Bluesky & Threads: Public Custom Feeds Now Available

Meta's Threads Enhances Custom Feeds to Compete with Bluesky

Meta’s Threads is strengthening its support for custom feeds in response to growing competition from the social network Bluesky. Bluesky currently boasts over 30 million users and also prioritizes custom feeds as a core functionality.

Public Custom Feeds Now Available

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, recently announced a new feature allowing users to make their custom feeds public. This enables users to both create and follow custom feeds developed by others.

Meta positions its custom feeds as superior due to their accessibility. They are designed to be easily created by anyone, regardless of technical expertise.

Challenging Bluesky's Momentum

This launch is strategically aimed at challenging Bluesky, which initially popularized the concept of custom feed building. Bluesky emerged as a rival platform to X (formerly Twitter).

Bluesky has attracted users migrating from X, seeking a similar experience. It has successfully retained its initial user base by providing tools for personalization, including custom feeds.

Threads Follows Suit

As Bluesky gained traction, Threads responded to the demand for increased personalization. It rolled out its own version of custom feeds to a global audience last November.

This move followed a brief testing period, demonstrating Meta’s swift action to counter Bluesky’s growing influence.

Creating and Customizing Threads Feeds

To create a custom feed on Threads, users can search for a specific topic to view recent posts. Then, they select the three-dot menu and choose “Create New Feed.”

Feeds can be further customized by adding individual user profiles. This is achieved by tapping the three-dot icon on a user’s profile picture and selecting the desired feed.

Making Feeds Public and Sharing

To make a feed public, users tap and hold the feed, then select “Edit Feeds.” A toggle switch allows users to set the feed to “Public.”

Public feeds can be shared with others via a direct link or through direct messages (DMs). Users can access the “View Feed” option within the Edit Feeds settings to generate a preview and share it.

Locating Feeds on Profiles

Custom feeds are now accessible under a dedicated “Feeds” tab on user profiles.

Diverse Feed Topics

Since their introduction, Threads users have created custom feeds covering a wide range of interests. These include sports, books, art, astronomy, fashion, poetry, and design, among others.

Key Differences Between Threads and Bluesky

While both platforms offer custom feeds, their focus differs. Threads’ custom feeds primarily center around specific interests.

Bluesky’s custom feeds are more versatile, offering both interest-based feeds and alternative methods for sorting and filtering content. Examples include feeds showcasing trending content, missed posts, or exclusively video content.