Principles

ProFed is guided by a set of principles that shape every design and implementation decision.

Open source

ProFed is open source software. The code is publicly available – anyone can read it, run it, adapt it, and build on it.

This is what makes genuine independence possible. You do not have to trust a provider if you can inspect and operate the software yourself.

Open protocols

ProFed builds on open, standardized protocols rather than private APIs. ActivityPub provides the foundation for federation. Where it does not cover a specific need, ProFed draws on other established formats – such as microformats for structured profile data – rather than introducing new ones.

Open protocols keep the system available to other implementations and prevent lock-in at the protocol level.

Strategic autonomy

Professional identity, relationships, and visibility should not depend on a single provider’s continued goodwill or commercial interests – whether for individual users or for operators running their own instances.

At a broader level: a single dominant platform for professional networking holds meaningful influence over how labor markets function. A federated system distributes that influence structurally, rather than concentrating it in one place.

Integration into the Fediverse

ProFed is designed to be part of the Fediverse, not a parallel network that happens to use ActivityPub. The goal is to add professional networking as a native capability to an ecosystem that already supports microblogging (e.g.
Mastodon, Misskey, GoToSocial), publishing (e.g. WriteFreely, WordPress), video (e.g. PeerTube, OwnCast, Loops), and many more.

That means following established conventions, working with existing implementations, and being a good citizen of the network.

User-controlled visibility

Visibility on ProFed is determined by your choices and those of the people you interact with – not by platform algorithms.

There is no feed ranking, no promoted content, and no amplification based on commercial or political interests. What you see is what the people and communities you follow choose to share.