Watch out, Facebook. Twitter and Google are hot on the trail, working on open source version of “Instant Articles,” reports Re/code. Similar to the Facebook product, the brain child of Google and Twitter will make it easier for publishers to display their articles on mobile devices.

According to Re/code, Twitter users and Google search users will click on a link for a particular story. The story will pop up virtually instantly, instead of waiting for the article to load. The biggest difference, says Re/code, is that the publishing tools are being created as an open source project, so other tech companies can adopt it.Another key difference is that Google and Twitter won’t actually host a publisher’s content the way Facebook’s Instant Articles does. Instead, readers will see a snapshot – or cached – version of the web page on the publisher’s site. Though Re/code doesn’t anticipate users will recognize this distinction, publishers will, particularly if the cached pages display ads the publishers have sold next to the content.Many details of the project are still unknown, including the business terms between Google, Twitter and the publishers who’ll use their new product. The product is not expected to be branded like Instant Articles or the Apple News app, due out later this week.”The world needs an answer to proprietary instant articles, and Twitter and Google could provide it,” a source told Re/code.

Digital Trends points out that this is an exciting advancement for people who like to read news on the go, but who hate the lengthy loading times. The project may also increase engagement on Twitter, Google News and Google search while leaving control of the content in the original publisher’s hands.Since Facebook began testing of Instant Articles in May, the concept has been slow to take off. Though the social media giant initially attracted big name publishers like The New York Times, the Guardian and BBC, the publishers have been slow to adopt the Facebook platform. With the articles only getting in front a small test audience, it is unlikely that most of us have even seen the platform in action.In a July Wall Street Journal blog post, Bob Cohn, president and COO of The Atlantic, said they are posting up to 20 stories a day, but few people are seeing them.”Since Facebook is still in trial phases with Instant Articles, those pieces only click through to Facebook for a fraction of the audience,” Cohn said. “The rest still click through to our site. That will change, we understand, as the experiment continues.”Insider Take:It is refreshing to see corporate giants like Google and Twitter partnering on a tech project that will benefit publishers as well as end users. Facebook, on the other hand, is looking for ways to secure its stronghold, while its competitors are looking for ways to work together, for the betterment of all.We expect that Google and Twitter will benefit too, but if publishers retain control of their content and mobile users can get to content more quickly, what’s the harm?Publishers are already challenged to adjust their business models and economic expectations to adapt to a rapidly changing world. Losing control of their content and relying on social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn for referral traffic adds to the humiliation of doing more with less and for less.If the open source publishing project is a success, however, publishers can return some of their focus to producing quality content and strengthening their business models without fear that Facebook will suffocate them.~ Dana E. Neuts, Subscription Insider