Mastodon, the open-source and decentralized alternative to Twitter, is introducing a new feature to make the platform more appealing to users who rely on it for news and information. The company is rolling out clickable author bylines on link posts, allowing Mastodon users to easily access the author’s account on the fediverse, if active. This feature aims to increase exposure for journalists and help them grow their following.
Unlike the typical @username references found in link posts, the new bylines will include the news publication’s headline and image, followed by the author’s profile photo and name. This provides a more comprehensive and visually appealing way to showcase authors. Currently, the feature is being tested with select news publishers such as The Verge, MacStories, and MacRumors.
To access these new bylines, users need to be on the main Mastodon server at mastodon.social, either through the web or official mobile app. Other Mastodon servers will need to support the recent Mastodon nightly release, and the feature will only work for moderator-approved websites. Mastodon’s API will also support these bylines, allowing third-party apps to implement the feature in the future.
The implementation of this feature is made possible by a new kind of OpenGraph tag. This tag can be added to websites with a simple line of code and helps determine the thumbnail image that appears alongside previews when shared on platforms like Mastodon, iMessage, and Discord. The tag can refer to any fediverse account, not just Mastodon, expanding its compatibility with platforms like Flipboard, Threads, WordPress (with the ActivityPub plug-in installed), PeerTube, and Pixelfed.
However, one limitation of the current implementation is that it only supports a single author; co-byline situations will only display the first author. Mastodon plans to address this in a future release and intends to propose a specification draft for other ActivityPub platforms in the coming weeks.
This new feature has the potential to attract more journalists to the federated social network. With over 10 million users on the fediverse and Mastodon boasting around 804,000 monthly active users, it offers a significant audience for journalists to engage with and expand their reach. By providing a seamless connection between news publications and authors, Mastodon aims to enhance the platform’s appeal for journalists and readers alike.