Zuckerberg said, ‘hold my beer.’ Ok, not really, but he’s certainly striking while the iron is hot with Twitter taking a hit in popularity.
Meta describes Threads as, “an app from Instagram where you can post threads, reply to others and follow profiles you’re interested in. Threads and replies can include short pieces of text, links, photos, videos or any combination of them.”
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Should I join right now?
Yes! The current set up process asks if you want to follow everyone you follow on Instagram (which seems to be the popular route to take), so gaining followers quickly is easier. Plus, there’s only a few million followers now, leaving more opportunities to be found before the platform gets to billions of users like Instagram currently has.
- Is joining easy?
The easiest. You log in using your Instagram account. Just download the Threads app in your App Store to get started. It’s also crazy easy to set up, just click the import Instagram settings button. BAM done!
- How is this different from Twitter?
Meta has made a point to say that Threads is totally different from Twitter. Connor Hayes, a Meta product vice president said, “Threads is a new app that’s focused on text and dialogue. And the way that we think about this is we’re modeling it after what Instagram has done for photo and video.” A few differences right off the bat:
– Twitter’s 280 character limit is rivaled by Thread’s 500 characters.
– There’s no separate direct messaging function (for now!)
– Hashtags are not a thing. Currently, there’s no trending functionality (for now!)
– Similar to the early days of Twitter, which have since changed, there’s no way to edit threads once you’ve posted them
- If hashtags are out, how will I get discovered?
The content you see in your feed isn’t just from people you choose to follow. There’s a mix of accounts you’ve chosen to follow and suggestions from ~the algorithms ~ included in your feed. As of now, there’s no way to make Threads show you only the posts from accounts you’ve chosen to follow and no way to clear your feed from people you didn’t select. Which to us, sounds like a whole lot of added reach!
- What should I post on Threads?
Similar things you’d post on Twitter BUT it’s looking like there’s much more of a photo/video component to Threads. Posts with added visuals are more eye-catching!
- Can my profile be private and is my info being sold?
Your Threads account can be either public or private. You can choose who is allowed to mention you and block accounts just like on Instagram.
That said, Threads makes no exception to the social media data mining we all know and love *says sarcastically.* They’re after your personal data, including collecting information about your location and what you look at and do in the app. According to the Washington Post, “Assume that when you sign up for a Threads account, Meta has access to everything Facebook and Instagram have learned about you over the years — on and off its apps — to target ads and tailor your experience.”
- Can I run ads?
Not yet! Meta says it “may open the door to ads in the future.” Stay tuned!
- Once I make an account, can I delete it?
Not quite. You can only delete your Threads account by deleting your Instagram account. Meta says, “You may deactivate your Threads profile at any time, but your Threads profile can only be deleted by deleting your Instagram account.” They’re working on a fix for this already.
- WTF is the fediverse?
Threads is working toward being part of the fediverse. According to Meta, it’s “a social network of different servers operated by third parties that are connected and can communicate with each other. Each server on the fediverse operates on its own but can talk to other servers on the fediverse [making it interoperable] that run on the same protocol.” Meaning your data can be shared from platform to platform.
