Matthias Pfefferle

Will Norris

WebFinger allows you to be discovered on the web using an identifier like <code>you@yourdomain.com</code> — similar to how email works, but for your online identity.
Why is this useful?
<ul>
<li>Fediverse & Mastodon: WebFinger is essential for federation. It allows Mastodon and other ActivityPub-powered platforms to find and follow your WordPress site.</li>
<li>Decentralized Identity: People can look you up using your WordPress domain, making your site the canonical source for your online identity.</li>
<li>Works with other plugins: This plugin provides the foundation that other plugins (like the ActivityPub plugin) build upon.</li>
</ul>
How it works:
When someone searches for <code>@you@yourdomain.com</code> on Mastodon or another federated service, their server asks your WordPress site: “Who is this person?” WebFinger answers that question by providing information about you and links to your profiles.
Technical details:
WebFinger is an open standard (<a href="http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7033" rel="nofollow ugc">RFC 7033</a>) that enables discovery of information about people and resources on the internet. It works by responding to requests at <code>/.well-known/webfinger</code> on your domain.

WebFinger

Devlon Duthie

This plugin allows you to display a widget on your blog with the profile information from any website that supports the 
WebFinger protocol. (Specifically tested with Diaspora.org, Status.net, Friendika.com)
Webfinger: http://code.google.com/p/webfinger/ simple-web-discovery: http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-jones-simple-web-discovery

WebFinger vs WebFinger Profile