Mastodon Launches New Feature to Highlight Journalism
Mastodon, known as the open-source, decentralized alternative to X (formerly Twitter), has recently introduced a new feature aimed at enhancing the platform for users interested in following news and updates from writers and journalists. This exciting development includes clickable author bylines on link posts, providing Mastodon users with direct access to the author’s account on the fediverse, thereby offering journalists an opportunity to expand their reach and increase their following.
The new bylines represent a significant improvement over the standard @username references commonly seen on link posts from news outlets and other content sources. This update now includes the news publication’s headline and image, followed by the author’s profile photo and name. Select publishers like The Verge, MacStories, and MacRumors are already benefiting from this feature, with TechCrunch soon to follow.
To access these new bylines, users can utilize the main Mastodon server at mastodon.social through the web or official mobile app. Support for the feature on other Mastodon servers is contingent upon the recent Mastodon nightly release and approval from moderators.
API support for the new bylines means that third-party apps can integrate this functionality, expanding its reach and usability across different platforms. The introduction of a new OpenGraph tag underpinning this feature simplifies its implementation and opens up possibilities beyond just Mastodon.
Although the current version of the tag does not support multiple authors for co-byline scenarios, this limitation may be addressed in upcoming releases. Mastodon plans to propose a specification draft for other ActivityPub platforms in the near future, paving the way for broader adoption and enhancement across the federated social network ecosystem.
With the potential to attract more journalists to the platform by offering increased exposure, the addition of author bylines underscores Mastodon’s commitment to supporting content creators within the fediverse community. As one of the key players in the federated social networking space, Mastodon’s user base continues to grow, with over 804,000 monthly active users.