Threads: Info for Writers and Creators to Consider Re: This New Social Platform

On Wednesday July 5, 2023, a new social media platform launched. It was a MVP; a Minimally Viable Product from Meta (Instagram/Facebook) that may (or may not) have been rushed to life as an answer to Twitter.

Plans for the new platform were confirmed only a few months earlier and after only five days over 100 million signups have made this new platform a juggernaut.

But; a juggernaut going where? And is it something that Vocal creators want to have in their toolbox?

What is Threads?

It's the top free app in the Apple App Store, and the top trending topic today on Twitter (irony is bliss). Just a few days before Threads launched Twitter users found that they were restricted in viewing Tweets, which only heightened the glee with which they flocked away from the bird and entered the Threads-dom.

Although with any launch of a product or platform, early days functionality can be suspect, what there is so far is proving addictively fun for me:

1. Each post on Threads has a limit of 500 characters.
2. If you are in Instagram, joining is easy and you can import everyone you follow on Instagram or person/brand by person. It was a good time to be selective, and I went minimalist in the importing. Since I joined on the first day I opted to follow some folks if/when they, too, join Threads. And i can track that within the platform.
3. Thread accounts can be visible to everyone or made private.
4. Threads can be snoozed or temporarily deactivated once joined, but only deleted if the user also deletes Instagram.
5. Additional functionality is underway, but right now type carefully as there is no editing yet!
6. Although brands and organizations are there with their own accounts (Starbucks, Bookshop.org, and Dunkin' are active and frequently very fun/funny), there are no ads at this time.
7. In the works as per Meta is a more robust search function, enabling hashtags, trending topics, and a version for desktop (right now it is only app for phones)

Is Threads for Creators?

In my opinion: Yes; and here's my link. Threads is a tool for creators to spread awareness of their writing and maximize their reach. Like any tools, make sure you are clear about the purpose and use before jumping in.

• Threads is similar in functionality to a Insta-Twitter hybrid. That means just posting a link to a Vocal post and sitting back collecting adoration and reads is probably not going to work. (Pro Tip: This really doesn't work anywhere else, either, so...)
• I don't expect to get much, if any, reads from my Vocal posts right now. that's because the whole platform is in a giddy "look at me! Look at us! This is NEW!' phase, and only the most compelling anything is going to get people to click something that takes them out of the Threads platform.
• Craft your post with a compelling phrase, question, timely thought, and make the link the afterthought. Right now I am posting to move my work onto my Threads profile and creating a brand. I am posting one or two links a day, and including my Medium content, too.
• Your lead image is also very important on Threads. As you go forward with new content be sure you are choosing images that will stop the scroll and keep eyes on what you are sharing.
• I have links to both my Vocal and Medium profile in my Threads profile header. I want to make it as easy as possible to find me when people are ready to read. (Pro Tip: This is a good time to look at your Vocal profile and tidy it up for new readers. Do you need a new bio? Header? Change up your pinned stories?)
• Vocal has an account, so be sure to tag @vocal_creators when you share a link to your Vocal content.

First Time Thread Users First Day Tips

Your feed will be a mishmash of the most popular posts when you first sign in. The quicker you find people to follow the more you will control the algorithms and tailor your feed to what YOU want to see.

Use the Search icon at the bottom of the screen and look for people to follow, your hometown, your favorite news sources, or your passions and hobbies. I have a passion for books, and I work for a non-profit that assists the employees and owners of bookstores and comic shops that are in unexpected crisis, so I searched for the keywords 'book', 'comics', 'bookstore', 'publisher', and 'comicbook'. I'm curating a nice mix, now, on my homepage.

When you find someone to follow, check out the folks THEY are following, and make some selections there to follow. (I felt a bit like I was playing Pokémon when I was doing that!)

Clicking on the heart icon on your screen shows you your activity feed, and also shows you folks that start following you. You can choose to follow them in return, if you like. (Interestingly enough to me: a younfgand fit man that has trouble keeping on his short started following me today. After inspecting hos profile- twice- I opted not to follow him. But I didn't delete him from my followers, which is also an option. ) Also on the Activity feed are likes and comments to your posts or comments, which is nice.

When you are ready for followers share your info with others. I'm going to add my Threads profile to my Vocal profile page. If you join you are welcome to follow me! Here's what I posted on Facebook:

I hope this gave you a bit of info on the first days of Threads. I'm looking forward to the platform evolving and adding more functions (like Vocal has been doing!), and exploring it both for its own self and as a way to increase reads and visibility to my writing.

After all, I even wrote a poem about it:

Please let me know in the comments: Do you think you'll give Threads a try?

While you’re here, please do one or all of the following!

1. Leave a comment and share your thoughts. Please share your Threads profile link if you've joined! Share any tips you've discovered about using the platform.

2. Click on the little heart to let me know that this clicked with you.

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You can also find me on Medium. AND you can find me on Threads!