Threads - Everything you need to know and it has nothing to do with sewing

How to use the new app from Meta

Hello!

I’ve missed writing to you.

Things have calmed down a little in my working week and so I’m glad to be back in your inbox.

I’ve made some changes, got lots more to make (including some on this newsletter) but enough of all that for now, because this isn’t an update letter, this letter is all about Threads. The new app from Meta.

It was out last week and I’ve been losing more time than I’d like to admit on the app. It’s so fun on there. I love it. It’s like Twitter but way better.

So, here’s what I know about the app so far. Here’s why it might be good for you to join if you’re not on there already, and here’s how to use it to your best advantage.

Getting Started on Threads

Download the App here. You can only download it on your mobile so far, no desktop version as yet, and when you log in, it will take all your information from your Instagram account and use that. So your username, profile picture and bio are all automatically done.

It will also give you the option to follow all the people you do on Insta, and I love this feature!

I’ve been chatting with people I haven’t connected with in years. Also it means that you arrive with your profile already done and followers. Feels like home.

You can’t edit your username, but you can edit your bio and add a link.

Is Threads just another Twitter?

It feels the same, albeit a little nicer, but there are some major differences. there isn’t any option to direct message people, no audio rooms or lists or advanced search features and hashtags don’t work.

There also isn’t any way to completely curate your newsfeed like Twitter. Threads shows you a For You page similar to TikTok which is a mix of people you follow and people you don’t.

I know a lot of people HATE this, they hate seeing posts from randoms, but I like it. So far, my feed has been lovely and I’ve met lots of new and interesting people that I wouldn’t normally.

There are also currently no ads on Threads. YAY! But that is likely to change as Zuckerburg made a statement saying that once it gets on the way to one billion users, they’ll look at monetization.

That might sound like a lot, but in the first day it had over thirty million users and it’s the number one app being downloaded, so it probably won’t be long until sponsored content starts showing up on the feed.

Do I need to be on Threads?

An early adopter on any social media platform is a good step as it allows you to grow fast and your content is really being seen at the moment.

I’m finding it brilliant for making connections, chatting with other writers and giving me the opportunity to meet new people that I wouldn’t normally run in to online.

Since joining threads my follower count on my Instagram has increased, even though I’ve not been posting much on Instagram at all!

No one has any idea if it will be the new Twitter or if it will go the same way as Clubhouse and just slowly disappear, but if you are fed up with Twitter and like to connect with your community really quickly and easily, then it might be worth a look.

How to use Threads

So here’s the nitty-gritty!

- Single posts can be up to 500 characters, no more than that

- Thread posts work like Twitter in the way that you do a number of single posts and thread them together to make a long piece of content.

- You can put outbound links in your posts

- You can add images as well as carousel posts

- A video post can be up to 5 mins long

- You can add GIF’s by downloading the GIPHY App, turning on the keyboard in settings and selecting the globe at the bottom left when making a post.

- EVERYONE can see your replies to a post, so play nice.

- THERE IS NO EDIT BUTTON (I needed that to be all in caps so it sinks in)

- Hashtags, as said earlier, don’t work, so don’t bother with them at all

- There’s no way to search, so SEO isn’t doing much on here either

- I advise that you turn off notifications, in the first day I had sooooooo many

- You can cross-post your Thread to Instagram

- You can share your Thread to Twitter (Ha!)

- If you sign up to Threads and then decide you don’t want to be on there, if you delete your account, it will also delete your Instagram account as Meta sees them as one and the same. You can delete the App, just not your account.

What should I post on Threads?

It’s brand spanking new so experiment a little.

As with any social media platform, shareable content is key to reaching new people and growing so think Memes, How-to, and fun stuff.

Try not to take it too seriously, and whatever you do, don’t just use it for promoting your work and nothing else because that never works. Instead, make connections and have fun on there.

No one knows how this will play out, and just because a new platform has launched, it doesn’t mean you have to join. If you like Twitter, but hate how it is recently, you’ll probably enjoy Threads.

So are you joining? Have you already joined?

Here I am, reply in the comments and let me know where, and if, I can find you on there?

Zoe x