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The European Union launches a probe of X for alleged Digital Services Act violations
John Callaham posted a topic in Front Page News
The European Union launches a probe of X for alleged Digital Services Act violations by John Callaham The European Union's regulatory body, the European Commission, has officially launched a probe of X (formerly Twitter) to see if the social network has violated the EU's Digital Services Act. In a press release, the European Commission stated it is formally looking into several areas where X might not have followed the DSA's rules. They include the "risk assessment and mitigation measures adopted by X to counter the dissemination of illegal content in the EU" along with the "effectiveness of measures taken to combat information manipulation on the platform." The EC is also examining possible "suspected shortcomings in giving researchers access to X's publicly accessible data" along with reports of a deceptive UI "notably in relation to checkmarks linked to certain subscription products, the so-called Blue checks." This will be the first time the EC will launch an investigation of possible violations of the Digital Service Act, which was first adopted in April 2022. The EC says it will continue to gather evidence for this case, which may include conducting interviews and inspections along with asking X for more information. Today's formal launch of the investigation does not have any legal deadline for when it might end. It also doesn't mean the EC will "prejudge its outcome". The press release added that it could accept a remedy proposed by X "to remedy on the matters subject to the proceeding." In June it was revealed that the EU sent a team to X to perform stress tests on the social network to see if it would be in compliance with the Digital Services Act. X, which has been owned by Elon Musk for over a year, has not offered an extensive comment on this new EU investigation. CNBC reports that an email sent to X for comment got this brief reply: "Busy now, please check back later.” -
Meta launches Threads in the EU, tests fediverse integration
Chasethebase posted a topic in Front Page News
Meta launches Threads in the EU, tests fediverse integration by Steve Bennett Mark Zuckerberg has taken to Threads to announce that the platform will now be available to users across the European Union. This follows a delay from its July 2023 launch due to the introduction of the Digital Markets Act across its member states. https://www.threads.net/@zuck/post/C01LXhDrCAM The launch comes alongside new features for the site, which continues to develop, including the ability to browse Threads without requiring a profile. Any content interaction will still require an account (which still remains linked to Instagram), however Threads accounts can be deleted independently of Instagram now, unlike at launch. The site itself is seeing increasing activity and growth in recent months ever since the recent controversy around Elon Musk's X, with many companies withdrawing their advertising from the site, as well as ceasing posting altogether. Meanwhile, Threads has also begun testing its promised fediverse integration, with posts and accounts being made visible on services such as Mastodon that use the ActivityPub protocol. This was always a planned feature for Threads which is just now starting to come to fruition. https://www.threads.net/@zuck/post/C0zXcQmxO77 At the moment only a select few user accounts from Threads are visible on Mastodon, and they show as having the @threads.net instance on accounts. Posts are not yet displaying as well as other relevant profile information, however it shows that the integration is on its way as seen below. The visibility of Threads profiles and information will also completely depend on the instance that your account is set to, as some Mastodon instances have suspended the Threads instance because it was owned and managed by Meta. With Threads continuing to develop, and X making u-turns on decisions that it makes since Elon Musk's takeover, the social media landscape is now considerably different to what it was 12 months ago. Whether people will continue to seek out a Twitter replacement, or will be happy without, remains to be seen. -
Searchable bookmarks are coming to X (formerly Twitter), confirms Elon Musk
Aditya Tiwari posted a topic in Front Page News
Searchable bookmarks are coming to X (formerly Twitter), confirms Elon Musk by Aditya Tiwari Elon Musk-owned social networking platform X (formerly Twitter) is working on the ability to search through posts you have bookmarked. The billionaire took to his X account and confirmed that the feature is in development and will be out soon. "They will be searchable soon," Musk said in response to a user who claimed that people on X "are bookmarking posts over 65 million times per day." To save a particular post on your X account, you can tap on the Bookmark button present in the bottom right corner of that post. X, then Twitter, introduced the bookmarks feature back in 2018 as a way to save posts for reading later. Bookmarks are different from Lists that populate posts from other accounts you manually pick. You can bookmark multiple posts that get arranged in a timeline for easier access at any time. However, the company hasn't done much since the feature was launched, and you won't find any option to sort, filter, or search through your saved bookmarks. As of now, all you can do is remove individual posts from your bookmarks list or delete all of them at once. Musk didn't give information on the status of its development or when the bookmark search feature for X will be released. In recent news, X unveiled its generative AI chatbot named Grok which is currently available to paid subscribers only. Speaking of which, the company introduced two new paid plans, including a $3/mo Basic tier, and a $16/mo Premium+ tier that lets you get rid of ads completely. After removing headlines from articles and news pieces on X, Elon Musk took a U-turn and announced that "X will overlay title in the upper portion of the image of a URL card." Apart from that, the company is testing an annual plan called "Not A Bot," where new users will pay $1 to access nearly all of its major features. -
