 | |
 Screenshot of identi.ca when logged out | |
Type of site | Microblogging andSocial network service |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Owner | E14N.com |
| Created by | Evan Prodromou |
| URL | identi |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Required to post |
| Launched | July 2, 2008; 16 years ago (2008-07-02) |
| Current status | New user registration disabled |
Content license | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript |
identi.ca is afree andopen-sourcesocial networking andblogging service based on thepump.io software, using theActivity Streams protocol. Identi.ca stopped accepting new registrations in 2013, but continues to operate alongside several other pump.io-based hosts provided by E14N which continue to accept new registrations.[1]
Identi.ca is similar to social networking sites likeFacebook andGoogle+, allowing unlimited length status updates, rich text, and images. The Activity Streams protocol supports many kinds of activities such as games. OpenFarmGame is a prototype application for an Activity Streams-based game. Previous features from its StatusNet version such ashashtags, groups, and global search are not supported.
The service received more than 8,000 registrations and 19,000 updates within the first 24 hours of publicly launching on July 2, 2008,[2] and reached its 1,000,000th notice on November 4, 2008.[3][4] In January 2009, identi.ca received investment funds fromventure capital group Montreal Start Up.[5]
On March 30, 2009, Control Yourself (since renamed StatusNet Inc) announced that Identi.ca was to become part of a hosted microblogging service called status.net to be launched in May 2009. Status.net offers individual microblogs under a subdomain to be chosen by the customer. Identi.ca will remain a free service. All notices will be published under theCreative Commons Attribution 3.0 license by default, but paying customers will be free to choose a different license.[6]
Formerly based onStatusNet, a micro-blogging software package built on theOStatus specification (and earlier based on theOpenMicroBlogging specification), Identi.ca allowed users to send text updates (known as "notices") up to 140 characters long. While similar toTwitter in both concept and operation, Identi.ca/StatusNet provided many features not currently implemented by Twitter, includingXMPP support and personaltag clouds. In addition, Identi.ca/StatusNet allowed free export and exchange of personal and "friend" data based on theFOAF standard; therefore, notices could be fed into a Twitter account or other service, and also ported in to a private system similar toYammer.
DeveloperEvan Prodromou chose to change the site to thepump.io software platform in development, because pump.io offers more features making it technically more advanced.[7][8]Registration on Identi.ca was closed in December 2012 in preparation for the switch to pump.io software (the popularity of Identi.ca and "official" Status.net hosting were considered a hindrance to the creation of afederated social network).[7] The conversion was completed on 12 July 2013.
The 140 character per post limit was removed (in StatusNet, it was a setting, not an inherent limitation); now the blog posts can contain formatting and images. Groups,[9]hashtags,[10] and a page listing popular posts[11] are not yet implemented in pump.io.[12]
