Tag Archives: Threads

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Meta’s Threads Takes a Step Towards Openness with ActivityPub Integration & European Launch

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Meta’s competitor to X (formerly known as Twitter) – Threads – is making news in two areas: being able to work with other apps and expanding into Europe. In a surprisiong move, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, said Threads posts could be shared on Mastodon and other ActivityPub-enabled platforms as part of a test. This is a big step towards integration, which has been one of the main ideas behind the fediverse, a decentralised network of social media services, from the beginning.

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Photo by Viralyft on Unsplash

What does Integration with ActivityPub mean, and why is it good? With ActivityPub, you can choose where your content is seen and how people connect with it, unlike on traditional social media sites where you are limited to your home feed. It will also help you reach more people. Allowing you to gain new followers and take part in conversations in other groups. It also helps make social media more open and democratic by lowering the need for centralised sites like Meta.

This movement indicates that Meta remains committed to making all their services work together. This fits what Instagram’s CEO, Adam Mosseri, who thinks decentralisation is the key to getting the next wave of creators to join, has said.

In addition, Threads is finally getting ready to land in Europe simultaneously. The platform will finally go live on December 14th after being delayed because of regulatory issues.

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Photo by Julio Lopez on Unsplash

Threads is also adding “Tags” that work like Instagram Hashtags, but is less confusing or complicated. Tags can only be used once per post. This is meant to get people to talk about more specific topics and keep material at a managable level. Users can add tags by typing “#” or clicking a post UI button. Furthermore, Tags, unlike Instagram, don’t need to be added directly below the post with multiple hashtags, which can be confusing. Instead, it’s directly added to the post or words similar to a hyperlink. The chosen words will turn blue in the post, meaning it has been tagged with the specific topic or genre, or you can make a new one. This gives users more freedom and simplifies how they can add specific topics and genres to their posts to reach out to others looking for posts in their interest.  

News, Social Media

Meta’s Next Billion User App, Threads, Brings More Features

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Meta’s latest social network and the bane of Elon Musk’s X is gearing up to become the company’s next billion user app. In the recent earnings call, Mark Zuckerberg revealed that Threads now has “just under” 100 million monthly active users. This number is very significant considering the app has yet to be released in the European Union.

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Photo by Julio Lopez on Unsplash

In the same call, Zuckerberg made Meta’s ambition for Threads very clear and that is to transform Threads into a “billion-person public conversations app” with a positive atmosphere.

New Features in the Wake of Ambition

To achieve those lofty ambitions, the team over at Instagram and Threads have been working to fold in even more features into the app. Let’s be honest, they’ve been on a roll! The team is now bringing even more engaging features such as a native GIF picker and polls.

You will now be able to host polls on Threads natively. Creating polls is straightforward. Users can add up to four poll choices for a 24-hour duration. Unfortunately, there’s no option to adjust the poll duration just yet. While polls are accessible on Threads for Android and iOS, the web version is yet to support this feature.

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Threads is also introducing an in-app GIF picker, powered by GIPHY. It’s available for both new posts and replies. Users can easily access a library of searchable GIFs by tapping the “GIF” button. This feature is available in the latest app updates for Android and iOS.

One drawback to note is that Threads, like Meta’s Messenger app and Instagram, still restricts Android keyboards, like Gboard, from inserting GIFs. When users attempt to insert a GIF using Gboard, they receive a message stating that Threads doesn’t support this functionality. While the app adds exciting features, this limitation might be frustrating for some.

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Instagram’s Threads Levels Up with Editable Posts & Voice Threads

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Instagram’s answer to a rapidly degenerating Twitter (now known as “X”) – Threads – is taking the competition head-on by introducing new features. This includes editable posts. This is a feature that Twitter (X) has adopted only for its premium “verified” users but Threads is offering it without additional fees. Threads now offers all users the coveted “edit button” for free. However, there is one caveat – you can only edit a post within the first five minutes of it going live.

Threads Edit Voice Notes

In addition to this, Threads is also introducing “voice threads,” a feature akin to “voice notes.” You can start or reply to a thread using your voice, making communication more dynamic and personal. This feature is readily accessible. Simply tap on the microphone icon, and the recorder appears. Tap or press and hold the record button to start recording. It even generates auto-captions, giving you a chance to make any necessary changes before finalizing your post.

While these features are exciting, there are some aspects to consider. Voice notes may not be available on the web app yet, although this might be rolled out soon. Additionally, when a post is edited, there’s no clear indication that changes were made or an edit history, potentially raising transparency concerns. It’s something Threads might need to address.

News, Social Media

Threads is Finally Adding a Search Feature

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Source: Meta

Mark Zuckerberg has announced that Threads is finally bringing the keyword search functionality to “most English and Spanish-speaking countries.”

The recent expansion follows a week-long testing phase in Australia and New Zealand. Prior to this update, Threads had only allowed users to find friends with the search feature. This new development hints at Threads’ aspirations of becoming a more comprehensive social network platform, further contesting Twitter (who is now your X) in the social media rat race.