Meta plans to launch Threads for the EU in December by Omer Dursun Meta had previously blocked EU users from accessing Threads via VPN workarounds. Now, the company is taking steps to launch the app legally in the European market. Meta is preparing to launch its text-based social app Threads in the EU as early as next month. The Wall Street Journal reported that Meta may initially offer EU users a view-only mode for Threads to comply with regional data privacy regulations. This would allow users to browse posts without creating a profile. However, users need to set up a profile to post content. It remains unclear how Meta would build personalized recommendation algorithms for a view-only experience without profiles. Previously, user accounts on Threads were tied directly to Instagram accounts, meaning that if you deleted your Threads account, you had to delete your Instagram account as well. An update has changed that. It allows users to delete their Threads accounts without deleting their Instagram accounts. On the other hand, Threads collects some user data through its connection to Instagram logins, according to the privacy information on the App Store. EU law requires explicit consent for personalized ads based on such data collection. Meta recently started to offer a paid subscription option on Facebook and Instagram in the EU to remove ads and may implement a similar model for Threads. Then, the European Consumer Organization (BEUC), filed a complaint against Meta for engaging in "unfair commercial practices." The text-based app currently has fewer than 100 million monthly users worldwide. An EU launch could help Meta's goal of reaching 1 billion Threads users in the coming years, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg. "There are just under 100 million monthly actives at this point, and we're now getting to the point where we're going to be focusing on growing the community further," Zuckerberg said during the earnings call. "I've thought for a long time that there should be a billion-person public conversations app that's a bit more positive." Source: Wall Street Journal
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Elon Musk takes a u-turn, will show article headlines on the platform again
Qblade_ posted a topic in Front Page News
Elon Musk takes a u-turn, will show article headlines on the platform again by Mehrotra A X (formerly Twitter) plans to revert the change from earlier this year which stripped headlines off articles on the platform, forcing users to open the article itself to see the title. In a tweet earlier today, Elon Musk announced that the company is looking to add back headlines. Musk noted that in a future release, X will overlay the title on the top of the image, allowing users to read the title on the platform. In an upcoming release, 𝕏 will overlay title in the upper potion of the image of a URL card — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 23, 2023 In October, X began removing headlines from articles and news pieces on the platform. The company also stripped any other information that was overlayed on the image to "improve the esthetics" of the site and also to drive original content on the platform. X has seen drastic changes since Elon Musk bought the service late last year. The company has been working on adding more features and changes to the service that suits the Blue subscribers while setting it apart from the competition. Recently, X announced that it will allow verified and paying X Blue users to hide their blue checkmarks. The company also made changes to how many messages unverified users can send, in an attempt to curb spam Direct Messages. Musk has also been working on new services as well that will be integrated into X in the future. Recently, a report claimed that Musk is looking to use his knowledge from the PayPal days to build a finance system into X that will be faster than PayPal. Earlier this month, he also showcased Grok, X's generative AI-based chatbot. There is no word on when either of the new services will make their way to the public but it was rumoured that Musk will give limited users access to Grok. -
Elon Musk gives a glimpse at xAI's Grok chatbot by Paul Hill Yesterday, Neowin reported that xAI would be opening up its Grok generative AI chatbot to a limited audience, it’s still not clear today who this audience is but for the rest of us, Elon Musk has shown us some screenshots of what to expect. After an early beta, Grok will become available to all of the X Premium+ subscribers - that’s X’s most expensive paid tier. Musk shared with us two screenshots of the new chatbot and a bit of information about it. First, it’s connected to the X platform which gives it access to real-time information giving it “a massive advantage over other models”, according to Musk. Second, this bot will be more lighthearted than other existing bots because it has some sarcasm and humor baked in, apparently this was a personal touch from the CEO. xAI’s Grok system is designed to have a little humor in its responses pic.twitter.com/WqXxlwI6ef — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 4, 2023 The humor is actually an interesting aspect because when users give a dangerous query such as instructions for making illegal drugs, the bot will answer but with phony and sarcastic instructions before clarifying that it’s just kidding and wouldn’t encourage making drugs. One of the big issues around AI at the moment is the seriousness everyone is taking it with. Some are saying it will be the end of jobs, others hate its artistic abilities and claim it’s not really art, and others complain that school kids shouldn’t be using it for homework. Grok has real-time access to info via the 𝕏 platform, which is a massive advantage over other models. It’s also based & loves sarcasm. I have no idea who could have guided it this way 🤷♂️ 🤣 pic.twitter.com/e5OwuGvZ3Z — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 4, 2023 The humorous nature of xAI’s Grok bot could help to make the bot feel more personal which could help with the overall view that these bots are helpful to people and not a detriment. With regards to having access to the X platform, it will be really interesting to see how this turns out. Often, Twitter is much faster than legacy news outlets at reporting developments, however, this is rarely verified. It’ll be good to see if Grok can distinguish fact from fiction - perhaps community notes will be involved but Musk didn’t clarify. Finally, if you're wondering about the name Grok, it's a term used to mean you understand something well. It's an appropriate name given how much these chatbots do know.
