After testing advertising in select markets, Meta Platforms is now offering ads on Instagram’s Threads globally to all eligible advertisers, providing access to the more than 320 million monthly active users the social platform has accrued since launching in July 2023. The Threads feed ad placement will be set on by default for new campaigns using either Advantage+ or Manual Placements unless an advertiser toggles to opt out. Global Threads advertisers will also have access to the platform’s inventory filter, which provides increased control over the distribution of ads. Continue reading Meta Opens Threads Advertising Globally to Eligible Accounts

Bluesky is adding account verification in the form of an “easily recognizable blue check.” But when it comes to individual users, the privilege has to be earned, not requested or paid for. “Bluesky will proactively verify authentic and notable accounts and display a blue check next to their names,” the Jack Dorsey-founded microblogging social platform announced. Select independent organizations are able to “verify accounts directly” using Trusted Verifiers, but Bluesky will review those as well. Since 2023, the company has allowed domain names to be registered as Bluesky account handles, but users indicated “a larger visual signal would be useful.” Continue reading Bluesky Rolls Out Check Certification for Authentic Accounts

Social platforms Bluesky and X are rolling out new features timed to take advantage over confusion as to the fate of TikTok. Positioning their video feeds with dedicated tabs and optimization for vertical display are among the updates. Meanwhile, Instagram has debuted an editing feature that rivals CapCut, the popular program owned by TikTok parent ByteDance. Bluesky’s newly customizable video feeds let users swipe up or down and also allow curation using hashtags like #BookSky, a challenge to BookTok. A timeline of trending videos prominently placed under its search tab is another Bluesky addition. Continue reading Amidst TikTok Uncertainty, X and Bluesky Add New Features

Meta Platforms is showing off fediverse integration for Threads, the Instagram spinoff launched last summer to take on Twitter, now X. At this week’s FediForum virtual conference, Meta Platforms software engineer Peter Cottle demonstrated how users will be able to connect accounts to use the fediverse, simultaneously reaching multiple audiences. Currently, “a limited number of Threads profiles can share their posts to other fediverse platforms,” according to Instagram. In an alpha test, interactions, such as likes and replies, from other fediverse platforms “won’t be viewable on Threads.” Continue reading FediForum: Meta Demonstrates Threads Fediverse Integration

Decentralized social platform Bluesky has open-sourced a tool called Ozone that facilitates custom moderation. Debuting this week, Ozone lets individuals or teams collaboratively review and label content on the platform. “We’re opening up the ability to run your own independent moderation services, seamlessly integrated into the Bluesky app,” the company says, explaining “you’ll be able to create and subscribe to additional moderation services” on top of that which is administered by Bluesky’s moderation team, “giving you unprecedented control over your social media experience.” Continue reading Ozone Helps Users Customize Content Moderation on Bluesky

Bluesky — Jack Dorsey’s alternative to X (formerly Twitter) — has been quietly ramping up, recently opening for general public sign-ups while adding hashtag support and the ability for users to host their own servers. The company last month appointed Aaron Rodericks to the newly created position of head of trust and safety, a title he held at Twitter before Elon Musk purchased it and decimated the division (which he now co-heads with X CEO Linda Yaccarino). The technical updates will make it easier for users to sort threads for topics of interest and takes a big step toward federation and allowing users to freely move their accounts. Continue reading Bluesky Opens to the Public Ahead of the Presidential Election

Bluesky, the decentralized social media app spun out by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey that is poised to become a competitor to that platform’s successor, X, has passed the 2 million users milestone just 10 months after its launch. Although still in private beta, and accessible only through an invite code, Bluesky has been making headlines recently, first for what was criticized as lax content moderation, and also for announcing a public web interface that would allow anyone (and everyone) to view posts by the private network’s members, a policy decision that has reportedly been reversed. Continue reading Bluesky Adds Automated Moderation, Rethinks Web Visibility

Mozilla-backed Mammoth wants to lure social media users to the fediverse, presenting its latest iteration, Mammoth 2, as “the easiest way to quit Twitter/X for good and join Mastodon.” Having added a “For You” feed earlier this year, Mammoth 2 now debuts on the iPhone, iPad and Mac, delving deeper into news and curation. New “Smart Lists” are filled with recommended posts, suggested connections and accounts to follow. The future of social “is being built today on ActivityPub and Mastodon,” Mammoth’s creators claim, calling for “an open protocol anybody can build on,” as with “email or the open web.” Continue reading Intuitive Mammoth App Aims to Simplify Accessing Mastodon

