Meta has started rolling out Fediverse support in its social media application Threads, facilitating interactions with other federated social media platforms directly within the app. Users can now see and react to replies to their posts originating from these external platforms, simplifying the engagement process by minimizing the need to switch between different apps.
This comes just a week after Threads opened its API to allow third-party developers post content, access various data points, and manage user replies.
Enhanced Interactivity
In the past, Threads users who shared their content across various platforms, including Mastodon, a free and open-source software for running self-hosted social networking services, needed to visit each platform individually to monitor responses.
The update allows for the consolidation of those interactions within Threads itself, although replying to these cross-platform interactions still necessitates visiting those platforms. Meta has mentioned plans to enable direct replies to cross-platform responses within Threads in upcoming updates.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the new federated feature for Threads is now available in more than 100 countries, expanding beyond its initial launch regions of the U.S., Canada, and Japan.
Post by @zuckView on Threads
The update employs the ActivityPub protocol, a decentralized social networking standard that Meta has intended to integrate since Threads’ inception almost a year ago. Initial trials for this integration commenced in December.
To activate fediverse sharing in Threads, select the option within your Account Settings. It is titled “Fediverse Sharing (Beta)” and provides instructions along with a link to the Threads Supplemental Privacy Policy.
To aid users in understanding the fediverse, Meta has added its Threads and the fediverse guide within Threads. It details the concept of interconnected servers forming the fediverse and explains how sharing operates within this ecosystem, providing answers to frequently asked questions.
Beta Features and Current Constraints
In its beta phase, Meta specifies that users opting for fediverse sharing will see their Threads posts distributed to platforms like Mastodon. Likes and replies from Mastodon and other federated networks will be visible in Threads. However, only primary posts and self-replies are currently federated; other post types such as polls and posts with specific reply controls are not yet included.
Servers within the fediverse are distributed and decentralized, which means that modifications made on one server might not impact others. Deleting a post will remove its visibility on Threads, and Threads will request other servers to delete it as well; however, the post might remain visible elsewhere.
Likewise, changing your Threads profile from public to private will disable fediverse sharing, and Threads will request the deletion of your content and information from other fediverse servers, but it could still be accessible publicly.
Threads API Access Also Available
Last week, Meta launched the Threads API, expanding developer capabilities and improving user engagement. This API enables developers to publish posts, access their data, and manage replies efficiently. It allows for the hiding and revealing of comments, as well as responses to particular threads. Additionally, the API provides analytics tools, enabling the tracking of metrics such as views, likes, replies, reposts, and quotes, for both individual media and overall accounts.
Threads has quickly ascended to the position of the largest app within the fediverse, boasting over 150 million monthly active users as of April. Comparatively, the entire fediverse encompasses over 11 million users, with Mastodon serving over 800,000 active participants each month.
Last Updated on November 7, 2024 3:47 pm CET
