Ben Werdmuller

https://bsky.brid.gy/r/https://bsky.app/profile/werd.io

Senior Director of Technology at ProPublica. I write speculative fiction and think about the future of news and technology at [werd.io](https://werd.io ).

🌉 [bridged](https://fed.brid.gy/bsky/werd.io ) from 🦋 [werd.io](https://bsky.app/profile/werd.io ), follow Bridgy Fed for Bluesky (npub1pqr…2sck) to interact

Web site: https://bsky.app/profile/werd.io
Link: https://werd.io

Public Key

npub1tvkwexzkj78877y06cpu38628f8ja4uq9kcfmayx7kzfrk7u5dxsenhkn6

NIP-05 Address

werd.io_at_bsky.brid.gy@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs9kt8vnptf0rnl0z8avq7gna9r5new67qzmvya7jr0tpy3m0w2xngprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0d4hhxarj9ecxjmntjaeyu4

Publishing to

relay.momostr.pink

Author Public Key

npub1tvkwexzkj78877y06cpu38628f8ja4uq9kcfmayx7kzfrk7u5dxsenhkn6

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Last Notes

2026-03-13 13:16:01 UTC

Bluesky must succeed. It just might. [werd.io/coming-off-t...](https://werd.io/coming-off-the-bench-for-bluesky/ )
[Coming Off the Bench for Blues...](https://werd.io/coming-off-the-bench-for-bluesky/ )

2026-01-24 21:44:30 UTC

I mean
https://inkcap.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:77tdak46psveqneyegsdyc7l&cid=bafkreihkmtvvqtyev2wr6e6uobhoxclujnbtbslh43qiypvt3wqtebwqeu

2026-01-24 03:10:29 UTC

"Bluesky built a verification system designed to distribute trust, and then didn't use it when it mattered." [werd.io/on-ice-verif...](https://werd.io/on-ice-verification-and-presence-as-harm/ )
[On ICE, Verification, and Pres...](https://werd.io/on-ice-verification-and-presence-as-harm/ )

2025-11-18 23:52:29 UTC

Just published a deep look at where open social networks stand in 2025: Mastodon’s leadership change, Bluesky’s trajectory, AT Protocol, ActivityPub, cross-network tools, and more. For newsrooms and public service orgs, this moment really matters. [werd.io/the-state-of...](https://werd.io/the-state-of-the-open-social-web/ )
[The State of the Open Social W...](https://werd.io/the-state-of-the-open-social-web/ )

2025-11-14 14:47:07 UTC

The best way to have freedom of expression is to write in a space that you control, in a form and medium that you control, for an audience that you have a direct relationship with.
It just so happens that when you have space for context and the form fits content, you have better conversations, too.

2025-10-22 17:51:01 UTC

"It’s no accident that US political operatives have been singling out Bluesky as a target for political control and retribution for months." But the result puts protocol developers and the users of their networks in opposition.
[Trump Administration's Arrival...](https://werd.io/trump-administrations-arrival-on-bluesky-highlights-growing-pains-for-open-networks/ )

2025-10-14 19:49:04 UTC

Last week I was delighted to give a keynote talk to open #FediForum, the conference about building the open social web. It's about the real threats we're facing, why open alternatives matter so much right now - and the questions we can ask ourselves to make our work really matter.
[Why the open social web matter...](https://werd.io/why-the-open-social-web-matters-now/ )

2025-10-11 20:03:38 UTC

Today I learned that an interview with my great uncle is in the collection of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
He "describes his experience as a member of the Dutch Resistance in the Hague; details of his arrest; his time in a slave labor camp; and actions that led to his release."
[Collections Search - United St...](https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn85997 )

2025-10-04 16:56:51 UTC

A personal post. [werd.io/telomeres-my...](https://werd.io/telomeres-my-son-and-me/ )
[Telomeres, my son, and me](https://werd.io/telomeres-my-son-and-me/ )

2025-10-04 14:23:51 UTC

Microblogging is terrible. It's all context collapse and unbridled id: notifications as conversation. We need more long-form, considered discussion. The internet needs more nuance and structured thought.

2025-10-01 17:00:09 UTC

What if we built a LiveJournal-like system on ATproto?
Long-form posts but in a feed, based on who you were connected to. Picking up the ball from Leaflet and similar tools but riding on the Bluesky social graph and resting heavily on updates from your friends. Throw in RSS for good measure.

