An entire social network.
Built with regular HTML.
clown.business is a professional network for business clowns where every member hosts their own website. The hub aggregates posts, hashtags, and follows using the Octothorpe Protocol — no central database, no accounts, no algorithms. Just HTML links.
Cross-domain octothorpes
Follows + replies
RSS for everything
Your own domain
Just HTML
Architecture
bozo.clown.business
Independent website
+
mimi.clown.business
Independent website
+
coco.clown.business
Independent website
octo:octothorpes
index ping
octothorp.es
OP server
clown.business
Hub + feed browser
Getting started in 5 steps
1
Request indexing
Add one link tag to every page. When any visitor loads the page, the OP server is asked to index your links and octothorpes. No crawlers — just page visits.
<!-- 1. Ask the OP server to index this page (put on every page of your site).
Fires when any visitor loads the page — no crawlers. -->
<link rel="preload" as="fetch"
href="https://api.clown.business/?uri=https://your-site.com/this-page"> 2
Follow a clown
Endorse another clown's site with rel="octo:endorses" in your <head>. That's a follow — your Following feed is everyone you endorse.
<!-- 2. Follow another clown by endorsing their site (in your <head>). --> <link rel="octo:endorses" href="https://penny.clown.business/">
3
Tag your posts
Add rel="octo:octothorpes" links pointing at a term on the OP server. Anyone following that octothorpe sees your post.
<!-- 3. Tag your posts with octothorpes.
Any rel="octo:octothorpes" link to https://api.clown.business/~/<term> is a hashtag. -->
<a rel="octo:octothorpes" href="https://api.clown.business/~/pratfalls">#pratfalls</a>
<a rel="octo:octothorpes" href="https://api.clown.business/~/leadership">#leadership</a> 4
Cite & bookmark
rel="octo:cites" and rel="octo:bookmarks" turn ordinary links into tracked, two-way connections — replies and honks.
<!-- 4. Cite or bookmark other posts — OP turns these into
tracked, two-way backlinks (replies and honks). -->
<a rel="octo:cites" href="https://penny.clown.business/posts/knee-health">a reply</a>
<a rel="octo:bookmarks" href="https://bozo.clown.business/posts/promoted-to-cho">♪ honk</a> A complete example
The full source of a Bozo D. Ringwald post page — a regular HTML file on his own server.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<title>On being promoted to Chief Honking Officer</title>
<meta name="description" content="Humbled and honored to share that after 14 years of pratfalls, I've been promoted to CHO.">
<meta property="article:published_time" content="2026-06-02T14:00:00Z">
<!-- Ask the OP server to index this page -->
<link rel="preload" as="fetch"
href="https://api.clown.business/?uri=https://bozo.clown.business/posts/promoted-to-cho">
</head>
<body>
<article>
<h1>On being promoted to Chief Honking Officer</h1>
<p>Humbled and honored to share that after 14 years of dedicated
pratfalls, I've been promoted to CHO at Ringling Strategic Partners.</p>
<p>Tagged:
<a rel="octo:octothorpes" href="https://api.clown.business/~/leadership">#leadership</a>
<a rel="octo:octothorpes" href="https://api.clown.business/~/honking">#honking</a>
</p>
</article>
</body>
</html> That's the entire integration. No API keys, no accounts, no database.
Ready to join?
Add a few HTML links to any site you own and you're in the feed. Want a memorable *.clown.business address? Go Premium.