In hopes of slowing down some of the momentum from social network Bluesky, a competitor to X and Meta's Threads, Meta is introducing one of Bluesky's most popular additions to the concept of “starter packs,” or hand-curated, We are developing features inspired by the list concept. Suggest users to help beginners find people to follow. The Meta version of these starter packs will also suggest profiles “hand-picked by the people on the thread,” a feature that's still in development, according to a screenshot of the feature.
Unlike Threads, which was built on Instagram's existing social graph, Bluesky needed a quick and easy way to connect new users with others in the community whose posts were interesting. Instead of importing users' address books, the startup introduced the concept of “starter packs,” a curated list of recommended users that anyone in the community could create.
These lists can be created around topics of interest, geography, industry, fan group, language, and more.
This feature has become so popular that there are now websites like Blueskystarterpack.com that compile everyone's Bluesky Starter Packs into a searchable database. Starter packs are often shared by other users in their Bluesky feed and are available as a tab on a user's profile. (We also have a TechCrunch Starter Pack!)
Of course, Threads doesn't necessarily have to create features like a starter pack. It now connects users to the accounts they follow on Instagram and leverages other signals from the Meta app family to infer their interests when suggesting apps to other users. . Follow Threads user interface.
However, Meta notes that the process of building and sharing Starter Packs is extremely popular at Bluesky, allowing people to instantly form connections and feel part of a growing community. may feel threatened.
Technologist and reverse engineer Chris Messina recently discovered that Threads appears to be designing its own Starter Pack replacement. To access this feature, enter a code string in Safari on iOS that points to a new feature called “Suggested Follows List.”
In the screen that pops up, Threads offers a list of “Profiles to Follow” and a different list of suggested users will be available. In the current test, only one suggested user list was displayed. It's a list called “NBA Threads.”
The screenshot shows that NBA list creation is by individual Threads users, and that the lists themselves are built by people on Threads, not the company itself.
Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new development.
TechCrunch was able to test the feature following Messina's instructions and was able to see it on iOS as well. This doesn't mean Threads will definitely make this feature publicly available, but it's clearly something that's being considered.
In recent weeks, the meta has increasingly acted as if it views Blue Sky as a threat.
The company publicly disputed third-party data that showed Bluesky was closing the gap with Threads, and subsequently changed its custom and default feeds from the algorithm's “For You” feed to something else. We've also started tweaking our own algorithms to show you more content from accounts you follow.
Additionally, after the US election, Threads began distributing reminders that they could adjust their political content settings. The move follows backlash over an earlier decision to restrict recommendations of political content across the app and on Instagram, a choice that led some users to adopt Bluesky instead. .
This week, Meta also announced that Threads has added 35 million new users so far in November. This was an apparent response to continued coverage of Bluesky's rapid growth, with the company's user base exceeding 9 million in September and now at nearly 23 million.
In response to a post about Bluesky's competitive threats, Instagram head Adam Mosseri admitted on Threads that Meta shipped “some stuff” to the app without testing it beforehand.