On Thursday, Flipboard unveiled social websites, a novel approach for creators and publishers to establish their own online spaces.

These social websites revolve around discussions already occurring across the open social web, encompassing decentralized platforms like Mastodon and Bluesky, along with various public web content.

According to Flipboard, social websites consolidate social posts, videos, podcasts, newsletters, and other discussions into one location that creators oversee. You can amalgamate profiles and posts from Bluesky, Mastodon, Threads, YouTube, podcasts, blogs, and RSS feeds into a singular space.

Flipboard regards social websites as a fresh paradigm for social media, granting communities greater ownership and authority over the organization of content and discussions. The company, which has embraced decentralized social media in recent years, is now aiming to simplify access for publishers and creators to the open social web.

“Social websites assist podcasters, creators, and publications in forming communities around their work and managing the experience, including the algorithm,” stated Flipboard CEO Mike McCue in a blog entry. “Instead of initiating a community from the ground up, creators can leverage social websites to seamlessly gather the individuals and discussions already taking place surrounding their podcasts, videos, and newsletters throughout the social web.”

The introduction of social websites signifies the first web-based extension of Surf, Flipboard’s reader app that enables users to navigate and discover the open social web. The company highlights that social websites are powered by Surf feeds.

Flipboard has already collaborated with publishers and creators who have launched their own social websites. Publishers such as The Verge, Wired, Rolling Stone, 404 Media, and The Oregonian have established social websites where readers can follow journalists, podcasts, videos, and discussions in one centralized hub. Creator David Rushing developed All Net, a social website for NBA enthusiasts that unites basketball discussions, league updates, videos, and real-time game commentary.

To establish a Surf feed, users must visit surf.social, register, and select the “+ Create Feed” option found in the sidebar. They then follow the instructions to include sources, assign a community hashtag, and configure filters for their feed.

After setting up the feed, the owner can designate a custom domain through the three-dot menu in the feed header to create a social website that can be shared with others. Flipboard states that social websites are intended to extend beyond Surf, making them shareable across the internet. 

“By merging content and discussions from various social platforms, Surf social websites evolve into destinations for keeping up with anything of interest,” Flipboard clarifies. “And this is merely the start. Additional customization tools are forthcoming, including custom headers, colors, and enhanced feed management features.”