2025-09-12 17:29:25 UTC

I love how thoughtful the Mastodon blog post about introducing quote posting is. A way the team could be even more impactful on the open social web would be to share their research findings and thinking that went into these features - that's the sort of body of knowledge everyone could learn from.
[Introducing quote posts](https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2025/09/introducing-quote-posts/ )

2025-08-31 12:49:35 UTC

Can newsrooms become social platforms themselves? Should they?
The future belongs to organizations that understand their communities, not just their analytics. In this post, I dig into a reader question that speaks to the future of social, newsrooms, and AI.
[werd.io/can-newsroom...](https://werd.io/can-newsrooms-become-social-platforms/ )
[Can newsrooms become social pl...](https://werd.io/can-newsrooms-become-social-platforms/ )

2025-08-24 16:42:53 UTC

"Focus on flows and relationships, not products or services." An argument for systems thinking instead of design thinking or breakthrough innovation. [werd.io/why-you-need...](https://werd.io/why-you-need-systems-thinking-now/ )
[Why You Need Systems Thinking ...](https://werd.io/why-you-need-systems-thinking-now/ )

2025-08-16 16:04:22 UTC

Do you wonder what the future of newsroom technology looks like? Or how technology is used behind the scenes? I've spent 15+ years inside media startups and major newsrooms. Ask me anything. [werd.io/ask-a-newsro...](https://werd.io/ask-a-newsroom-technology-leader/ )
[Ask a newsroom technology lead...](https://werd.io/ask-a-newsroom-technology-leader/ )

2025-08-06 17:58:37 UTC

On bridging between networks vs cross-posting:
"They’re similar, but they’re different in some important ways. Notably, bridging results in more unified conversations, while cross-posted conversations are more fragmented."
That's why Bridgy Fed's approach is so interesting - and, imo, important.
[Bridging vs cross-posting](https://blog.anew.social/bridging-vs-cross-posting/ )

2025-08-03 12:01:22 UTC

I hate this. It’s going through the motions of doing something very human and important; simulating the output when the remembering, the loving, the process of memorializing a person is the value of the thing.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:j5fbnzh57rn7xz65yjc36gxb/post/3lvimbnlhy22g
#note1p3u…2v23

2025-07-22 12:31:22 UTC

What if public networks became a platform for communities to create their own local media, not just consume it? After the federal funding cuts, here's one idea for rebuilding NPR and PBS around community co-creation, open platforms, and human-centered, prototype-driven design.
[If I ran NPR and PBS](https://werd.io/if-i-ran-npr-and-pbs/ )

2025-07-17 16:04:05 UTC

Realizing I don't like "human in the loop" as a construct because it doesn't specify the center of gravity. It's got to be "human in control".

2025-06-23 14:06:10 UTC

"Substack's One Weird Marketing Trick was leveraging the economic interests of traditional media employees against their publishers to get positive "earned media"." [www.atvbt.com/substacks-se...](https://www.atvbt.com/substacks-secret/ )
[Substack's Secret](https://www.atvbt.com/substacks-secret/ )

2025-06-22 12:24:52 UTC

Ten years ago, Google crawled two pages for every visitor it sent to a publisher. Today, Anthropic crawls 60,000. [www.axios.com/2025/06/19/a...](https://www.axios.com/2025/06/19/ai-search-traffic-publishers )
[axios.com/2025/06/19/ai-...](https://www.axios.com/2025/06/19/ai-search-traffic-publishers )

2025-06-19 13:21:00 UTC

People trust people more than brands. What if we rebuilt newsrooms around that truth? Here's a thought experiment: a semi-decentralized model where journalists own their audience, keep most of their revenue, and still get legal, editorial, and platform support.
[When people trust humans more ...](https://werd.io/when-people-trust-people-more-than-brands-the-incubator-newsroom/ )

2025-06-14 15:17:23 UTC

What is open source? How did it develop? How does it succeed and where does it fall short of its potential? An updated look at the movement: [werd.io/what-is-open...](https://werd.io/what-is-open-source/ )
[What is open source?](https://werd.io/what-is-open-source/ )

2025-06-12 13:32:43 UTC

I relaunched my website on Ghost. Here's why. [werd.io/welcome-to-t...](https://werd.io/welcome-to-the-new-werd-io/ )
[Welcome to the new werd.io](https://werd.io/welcome-to-the-new-werd-io/ )

2025-06-07 14:37:41 UTC

I enjoyed this and recommend it as an overview of the shortcomings both of "AI" as a technology and, in particular, of the vendors who are currently giving us the hard sell. I liked the recommendation that smaller, more ethically-trained models for specific problems may be part of the solution.
[The AI Con: How to Fight Big T...](https://bookshop.org/a/7949/9780063418561 )

2025-06-05 16:14:34 UTC

It's not about one protocol; it's about the open social web as a people-centered movement. Bounce lets you move from service to service, keeping your network in the process. #Fediverse [www.theverge.com/news/678928/...](https://www.theverge.com/news/678928/bounce-bluesky-mastodon-bridgy-fed-tool-followers )
[Bounce lets you move from Blue...](https://www.theverge.com/news/678928/bounce-bluesky-mastodon-bridgy-fed-tool-followers )