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xAI to unveil its chatbot to a limited group on Saturday by Paul Hill Elon Musk the head of xAI has announced via X (formerly Twitter) that the company will launch its generative AI chatbot to a limited audience on Saturday. We will have to wait for more specific details as Musk only divulged that “in some important respects, [the AI] is the best that currently exists.” Tomorrow, @xAI will release its first AI to a select group. In some important respects, it is the best that currently exists. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 3, 2023 Back in July, Elon Musk told an X Space that xAI is creating a chatbot which will be called “TruthGPT”. Musk said that xAI would try to develop a chatbot that is more trustworthy than both ChatGPT and Bard - achieving this, however, would require overcoming hallucination where an AI just makes stuff up but makes its sound convincing at the same time. By launching to a limited audience, any serious issues can be ironed out. As an increasingly polarizing figure some people may also try to derail the launch of xAI’s chatbot and be overly critical simply because they don’t like Elon Musk’s tirades online, launching to a small group can prevent this at first. Before announcing the opening up of xAI’s chatbot, Musk also shared that there was a new AI-powered feature to see similar posts that was rolling out now on X. It’s not clear if any of the xAI technology is being used in this new X feature but it wouldn’t be surprising if this was the case because xAI has said it will work closely with X and Musk has previously stated that X will be an everything app. In recent days, Elon Musk has been attending the first AI summit in the UK where he sat down for an hour-long interview with UK PM Rishi Sunak. He reposted a clip of this interview online where he said that he wants X to be a platform that is as truthful as possible - even if some people don’t like it. Honesty is the best policy https://t.co/Y6mn2PzoaQ — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 2, 2023 He also posted a cartoon on his feed criticizing countries attending the AI summit. The cartoon showed a lion representing the UK, a woman with a Europa bandanna on, a dragon representing China, and Uncle Sam representing the US. Outloud they’re shown as saying “We declare that AI poses a potentially catastrophic risk to humankind” but then secretly thinking “And I cannot wait to develop it first” showing that Musk is skeptical of the talk around AI safety. Sigh pic.twitter.com/jDDTkewbDL — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 2, 2023 Each of the different large language models that have come online so far have varying levels of censorship. Out of them all, Bard seems to be the most prudish and bots accessed through Poe seem to be the most willing to give an answer, even on sensitive subjects. Given Musk’s attitude to AI safety, it’s possible that xAI’s chatbot could be a bit more liberal in what it will generate rather than worrying about offending any sensitive souls out there.
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X launches two new subscription plans, including one, Premium+, for $16 a month
John Callaham posted a topic in Front Page News
X launches two new subscription plans, including one, Premium+, for $16 a month by John Callaham X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, is launching two new subscription tiers today for web users. They will join the previously launched Premium tier, which costs $8 a month. The new Basic tier will cost $3 a month or $32 for a year. In an X post, it states that the new subscription plan will offer "access to the most essential Premium features." That means subscribers will be able to edit and undo posts and write longer posts, but they won't get the blue "verified" checkmark. we’re also launching a new Basic tier for $3/month (when signing up via Web) that gives you access to the most essential Premium features — Premium (@premium) October 27, 2023 The $8 a month ($84 for a year) Premium tier (formerly known as Twitter Blue) is not going away, so people who sign up for that plan will still get features like the blue verified account checkmark, 50 percent reduced ads in For You and Following timelines and more. introducing Premium+ – no ads in For You or Following – largest boost for your replies (vs other Premium tiers or unverified users) – access to our full suite of creator tools now available on Web ✌️ subscribe here → https://t.co/Ywvyijo9CQ — Premium (@premium) October 27, 2023 The new Premium+ subscription tier costs $16 a month or $168 a year. This plan will completely get rid of ads for both the For You and Following timelines, and will also provide the biggest boosts for subscribers' replies. The new tier will also come with full access to X's creator tools. More info on these new tiers can be found on this X support page. These new tiers come about a year after Elon Musk completed his acquisition of the social networking company. He has since made a ton of changes to the service, including a name change that many people are still not happy about. X recently started testing a new $1 a year subscription service in two countries that offers access to its most basic features. At the time, the company said it was trying to decrease spam on the service by bots. There's no word when or if this annual plan will roll out to other parts of the world. -
X is testing a $1 annual "Not A Bot" fee for new accounts to post messages in two markets
John Callaham posted a topic in Front Page News
X is testing a $1 annual "Not A Bot" fee for new accounts to post messages in two markets by John Callaham X (formerly Twitter) is starting to move toward a business model where almost every user will have to pay at least some money to access the social network. This evening, the company revealed it has started testing that new plan in two countries. In a support website, X revealed that people who sign for new accounts in New Zealand and the Philippines will have to pay the equivalent of a $1 annual fee to get nearly all of its major features. That means residents of New Zealand will pay $1.43 NZD per year for a new X account, and the fee will be ₱42.51 PHP per year in the Philippines. The new venture is being called the "Not A Bot" plan by X. The support site adds: This new test was developed to bolster our already significant efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity. This will evaluate a potentially powerful measure to help us combat bots and spammers on X, while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount. Within this test, existing users are not affected. In addition to paying the annual fee, people who sign up for new accounts in those two countries will also have to verify their phone numbers as well New unverified account users who don't pay the fee will only have a limited amount of features. They can just follow accounts, read posts and watch videos but cannot post messages, or like, reply, repost, or quote other posts. In his own post on this plan, X owner Elon Musk stated, "It’s the only way to fight bots without blocking real users. This won’t stop bots completely, but it will be 1000X harder to manipulate the platform." It's likely this is just the first step towards expanding this new "Not a Bot" plan to other parts of the world at some point in the future. -
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Threads will not "amplify" news on the platform to maintain positivity
Anushe Fawaz posted a topic in Front Page News
