Threads, a social media platform, has taken a big step by joining the Fediverse. This means users can now link their Threads accounts to a wider network of social media platforms. Meta, the company behind Threads, shared this news on Thursday. This new feature is for users who are 18 or older and have public profiles. To start, it's only available in the U.S., Canada, and Japan.

Meta had mentioned back in December that they were testing out this connection with Mastodon and other networks that use the ActivityPub protocol.

To use this new feature, users need to go into their account settings and turn on the option for Fediverse sharing. A message will pop up explaining the Fediverse. Basically, it's a big network of different servers where people can follow and interact with others, no matter where they are. It's kind of like how email works, letting people communicate across different services.

With this feature active, people using other platforms like Mastodon can find your Threads profile. They can like your posts, share them, and introduce them to a wider audience. This is a great way for Threads users to connect with people outside of Threads.

There are some limits, though. For example, you can't see who liked or replied to your posts from these other platforms while you're on Threads. Also, you can't share posts that have polls in them. At a recent conference, a Meta representative said they're looking into changing these limitations.

Even with these issues, it's a big deal that Meta is opening Threads to the Fediverse, especially since Threads is still quite new, having launched only eight months ago.

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