Original source: Read the full article on TechCrunch
