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WebHome is a “profile” on the open social web. WebHomes are designed to free people from the control of giant social networks, while providing a way to connect with friends and follow their updates. The key is the connection, and not the location. You simply stay home – wherever that may be, and connect!
Build your WebHome
If you want to join the open social web, you would have to build your own webhome. Eventually it will become really easy to do, but now it takes some technical effort. Take a look at how WebHomes work. Download and install WebHome software and start playing. You may also code use or create any other software for your webhome, just make sure it connects correctly with other webhomes.
If you already have a Wordpress blog, chances are that you may just upgrade it to WebHome with a few plugins.
Now we use Gravatars for profile pictures. It is a good idea to create one for yourself.
Connect with your friends’ WebHomes
Both you, and your friends, should have WebHomes to be able to connect. Current technology requires two-way friend requests and approvals. Here’s how it works:
1. Login to your WebHome.
It’s a good idea to make your webhome “remember” your password when you’re using your own computer.
2. Visit your friend’s webhome and login to it, using your WebHome OpenID.
Your Webhome OpenID would look like “www.mywebhomeurl.com” and it wouldn’t require a password. Instead, it would use your current login session for your own webhome. Alternatively, you can login, to your friend’s webhome before you login to yours, but it would ask you to login to your webhome during the process, anyway.
3. Find the “WebHome” block on your friend’s webhome and click the “Add as a friend” link.
Your friend would receive a Friend request, which they can decline or confirm. If confirmed, you’d be listed in their “Friends” list, and you would be able to have access to “Friends-only” information and the features of their webhome, whatever they are.
Note: your friend needs to send a friend request to you as well to be listed as your friend. For security reasons this process is not automated yet.
4. Follow your friend’s updates by clicking “Follow” link on their webhome
We decided to split the functionality of Friends and Followers to make sure you only follow what you’re interested in, and you only list your friends as your “Friends.”
More to come
The WebHome movement is only at the very beginning of its life. With your participation, we will build better solutions and will streamline the process of WebHome creation, befriending and update following.
