also @newpublic.org is hosting the Open Socials Awards, and projects that are working on open social protocols can apply, with 10k for winner, 5k for 2 runnerups. There are a ton of projects in this space that excellent and worthy of recognition, so be sure to apply!
A reminder that communities are not fungible. Like an uprooted plant, displacement will always impact the overall health of a group.
Surprising no one, Meta has decided to close down their VR platform Horizon Worlds, after they invested $80 billion into it and encouraged five years of community building within it.
Communities, including AA meetings and a church that met there every Sunday, are rightfully devastated.
Former surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy, who declared loneliness as a public health crisis, now has a newsletter.
We’re excited to see what else this up and comer has to say about human connection and belonging 😁
What do you wish "social media"/the social parts of the internet could be, in your life? Like, what is the *good* thing you wish we had?
This is the “cracker barrel effect”, where our collective memory is warped by fabricated online popularity. (Nearly half of the posts about the CB logo “controversy” were from bots)
What if your new social app paused you before posting something stupid:
“You’re free to share this. But are you sure? It may contain this logical fallacy: ...”
A gentle nudge for better thinking, inspired by @blaine.bsky.social and @newpublic.org.
Thoughts? @anna.wsocial.eu @ingmar.wsocial.eu
There's a fine line between helpful and being overly prescriptive. Candidly I'm not sure where it is! More here:
www.prosocialdesign.org/library/mess...
www.prosocialdesign.org/library/pre-...
This is a really interesting take on what a community app can be, focused on local connection and usefulness. Definitely worth checking out!
You can also read their full report here: wearetrustlabs.org/explorations...
Our friends at Trust Labs have spent over a decade studying how to build communities of care that not only withstand crises, but also grow sustainably.
Tomorrow, 4/15, they’ll be sharing insights from their latest report "Explorations in Relational Grit" at a virtual event @ 4pm EST:
What’s internet sovereignty?
New_ Public is a supporter of a new publication where nine writers explore what it would mean for users to collectively own their data and experiences online.
You can purchase a digital or print edition and support this innovative thinking.
“There is no need to ban social media. We just need it to be too expensive for the companies to keep doing business as usual.”
Author and entrepreneur @juliaangwin.com endorses a big tobacco-style movement of suing the pants off Big Tech to reform social media.
Divya Siddarth is curating the Collective Intelligence track at TED2026 this week. We've always appreciated Divya’s reframe on democracy and AI, and we’re excited to hear more from @jayb.bsky.social, @audreyt.org and others.
New_ Public's @deeptidoshi.bsky.social will be there -- DM her to connect!
Light blue background with white text box containing purple quote: "We're really excited to be working with the builders who are solving people's everyday problems. The value of this decentralized technology should not be just an abstract aspiration, but something that people can feel the benefit of in their everyday lives. This is a concrete way to really build momentum against the extractive, surveillance-based platforms and products used by most consumers today." Attribution reads "Deepti Doshi, Co-Director, New_ Public"
We’ve created the Open Social Awards to support and celebrate prosocial builders around the world who are creating useful, helpful, and fun tech products on the open web. 🌱
image with purple background that reads: “May 1, 2026 Deadline to apply. €10,000 Grand-Prize. €5,000 Excellence Award prizes
📆 Reminder: applications for the Open Social Awards are due May 1
Seeking MVP products on open protocols!
👉 newpublic.org/OSA
Thursday 4/16, hear directly from game-changing youth who are designing solutions to some of today’s most urgent digital challenges.
Builders aged 14 - 23 will present their projects as part of ReThink Citizens’s Youth Coalition Showcase 🚀
luma.com/2evlo3zw
We know this is urgently needed, but we need to get this right. We’re currently piloting in five communities, and we’re getting ready to expand soon.
Now (hint hint) is a great time to suggest your town or neighborhood on JoinRoundabout.com
We can’t say this enough: the whole point of a community app should be enhancing your experience of where you live and deepening your offline relationships with your neighbors. 🫂
So when you see a neighbor on Roundabout, you think, “oh, I know her! Maybe I’ll help her out.”
