Meta has been testing the Threads API with a small number of developers: Grabyo, Hootsuite, Social News Desk, Sprinklr, Sprout Social, and Techmeme. These test integrations have allowed sites like Techmeme to automate posting to Threads, or Sprout and Hootsuite customers to feed Threads posts into the social media management platform.
We’re now waiting to see if developers will be able to easily build a third-party Threads app with this new API that’s not connected to a social media management platform. The existing fediverse beta could help with that, allowing Threads users to access posts through Mastodon clients and share content to Mastodon servers. The current beta of the fediverse integration doesn’t let users view replies and follows from the fediverse though
Up until this exact story, I was of the opinion that “honestly what’s the big deal, like what can they really do.”
After reading that hooking Threads into the spam-engines that so thoroughly fucked up Facebook was a big priority, but letting Threads people read Fediverse replies is still on the we’ll-get-to-it list, I am for the first time of the opinion “Oh. I see. You guys were right. Everyone needs to steer pretty clear of this.”
I’m having a hard time replying to this without sounding like a shill for them, but fediverse integration is still in beta. Full fediverse integration is under active development, and that takes time. Flipboard is also working on fediverse integration, and it’s taking an equally long time to get up and running. The API is undoubtedly being developed by a separate team, and is also probably a significantly easier task to tackle.
I also wouldn’t say access to an API is what destroyed Facebook either though.
I get that, but in what world do you release a feature incomplete beta for a messaging platform integration where the “reading other people’s messages” part is one of the features you’re waiting until later in the cycle to develop?
And I’m not saying API access killed Facebook, I’m saying bot-scheduled inorganic content coming in a flood into everyone’s feed even though literally 0 people want it there is what killed Facebook. And that by specifically calling out that stuff as what they want to bring to Threads (above and ahead of reading the Mastodon people’s messages), they’re showing that their priorities are so toxic that no good can come of interacting with them. It’s the types of posting they want to create that is the problem, not the API that let those postings come into existence.
It’s a public beta, so by the nature of things it’s going to be incomplete. Flipboard is doing the same thing with one-way federation and only federating certain profiles during the test period.
They also didn’t say they want bot-scheduled inorganic content coming in a flood into everyone’s feed though, they said they’re releasing an API. An API could be used by a developer with ill-intentions to automate spam posting, but the alternative is to not have an API and never support third-party apps.
You are correct sir or ma’am
On the other hand, there is this:
Up until this exact story, I was of the opinion that “honestly what’s the big deal, like what can they really do.”
After reading that hooking Threads into the spam-engines that so thoroughly fucked up Facebook was a big priority, but letting Threads people read Fediverse replies is still on the we’ll-get-to-it list, I am for the first time of the opinion “Oh. I see. You guys were right. Everyone needs to steer pretty clear of this.”
I’m having a hard time replying to this without sounding like a shill for them, but fediverse integration is still in beta. Full fediverse integration is under active development, and that takes time. Flipboard is also working on fediverse integration, and it’s taking an equally long time to get up and running. The API is undoubtedly being developed by a separate team, and is also probably a significantly easier task to tackle.
I also wouldn’t say access to an API is what destroyed Facebook either though.
I get that, but in what world do you release a feature incomplete beta for a messaging platform integration where the “reading other people’s messages” part is one of the features you’re waiting until later in the cycle to develop?
And I’m not saying API access killed Facebook, I’m saying bot-scheduled inorganic content coming in a flood into everyone’s feed even though literally 0 people want it there is what killed Facebook. And that by specifically calling out that stuff as what they want to bring to Threads (above and ahead of reading the Mastodon people’s messages), they’re showing that their priorities are so toxic that no good can come of interacting with them. It’s the types of posting they want to create that is the problem, not the API that let those postings come into existence.
It’s a public beta, so by the nature of things it’s going to be incomplete. Flipboard is doing the same thing with one-way federation and only federating certain profiles during the test period.
They also didn’t say they want bot-scheduled inorganic content coming in a flood into everyone’s feed though, they said they’re releasing an API. An API could be used by a developer with ill-intentions to automate spam posting, but the alternative is to not have an API and never support third-party apps.
I think we’re gonna have to agree to disagree on what they’re saying they want