Better to have than to need: "Own your content" (POSSE)

There was a time when everyone thought Facebook Pages were the holy grail for organic reach. Then Meta tweaked its algorithm, and suddenly, without an ad budget, hardly anyone could see their own content anymore. Fast forward to today: Elon Musk buys Twitter (sorry, X) and drives it way too far to the right. The platform has become politically polarized, and moderation teams have been let go. What was once the global network for real-time information is now on a wild ride where users never know what tomorrow will bring.

LinkedIn rewards cringe content instead of expertise, YouTube is focusing entirely on the short format "Shorts," putting pressure on long-term content strategies for longer formats. And almost all platforms train their AIs (sometimes without asking or only with opt-out) with our content. 

We are constantly seeing changes to the rules of the game on these platforms. And the few tech companies act as gatekeepers for the global flow of information. That means dependency. The question arises: Does it have to be this way? Or is there another way?

Content via social media: The social wall craze

The digital Stockholm syndrome is most evident in the so-called "social wall." Creators and publishers put their heart and soul and budget into elaborate videos and texts. This content is then "given away" to Instagram or LinkedIn. And because your own website looks so empty afterwards, you install a plug-in that brings your own content back via a shaky interface. So we send our data around the world, subject it to foreign algorithms, let others make money from it – only to integrate it back into our own site at the end. 

Does that really make sense...? Exactly!

Goodbye, walled gardens: Enter POSSE

As an alternative, a principle comes into play that has long been discussed in the "IndieWeb" and is becoming extremely relevant in light of current developments at Big Tech: POSSE (Publishon your Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere).

Your own website acts as a "single source of truth." Everything that needs to be said—whether it's a long article, a short statement, an event announcement, or a video—ends up on your own domain first. This is where the content lives. This is where it belongs to the brand.

Only in the second step is this content syndicated (distributed) to the platforms of your choice. This means that the substance remains with you, while LinkedIn, Threads, or Instagram are used as outposts. They serve the purpose of distribution and, in the best case scenario, direct traffic and interaction back to the mother ship.

This change in strategy brings tangible benefits that go far beyond mere independence:

• Control & security: Content is stored on your own domain first. This means that the sender retains control over the data, presentation, and context. 
• Resilience: If a network fails, changes its algorithm, or loses relevance (remember MySpace or Google+?), the original content remains accessible. Changing platforms becomes trivial: new services are simply docked as additional syndication targets.
• Visibility & branding: A post on your own website is fodder for Google & Co., which strengthens the organic findability of your brand in the long term.
• Freedom of format: No one dictates the format on your own site. Whether text, interactive graphics, or audio snippets—any length and form of presentation can be used, free from the technical constraints (e.g., character limits or image formats) of platforms.
• Data sovereignty: Less data is transferred without control. Interactions initially take place on your own site. POSSE also allows selective syndication: Strategic decisions are made about which content is mirrored on which services—and which remains exclusively on your own site.
• From stream to archive: Social media is designed for the moment. What was posted yesterday is already off the table today. POSSE turns the website into a central archive. All posts are structured, searchable, and permanently linkable there. Content thus becomes a sustainable asset.

End of silos: "Those who speak should also listen"

This is the golden rule for social networks, community management, and, in fact, for interacting with people in general. However, in the current platform model, dialogue is fragmented: comments on LinkedIn posts remain on LinkedIn, reactions to X remain on X. This creates silos that are not beneficial to either users or publishers.

POSSE's vision therefore goes even further: it is about liberating not only its own communication, but also that of its users. Open protocols such as Webmentions or ActivityPub (the engine of the so-called Fediverse, which includes Mastodon, for example) make it possible to break down these silos.

Technically, this is already a reality today: a post appears on your own website. Thanks to ActivityPub, it automatically lands in the timelines of your followers in the Fediverse. Someone responds there—and that comment automatically appears again under the original article on your own page. The result: the discourse returns to where it belongs—to the source. But at the same time, it also takes place where users prefer to be—in their timelines and feeds.

POSSE does not mean ignoring social media. On the contrary, it means being present everywhere (wherever you want) – but on your own terms. It is a strategic decision to build on your own foundation instead of permanently renting furnished apartments whose rent and house rules can change daily.