Photo by Sheen Photography on Unsplash
Facebook is rolling out another update to their platform, and this one has to do with how post comments and interactions are grouped.
There have been a few users who have seen an additional feature on Facebook recently, the ability to connect new posts to a previous one. This visual update groups posts together so that fans or contributors can easily follow along in a conversation from start to finish. Plus, this will give more context to a conversation if a user only sees the latest reaction or comment in a long, continued dialogue.
Since those users have shared screenshots like the one below, Facebook has confirmed it is testing the feature with a select group of “public figures” before rolling it out to the masses.
Image Credits: Matt NavarraThese threaded posts will have a button which allows fans and followers quickly see all related posts within a thread. For now, this update only applies to “public figures” but eventually could roll out to Pages, Businesses or Groups.
More visual examples reveal that Facebook “Threads” look a lot like Twitter. Here is what “Threads” look like right now in testing:
And here is what Twitter threads already look like:
Since Facebook Posts don’t necessarily have a length restriction like Twitter, it’ll be interesting to see how “Threads” are used. Users can create a “Thread” to provide more context to a series of posts without having to go back and edit the original, or reporters can create a thread to post out more live updates as stories develop.
Either way, it’s good that Facebook is making it easier for users to follow along and give more context to posts, since recently they’ve been called out for not doing enough to avoid the spread of misinformation.
Optimize Social Media provides social media & reputation solutions that evolve with our clients. As social media experts we manage Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yelp, YouTube and Instagram accounts for our clients daily. We help the modern business owner implement a specialized social media strategy so they can make more money in real life. Enjoy our blog.
A thread is a sequential, connected, related set of data or content elements found in social media, online messaging, and computer programming settings.
- What is a thread in social media?
- What is a thread in messaging?
- What is a thread in programming?
- What is a Thread in an Operating System
- Types of OS Threads
What is a thread in social media?
On social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, etc.), a thread is a series of replies to a single post. They can be from the original post’s author or from other users, but they are all connected and can be viewed from the original post. A common instance of a thread, for example, is when a Twitter user posts multiple replies to the same main tweet to share longer thoughts or break up parts of a story for dramatic effect.
What is a thread in messaging?
In text messaging, emailing, and other forms of private online communication, a thread is a way of grouping messages pertaining to the same conversation. An example of this is when a group of emails are organized in a way that allows each message to appear individually instead of duplicating the entire message chain that preceded it. Similar threads appear in online messaging platforms such as Slack or Apple’s iMessage, where a user can create a new thread by responding to another user’s message.
What is a thread in programming?
In programming, a thread is a part of a program that can execute independently of other parts. This is the smallest sequence of instructions that can be managed independently by a scheduler within a broader operating system. Multiple threads can exist in a single process and share computer resources, whereas multiple processes do not share the same resources. Operating systems that support multithreading enable programmers to design programs with threaded parts that can execute concurrently. Single-threaded operating systems, on the other hand, process one command at a time.
What is a Thread in an Operating System
The main advantage of threading in an operating system serring is that they can simplify multiple processes running simultaneously in an application. For the browser in an operating system, the main thread processes user events and updates all users. The browser uses a single thread for all JavaScript applications on a webpage. It can also be used to perform reflows, garbage collection, and layout.
When operating system browsers were initially developed, they were designed to support a single process at a time. With the development of threads and processes, browsers are able to offer multiple tabs.
When a request is made in a web browser, a process is initiated that may create several threads to make the task easier. In some cases, the process can trigger the operating system to start another process, which might also have a series of threads.
It can be easy to confuse multi-threading with multitasking. While multitasking refers to doing many tasks at the same time, multi-threading refers to the ability to process multiple threads at the same time.
Microsoft Word is an example of multi-threading in operating systems. MS Word can save files, check spelling, change fonts, read files from a hard drive, and perform several other tasks simultaneously. No additional resources from the OS are required for threading. If a thread gets blocked, the process can initiate a new thread to execute the user request. Threads in the operating system can also share files and processes and access data of other threads.
Types of OS Threads
There are two main types of threads in operating systems—user-level and kernel-level.
User Level
Threads that are implemented by the users are known as user-level threads, which are smaller and faster than kernel-level threads. They consist of a program counter, registers, a small process control block, and a stack.
The advantage of user-level threads is that they are easier to create and manage than kernel-level threads. There is no need for kernel-level privileges when thread switching in user-level threads.
Kernel Level
Kernel-level threads are handled directly by the operating system with all the thread management done by the kernel. The advantage of kernel-level threads is that they can be used to schedule multiple threads of the same process on different processors. They also allow for multi-threading, and if a kernel-level thread is blocked, another thread for the same process can be scheduled by the kernel.