Threads expands communities, tests badges to boost user engagement
What's the story
Meta's social media platform, Threads, is expanding its communities feature by adding more topics. The move comes as part of the company's efforts to compete with other social networks and encourage users to engage more on its platform. The expansion comes just two months after Threads launched over 100 communities in October.
Community expansion
New communities added to Threads
The new additions include team-specific spaces like Lakers Threads, Knicks Threads, and Spurs Threads. This brings the total number of communities on Threads to over 200. The platform is also testing flairs within these communities, a feature commonly seen on Reddit. This would allow users to add customizable labels under their usernames, showing their interests or affiliations in different communities.
Badge trial
Threads tests 'Champion' badge for engaged members
Threads is testing a "Champion" badge to reward highly engaged community members. The company said it is giving badges to only a select few who are well-followed in the community and actively participate in discussions. This move is part of Threads's larger strategy to boost user engagement and retention on its platform, which has already crossed 400 million users as of August, two years after its launch.