Explaining Bluesky, an X/Twitter-Alternative

Last week, we discussed why X, the social media network once known as Twitter, has been losing many users. This week we wanted to direct those seeking a move to consider the up-and-coming platform known as Bluesky in case you were one of those jumping ship.

Listed below is how Bluesky operates and how to sign up.

Where Did Bluesky Come From?

From all appearances, Bluesky is a passion project started by Jack Dorsey, a name you may recognize as the founder of Twitter. Back in 2019, Dorsey announced his plans to have Twitter fund the creation of a “decentralized” social media network, or one that isn’t controlled by any single company or person. Bluesky was ultimately made to be a public benefit corporation, which is essentially a for-profit organization with a focus shifted away from shareholder returns and instead directed toward societal benefits.

Once Bluesky was established, Dorsey divested himself from the company—which his chosen CEO (Jay Graber) claims is less of a change than one might think, as Dorsey was never deeply involved.

How to Open a Bluesky Account

To sign up for Bluesky, visit bsky.app or install the application from the appropriate app store on your mobile operating system of choice.

• If you used the website, select Sign up, or if you used the application, Create account.
• Select Sign up
• Pick a hosting provider, in this case, Bluesky Social
• Provide your birthday and email address, and select a password
• Select a handle to use, using at least three characters that are exclusively letters, numbers, or symbols
• Complete the captcha
• Either upload a profile photo or create a simple avatar

You’ll then be prompted to select a collection of interests to help guide the platform’s “Discover” feed, which will suggest accounts for you to follow. 

How to Post on Bluesky

You can create your own posts by pressing New Post on the web or using the mobile app’s dedicated blue button.

First, you need to set boundaries, like who can interact with the post via a reply or whether or not other accounts can quote your post, even retroactively.

As of this writing, each post can have up to 300 characters, with up to four photos or one 50MB video, and the capability to add a label to indicate how sensitive or adult the contents are. GIFs can be added through the Giphy service. Then, once you’ve clicked the Post button, you’re speaking out to the rest of the platform.

How to Find Additional Accounts and Feeds on Bluesky

As noted above, the Discover feed is designed to help you build the roster of accounts you follow, and you can always search for specific names or accounts. Bluesky will also serve you various feeds, collections of content and accounts related to those you already follow or that align with your specified interests.

From there, however, there is also the potential to find even more accounts, especially if those you have followed have shared something called “starter packs.” Starter packs are collections of accounts and feeds a user would recommend, allowing you to follow them all or certain ones individually.

How to Moderate Your Bluesky Experience

With X losing much of its user base after removing its moderation capabilities, we must address what Bluesky allows its users to do. Bluesky allows its users to block accounts, which prevents that account from interacting with the user who blocked it entirely:

• A blocked account can no longer view a profile or posts
• A blocked account can no longer search for an account
• A blocked account has all its interactions with an account removed automatically

Bluesky also boosts the mute features that many users are familiar with. Instead of stopping at muting accounts or words, Bluesky allows its users to block entire hashtags. Similar to the aforementioned starter packs, users can also create curated moderation packs, blocking or muting assorted accounts en masse or individually.

Furthermore, Bluesky automatically excludes adult content, such as explicit or suggestive content, graphic content, and general nudity, unless the user opts in via the settings.

That’s Bluesky in a Nutshell

Hopefully, this will give you a better idea of what Bluesky looks like and whether or not you’re interested in it.