Opening your Threads account up to the fediverse is as easy as a click

It looks like the fediverse is continuing to open up. In late March, Meta’s Threads introduced a beta feature that allows users from the US, Canada, or Japan to cross-post and view likes from Mastodon and, presumably, other federated social networks. In June, it added that ability to over 100 countries.

If you want to do it the long way around, you can still do it from the mobile app or the web version:

Look for the “Fediverse sharing” option in your Settings.

Screenshot: Meta

Once you select Fediverse sharing, you will probably be moved through a series of explanatory screens that tell you what the fediverse is and how sharing works (you will need a public profile) and warn you that once your post is out in the fediverse, Threads has no control over the rules of the servers it lands on. If you stop sharing, Meta can request that any previously shared posts be removed from another server, but that’s all. [Note: these were the warnings I observed when I first went through the process in March; since they only appear the first time you enable sharing, it’s possible they may have changed since then.]

Some other things to keep in mind:

A sharing symbol will appear next to your name on your Threads profile page (outlined here in blue).

Screenshot: Meta

So, what does that all mean?

It means, according to Meta, that “your Threads profile can be followed by people using different servers on the fediverse, and eventually, you’ll be able to follow them from Threads.” If you’ve turned your sharing on and you select “Fediverse sharing,” you’ll be reminded of your username and told that you can now connect and share with others in the fediverse.

From my Mastodon account, I was able to follow my Threads account.

A couple of shared posts as seen in Threads.

How significant this is depends on how well cross-posting works in the future, how smooth the process becomes, and what kinds of security measures are put into place to prevent bad actors from using it to invade servers that are meant to be safe spaces, among other issues. As mentioned above, I’ve been using it since March and have found that the process works nicely. This could be the beginning of a much more comprehensive type of social networking.

Update September 13th, 2024: Updated to include the single link leading to the fediverse sharing dialog, along with other changes.

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