Bounce Aims to Revolutionize Social Media Migration Between Bluesky and Mastodon

In a groundbreaking development presented at FediForum, a new tool called Bounce promises to bridge the gap between decentralized social networks. Developed by the creators of Bridgy Fed, Bounce aims to allow users to seamlessly migrate their followers between platforms like Mastodon and Bluesky, which operate on different protocols.

This initiative marks a significant step towards establishing the open social web as a viable alternative to the closed ecosystems of tech giants. Unlike these walled gardens, Bounce offers users the freedom to not only export their data but also to move their entire social presence to a new platform.

Currently, users can move their accounts within their respective protocol networks. Mastodon users can transfer their account to another Mastodon server, and Bluesky allows moving between Personal Data Servers (PDS), though the latter is still under development.

Bounce, spearheaded by the nonprofit A New Social, seeks to overcome the limitations preventing users from moving between different networks while retaining their followers. The technology builds upon Bridgy Fed, enabling users to transfer their Bluesky account to a bridged Mastodon profile and vice versa.

The technical intricacies of this process involve Bridgy Fed acting as an intermediary, utilizing custom-built servers to facilitate the transition between platforms with differing migration methods.

While currently a proof-of-concept, Bounce is slated to launch in beta soon. According to Anuj Ahooja, CEO and executive director of A New Social, the initial focus is on demonstrating the feasibility of cross-network migration.

However, some limitations exist. Moving back to Bluesky’s PDS isn’t yet possible due to ongoing development. Additionally, interactions on Bluesky with non-bridged accounts won’t be visible on Mastodon initially, though the team is actively developing a notification feature to address this.

Bounce will also provide alerts regarding followers who aren’t bridged, making it easier to re-follow them should they bridge in the future.

The ultimate vision is for Bounce’s technology to be seamless, allowing users to choose their preferred app and migrate their following with ease. While currently supporting Bluesky, Mastodon, and Pixelfed, the long-term goal is to support any open social platform, including blogging platforms like Ghost, and networks like Nostr or Farcaster.

Ahooja emphasizes the goal of creating an interface for handling complex movements within the open social web, empowering users to switch platforms based on their needs and preferences with just a few clicks.

Bounce is A New Social’s third project, complementing Bridgy Fed and a recently launched settings page that simplifies bridging and allows setting custom domains.

A New Social aims to empower individuals by providing tools that facilitate account and follower migration, giving them the freedom to leave platforms that no longer serve their interests. Their motto, “People not Platforms,” is featured on merchandise and supports their efforts alongside Patreon.