If you have an independently hosted blog powered by WordPress, you can add a special plug-in that turns it into a Fediverse server. When the plug-in is installed, people will be able to follow and interact with your blog posts from Mastodon and other types of Fediverse server.
The plug-in is called ActivityPub for WordPress ⧉, and is named after the technical protocol that Fediverse servers use to communicate. Here’s how to install it:
- Log into your WordPress blog’s dashboard
- Go to Plugins > Add new and search for “ActivityPub” (the correct plug-in is the one by Mattias Pfefferle & Automattic)
- Install the plug-in “ActivityPub” by Mattias Pfefferle & Automattic
- You may also need to also install the “WebFinger” plug-in by Pfefferle ⧉ to help the ActivityPub plug-in work properly.
- After everything has finished installing, go to your blog’s Plugins section and activate the ActivityPub plug-in.
If all has gone well, your blog should now be its own Fediverse server. It won’t look any different, but behind the scenes your blog will now have its own Fediverse account address. People can paste this address into the search box on Mastodon and other Fedi server types, and your blog will appear as a profile that they can follow and interact with.
You can find out your blog’s account address by going to the WordPress dashboard’s Users section and click on the user that writes the blog. Scroll down to the bottom of their profile options page and the Fedi address will be listed there. Give this address to anyone who wants to follow that user’s blog on Mastodon or the rest of the Fediverse.
When the plug-in is installed, you’ll also see an ActivityPub option appear in your WordPress dashboard’s Settings menu. This will let you adjust how the plug-in functions. You can set it to show the entire post, or part, or just a link. If you set it to show the entire post, people following on Mastodon will see it as an extremely long Mastodon post so be careful if you choose this otpion.
NOTE: This does not work on wordpress.com free blogs, because they do not allow installation of plug-ins. You will need an independently hosted WordPress-powered blog that allows plug-ins. The vast majority of independent web hosting companies offer these.