Mastodon Introduces 'Byline' Feature, Attracting Journalists to Twitter Alternative

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Mastodon, the open-source, decentralized alternative to Twitter (formerly X), is introducing a new feature aimed at making the app more appealing for users who rely on it to stay up-to-date with news and information from writers and journalists. Starting Tuesday, the company will begin rolling out clickable author bylines on link posts that can direct Mastodon users to the author’s account on the fediverse, provided they have an active account.

Table of Contents

A New Level of Exposure for Journalists

The new feature goes beyond the typical @username references often accompanying link posts from news publications and other written content. Instead, it will display the news publication’s headline and image followed by a reference underneath that includes the author’s profile photo and name. This change is designed to help journalists gain more exposure and increase their following on Mastodon.

Select News Publishers Already Onboard

The feature is already available for select news publishers, including The Verge, MacStories, and MacRumors. TechCrunch has also been informed that it will be included in the upcoming release. To access these new bylines, users need to be using the main Mastodon server (via [users] at mastodon.social) either on the web or through an official mobile app. For now, this is a requirement for accessing the feature.

Support from Third-Party Apps

Mastodon’s API will support the new bylines, allowing third-party apps to integrate the feature in the future. This means that users can expect to see the updated functionality across multiple platforms and apps.

The Technical Side of Things

On the back end, the innovation driving this feature is a new kind of OpenGraph tag called fediverse:creator. These tags are similar to those used on websites to determine thumbnail images displayed alongside shared content. The fediverse:creator tag looks like this: <meta name='fediverse:creator' content='@Gargron@mastodon.social' />.

Adding the Tag: A Simple Line of Code

The implementation of this tag is relatively straightforward, requiring only a simple line of code to be added to a website. This makes it easy for developers and publishers to integrate the feature into their existing platforms.

Support Across Multiple Platforms

The fediverse:creator tag can point to any fediverse account, not just Mastodon. This means that it can refer to accounts on platforms like Flipboard, Threads, WordPress (with the ActivityPub plug-in installed), PeerTube, Pixelfed, and others. Additionally, the handle in the tag does not require the leading @ symbol for referencing fediverse accounts.

A Future Release: Multiple Authors

One caveat of this feature is that it only supports a single author for co-byline situations; currently, only the first author will be displayed. However, Mastodon plans to address this limitation in a future release.

Proposed Specification Draft

Mastodon will propose a specification draft for other ActivityPub platforms in the coming weeks. This effort aims to encourage more widespread adoption of the fediverse:creator tag across various platforms and networks.

Potential Impact on Journalists and the Fediverse

The introduction of this feature could potentially increase the use of Mastodon among journalists, as it provides a new way for authors to gain exposure and build their following. With over 10 million users in the fediverse (not including Threads’ 170 million monthly users), this update has the potential to make Mastodon an even more attractive platform for writers and publications.

Conclusion

Mastodon’s introduction of clickable author bylines on link posts marks a significant step forward in enhancing the user experience and making the app more appealing for journalists and news enthusiasts. As the feature rolls out to select news publishers, users can expect to see more authors gaining exposure and increasing their following on Mastodon.