Flipboard joined the Fediverse a couple of months ago when we announced our Mastodon integration and launched our own community on the decentralized social network that offers people more freedom and control of their social media experience. As we spend time on Mastodon and connect with others in the Fediverse, many people said that they’d like an easier way to discover people and content.

We think we can be helpful here — with curation.

Flipboard editors bring their curation skills to Mastodon with four editorial accounts. Not bots, each of these Desks is staffed by professional curators with expertise in discovering and elevating the best content. We’re focusing on explainers and analysis — more the “why” and “how” than the “who,” “what” and “where.” 

We’re not trying to replicate all the breaking news services out there, including many bot accounts already on Mastodon. We also don’t want to flood your feed with a kajillion posts. Instead our goal is to give people on Mastodon context for what’s happening in the world. And because it’s not always easy to find people in the Fediverse, we will elevate the voices of thoughtful writers, reporters and thinkers, and of course the publishers who are joining the conversation. In other words: you’ll see us boosting posts by others.

Flipboard’s First Editorial Desks

We’re starting this approach with four editorial desks: 

• Our News Desk covers the top stories of the day and the ongoing topics at the top of the news cycle, plus amazing investigative journalism you might have missed. 
• Our Tech Desk brings you the latest technology news, deep dives and fresh perspectives on topics like AI, social media and life-changing innovations.
• The Culture Desk shares insightful interviews, revealing reviews and thought-provoking features about the arts and entertainment. 
• And our newest account, launched just this week, is the Science Desk. Follow it for the latest science news, including climate change, space exploration and more.

We’re admittedly new to Mastodon and want to be respectful of the longstanding communities in the Fediverse. We are open to feedback on our efforts. What’s working? What can be improved? If these desks resonate with folks in the Fediverse, we’ll definitely consider adding more to bring you an even wider range of curated content.

And if you’re not yet on Mastodon, join us! We believe social media has a bright and open future there.

—Carl Sullivan, North America managing editor, is curating several Magazines for Flipboard’s Politics Desk.