Threads will not "amplify" news on the platform to maintain positivity by Anushe Fawaz Meta’s Threads, considered to be the substitute for Twitter, now known as “X,” is perhaps taking a different approach than the Elon Musk-owned company in terms of the news posted on the platform. According to a Threads post by Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, the platform is not “anti-news.” However, it takes a gentler approach when it comes to promoting news on Threads. Mosseri replied to the original post by a Threads user who shared a recent interview by the company on promoting “hard news” on the platform. The user suggested that there had been a recent increase in news posts covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. https://www.threads.net/@mosseri/post/CyPYvBhRuR6 Mosseri commented: “We’re not anti-news. News is clearly already on Threads. People can share news; people can follow accounts that share news. We’re not going to get in the way of any either. But, we’re also not going go to amplify news on the platform. To do so would be too risky given the maturity of the platform, the downsides of over-promising, and the stakes.” The interview, done by The Verge in September 2023, was with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who shared his views about competing with Twitter and what he plans to do with Threads. The interview, hence, presented Threads as a “more positive, friendly place for discussion.” Zuckerberg mentioned that Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook have inherently different nature of content. He stated that Instagram was based more on the happier side, Facebook had a more middleman approach with both types of content, and Twitter had a more “negative and critical” concept. He elaborated: “... I think Twitter indexes very strongly on just being quite negative and critical. I think that that’s sort of the design. It’s not that the designers wanted to make people feel bad. I think they wanted to have a maximum kind of intense debate, right? Which I think that sort of creates a certain emotional feeling and load. I always just thought you could create a discussion experience that wasn’t quite so negative or toxic.” This statement, followed by what Mosseri posted today, places Threads in a different position than Twitter. The company plans to focus on creating a more positive space without “amplifying” hard news. Thus, while users are still allowed to follow news channels and share and post news, customers will not be bombarded with negative stories every time they open the application. Via The Verge and TechCrunch -
X begins stripping headlines from articles amid continued ad revenue losses
Chasethebase posted a topic in Front Page News
X begins stripping headlines from articles amid continued ad revenue losses by Steve Bennett Originally hinted at over a month ago, X has implemented a design change to image previews of links that are posted on the site. The change removes headlines and almost all other details other than the URL preview from the image that is included in the post, in a move to "improve the esthetics" of the site and also to drive original content on the platform. By Sayan Sen - Microsoft might just be planning to make the next generation of Windows a cloud-based, subscription service. While we have already had evidence of the former, fresh new leak hints at the latter too. #Windows #Microsoft #OneDrive https://t.co/6XjUvAfTGr — NeowinFeed (@NeowinFeed) October 5, 2023 An example of the change can be seen in the image below, however, embeds from the platform still show the headlines of the posted article for the time being. The linked article itself doesn't show anything else in the preview, and clicking or tapping on the image will still take you directly to the linked content. The reduced space that the preview takes up within the post could allow for more text to be shared with links in the future. Musk is continuing to push X forward with changes ever since he acquired what was previously Twitter almost a year ago which has led to users leaving the platform to find alternatives in the form of already existing de-centralised social media like Mastodon, or new offerings from rival companies such as Meta. Interestingly, it has also been reported that X is continuing to lose ad revenue ever since Musk took over last year. Musk and current CEO Linda Yaccarino are keen to make changes to the advertising structure on the site to encourage ad providers back so that it can keep moving towards targeted profitability in early 2024, mentioned during Yaccarino's interview with Vox Media last week. Source: Reuters (1), (2) -
Leaked code from X app suggests that calls will be exclusively for Premium subscribers only
Chasethebase posted a topic in Front Page News
Leaked code from X app suggests that calls will be exclusively for Premium subscribers only by Steve Bennett A recent announcement from X (formerly Twitter) stated it will be adding both a video and audio calling feature to the platform, which was first hinted at the beginning of July by X designer Andrea Conway. It has since been uncovered that references to the functionality have already been added to the app's code, and there are hints that it is likely to be included as a paid feature with active X Premium subscriptions. ring ring pic.twitter.com/1WemXRhFZf — Andrea Conway (@ehikian) July 7, 2023 As first uncovered by Chris Messina on Threads, information within the app's code shows a list of strings, with details on what the app will show when accepting calls, along with giving users the ability to select who can call them, and whether calls will be enabled for that profile. https://www.threads.net/@chris/post/Cxd2mJJSr0c Furthermore, Chris goes on to show a section of code that specifically references how "Audio and video calls are a premium feature." and that users should "Subscribe to get access." Whether this means that you can only initiate calls as a premium user, or if you have to be subscribed to receive them as well remains unclear. In recent months X has been adding a host of new features to its Premium subscription service to draw in more users ever since the rebrand from Twitter. They include restricting previously free tools as well as suggesting that the platform as a whole would go subscription-based. It is also removing features like Circles, which will be taken down by the end of October. Meanwhile, Meta continues to develop its rival platform, Threads, adding more and more features in a bid to attract users across from X to its platform while competitors, such as Bluesky and Mastodon, have seen moderate amounts of new sign-ups ever since Musk took ownership of X (previously Twitter). -
X has just pulled the plug on its Circles feature by Aditya Tiwari X (formerly Twitter) announced today that it would discontinue the Circles feature later this year. The company said on a support page that you won't be able to create new posts or add people to your Circle after October 31. X is deprecating Circles as of Oct 31st, 2023. After this date, you will not be able to create new posts that are limited to your Circle, nor will you be able to add people to your Circle. You will, however, be able to remove people from your Circle. You can remove people from your Circle by going to their account page in unfollowing them. Once unfollowed, they will removed from your Circle and can no longer see your past Circle posts. To remain connected, you can follow those users again but they won't be added to your Circle. PSA: we’re disabling Circles by October 31. more info → https://t.co/sHY9l6SUFw — Support (@Support) September 21, 2023 Launched in August 2022, Twitter Circles let users create posts (then known as Tweets) for a selected audience. It gives users the flexibility to choose who can interact with their content on a post-by-post basis. They can pick whether to share a post with all of their followers or just the ones in their Circle. Users can create Circles of up to 150 people whom they can add or remove at any point in time. A post or tweet shared with a Circle carries a green badge and can only be viewed by people who are part of it. However, users who are part of a Circle can not repost or share the post. X (then Twitter) said at the time that Circles was a "highly-requested feature" available across Android, iOS, and the web. The feature received an "overwhelmingly positive" response during its testing phase.
