Text-Search Comes to Threads, Tests Begin in New Zealand & Australia
Meta is testing a much-anticipated feature for Threads, the compact microblogging application. The biggest social networking platform is aiming to make it possible to text-search for posts. Threads didn’t arrive with several essential and expected features. Users are unfortunately restricted to account searches only. But it appears that will soon change, which means there will be more options to find posts.
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An incomplete app with immense potential
One week was all it took for Threads to reach 100 million users. However, in the weeks that have subsequently passed, engagement has decreased, and there are currently an estimated 8 million DAUs. The company has been working to boost Threads engagement, which has decreased since the initial frenzy. Threads, Meta’s competitor on Twitter (or X), is currently limited in many ways. For instance, on Threads, users are unable to DM or update the alt text. Although hashtags are legally allowed in a Threads post, they are meaningless because they cannot be clicked on. There is no hot topic area on Threads.
But over the past few weeks, the business has quickly introduced some of the most in-demand services. Meta added a page where you may view likes and the following feeds, making the app remarkably user-friendly. A web version of Threads was just recently made available to users due to tremendous interest. By doing this, Meta gave users the option to post from a device other than their phone. It will be interesting to see if the web version of Threads and having real, helpful searches can stop the decreasing trend of Threads.
They also added the repost tab.
Threads’ Text-Search
Users can only currently search for usernames on Threads. The business is aiming to provide full text-search, though. In Australia and New Zealand, it has already begun testing this feature. It also has larger expansion ambitions in the works for additional English-speaking nations. When it will occur, though, is yet unknown. Users might not soon be able to utilize complex search capabilities or filters because this is an early version of the search engine. It’s noteworthy that Mastodon has begun rolling out a new version of the pop-up search bar search with easily accessible filters to hunt for posts with media or look for topics within a certain time window.
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Meta To Roll Out Web Version Of Threads, Granting User Requests
Social media behemoth Meta stated that the web version of its microblogging app Threads will launch the following week as it prepares to battle rival X. Since the short-form content app’s release, the web version feature has annoyingly been absent. One of the numerous features that people have requested from Threads is the availability of a desktop version. Threads currently post on the web, but access is restricted. This is attributed to the app’s design to work on mobile devices.
Threads’ Web Presence
The web version launch plans for Thread are still tentative and remain susceptible to change at any time. One of the reasons people left Threads, at least in comparison to X, is because of this functionality. One of the service’s main flaws, especially for business customers, is that there isn’t a functional web version of it. This is because not everyone chooses to use apps on their cell phones.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, announced that the business was working on integrating the feature along with improved search. On the platform, users can only look for usernames as of now. The upgrades are scheduled to roll out in a few weeks. The web version of Threads is currently undergoing internal testing, according to Threads and Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri. To combat misinformation and propaganda, Threads has begun to display labels for state-controlled media organizations. In a Threads post, he stated,
We’re working on it! We’ve been using an early version internally for a week or two. Still needs some work before we can open it up to everyone though… It’s a little bit buggy right now, you don’t want it just yet. As soon as it is ready, we will share it with everybody else.
A web-based version of Threads would be a big advantage for Meta in its ongoing competition with X, according to Sam Saliba, a former global brand marketing head at Instagram who still keeps in touch with individuals at Meta. It would increase the company’s capacity for gathering information, expand its market reach, and add fresh attributes.
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Threads’ momentum faces a slippery slope
The debut of Threads was an attempt to compete with social media site X. It came in time to win over some of the users upset with the modifications made by Elon Musk. The social media app was well accepted by users, surpassing 100 million monthly active users in just one week. However, it lacks key elements that would keep it alive. According to Similar Web data obtained by the Wall Street Journal, the number of threads with active users has decreased to about 10 million. The survey also revealed that, compared to its peak usage right after the introduction, Threads users now only spend 2.4 minutes a day using the app. In contrast, X gets about 363.7 million MAUs. There has been criticism that the app only offers basic content produced by brand executives and celebrities. The informal discussions and real-time responses to events at its peak made Twitter or X, feel dynamic and interesting.
The decision is timely because the site is having trouble keeping users. During an internal company town hall the month prior, Mark Zuckerberg informed his staff that user retention was better than anticipated but not ideal. According to him, the decrease in users was expected, and retention would increase as new features, like the desktop version, are implemented. Other recent updates from Meta include the option to customize post alerts for individual users and read posts in a kind of chronological feed. Additionally, they have also given users the option to utilize their Mastodon profile to confirm a link and a following tab.
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