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Building Opportunities: One Year Since The First App

Saskia

• 3 min read
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A collage which shows a distorted bonfire with people stood around it in the background. Over the background image, hot air balloons, a mobile phone displaying a social media app, and a dice.

On November 5th 2025, we launched the first custom community app on the Social Web. Now, it's November 5th, 2026 and a lot has happened.

It's Bonfire Night in the UK. A pretty gruesome celebration where we reminisce the torture and execution of a man who tried to blow up Parliament 421 years ago.

But, for that very same reason, the day is seen by many as a day of revolution. It stands as a symbol that people have been rebelling against those in power as long as people have stood in power.

That's why our friends at Media Revolution chose the 5th as Media Liberation Day, their day of action and rebellion against Big Tech, and the birthday of Mo-Me - the Newsmast Foundation's first 'Apps for Change' app. Pretty poetic.

The Mo-Me app on the App Store.

Since then we've ramped it up, not just a few notches either, a lot. In one year we've gone from one app, to sixteen.

Each app offers an opportunity to build community away from Big Tech on the Open Social Web, to own and protect the data of supporters, to innovate outside the rigid walls of Big Tech social media. Each app is exciting.

Opportunities for:

  • Local news publishers
  • Influencers/Content Creators
  • Government Institutions
  • Community groups
  • Academic networks
  • Charities
  • Activists

We're not the only ones who see the power of these opportunities. That's why we've won awards, government grants to keep innovating, and heard our names mentioned in rooms we never thought we'd be invited into.

The Open Social Awards where the Newsmast Foundation won the Grand Prize!

Under the surface, we're still a small UK charity (although we'll be getting our EU residency soon). Our small, talented, and passionate dev partners are still building amazing things despite living in a warzone. We're surpassing our own expectations left, right, and center.

This kind of success doesn't come from luck, it's hard, hard work. It's late nights, weekend replies, the odd tear, travelling when you just want to be at home, and so much joy because you know what you're doing is making a difference.

We - Michael, Mariana, Ben, Jaz and I - have grabbed the Newsmast Foundation and dragged it into this position. We've attended 26, at last count, events across the globe to ensure that we're in the conversation and that we're not overlooked by the bigger players. There's four more to go.

I think we can say that our strategy to get in the room and drag Newsmast with us has worked. Just look at what we've achieved this year. The hard work has been worth it, ten times over.

Our lesson to anyone reading this is that you have to be in the room to make a difference. Meet the people you want to know your name and do it regularly. Everyone around you is busy too, they might be struggling more than you can tell, so be patient and help when you can. And for everyone who speaks up for you in rooms you aren't in, keep them close and thank them regularly. That's important too.

We've got some even bigger projects in the works that are already pushing the boundaries of what social technology can look like (and what we can handle) and, this time next year, we can't wait to look back at them as proudly as we do Mo-Me and every project since.