Flipboard has unveiled a new app called Surf, designed to revolutionize how users browse the open social web and decentralized services like Mastodon and Bluesky. Currently in private beta, Surf offers a unique video feed experience by integrating Bluesky's "trending video" feed and content tagged with #SkyTok. This innovative platform allows users to explore multiple social networks within a single app, leveraging protocols such as ActivityPub, the AT Protocol, and RSS.
Surf's video feed is a versatile tool that enables users to create specialized feeds. For instance, a "BookTok" style feed focuses on users discussing books through video content, echoing TikTok's popular BookTok community. Users can access Surf's video feed on both the Surf app and Bluesky, providing flexibility and ease of use.
The development of Surf follows Bluesky's launch of a custom video feed, which employs a new TikTok-style interface. Surf adopted this design and federated its custom video feed to Bluesky, offering it as another native option. This integration allows the Surf video feed to include content from a variety of services, including YouTube, Threads, and Mastodon, broadening the scope of available content.
Personalization is a key feature of Surf. Soon, users will be able to incorporate their Bluesky Following timeline as a source for their Surf video feed, allowing for a more tailored browsing experience. For those unable to access the Surf app directly, the feed remains accessible on Bluesky.
Bluesky's introduction of a custom video feed came in the wake of a recent TikTok ban, providing an alternative platform for users accustomed to TikTok's interface. Users experiencing issues with the TikTok-style interface on Bluesky can resolve this by restarting their mobile app several times.
“This is just the latest example of how custom feeds on the social web can be used for all sorts of use cases — video sharing, photo sharing, discussion groups, messaging, etc. — that have been the exclusive domain of the large walled gardens,” – Flipboard CEO Mike McCue
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