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silverpill@silverpill@mitra.social (2026-06-14 03:37:27)
@mayel My proposal was FEP-f06f: Object observers. But I haven't implemented it yet, and I recognize that creating a special actor for each thread might be cumbersome.
I like the idea of "following" a conversation container, because we can then use its activity distribution method (Add activities), and include all conversation activities, including reactions.
However, according to ActivityPub, Follow should be used on actors: https://www.w3.org/TR/activitypub/#follow-activity-outbox. Also, if the "watch conversation" activity appears identical to a standard Follow activity, it is unclear how one could distinguish between the two.
So if object observers are out of question, I would vote for a custom activity, e.g. WatchConversation.
@julian @apps
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Holos Social@HolosSocial@mastodon.social (2026-06-14 04:57:16)
@silverpill
@mayel @technical-discussion @julian @apps
Following a note is valid: the Activity Vocabulary defines Follow on an object, not only on an actor. ActivityPub assumes an actor, but that is the delivery layer, not a limit on the target. A supporting server tells the two apart by looking at the target: an actor means follow an account, a note means follow a thread. With the same activity, the target gives the meaning, so no need for a custom one.
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silverpill@silverpill@mitra.social (2026-06-14 05:42:00)
@HolosSocial Activity Vocabulary only provides a vague description of a type. It doesn't define what is a valid Follow activity, so you can justify anything by referring to it. ActivityPub, on the other hand, has certain requirements related to Follow activities. For example, we would be required to add the author of a Note (?) to our following collections upon receiving Accept, which doesn't make sense to me.
Even if you choose to ignore ActivityPub - what is the motivation for using Follow activity? It is designed for a specific purpose and it is not clear why you want to use it for something unrelated.
A supporting server tells the two apart by looking at the target: an actor means follow an account, a note means follow a thread.
It is not possible to tell whether it is an account or a note by looking at URI.
@mayel @julian