2025-06-02 02:06:10 UTC

Journalism treats technology like something that happens to it - like an asteroid. But newsrooms need to take control of their tech destiny.
I wrote about how to build technology leadership and culture in newsrooms in order to preserve their own futures: [werd.io/2025/buildin...](https://werd.io/2025/building-a-newsroom-technology-culture )
[Building a newsroom technology...](https://werd.io/2025/building-a-newsroom-technology-culture )

2025-05-28 12:19:19 UTC

Commuting into NYC. Call me crazy, but I think the solution to high demand on public transit is to add more trains, not to raise prices. It’s infrastructure that has knock-on effects on the whole economy, not a business that needs to be profitable in isolation.

2025-05-28 12:00:14 UTC

If I was Substack, this is exactly what I'd be doing. But then again, if I was Substack, I wouldn't have paid Nazis to post on my network. #Media [www.thebulwark.com/p/substack-e...](https://www.thebulwark.com/p/substack-election-democrats-platform-social-communications-buttigieg-2028 )
[The Substack Election](https://www.thebulwark.com/p/substack-election-democrats-platform-social-communications-buttigieg-2028 )

2025-05-26 19:25:40 UTC

Christ. Just came downstairs to find my dad watching an entirely AI-generated YouTube video about an event that didn't happen involving the Pope. Had to convince him the whole think was fake. "How can you tell?" he asked. He has five degrees including a PhD.

2025-05-21 20:08:15 UTC

This is a major upgrade to Bridgy Fed that has been in the works for a while. Really exciting to see it live!
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:xgvzy7ni6ig6ievcbls5jaxe/post/3lppex3kyus2a
#note1885…85qd

2025-05-21 16:50:31 UTC

The 19th is looking for a full-stack engineer! It's a lovely team doing important work. If you're looking for a mission-driven, US-based full-stack role, this is the one. [19thnews.org/full-stack-e...](https://19thnews.org/full-stack-engineer-employee-hire/ )
[We’re hiring a full stack engi...](https://19thnews.org/full-stack-engineer-employee-hire/ )

2025-05-20 23:44:03 UTC

I published my most in-depth post ever today. It’s about funding the open social web platforms that have the potential to unseat democracy-eroding services like X. I’d love your feedback. [werd.io/2025/lets-fu...](https://werd.io/2025/lets-fund-the-open-social-web )
[Let's fund the open social web](https://werd.io/2025/lets-fund-the-open-social-web )

2025-05-20 13:38:11 UTC

The tension between idealism and sustainability is holding back the open social web. It needs funding infrastructure as thoughtfully designed as its protocols. In this final piece in my series about open social web business models, I propose one way to solve the problem: [werd.io/2025/lets-fu...](https://werd.io/2025/lets-fund-the-open-social-web )
[Let's fund the open social web](https://werd.io/2025/lets-fund-the-open-social-web )

2025-05-15 20:05:36 UTC

File under "maybe pay your support contractors more". [www.cnbc.com/2025/05/15/c...](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/15/coinbase-says-hackers-bribed-staff-to-steal-customer-data-and-are-demanding-20-million-ransom.html )
[Coinbase says hackers bribed s...](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/15/coinbase-says-hackers-bribed-staff-to-steal-customer-data-and-are-demanding-20-million-ransom.html )

2025-05-13 19:49:29 UTC

Flipboard just launched 124 new publishers to the Fediverse - bringing the total number it hosts to 1,241. #Fediverse [about.flipboard.com/fediverse/fl...](https://about.flipboard.com/fediverse/flipboard-expands-publisher-federation-with-international-partners/ )
[Flipboard Expands Publisher Fe...](https://about.flipboard.com/fediverse/flipboard-expands-publisher-federation-with-international-partners/ )

2025-05-13 02:28:06 UTC

I'm working on a fourth part in my series about open social web / fediverse business models. This one's from the perspective of funders: what would I do if I was *funding* the open social web?
Which leads me to this question: how do *you* think the open social web should be funded?

2025-05-08 15:57:52 UTC

I’ve written before about what I’d do if I ran Bluesky or Mastodon. But what if I started from scratch? What would it look like to build a new open social platform - one that's private-by-default, human-centered, and sustainable from day one?
Here’s the blueprint I’d follow: [werd.io/2025/if-i-st...](https://werd.io/2025/if-i-started-fresh )
[If I started fresh](https://werd.io/2025/if-i-started-fresh )

2025-04-22 13:52:05 UTC

This is obvious, but if people broadly rely on a black box to give them answers that help them understand the world, whoever controls the black box controls those answers and therefore the understanding that comes from them.
Openness is safety.

