communities

Communities Introduced on Messenger by Meta with Little Fanfare

Gettyimages 2150540396
Meta is quietly rolling out a new “Communities” feature on Messenger, the company confirmed to TechCrunch. The rollout comes as Meta introduced Communities on WhatsApp back in 2022. They could create dedicated group chats for topics like upcoming events, security alerts, trash pickup schedules, and more. Although the feature works similarly to Communities on WhatsApp, Meta says there is one key differentiator, which is the fact that Messenger Communities are connected to Facebook’s social graph. On a help page, Meta says Communities on Messenger are designed for more public conversations when compared to Facebook groups.

Revolutionary green initiative in the U.S. targets $160B in climate tech funding

Gettyimages 1163558463
New U.S. ‘green bank’ aims to steer over $160B in capital into climate techFor years, banks have been financing large renewable power projects, from utility-scale solar farms to horizon-spanning wind farms. But the demand is there, which is why advocates have been clamoring for the federal government to support a so-called green bank, which will underwrite these sorts of projects. That green bank is now a reality. Green bank loans have a pretty good track record, too. The Connecticut Green Bank, for example, has a delinquency rate that’s on par with other commercial lenders across both residential and commercial portfolios.

X’s NSFW Communities Plans Confirmed

Twitter X Logo Musk 1
A day after researchers surfaced X’s plans to test NSFW adult communities on the platform formerly known as Twitter, the company confirmed that Community admins can now set an “Adult Content” label in their settings to avoid having their communities’ content auto-filtered. Otherwise, all NSFW content will be soon filtered across X’s Communities by default. Check out the latest updates and improvements for X Communities.👇 Updates (With the latest version of the app):– [All] Admins can now add topics to their Communities, and you can see topics linked to Communities on all devices. – [All] Soon, NSFW content will… — Dongwook (@DongWookChung2) March 28, 2024Now, included in a long list of updates to X’s Communities is the confirmation that NSFW-focused communities will be allowed to designate themselves as such to keep from having their content filtered automatically, as in other Communities. The X executives had not shared any plans for NSFW Communities at that time.

Screenshots reveal X’s exploration of NSFW adult communities

X And Threads Gettyimages 1763609384 2
The platform, formerly Twitter, is working on an addition to its Communities feature that would let X users create groups for X-rated material, according to app researchers. pic.twitter.com/Sou18ze7Va — Nima Owji (@nima_owji) February 28, 2024Twitter introduced its Communities feature in 2021. So, the platform’s more-lenient policy on adult content is critical for online sex workers to grow their businesses. Adult creators are allowed to post explicit content on X, though they can’t monetize it on the platform. Even though X seems to be working on this NSFW Communities feature, that doesn’t mean it’ll come to fruition.

Revitalizing Friendships: Bumble’s BFF Product Aims to Thrive Amid Decline in Dating Apps

Bumble App Screen Ios
Dating app maker Bumble is rethinking its vision for the company’s future after announcing weak earnings and massive job cuts that will see the company cutting a third of its staff, or around 350 employees. “Candidly, we have been slow to realize this broader vision with Bumble BFF thus far,” she told investors on Tuesday’s Q4 2023 earnings call. The CEO noted that the current BFF product has a small, but strong following. This is due to BFF using the same one-to-one match paradigm for friendships as Bumble uses for dating. That could limit BFF’s ability to monetize as Bumble’s dating product does.

“Unlock the Power of Community on Mastodon with Newsmast’s Curated Experience”

Newsmast
Newsmast also credits the Mastodon app and Mozilla-backed startup Mammoth for the inspiration around Communities. In addition, Newsmast offers a system where anyone can build their own Mastodon server with a selection of communities they’ve curated. Users could then connect to that server in place of the Newsmast server within the Newsmast app. Later this week, Newsmast will also open up its API to developers, which means your preferred Mastodon app could integrate with Newsmast’s Communities, too, for a more seamless experience. (In fact, some Mastodon users were confused why Newsmast’s accounts were following them and boosting their content, without understanding the larger purpose.)

“Reddit’s IPO Filing Minimizes Concerns over Developer Backlash and Decentralized Social Media”

Reddit Logo Broken
Reddit’s long-awaited IPO is nearing, promising to be the largest social media IPO since Pinterest. Meanwhile, Mastodon, and the wider network of apps connected to the “Fediverse” as the decentralized social web is called, has a combined 17.2 million users. Just as some Twitter users broke away to join decentralized alternatives, once they became viable alternatives, Reddit users could also do the same. If Meta fears the power of decentralized social networks enough to join the movement, surely Reddit is not immune? Seeing their demands ignored and overridden could eventually drive them to find new homes on decentralized social media, where they would maintain control over their communities and user data.

The Enduring Power of NFT Communities: Weathering Both Love and Hate

Nft Cards
Love ’em or hate ’em, NFTs can survive thanks to the communities that drive themNFTs have suffered everything from ridicule and scams to a broad dip in demand due to the crypto winter. Sometimes it almost feels like some of the projects in the space are kept going simply on hopes and dreams. Most people are holding on to their NFTs regardless of their monetary value, according to Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands. Making money from NFTs validates their holders’ conviction, but Siu thinks there are more important factors driving the persistent ownership. “It’s not a crazy idea, but NFTs make [the experience] more powerful by bonding them together.