Twitter/X alternative Mastodon introduces a new ‘byline’ feature to attract journalists

Mastodon, the open-source, decentralized alternative to X (formerly Twitter), is introducing a new feature to enhance its appeal to users who follow news and information from writers and journalists. Starting Tuesday, the platform will add clickable author bylines on link posts, directing Mastodon users to the author’s account on the fediverse, if active. This change aims to help journalists gain more exposure and grow their following.

These new bylines go beyond the standard @username references commonly seen in link posts from news publications or other written content, such as WordPress blogs or Substack articles. Instead, the update will display the news publication’s headline and image, followed by a reference underneath that includes the author’s profile photo and name.

The feature is already rolling out to select news publishers, including The Verge, MacStories, and MacRumors. (It’s in the queue for other platforms as well!)

To access these new bylines, you’ll need to use the main Mastodon server at mastodon.social, either on the web or through the official mobile app for now. If you’re using another Mastodon server, it will need to support the recent Mastodon nightly release, and the feature will only work for moderator-approved websites.

Additionally, the company says the new bylines will be supported by its API, allowing third-party apps to incorporate the feature in the future.