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Threads users down by more than a half

bbc.com

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Re: Threads users down by more than a half

#231

Post by SilasX »

lambic wrote: post #34
SilasX wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's the problem: if you don't sign up (as I haven't), you can remain blissfully unaware of Threads. The same isn't true of Twitter. I stand corrected on other Meta properties linking it, but, of course, they have to get links outside of that sphere to compete with Twitter on mindshare.

The same is becoming true of Twitter, can't remember the last time I saw an embedded tweet.

Huh? I see them all the time. And even without that, HN and reddit still link twitter or snapshot it. I have no idea what the Threads app looks like still!

Re: Threads users down by more than a half

#232

Post by operatingthetan »

dredmorbius wrote: post #216
operatingthetan wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Way too much conflation with labels, timelines, types of project, recollections from 12 years ago, etc. for me. Also we're comparing Meta, a company with experience running two successful social networks against Google of ten plus years ago, with none.

Your original position was "We don't typically write about startups gaining initial signups and then compare them to the active users". I've given multiple examples of just such a comparison being made over a decade ago. In both cases, the new launch was by an existing giant in the sector, with claimed performance being not entirely credible. Google of a decade ago had launched [edit: or aquired, but in either event,…

>Google of a decade ago had launched Orkut, Friendster, Wayze, Reader, and YouTube. Several of those were modest hits, one remains a giant (YT), and one is much missed by its small but quite significant fan base (Reader).

Google didn't "launch" youtube. They purchased it. It was big before they purchased it. Regarding Reader, calling something "small but quite significant" is nonsensical. Additionally you're propping up a failed application which wasn't even a social network as a success.

As I said, your comparisons included far too much conflation of several varieties for me to take them seriously.

Re: Threads users down by more than a half

#233

Post by mise_en_place »

andrewstuart wrote: post #200
justapassenger wrote: post #180

It’s super funny to see people framing that as Threads failing. They totally may fail. But even after that initial drop (which is expected, for something that managed to get so much hype) they’re likely still the biggest app in the history in terms of DAU in few weeks after the launch. And if there’s one thing Meta knows how to do is to copy successful idea and slowly grind the growth till it dominates market.

Absolutely this is failure. Twitter/threads is (or should be) a highly viral application. New users should find themselves compelled to use the product and compelled to encourage others to use it. With a 100 million user head start, if they were succeeding this shoukd have immediately resulted in the viral loop being triggered into explosive growth. It’s a huge failure. Not necessarily unrecoverable, but absolutely a…

It’s a failure but I think it leads to a better outcome, both for threads and Twitter. Even if it’s #2, that will put pressure on Twitter to improve and vice versa.

Re: Threads users down by more than a half

#234

Post by meheleventyone »

operatingthetan wrote: post #170
engineeringwoke wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For how counter-cultural HN has always prided itself in being, I find it a bit hard to believe just how much the media has shaped the story here. There's a lot of reason to be skeptical... it's not that I like Musk but the media doesn't like him and that's no secret. I find it to be quite the opposite of what you're saying, that their press team has done a good job of shaping the story positively for Meta. The puff p…

>For how counter-cultural HN has always prided itself in being Really? A bunch of engineering types who work for big corporations and who also dream and or do start their own hopefully big corporations prides themselves as being "counter-cultural?" That seems like a tough generalization to support.

It’s also encumbant company solely owned by the worlds richest man versus enormous global corporation mostly owned by another one. There is no counter-culture here.

Re: Threads users down by more than a half

#235

Post by lxgr »

charcircuit wrote: post #208
TechBro8615 wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

First of all, I doubt the premise of this entirely, e.g. Pokémon Go almost certainly had higher DAU weeks after it launched (and it was growing rather than shrinking). But secondly, I'm skeptical that it's even fair to talk about Threads stats using the same measurements as any "new" app, since it's really an extension of Instagram. You don't make a new account for Threads, you just use your Instagram account. They a…

>You don't make a new account for Threads, you just use your Instagram account. If I implement Google oauth into my app, it doesn't make my app an extention of Google. It just reduces the friction of people making a new account for my app.

Google login does not give you a social graph.

Re: Threads users down by more than a half

#236

Post by operatingthetan »

meheleventyone wrote: post #234
operatingthetan wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>For how counter-cultural HN has always prided itself in being Really? A bunch of engineering types who work for big corporations and who also dream and or do start their own hopefully big corporations prides themselves as being "counter-cultural?" That seems like a tough generalization to support.

It’s also encumbant company solely owned by the worlds richest man versus enormous global corporation mostly owned by another one. There is no counter-culture here.

Right, and the closest thing I can recall to a counter-culture here is occasionally seeing the suggestion that software engineers should unionize. The rest is bread and butter tech culture (which loves obscure technical topics, psychedelic drugs, discussing money, various ways of accomplishing tasks in a clever way, statistics, design and so on).

Re: Threads users down by more than a half

#237

Post by antisthenes »

justapassenger wrote: post #180

It’s super funny to see people framing that as Threads failing. They totally may fail. But even after that initial drop (which is expected, for something that managed to get so much hype) they’re likely still the biggest app in the history in terms of DAU in few weeks after the launch. And if there’s one thing Meta knows how to do is to copy successful idea and slowly grind the growth till it dominates market.

> And if there’s one thing Meta knows how to do is to copy successful idea and slowly grind the growth till it dominates market.

How many years/decades of grinding growth will it take to get back to the initial DAU numbers?

Re: Threads users down by more than a half

#238

Post by pessimizer »

medler wrote: post #75
throwaway-243 wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

why not just ignore the "chaos monkeys" and focus on your writers instead? no one is forcing you to interact with anyone you don't like on X.

One thing that’s impossible to ignore is that Twitter now forces you to read bad replies. Before, it would rank the most popular replies near the top, but now you have to scroll past lots of low-quality replies from people who are boosted just because they pay for the privilege.

Bad replies aren't necessarily the least popular. Any number of people would prefer blue check (basically signed) replies than pseudonymous drivebys whose entire participation in twitter is sharp replies that get massively upvoted.

Also, popularity based in upvotes from nobody, unverified accounts is usually inorganic. Scoring upvotes based on how many of them are from verified or likely authentic accounts can only improve user experience (for content providers, not professional reply guys.)

Re: Threads users down by more than a half

#240

Post by sourcecodeplz »

With all the money Meta has (even more if they didn't blew so much on Metaverse) they should have built some kind of monetization opportunities for the users from the get go. Something like Twitter is doing now.

Nothing attracts people more than money. Give 1/10/100 USD per month to super active users that attract views and engagement.

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