Threads released an iOS update this week that automates the ability to translate posts into foreign languages. The Instagram spinoff also added a follows tab to the activities feed, where replies and mentions are displayed. Also new to iOS is the ability to access a list of any user’s Instagram followers, to subscribe to “unfollowed” users, and tappable repost labels. While Threads has prompted shock and awe by hitting 100 million downloads within five days of its July 5 launch, and is now at about 150 million, there are reports of dips in user activity. Meanwhile, the new platform has followed Twitter in introducing tighter rate limits. Continue reading Meta’s Threads Adds Updates, Aims to Suppress Bot Attacks

This week, Twitter released TweetDeck 2.0 and announced that as of August it will be available only to those who pay for a Twitter Blue subscription. Since competing products like Hootsuite and Buffer also charge for use, TweetDeck may entice those customers who find it a valuable tool to Twitter’s premium tier. Twitter owner Elon Musk has been paywalling various functions as he seeks to generate revenue to help meet hefty interest payments, estimated at $300 million every three months, from his highly publicized October 2022 acquisition. The third payment is due late this month. Continue reading New TweetDeck Will Be Exclusive to Twitter Blue Subscribers

A Twitter challenger called Spill, designed by two former employees, started trending this past weekend as Elon Musk announced that Twitter is putting limits on the number of posts users can read. Spill climbed in Apple’s App Store rankings over the holiday weekend, rising to the No. 3 most downloaded app and emerging as the store’s most-downloaded social media app. Spill users call themselves “Spillionaires,” a moniker the company has embraced. On Saturday, Musk said Twitter will limit post views for non-paying users, sending Spill downloads soaring. Continue reading Twitter Challenger Spill Spikes as Musk Imposes Read Limits

Meta Platforms previewed its in-development Twitter rival, called Project 92, for staff last week. Chief product officer Chris Cox demoed the decentralized app, which the company plans to launch through Instagram. Meta received feedback from creators and high-profile figures indicating they want “a sanely run” platform. Project 92 — also referred to internally as “P92” or “Barcelona” — bears similarities to Twitter but unlike that closed system will interoperate with other decentralized social apps like Mastodon and Bluesky. Although a specific timeline wasn’t shared, Cox reportedly said Meta plans to launch P92 “as soon as we can.” Continue reading Meta Unveils Its Upcoming Twitter Competitor for Employees

Details are emerging about the text-based Twitter competitor being developed by Meta Platforms. What is being referred to internally as “Instagram’s new text-based app for conversations” will offer a feed with text posts of up to 500 characters that are capable of attaching links, photos, and videos. The move comes as alternatives including Bluesky, Cohost, Hive, Mastodon and Substack try to gain market share by luring disaffected Twitter users to their platforms. Instagram’s entry in progress — codenamed “P92,” and alternately referred to as “Barcelona” — may soon be interoperable with all of them. Continue reading Meta Testing Decentralized Instagram App as Rival to Twitter

About 60 percent of Americans who have used Twitter in the past year report taking a break from the platform during that time, with 25 percent of them predicting they are unlikely to be using the service a year from now, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. The survey of adult Twitter users was conducted March 13-19, approximately five months after billionaire Elon Musk purchased the site in October. The findings come amidst media debates as to whether Twitter is “dying,” according to Pew, which notes some high-level celebrity defections since Musk took over the social site. Continue reading Twitter Usage Decline Could Indicate a Trend Moving Forward

Jack Dorsey’s alternative to Twitter called Bluesky is taking off. Last week, Bluesky had its biggest single-day jump in new sign-ups. Still in beta, the platform has only a few thousand users, but seems to have the right ones. High-profile socialistas including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) model Chrissy Teigen and influencer Dril (Paul Dochney) have joined, and thousands of others are waitlisted. Bluesky began rolling out to iOS devices in February and added Android last month. The app offers some of the same features as Twitter, including the ability to post short text and photo updates, replies and shares. Continue reading Dorsey’s Bluesky Heats Up with Well-Timed Influencer Invites