Meta may launch a Threads web version

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Meta may launch a Threads web version Aug 22, 2023 2:16:30 GMT

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Post by Admin on Aug 22, 2023 2:16:30 GMT

Meta will launch the web version of Threads, its competitor to X (formerly known as Twitter) early this week, reports The Wall Street Journal. A web version has been frustratingly missing since the short-form posting service began.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company is working on adding the feature along with better search (well, search at all, really — right now, you can only search for usernames on the platform) earlier this month, and that it would be ready in “the next few weeks.”

However, WSJ writes, its sources say the feature’s “launch plans aren’t final and could change.” Mosseri posted on Threads last week that Meta had been testing “an early version internally for a week or two,” but that it “needs some work” before wide release.

Threads launched as a very barebones Twitter clone only about a month and a half ago, quickly soaring past the 100 million user mark and filling with celebrities and brands, but it’s been missing several crucial features, which the company has been slowly adding. The company recently added a follow feed, as well as the ability to verify a link with your Mastodon profile, indicating Meta may actually be taking integration with the decentralized social network protocol Activity Pub at least partially seriously.

www.threads.net/@mosseri/post/CvvmPqOJGFx

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Meta may launch a Threads web version Aug 27, 2023 2:27:53 GMT

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Post by Admin on Aug 27, 2023 2:27:53 GMT

As of today, Threads, Instagram's Twitter alternative, is available as a logged-in web experience — but only for some users.

A representative for Threads told Mashable that "we’ll begin rolling out the feature over the next few days," with no further details around who is getting access and when. You can try your luck right now at threads.net.

The new desktop experience enables users to create, view, and interact with posts on their feed on desktop, and Threads promises that more functionality is on the way in the next few weeks.

This is the platform's next step in potentially overtaking X, which is struggling to court advertisers as it proves unable to curtail offensive content on the platform in addition to suffering from its rebrand from Twitter.

A web version of Threads has been highly anticipated by current and lapsed Threads users, and is just one of several new features added to the platform in recent weeks.

SEE ALSO: How to change your Threads feed to accounts you actually follow
It's unclear how many desktop users Threads plans to have, but it's safe to say that the option to access the platform from a computer will entice those users (like me) who abhor posting from their phones.

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Meta may launch a Threads web version Sept 19, 2023 4:50:29 GMT

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Post by Admin on Sept 19, 2023 4:50:29 GMT

Elon Musk said Monday he's moving to require all users to pay a monthly fee to use his social media site X, previously called Twitter.

Why it matters: The comments, which he made during a live-streamed event on X with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, come as the company struggles to regain trust with advertisers.

Musk said earlier this month that Twitter's U.S. ad revenue was down 60%. He has blamed the company's ad challenges on civil rights and consumer groups putting pressure on big brands.
Driving the news: During the live conversation, Netanyahu brought up the challenge of preventing large armies of bots that amplify hate speech.

Musk replied: "The single-most important reason we're moving to having a small monthly payment for use of the X system is it's the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots."
Musk said adding a subscription would make it much more difficult for bots to create accounts, because each bot would need to register a new credit card.
He added that the company plans to come out with "a lower tier pricing," than what it currently charges for its X Premium subscribers, which is around $8 monthly.
Yes, but: Musk has often teased new products or innovations, only to change course later down the line.

The big picture: Few social networks operate on subscriptions only, although more are experimenting with subscription products amid a weak ad market.

Data shows adoption of Premium X, the renamed subscription product that was formerly Twitter Blue, was slow, as of earlier this year.
Citing a third-party estimate, Mashable reported in May that roughly 640,000 to 680,000 people were subscribed to Twitter Blue as of the end of April.
Twitter first rolled out Twitter Blue in 2021. Musk overhauled the subscription last November, increasing the price and changing some features. Most notably, Musk changed Twitter's verification system to only allow paid subscribers to be verified.