2025-04-19 13:26:38 UTC

The Holocaust was organized on IBM punch cards. Hitler gave the head of IBM, Watson, a medal for his services. Later, they named their AI tech after him. Anyway, in unrelated news: #Democracy [www.wired.com/story/doge-c...](https://www.wired.com/story/doge-collecting-immigrant-data-surveil-track/ )
[DOGE Is Building a Master Data...](https://www.wired.com/story/doge-collecting-immigrant-data-surveil-track/ )

2025-04-18 18:59:35 UTC

Mastodon is a revolution in people-powered social networking. But it needs help to push it past its early adopter community. In the spirit of my previous piece about Bluesky, here's what I would do if I ran the project: [werd.io/2025/if-i-ra...](https://werd.io/2025/if-i-ran-mastodon )
[If I ran Mastodon](https://werd.io/2025/if-i-ran-mastodon )

2025-04-16 15:39:12 UTC

Bluesky’s trying something no one’s pulled off before: building a protocol and a business model around openness. They’re hiring a Head of Product. I’m not applying - but here’s how I’d approach it. [werd.io/2025/if-i-ra...](https://werd.io/2025/if-i-ran-bluesky-product )
[If I ran Bluesky Product](https://werd.io/2025/if-i-ran-bluesky-product )

2025-04-15 20:35:34 UTC

There are many social networking contenders, but only a few will romaine. Likely this is just the tip of her digital iceberg; certainly a new leaf for her, but it might turn out to be a little gem. Lettuce see what happens. [www.theguardian.com/politics/202...](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/apr/15/liz-truss-to-launch-uncensored-social-network-to-counter-mainstream-media )
[Liz Truss to launch ‘uncensore...](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/apr/15/liz-truss-to-launch-uncensored-social-network-to-counter-mainstream-media )

2025-04-11 14:00:41 UTC

Based on some conversations today at #ijf25, some folks are having trouble doing tech assessments in their newsrooms. If that's you, here's an open source rubric I started that prompts some important questions that I think you should be asking. [github.com/benwerd/tech...](https://github.com/benwerd/technology-assessment/blob/main/Rubric.md )
[github.com/benwerd/techno...](https://github.com/benwerd/technology-assessment/blob/main/Rubric.md )

2025-04-11 11:34:24 UTC

"A year after leaving Substack in early 2024, newsletter writers are making more money peddling their words on other platforms." Mostly Ghost and Beehiiv. #Media
[Former Substack creators say t...](https://digiday.com/media/former-substack-creators-say-theyre-earning-more-on-new-platforms-that-offer-larger-shares-of-subscription-revenue/ )

2025-03-16 23:03:16 UTC

This is absurdly great, but I haven't read a single news article about it. A fully open source, offline-first alternative to Notion that's a collab between the French and German governments because they want to host docs securely and on their own terms. THIS is what Europe should be doing.
[Docs](https://docs.numerique.gouv.fr/ )

2025-03-02 15:03:48 UTC

The original, exciting promise of the web was to redistribute publishing power from the few to the many. We need to return to that spirit of redistributed equity. [werd.io/2025/the-web...](https://werd.io/2025/the-web-was-always-about-redistribution-of-power-lets-bring )
[The web was always about redis...](https://werd.io/2025/the-web-was-always-about-redistribution-of-power-lets-bring )

2025-02-11 20:49:02 UTC

"Automattic confirmed to TechCrunch that when the migration is complete, every Tumblr user will be able to federate their blog via ActivityPub." I didn't realize this was still happening! #Fediverse
[Tumblr to join the fediverse a...](https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/11/tumblr-to-join-the-fediverse-after-wordpress-migration-completes/ )

2024-12-27 14:31:52 UTC

OpenAI is restructuring its for-profit as a Public Benefit Corporation, which can have social values enshrined alongside shareholder interests - and it appears that it's doing this, in part, to reach more investors and raise yet more money. #AI https://openai.com/index/why-our-structure-must-evolve…
[openai.com/index/why-our-...](https://openai.com/index/why-our-structure-must-evolve-to-advance-our-mission/ )

2024-12-05 13:25:46 UTC

Threads is a step closer to full fediverse integration - although there's still a long way to go. #Fediverse
[Threads takes an important bab...](https://www.theverge.com/2024/12/4/24313229/threads-follow-fediverse-mastodon-users-post-notifications )

2024-10-21 13:18:25 UTC

#Fediverse
[Online Safety and the “Great D...](https://www.techpolicy.press/online-safety-and-the-great-decentralization-the-perils-and-promises-of-federated-social-media/ )