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Elon Musk is planning to make X a subscription only service
Qblade_ posted a topic in Front Page News
Elon Musk is planning to make X a subscription only service by Mehrotra A Elon Musk has been making drastic changes to X (formerly Twitter) since he took over the service last year. After the introduction of X Blue premium membership, it looks like Musk is planning to make X a subscription only service. Elon Musk recently sat down for a discussion with the Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu (via Deadline) where he suggested making every user pay a small monthly fee to use X. He further said that this is still in discussion so there is no word on when he plans to roll out the subscription only model. Musk also noted that the subscription will cost less that X Blue membership that is currently offered as a perk to users and comes with additional features as well as a verified checkmark. We’re wanting it to be just a small amount of money. It’s a longer discussion, but in my view this is the only defense against vast armies of bots, because as AI gets very, very good, it’s actually able to pass these sort of CAPTCHA tests better than humans. Musk believes that subscription only model will remove bots from the platform as AI is getting smart enough to be able to pass CAPTCHA tests. In the same discussion, Musk also addressed the free speech issue that has been a cause for concern lately on the platform. free speech at times means that somebody you don’t like is saying something you don’t like. If you don’t have that, then it’s not free speech. That doesn’t mean some sort of negativity should be pushed upon people, because for the X platform, unless it is interesting, entertaining, engaging, then we will lose users. People will not want to use our system if they find it to be unpleasant. Musk has been working hard to navigate through the various issues surrounding X since the acquisition late last year. With the company facing lawsuits from former employees, advertisers leaving the platform, a security breach that allowed everyone to see Twitter Circle tweets, and multiple outages, it has been a rocky ride for Musk's latest experiment. -
X wants to collect and store your biometrics, job, and education history
Qblade_ posted a topic in Front Page News
X wants to collect and store your biometrics, job, and education history by Mehrotra A X (formerly Twitter) has updated its privacy policy to include a couple of new data points that the company expects to collect from users going forward. As reported by Bloomberg, X is planning to include biometrics, job, and college history in the plethora of information it already collects from the user. The company has updated its privacy policy page recently to reflect the following additions: Biometric Information. Based on your consent, we may collect and use your biometric information for safety, security, and identification purposes. Job Applications / Recommendations. We may collect and use your personal information (such as your employment history, educational history, employment preferences, skills and abilities, job search activity and engagement, and so on) to recommend potential jobs for you, to share with potential employers when you apply for a job, to enable employers to find potential candidates, and to show you more relevant advertising. There is clarification on what Biometric data X plans to collect and how the company plans to use it. As per a statement given to Bloomberg, X plans to use data to add an additional layer of security to the X Blue premium accounts: This will additionally help us tie, for those that choose, an account to a real person by processing their government issued ID. This will also help X fight impersonation attempts and make the platform more secure. The other addition is less surprising. Earlier this week, X had announced Hiring beta which is the company's version of LinkedIn. This likely explains why X plans to collect data such as your job profile, educational background, and more. The new privacy policy is set to go into effect on September 29. This would indicate that the company might be expanding its hiring features to more organizations in the coming month, bringing X one step closer to being the "everything app". Musk has been working hard to navigate through the various issues surrounding Twitter since the acquisition late last year. With the company facing lawsuits from former employees, advertisers leaving the platform, a security breach that allowed everyone to see Twitter Circle tweets, and multiple outages, it has been a rocky ride for Musk's latest experiment. -
X announces Hiring Beta for organizations as it takes on LinkedIn
Qblade_ posted a topic in Front Page News
X announces Hiring Beta for organizations as it takes on LinkedIn by Mehrotra A X (formerly Twitter) has officially announced a new feature that will allow organizations and companies to advertise jobs on the platform. The news comes just a month after a rumor claimed that X is planning to introduce a new service to take on LinkedIn. Called Hiring, the service which is currently in Beta, will allow companies to post open roles on the platform. The Musk owned company is currently doing a test run with limited companies so don't be surprised if you see your favorite Twitter accounts advertising open positions. X will allow organizations to import data using a supported Applicant Tracking System (ATS) or through an XML feed. #Twitter will let verified organizations import all of their jobs to Twitter by connecting a supported ATS or XML feed! 🚀 "Connect a supported Applicant Tracking System or XML feed to add your jobs to Twitter in minutes." pic.twitter.com/TSVRdAoj3h — Nima Owji (@nima_owji) July 20, 2023 The features offered by X are currently not as comprehensive as LinkedIn but it does give organizations an option to advertise outside of LinkedIn as well as opens up access to a whole new target audience. Currently, the feature is in Beta and is limited to few companies. X Hiring account has shared a link that companies can use to apply for Beta access. Unlock early access to the X Hiring Beta — exclusively for Verified Organizations. Feature your most critical roles and organically reach millions of relevant candidates. Apply for the Beta today 🚀: https://t.co/viOQ9BUM3Y pic.twitter.com/AYzdBIDjds — Hiring (@XHiring) August 25, 2023 However, Hiring is currently limited to premium subscription and companies paying for X Premium are eligible for Beta access. Along with Hiring, X Premium also comes with a host of other exclusive features including a revenue sharing program. Recently, X lowered the requirements for the program, making it more accessible to Premium subscribers. Musk has been working hard to navigate through the various issues surrounding Twitter since the acquisition late last year. With the company facing lawsuits from former employees, advertisers leaving the platform, a security breach that allowed everyone to see Twitter Circle tweets, and multiple outages, it has been a rocky ride for Musk's latest experiment. -