The announcement also suggests that more countries will soon gain access. But it’s also worth noting that “most English and Spanish-speaking countries” remain vague in terms of who will see the feature first. We will just have to keep our eyes peeled for further updates from Meta and Threads.

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Meta’s Threads App Expands with Keyword Search Feature

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Meta‘s Threads app is continuing its evolution, this time with the introduction of a new keyword search feature. While initially released with basic features, Meta has been working to enhance Threads. This latest feature is set to improve the user experience significantly.

Until now, the search function on Threads was limited solely to finding other user accounts on the platform. However, this is about to change, with the introduction of keyword search functionality. The new feature is currently available only to Threads users in Australia and New Zealand.

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Instagram CEO, Adam Mosseri, shared the news, stating, “This week we’re starting to launch search on Threads; starting with New Zealand and Australia” The plan is to fast follow the availability of the feature to other English-speaking countries, with efforts underway to introduce support for additional languages as soon as possible.

This enhancement marks another step forward in Threads’ ongoing development. Recently, the platform became accessible via web browsers worldwide, offering greater convenience to users. Previously, the top priority was the introduction of a chronological timeline. Now, users can look forward to the added convenience of keyword search.

Threads users will receive notifications to try out the new keyword search feature when it becomes available. The Threads app is readily accessible for iPhone users through the App Store and Android users via the Google Play Store, making these improvements easily accessible to a broad user base.

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Meta’s Threads is Now Accessible on Web Browsers

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It seems like the initial rumblings of Threads making its way to web browsers were true. Meta’s Twitter (now known as X) competitor is no longer restricted to mobile devices. You’ll be able to login to Threads via threads.net.

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The new Threads homepage now sports a login page with a QR code which leads to the relevant app stores for the mobile app. Of course, it goes without saying that you will be logging in with your Instagram account details. You’re given the option to sign in with your email, username or phone number and your password. If you encounter a message instructing you to “set up your profile using the Threads app” while using your email, there’s no need for concern. If you’ve already completed this step, one of the alternative methods may serve as a suitable solution.

Threads’s web interface is pretty straightforward and minimal. The centre of the screen is emblazoned with your feed. At the bottom left, you have a toggle to switch between your “Following” and “For You” feeds. Of course, if you’ve been following the developments at Threads, you’ll know that the latter has content recommended by the algorithm included in the feed while the “Following” feed only contains content exclusively from accounts you follow.

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Platform navigation is parked at the top. You’ll see quick navigation buttons for home, search, new post, notifications and your profile. Other options like logging out and reporting problems are in a dropdown menu on the top right. You also have the option to create a new post by simply starting to type in the space beside your profile image.

The new web version of threads will no doubt be a welcomed development for those managing multiple accounts. However, the one feature not yet available on the web version is the ability to switch between accounts. Knowing the team behind Threads, it’s probably already being worked on.

It feels like Threads is gearing up to do big things – but there’s one caveat to that – that activity on the platform continues to pick up. Meta’s answer to Twitter’s slow demise was initially all the rage with rapid adoption and increasing interactions on the platform, however, the platform hasn’t managed to stay top of mind. Time will only tell if Meta’s Threads will be able to stick its landing and expand its reach.

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Meta’s Threads Gets More Updates & Inches Closer to the Web Browser

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Meta launched Threads back in July when the internet was rife with the potential death of Twitter. The social network launched in a very barebones state having the most essential features and literally launching initially only on Android. The social network seems to have lost some of the initial hype but is continuing to introduce more features.

With the launch of broadcast channels on Instagram, Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, has been keeping the community abreast of the developments happening at Instagram and on Threads. Since the launch, threads has seen the introduction of many new features the most recent features include the ability to send Threads on Instragram’s DM using share button, the ability to sort the accounts you follow and the ability to add custom alt-text to images.

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Photo by Viralyft on Unsplash

This week, the app is getting another round of feature additions. This time the updates come in the form of updates to user profiles on Threads. Users will now have a new Reposts tab which shows followers the posts on Threads you have reposted and from whom. In addition, reposts can now be seen in the Following feed. The Following feed, which was introduced about three weeks ago, is a feed exclusively to view updates from profiles you follow on Threads. Similar to the Following feed on Instagram, the feed doesn’t include recommendations from Thread’s algorithm.

The bigger update comes from third party reports. It’s being reported that Meta is gearing up for the launch of the web version of Threads. This is perhaps one of the biggest features being requested by Threads users and the one most sorely lacked by the social network. If you go to Threads.net now, you’ll be greeted by a holding page asking you to download the app on iOS and Android.

However, if these reports are true, the web version is around the corner. In fact, over the weekend, Mosseri, himself, mentioned the web version of the social network. However, he mentioned that the web version is “a little bit too buggy right now…” but continued to tease the release.

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Photo by Nik on Unsplash

According to The Wall Street Journal, people familiar with Meta’s plans indicate that the company plans to launch the web version of the social platform early this week. That information comes with a caveat, though. According to the same sources, these plans are not final and could change.

The web version would be one of the final features to make Threads a viable alternative for X (formerly known as Twitter) and its alternatives like Mastodon and Bluesky. It could also be the one feature that will bring brands, publishers and more users to the platform.