Introducing Bounce, a tool to move your following between Bluesky and Mastodon

A major development in the open social web was announced at FediForum with the unveiling of Bounce, a project by the makers of Bridgy Fed. Bounce enables users to migrate their social network followers across different protocols, such as Mastodon and Bluesky, marking a significant step towards making the open social web a viable alternative to tech giants like Meta and Google. Currently, users can move accounts within the same protocol network, but Bounce aims to allow migration between different networks. The technology, still in proof-of-concept stage, will launch into beta soon, though it’s not yet ready for casual users. Challenges remain, such as the inability to move back to Bluesky’s PDS and handling interactions from non-bridged users.

Developed by A New Social, Bounce builds on Bridgy Fed to facilitate account migration by acting as a middleman with custom-built servers. The goal is to eventually support any open social platform and protocol, making it easier for users to switch platforms with minimal steps. A New Social aims to empower users by giving them control over their accounts and followings, aligning with their motto “People not Platforms.” The organization also offers merchandise and a Patreon to support its mission.

Key takeaways

The development of Bounce by A New Social allows users to migrate their social network followers across different protocols, enhancing the open social web's viability.
Bounce currently supports Bluesky, Mastodon, and Pixelfed, with plans to expand to other platforms and protocols in the future.
The technology is in a proof-of-concept stage and will launch into beta soon, but it's not yet ready for casual users.
A New Social aims to empower users by providing tools to move their accounts and followings, promoting the motto "People not Platforms."

Introducing Bounce, a tool to move your following between Bluesky and Mastodon | TechCrunch

Key takeaways

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