threads Do you remember the hype of Clubhouse? Threads will be the same
camili932 posted a topic in General Discussion
Do ya all remember the hype of ClubHouse app, it was fancy, modern, hyped, limited access....but now its dead. Threads will be the same. -
Twitter (now X) reportedly getting rid of headlines from links to news articles
Anurag Singhh posted a topic in Front Page News
Twitter (now X) reportedly getting rid of headlines from links to news articles by Anurag Singh Twitter (now known as X) has been getting a lot of changes since Elon Musk took over the charge. And in a recent development, the platform is reported to have tested hiding headlines from articles shared on the site. Fortune reports that news stories shared on X will only include a featured image and the URL. Publishers who want to share a piece of text with the story will have to type it themselves. Although clicking on the image will still take readers to the original story on the publisher's website, the lack of context could affect how they engage with the content. Kylie Robison, the journalist behind the Fortune report, explains in a post on X: I decided to cut it because clutter — I can explain it here. On mobile, articles look like this now (left). On desktop, they still look like how they have always looked (right). Elon thinks articles take up too much space. He wants to eliminate any text below the image. https://t.co/RzlFTxGuLF pic.twitter.com/bOQR7Xtwoa — Kylie Robison (@kyliebytes) August 22, 2023 As the report points out, this could have major implications for publishers who depend on social media to drive traffic to their sites as well as for advertisers. According to the source, the driving force behind these changes is Elon Musk, who aims to reduce post heights and allocate more space for other posts on the timeline. Musk himself confirmed this in a recent post on X, stating, “This is coming directly from me. It will greatly improve the esthetics.” This move might also be intended to encourage journalists to publish directly on X, as Musk believes that journalists who seek “more freedom to write” and “higher income” should use the platform. There is no word yet on when this change will be implemented on the platform. However, once X does make the change, publishers may need to adjust their strategies for how they interact with readers through their articles. In related news, X is getting ready for a major overhaul of its search function. Elon Musk announced earlier this month that the platform will introduce semantic search capabilities to help users find more relevant content. -
A way to block users on X could be going away, according to Elon Musk
John Callaham posted a topic in Front Page News
A way to block users on X could be going away, according to Elon Musk by John Callaham Elon Musk says he wants to make a major fundamental change in one of the biggest features of X, the social network he owns that's formerly, and still better known, as Twitter. In an X post, Musk stated, "Block is going to be deleted as a “feature”, except for DMs". He later posted a follow-up message, stating simply, "It makes no sense" without elaborating. In yet another post he clarified his thoughts, stating, "You will still be able to mute accounts and block users for DMs." This possible major change on X has been met with a near-universal negative response. There's also the question of whether or not it will be allowed with certain app mobile store rules. One user pointed out that the Apple App Store rules under "Under Generated Content" states that apps like X must have "The ability to block abusive users from the service." Musk has not yet stated when the block feature will be removed from X. It's possible he could change his mind, especially if Apple decides this new decision is indeed in violation of its app rules. This is just the latest in a long series of decisions by Musk that has affected the social network since he bought it in late 2022. The biggest one was made just a few weeks ago when he changed the social network's name from Twitter to X and ditched the familiar bird logo for a stark-looking "X" logo. This change is reportedly part of Musk's huge quest to turn X into a "Super app" that will do almost anything, from chats to shopping to banking and more. More recently, the service renamed its popular TweetDeck feature to X Pro. The service also can no longer be used without paying for an X Blue verification subscription. -
Links to sites that Elon Musk publicly attacked apparently load slower on X
Chasethebase posted a topic in Front Page News
Links to sites that Elon Musk publicly attacked apparently load slower on X by Steve Bennett Reports have begun to surface that the domain shortener used by X, t.co, is seemingly adding a five second delay to certain domains when they are shortened on the platform. There is one particular theme connecting the websites, however, and that is they are sites that Elon Musk has attacked on the platform in the past. t.co is the URL shortener that X, the site formerly known as Twitter, uses whenever a link is posted on the platform, it also allows X to track and also throttle activity that is going to any website that is linked using said shortener. The key benefit to this action for Elon is, if users click away as it's taking too long to load, it will reduce traffic and therefore revenue. So far, the sites that have been identified include Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and The New York Times, and the first reports were initially reported on 4th August and have been monitored up to this point, with the original post on Hacker News reporting that "the delay is so consistent it's obviously deliberate." The real tragedy of @NYTimes is that their propaganda isn’t even interesting — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 2, 2023 This isn't the first time that X has taken action against websites that Musk isn't particularly fond of, initially stating that accounts would be suspended if they posted links to those websites late last year, and then last month rate limiting users to limit the number of posts they can view to avoid bot scraping. X, nor Musk, have commented on the recent findings and reports, and it isn't known if this move will remain permanent. Reports from The Washington Post found that the majority of other websites remained unaffected, however, it did contact the affected websites who are "reviewing the matter." Source: Hacker News via The Washington Post -
