Threads starts testing TweetDeck-like pinned columns on Web

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that Threads has more than 150 million monthly active users, up from over 130 million in February

Meta's text-focused conversation platform Threads is testing a new TweetDeck-like interface on the Web, as the company looks to attract more power users on its platform, designed to challenge Elon Musk-owned X (formerly Twitter).

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on May 16 that the social network is testing pinned columns on the web.

This experience will let users pin separate columns for their favorite searches, tags, accounts, saved posts, and notifications, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said in a post on Threads.

A screenshot of how Threads' pinned feature looks

Moneycontrol observed that one can also pin the chronological 'Following' feed, along with likes, profile and activities on the platform such as replies, follows, mentions, quotes, reposts, and posts from verified people.

People can also configure all columns except the algorithmic 'For You' column to auto-update, so that new posts appear as they are posted on the platform. This addresses a key user frustration of Threads not showing posts in real-time on the platform, unlike its rival X.

To be sure, Threads had introduced a real-time 'Following' Feed in July last year but one couldn't set it as the default feed. This meant that people were forced into the algorithmic 'For You' feed every time they open the platform on the web or mobile that mostly displayed older posts.

Threads' recent tab rollout

Yesterday, Mosseri said the company is also introducing a recent tab on user searches to make it easier for them to find timely, relevant content on the platform. Search results are still evaluated for quality, but one can now see them in chronological order, he said.

The pinned columns pilot from Threads comes nearly nine months after Musk rebranded TweetDeck as X Pro and placed the social media dashboard under a paywall, available only to the paid members of X Premium, the company's subscription offering.

Threads debuted in July 2023 in order to capitalise on the growing trend of Twitter/X users looking to migrate to alternative platforms.

After a blockbuster launch that saw 100 million sign-ups in less than five days, the platform's usage tanked due to its limited set of features.

Since then, Meta has been introducing a range of new features to attract people onto its platform. This includes a fully functional web application, keyword search, trending topics, edit button, voice posts, and the ability to support multiple accounts.

The company has also been promoting posts from Threads on its video and photo-sharing app Instagram.

These feature additions have resulted in the app's usage bouncing back to growth. In April, Zuckerberg said that Threads has more than 150 million monthly active users, up from over 130 million in February and about 100 million users in October.

In July 2023, the Meta chief had said that he expects Threads to become the next billion-user social network in its suite of apps, which includes Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger.

Threads' fediverse integration

Meta also recently took a major step towards delivering on its promise to make Threads interoperable. It started allowing users in countries such as the United States, Canada, and Japan to share their posts to the fediverse.

The fediverse is a group of decentralised social networks, including Mastodon, which can communicate with each other through the ActivityPub protocol. The feature will be available to all users with public profiles above the age of 18 in these countries.

With this, Threads became Meta's first app that is compatible with rival services. It will enable users to interact with a broader community beyond the app's user base and also have the option to transfer content to another service in the future.

The social networking giant recently said it is also testing a Threads API to enable creators, developers and brands build their own unique integrations, manage their Threads presence at scale, and share fresh, new content with their communities. Through this API, Meta enables developers to authenticate, publish posts, and fetch their own content.

Meta said it is working with a few partners such as Grabyo, Hootsuite, Social News Desk, Sprinklr, Sprout Social and Techmeme at present, with plans to make the API broadly available by the end of June.

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