Social Web Community Group (SocialCG)
The W3C Social Web Incubator Community Group (SocialCG) is the standards body responsible for maintaining ActivityPub, ActivityStreams 2.0, and related social web specifications.
Overview
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ W3C SOCIAL WEB HISTORY │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ 2014-2018: Social Web Working Group │
│ ├── Created ActivityPub specification │
│ ├── Created ActivityStreams 2.0 specification │
│ └── Published as W3C Recommendations │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ 2017-Present: Social Web Incubator Community Group │
│ ├── Maintains specifications │
│ ├── Manages errata │
│ ├── Incubates new proposals │
│ └── Coordinates with implementors │
│ │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
What is SocialCG?
The SocialCG is a W3C Community Group that:
- Maintains ActivityPub and ActivityStreams 2.0 specifications
- Manages errata and clarifications
- Incubates new proposals and extensions
- Coordinates between implementors
- Reviews Fediverse Enhancement Proposals (FEPs)
Website: w3.org/community/socialcg
Specifications Maintained
W3C Recommendations
| Specification | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ActivityPub | W3C REC | Server-to-server and client-to-server protocol |
| ActivityStreams 2.0 | W3C REC | Core data model and vocabulary |
| AS2 Vocabulary | W3C REC | Standard types and properties |
Community Specifications
| Specification | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| HTTP Signatures | De facto | Request signing for authentication |
| WebFinger | RFC 7033 | Actor discovery |
| NodeInfo | Community | Server metadata |
How to Participate
1. Join the Group
Anyone can join the SocialCG:
- Visit w3.org/community/socialcg
- Click "Join this group"
- Create a W3C account (free for individuals)
- Accept the Community Contributor License Agreement
2. Attend Meetings
The SocialCG holds regular meetings:
- Frequency: Bi-weekly or monthly
- Format: Video calls + IRC/Matrix
- Minutes: Published publicly
- Participation: Open to all members
Find meeting times and agendas on the SocialCG wiki.
3. Contribute to Discussions
Participate in specification discussions:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CONTRIBUTION CHANNELS │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ GitHub Issues │
│ ├── github.com/w3c/activitypub │
│ └── github.com/w3c/activitystreams │
│ │
│ SocialHub Forum │
│ └── socialhub.activitypub.rocks │
│ │
│ Matrix/IRC │
│ └── #social:matrix.org / #social on W3C IRC │
│ │
│ Mailing List │
│ └── public-socialcg@w3.org │
│ │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Task Forces
The SocialCG organizes work through task forces:
Web Task Force
Maintains activitypub.rocks and related documentation:
- Website maintenance
- Developer resources
- Implementation guides
Test Suite Task Force
Develops conformance testing:
- ActivityPub test suite
- Interoperability testing
- Implementation validation
Errata Task Force
Manages specification corrections:
- Reviews errata submissions
- Maintains errata documents
- Proposes clarifications
Current Initiatives
New Working Group Charter
The W3C is considering a new Working Group to:
- Make backwards-compatible updates to specifications
- Address implementation experience feedback
- Formalize common extensions
This would allow modifications to the W3C Recommendations themselves, not just community extensions.
Focus Areas
Current SocialCG focus areas include:
- End-to-End Encryption - Secure direct messaging
- Portable Identity - Account migration and portability
- Trust & Safety - Moderation and content policies
- Interoperability - Cross-platform compatibility
Social Web Foundation
In 2024, Evan Prodromou (co-author of ActivityPub) launched the Social Web Foundation to:
- Advocate for open social web standards
- Fund development and research
- Coordinate between organizations
- Support the SocialCG's work
The foundation works alongside the SocialCG to advance ActivityPub adoption.
Reporting Issues
Specification Issues
For issues with the specifications themselves:
ActivityPub issues:
https://github.com/w3c/activitypub/issues
ActivityStreams issues:
https://github.com/w3c/activitystreams/issues
Errata
For corrections to published specifications:
- Open an issue on the relevant repository
- Label it as "errata"
- Describe the error and proposed correction
- Reference relevant spec sections
Feature Requests
For new features or extensions:
Meeting Schedule
SocialCG meetings are scheduled on the group's calendar:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ TYPICAL MEETING FORMAT │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ 1. Roll call and introductions (5 min) │
│ 2. Review of action items (10 min) │
│ 3. Issue triage (20 min) │
│ 4. Discussion topics (20 min) │
│ 5. New business (5 min) │
│ │
│ Duration: ~60 minutes │
│ Notes: Published to W3C wiki │
│ │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Resources
Official Resources
Specifications
Community
History
Social Web Working Group (2014-2018)
The Social Web Working Group was a formal W3C Working Group that:
- Developed ActivityPub from concept to specification
- Standardized ActivityStreams 2.0
- Published both as W3C Recommendations in 2018
Key participants included:
- Evan Prodromou (ActivityPub co-author)
- Christopher Lemmer Webber (ActivityPub co-author)
- Amy Guy (AS2 editor)
- James Snell (AS2 co-editor)
Transition to Community Group
After the Working Group charter ended:
- SocialCG was established to continue maintenance
- Specifications became stable W3C Recommendations
- Community-driven extensions through FEPs
- Focus shifted to implementation support