X lowers its requirements for creators ad revenue sharing program
Qblade_ posted a topic in Front Page News
X lowers its requirements for creators ad revenue sharing program by Mehrotra A X (formerly Twitter) has announced that the company is reducing the ad revenue sharing requirements for creators. This comes a month after the company officially announced that it will be giving creators a share in the profits generated from advertisements shown on the platform. Earlier this week, several Twitter users took the platform to share screenshots of the first payouts from X. Following this, Elon Musk, owner of X, announced that the company is lowering its requirements to be eligible for the ad revenue sharing program. The new requirements will include 5M tweet impression in the last 3 months (previously 15M) and $10 minimum payout (previously $50). Now, even more people can get paid to post! We’ve lowered the eligibility threshold for ads revenue sharing from 15M to 5M impressions within the last 3 months. We’ve also lowered the minimum payout threshold from $50 to $10. Sign up for a Premium subscription to get access. — Support (@Support) August 10, 2023 Musk later clarified that only verified accounts will count when it comes to 5M impressions. This is to prevent X users from abusing the system using bots. Last week, Elon Musk said that interest in ad revenue sharing program exceeded the company's expectation. He further noted that the company is working through issuing payouts and there could be some delays. Interest in ad rev share by content creators has far exceeded our expectations, so will take a few more days to process. Major payouts coming soon! — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 5, 2023 This came just a week after Musk announced that X will be processing more than $5 million in payments to all the creators who had signed up for the program. In a few weeks, X/Twitter will start paying creators for ads served in their replies. First block payment totals $5M. Note, the creator must be verified and only ads served to verified users count. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 9, 2023 Musk has been working hard to navigate through the various issues surrounding Twitter since the acquisition late last year. With the company facing lawsuits from former employees, advertisers leaving the platform, a security breach that allowed everyone to see Twitter Circle tweets, and multiple outages, it has been a rocky ride for Musk's latest experiment. -
X Corp CEO confirms video calls coming soon to the platform
Omer Dursun posted a topic in Front Page News
X Corp CEO confirms video calls coming soon to the platform by Omer Dursun X Corp CEO Linda Yaccarino today announced that video calling will be added as a new feature to the social media platform. In an interview, Yaccarino said that users will soon be able to make video calls without sharing their phone numbers with others on the platform. In July, we reported that Twitter (now X) might be adding support for video and audio calls. And this announcement comes after X designer Andrea Conway hinted about the new feature in a tweet yesterday, saying she had "just called someone on X." The addition of video calls is part of X owner Elon Musk's vision to transform the platform into an "everything app" where users can connect through posts, watch videos, subscribe to creators, send payments, and more. Linda Yaccarino, who joined X Corp in June after leaving NBCUniversal, said her role focuses on running the company operations while Musk leads product design and technology. She stated that Musk focuses on product design, leading a team of "extraordinary engineers," and focuses on new technology. In an interview with CNBC, The CEO emphasized that: At the heart of the rebrand, X, we need to keep our minds open that it's developing into this global town square that is fueled by free expression where the public gathers in real time. And I want to stop on that for a second because 'in real time' is what's most important about the vibrancy of X and how people interact with it. Elon is working on accelerating the rebrand and working on the future. CEO Yaccarino said she joined X Corp understanding Elon Musk's goal to transform the platform into an "everything app." She believes that the video calling feature announced today moves X one step closer to that vision. The new video calling feature follows other recent additions to X, including support for two-hour videos and a revenue-sharing program with creators. The company also recently claimed the @music handle, highlighting possible features for musicians and artists. -
You can now watch the first episode of Peacock's Killing It for free.. on TikTok
Omer Dursun posted a topic in Front Page News