Brown background with white text on left listing "How it works": 1. "Highlights" Homepage, 2. Topic-based spaces (community forum-style, no "follows"), 3. Local Guides, 4. Event Calendar, 5. Email Newsletter. Right side shows two mobile screenshots: first displays homepage with yellow annotation "Trusted content gathered by a human about what's really going on in your community"; second shows feed view with yellow annotation "Just like a local newspaper, content is organized to avoid overload - with the help of AI but curated by moderator" and posts including "Free Couch - Minor Wear" and "New business coming to Main Street?"
One side effect of this arrangement is that we’re not addicted to growth and constantly trying to bring you back into the app so we can sell more ads.
Instead, Roundabout’s tools (guides, event calendars, substantive email digests) are oriented around connection and conversation, offline and off.
We don’t want to move fast and break things. We want to go slowly and fix things that break.
We’re working with local institutions, local journalists, and local community stewards. This work is 100% a partnership with the people who care for and maintain these spaces.
Light purple background with brown text on left reading "ROUNDABOUT is a way to bring your town or neighborhood or town together online without the noise or toxicity of big social media platforms." Right side shows mobile interface for "ROUNDABOUT SILVERDALE" with category icons, "Good Afternoon!" greeting, community update post from Arden Hayes (Steward), and photo of birds flying over water labeled "Photo of the Week shared by Jane D." Bottom navigation shows Home, Feed, Calendar, and Guides tabs.
We’re building Roundabout, our local community app, to be as useful as possible, for as many people as possible.
But, notably, we’re not here to make a billion dollars.
We’re a nonprofit, funded by philanthropy, trying to build Roundabout into a sustainable, resilient org for the long haul.
🧵
👍👍 One of the orgs that defines standards for the internet just gave a BIG thumbs up to AT Protocol, the tech that powers Bluesky.
This could be huge for scaling open and independent social apps and websites!
More from @dholms.at, head of protocol at Bluesky:
Relational Tech Project also hosts BYOB nights where community builders can troubleshoot projects. This month’s project is a community guaranteed income program in Baltimore.
Join the virtual meeting tomorrow, April 8th, or future BYOB nights: luma.com/5cdyc3gb
Relational tech is centered around thoughtfully crafted tools that help neighbors care, collaborate, and build trust.
Relational Tech Project created an awesome experimental workspace where neighbors can build digital tools to fit their unique community needs.
studio.relationaltechproject.org
Occasionally we get requests that might be a great opportunity for someone in our larger community. Let’s see if we can make a connection! Aaron Bear Berger offers: I’m building a map-based platform that makes local music scenes visible, accessible, and financially supportive. Instead of relying on algorithms like Spotify and social media, it lets people explore real artists in their area based on what’s happening now with new releases and upcoming shows. Each artist has a simple profile where fans can listen to a track and directly support them, creating a more intentional, community-driven way to discover and sustain local music. I’m primarily looking for collaborators right now and pressure testers, especially folks who understand building community around local culture/arts. Funding might come later, but right now I’m focused on finding partners to build this out with. Honestly, creative brainstorming / ideation could be fruitful. Want to get in touch with Aaron? Use our contact form and put “For A.B.B.” at the start of your message. We’ll pass along your messages. Or, if you have a request to share in the next Bulletin Board, also please send that along.
📢 Call for creative community builders who want to support local bands and musicians!
Use our contact form and put “For A.B.B.” at the start of the message to get in touch: newpublic.org/contact
In the foreword of “Internet Sovereignty”, a collection of essays on the future of the internet from @elysian.press, New_ Public’s very own @joshpkramer.bsky.social shares that digital sovereignty is being built right now – and we’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s possible.
A great write-up on #ATmosphere from New_ Public Expert-In-Residence @cjtait.bsky.social!
