Flipboard has launched social websites, allowing creators and publishers to build customised spaces aggregating content from across the open social web. The feature consolidates profiles and posts from platforms like Bluesky, Mastodon, Threads, YouTube, podcasts, blogs and RSS feeds into single destinations that creators control. Social websites mark the first web-based extension of Surf, Flipboard's reader app for browsing the open social web. Publishers including The Verge, Wired and Rolling Stone have already created social websites where readers can follow journalists, podcasts, videos and conversations in one hub. Users can create Surf feeds at surf.social and assign custom domains to transform them into shareable social websites. Flipboard says additional customisation tools, including custom headers and colours, are coming soon.

Social magazine app Flipboard had already committed to joining the ‘fediverse‘ — the decentralized social web, which includes apps like Mastodon. Now, it’s doubling down on those ambitions with an announcement that it will stop tweeting while also launching a new podcast devoted to exploring the topic of decentralized social media.The company confirmed today that Flipboard will suspend its activity on Twitter/X as it focuses more on the decentralized social web.“While we’ve enjoyed connecting with many of our community members there, we believe it’s vital to align our social presence with platforms that share our values for advancing trusted journalism, expert voices, and quality information,” Flipboard announced in a statement. “This is one of the reasons we’re moving away from Twitter/X and investing our energy in Mastodon and other open social platforms. We will keep our accounts up, and will occasionally use them to retweet our creators and curators, but will not be actively monitoring or posting updates on X.”Flipboard’s community and support teams will be active on Mastodon, in the wake of these changes. It’s only planning to keep its X accounts active in order to protect its brand. (X has been soliciting buyers for dormant usernames.)Contributing to its decision, Flipboard also cited X’s rollback of moderation policies, which have led to “a rise in harmful rhetoric and hate speech,” it said, and other platform decisions that have advanced “false narratives and disinformation.”The company said these sorts of changes run contrary to its values, which is why it’s moving to the decentralized social web instead.Flipboard has been among the tech companies that have embraced decentralized social media following Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter