BlueSky — A New Star in the Sky
Since the U.S. elections, BlueSky has seen a real surge in new users. This is largely due to Elon Musk, who has turned X into a politically charged platform favoring right-wing content. This seems like a good moment to give you a quick introduction to BlueSky and share some useful tools and tricks.
What is BlueSky?
BlueSky is a microblogging platform modeled after the old Twitter. It runs on the AT Protocol, with open-source code that allows third-party developers to create and offer all kinds of apps. This openness is a key difference from apps like those by Meta. According to CEO Jay Graber, this makes BlueSky “billionaire-proof.”
What’s new?
One major difference, compared to traditional networks, is that users can create their own algorithms. You can build personalized feeds based on your interests, such as football — soccer, British media, or travel. These feeds are self-determined, with no algorithm or ads to interrupt them. You can switch between feeds, but everyone only sees what they choose. BlueSky also provides its own curated feed.
The importance of this feature is clear from the fact that Threads is now copying it — classic Meta behavior.
Who is BlueSky for?
The app is ideal for anyone who used to be on Twitter/X but left for various reasons or no longer engages there. If you have valued Twitter as a societal marketplace, BlueSky is becoming hard to ignore. After several waves of users from Germany, Brazil, and the UK, the latest influx was from the U.S. Altogether there is a critical mass of politicians, media, and celebrities on the platform.
If you want to stay informed or post on socially and politically relevant topics, BlueSky is worth checking out.
The downsides
Compared to other networks, 22.5 million users (as of November 25, 2024) is a small number. For example, Threads has over 200 million users. But here, it’s less about quantity and more about engagement and the type of users. BlueSky leads in these areas, especially since Threads tends to suppress political content.
That said, BlueSky is still far from achieving true decentralization, and it looks like we’ll be waiting for that a while longer. Even so, it currently feels like the right place both technically and in terms of content.
The upsides
In my opinion, the platform could get more “normal” users beyond the progressive bubble. However, with so many new users arriving, we’ll likely see more diverse voices. Right now, it’s simply a relaxed and fun place to hang out, reminiscent of 2009. Conversations and discussions generally work well on BlueSky, though, there are occasional trolls.
Many nerdy websites and apps are made possible by the open API — this is also 2009, but more on that below.
BlueSky Links
Instead of elaborating further, here’s a collection of links to tools, tricks, and stats about BlueSky:
- Guide for setting up your BlueSky account: PCMag
- Find people from Twitter on BlueSky: Follow the Sky
- Simple feed creator for BlueSky: BlueSky Feed Creator
- Advanced users can use these column views: Deck.blue and Skeetdeck
- Starter packs for accounts by interest: BlueSky Directory
- Real-time counter for new users: bCounter
- Statistics on BlueSky’s biggest accounts: bStat
- Atlas and more stats: BlueSky Atlas
- Block annoying accounts: Blockenheimer
- See posts on BlueSky in real-time: FireSky
- Cross-posting on multiple platforms: OpenVibe
- Track and hear all the swearing on BlueSky: SwearSky
My question of the week:
Do you need a Twitter replacement, or are you happy with Instagram, LinkedIn, and others?
And finally, this for the road:
Thanks for reading, and don’t forget: the real world is out there!
Daniel
