Mastodon introduced its byline feature, allowing authors to associate their fediverse account from the app as it attempts to boost the platform's appeal to journalism.
Websites like The Verge, MacStories, and MacRumors have started to adopt the feature for their writers.
(Photo : Mastodon)
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Mastodon Offers Journalism Feature for Users
Mastodon introduced itself as the decentralized alternative to X, allowing users to view content based on their interests and not on the company's algorithm. The platform quickly gained popularity among journalists due to its connection with the fediverse.
"Writers often work with different publishers over the span of their careers, but Mastodon is the perfect platform to amass a loyal audience that you, as the author, truly own, and can take with you across the fediverse," the company wrote.
Authors will now see a byline underneath their article. Once clicked, the author's associated fediverse account will be shown right in the app. Journalists who are actively participating in the fediverse can reach more people while readers will have easier navigation across various publications.
Mastodon Works Closely With Publications
In a blog post, Mastodon detailed the changes brought by the byline feature. A new kind of OpenGraph tag was introduced to publication, allowing them to decide on the thumbnail image that will appear as a preview when shared on Discord, iMessage, or Mastodon.
For now, the tag only acknowledges one author handle. The platform assured journalists that it would add support for multiple authors in future updates. Any fediverse account handle from Threads, WordPress, Pixelfied, and more is supported.
The tag is now available on mastodon.social and other servers that support the platform's nightly release but will only show up for links to moderator-approved websites. Mastodon also offers assistance for interested publications to enable the feature on their website.
Related Article: The Importance of Fediverse to Writers, Explained
