hi bud buds,
does anyone use bluesky, mastodon, or other decentralized social networks?
last week, techcrunch wrote about these platforms as part of an emerging space called…. “the fediverse”…? truly a terrible name — sounds like a solar system of cops.
this week, threads rolled out two new features to support the fediverse:
a separate feed to view posts from “the fediverse” (they won’t appear in-line with threads posts)
a way to search for fediverse users from threads
since launching in 2023, threads has gradually added other fediverse features like letting users cross-post to the fediverse, follow fediverse profiles, and see their fediverse followers.
tbh, i don’t know anyone on mastodon or bluesky — so it’s fascinating to see threads doubling down here. but then again, i don’t know anyone on threads either… so maybe these features are just being prioritized as moonshots since they have nothing to lose?
if you’re a regular user of bluesky, mastodon, or any other decentralized social network, i’d love to hear from you. what pulled you in? what’s keeping you there?
love, dj
last week’s product releases
hell yeah
google added voice conversations to its ai search feature, allowing users to ask questions, hear an ai-generated response, and follow up naturally. calling it now: in 5 years, this + the apple ecosystem (siri, airpods) will be the default way we search as consumers
youtube launched shopping product stickers for shorts, allowing creators to create cute little stickers that link to products featured in the video. super fun product idea that will allow creators to monetize in creative ways!
instagram started testing reposts in the feed, making it easier to share others’ posts while giving creators credit
threads is testing spoiler text, letting users gray out content (text or images) until clicked. love this!! i friggin hate spoilers man!
tinder added double date, letting users team up with friends for group chats and matches. fun!
waymo expanding robotaxi service in california, including across los angeles!!! as a waymo stan and socal native, this makes me so stoked!
v interesting
tubi (a streaming service) now features content from popular youtube channels. super interesting precedent being set by a minor streaming player —curious to see if bigger platforms like netflix or hulu follow suit.
facebook is turning all videos into reels, streamlining publishing and aligning with instagram's format. feels smart
other product tidbits
midjourney released its first ai video model, turning images into short, customizable 5-second videos
anysphere (developer of cursor) introduced a $200/month cursor plan, with 20x more model usage and early access features
meta announced oakley smart glasses, with front-facing camera, music listening, phone calls, and integrated ai
that’s it for this week.
bye bye, i love you all. see you next week!
love, dj