Social media is entering a new era, one that’s more open, more curated, and controlled by the people who use it every day rather than a few dominant platforms. Powered by open protocols, this new era is taking hold. We’re seeing developers collaborating around the world, communities gathering online and in person, and new platforms bringing the open social web to more people every day. There’s a lot happening, and a lot to talk about. 

To better understand the people and products driving the open social web, today we’re launching the third season of Dot Social. Over the course of eight interviews, Flipboard founder and CEO Mike McCue invites guests to share the open social projects they’re working on, obstacles and opportunities they’ve encountered and how they hope to expand the ecosystem. 

First up in the new series is a wide ranging conversion with Shane Gill and Riley Testut, founders of AltStore. Mike, Shane and Riley talk about the origin story of Delta, the game emulator app that started on their journey, all the way through the launch of AltStore, their relationship with Apple and how the Fediverse became an obvious next step for them. It’s an engaging discussion that every indie developer should enjoy!

Stay tuned for new conversations over the weeks ahead as McCue sits down with some of the biggest thinkers and most innovative entrepreneurs architecting the open social web, ushering in a more powerful, personal and inherently social internet. 

If you’re new to Dot Social, be sure to check out previous episodes, including some amazing discussions with Jay Graber, Rudy Fraser, Cory Doctorow, Molly White, and many more. You can explore the full series here or wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe on YouTube.

Share your thoughts about the episodes using #DotSocial hashtag on Bluesky, Mastodon or Threads and follow the conversation via the Dot Social custom feed on Bluesky or in the Surf app. If you don’t have access to the Surf beta, sign up for the waitlist here. 

This is Dot Social. Season 3. Let’s get into it.