You can now watch the first episode of Peacock's Killing It for free.. on TikTok by Omer Dursun NBCUniversal's streaming service Peacock has taken an unusual strategy to promote its original comedy series "Killing It" amidst ongoing strikes in Hollywood. With many shows halting production due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, Peacock has posted the full first episode of Killing It season 2 on TikTok. The episode, broken into five parts, is available on Peacock's official TikTok account. Each video clip ranges from three to eight minutes long. Sources say this move could help draw new viewers to the show since talent cannot fully promote their work during the strikes. This marks the first time Peacock has offered an entire episode for free on the popular short-form video platform. Killing It stars Craig Robinson (The Office) as a security guard who enters the world of competitive python hunting to achieve his dreams of becoming an entrepreneur. The comedy also features Claudia O'Doherty as an Uber driver who introduces Robinson's character to the lucrative snake-hunting business. The second season, which premiered on Peacock in July, follows the duo as they try to grow their palmetto berry farm while dealing with human visitors and a problematic snail infestation. Peacock also recently posted episodes of Bupkis starring Pete Davidson on YouTube. This is a signal of a shift to utilize free digital platforms more amidst the entertainment industry disruptions. With production stalled, streaming services are getting creative in order to attract and retain subscribers. On the other hand, a similar move was made by Apple TV+. The streaming service streamed the first episode of its sci-fi fantasy series Foundation on YouTube on July 10. However, the video has been private since the second season premiered on July 14. It also followed the streaming of the first episode of Silo on Twitter last month. The first episode received tens of millions of views on the platform ahead of the show's season finale. -
Elon Musk says Twitter (X) will get a new and better AI-based search
Omer Dursun posted a topic in Front Page News
Elon Musk says Twitter (X) will get a new and better AI-based search by Omer Dursun Twitter (or X) is gearing up for a major search overhaul. Elon Musk announced today that X will add semantic search capabilities to improve users' ability to find relevant content on the platform. Semantic search, sometimes called contextual search, aims to understand the intent behind search queries rather than just matching keywords. This allows the search engine to return tweets and other contextually relevant content, even if it doesn't contain the exact keywords. Unlike traditional keyword search, semantic technology utilizes natural language processing to determine the intent and context behind search terms. This allows the search engine to return tweets and other information closely matched to the meaning of the query. According to Musk, the semantic search update is under development now. The first phase will focus on understanding the context around queries related to recent events and trending topics. Later phases will expand the contextual comprehension capabilities. We are working on semantic (AI) search. Will show posts of X that match the meaning of your search, not just the text. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 7, 2023 X's current search technology relies solely on matching keywords, which can be limiting for users. For example, if someone searches for "Microsoft," only tweets that specifically mention the word "Microsoft" will be returned. Tweets that refer to the tech giant in other ways, like saying "the Windows maker," would not show up in the search results. This is because X's search algorithm looks for literal word matches rather than understanding the underlying semantic meaning of tweets. However, training semantic search models requires large datasets, which X may lack compared to bigger tech companies. For example, Google moved to this technology 10 years ago. The semantic search announcement is part of Musk's larger effort to revamp Twitter and add new features after acquiring the company. It aligns with his vision to transform Twitter into what he calls "X" - a "super app" with various integrated services. Last week, reports of Twitter being in talks with financial data providers to potentially add stock trading and other financial services to its app. However, Elon Musk denied this, saying, "No work is being done on this." Meanwhile, Twitter's once-rumored feature that lets premium users hide their profile checkmarks is now live. "As a subscriber, you can choose to hide your checkmark on your account," X wrote in a support page. -
Threads will soon get search and a web version to keep its user numbers from going down
Omer Dursun posted a topic in Front Page News
Threads will soon get search and a web version to keep its user numbers from going down by Omer Dursun Threads will soon roll out some of its most requested features - a web version and advanced search functionality. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Threads that users can access the platform on the desktop in the next few weeks through a web version. This will allow people to view and interact with Threads posts on the webpage rather than being limited to the mobile app. While Threads are currently accessible on desktop, the functionality is limited. When users try to interact with posts by replying, reposting, liking, or sending, they are only presented with a QR code to open the mobile app. The search feature in the app is also limited, as it can only find other accounts, not specific posts. Additionally, Threads will launch a proper search feature that can surface specific posts rather than just user accounts. https://www.threads.net/@zuck/post/Cviggu9PdPx These new additions come as Threads aims to boost engagement after an initial surge in sign-ups. When Threads debuted shortly after changes to the X platform, it rapidly reached over 150 million users. However, activity has dropped off since then. Meta appears to be capitalizing on X's tumultuous changes by rapidly improving Threads. While the app got off to a fast start, it lacked the basic social media features that were expected. The web version and search features could entice early adopters to return and become active daily users. Other recent launches, like a chronological feed and in-app translations, have expanded Threads' functionality closer to a full-fledged social network. Last week, we reported that Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Threads saw a significant user drop after its launch. Over half of Threads' users stopped using the text-based app within weeks of its release. Executives are now focused on increasing user retention on Threads. Meta's chief product officer Chris Cox said they are looking at "retention-driving hooks," such as displaying important Threads on Instagram, to entice users to come back.
