Threads, the text-focused social network from Meta Platforms Inc, is testing its own version of TweetDeck, a feature once popular with Twitter users that let them see several content feeds on one screen.
Threads users in the test group can pin as many as 100 feeds to their homepage, making it easy to jump between posts from people you follow, posts recommended by the company’s algorithms, or feeds focused on specific keywords or topics. The new layout is only available for users accessing Threads on the web.
The new experience is similar to TweetDeck, a feature long beloved by Twitter diehards. TweetDeck, which was originally created by outside developers before being acquired by the company in 2011, was popular enough that Twitter management considered selling it to users as part of a subscription offering on several occasions over the years, but never ended up charging for it.
After Elon Musk acquired Twitter in late 2022, he changed the name of TweetDeck to X Pro and added it to the company’s subscription offering. Threads, meanwhile, is not charging for its new TweetDeck lookalike product, a spokesperson confirmed.
Meta debuted Threads last July as a response to Musk’s purchase of Twitter, with Meta chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg saying he hoped the service would eventually reach a billion users. Zuckerberg said in April that Threads has more than 150 million monthly active users. – Bloomberg
