Things You Should Need To Know About Bluesky Social, A Twitter Alternative

Since being purchased by billionaire Elon Musk last year, the social media giant Twitter is undergoing rapid change. The organization has retired legacy blue marks showing verified accounts, and there’s a new subscription program.

So normally there’s a lot of interest in substitute social platforms. One of the most recent, Bluesky Social, is earning a little buzz and even celebrity cachet – – however, you could need to stand by some time before you can give it a shot. Here is a look at what you need to know.

Bluesky Social: What is it?

Bluesky refers to itself as “a new social network for microblogging.” Users can post and follow brief updates on a timeline using the app, just like they would on Twitter, with a few exceptions. Direct messages and hashtags, a key feature of Twitter, are currently unavailable.

Jack Dorsey was CEO of Twitter, Bluesky was founded on its own but was supported by Twitter until it became an independent organization in February 2022. Dorsey warned that “this isn’t going to happen overnight” in a 2019 tweet introducing the concept, adding that it also plans to “build an open community around it, inclusive of companies & organizations, researchers, and civil society leaders.”

To put it simply, it is a social media platform that is sufficiently similar to Twitter for some people to consider it an alternative. Bluesky Social, according to users, is the app that comes closest to mimicking Twitter. Other alternatives include Mastodon.

The app is based on something many refer to as the Authenticated Transport protocol, or AT, a social media framework made by the organization and comprised of a network of various sites.

There were around 50,000 users on Bluesky Social as of late April. It started as an iOS app but is now also available for Android users.

Additionally, “blue sky” is pronounced even though the site’s name does not capitalize the “S in “sky”. It should not rhyme with “brewski.”

Who’s behind it?

Another Twitter connection is here. The Bluesky project was launched in 2019 while Jack Dorsey was CEO of Twitter. Dorsey is a co-founder of Twitter and serves on the board of directors. Jay Graber is the organization’s President. In a recent blog post, the website introduced other staff members.

How is Bluesky similar to Twitter?

Full disclosure: I’m still on the waiting list for a Bluesky Social invitation, so haven’t had the option to try it yet. However, screenshots from the Apple App Store show a vertically scrolling message site with user-specific small round photo avatars and icons displaying the number of comments, likes, and reposts received for each message. It looks pretty like Twitter’s format.

Indeed, even the name is related. Dorsey confirmed a Bluesky Social user’s theory that the bird’s name refers to Twitter’s mascot, suggesting that the bird could fly even more freely in an open blue sky.

And how is Bluesky different?

For a certain something, you can set your domain as your handle, if you wish. As Musk began removing blue check marks from verified accounts that refused to pay a monthly fee, verification became a contentious issue for Twitter. This could help with verification.

According to the Bluesky Social company blog, “For example, a newsroom like NPR could set their handle to be @npr.org. Then, any journalists that NPR wants to verify could use subdomains to set their handles to @name.npr.org. Brand accounts could set their handle to be their domain as well”.

Moderation appears to be distinct as well. Another blog post says that Bluesky is already using automated moderating, and is working on a system of community labeling, which is depicted as “something similar to shared mute/block lists.”

Users of numerous social media platforms are shown posts from a feed selected for them by an algorithm, however, users can impact that by following or blocking specific users. However, Bluesky wants to provide users with the option to select from several distinct algorithms to determine what they see. However, that is still in the works.

You can also select from a variety of hosting providers; however, Bluesky’s own system is the default.

In addition, even if the service itself changes, creators who gain a following on Bluesky Social may one day be able to maintain connections with those who follow them.

Why do people sign up for Bluesky Social?

Bluesky, like Mastodon, appeals to a large number of Twitter users who are dissatisfied with the platform’s direction under the ownership of Elon Musk. Musk has made several controversial changes to Twitter’s features and policies in the six months he has been in charge, including removing blue check marks from prominent users.

The same high-profile users who are testing out Bluesky have also publicly criticized Musk’s actions on Twitter.

Bluesky has been downloaded more than 375,000 times from the Apple App Store, according to data.ai, which used to be known as App Annie. Signup requests continue to pour into the waitlist. Bluesky is said to have been downloaded more than 100,000 times on the Google Play Store. In contrast, before Musk’s acquisition, Twitter reported having more than 200 million monetizable daily active users.)

It’s unclear on the off chance that Bluesky has staying power or will lose steam as Mastodon did. However, Mark Bartholomew, a professor of law at the University at Buffalo School of Law who writes about online privacy, believes that the initial shift toward Bluesky is positive because it gives social media users more control over their time.

He stated, “Competition might actually help users find the product features they want, like greater privacy protection, portability, and more significant content moderation. Social media platforms have features that users dislike but they still feel like they must accept them to just be in the online space where everyone else is.”

He claimed that Musk’s actions “to sabotage his own platform” were all that was required.

Who’s using Bluesky Social?

Chrissy Teigen, a model and television personality, has tweeted the name of her Bluesky Social account.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has additionally joined Bluesky Social, as has the Twitter personality who goes by “dril” (real name: Paul Dochney)

According to The Washington Post, singer Grimes, the mother of two children with Twitter CEO and owner Elon Musk, and former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning are also on Bluesky Social.

How do I join Bluesky Social?

As it increases support for the implementation of its network, Bluesky is currently open to invite-only. Every two weeks that they are on the app, existing users receive one invite code to share with someone. The feeling of exclusivity has only increased the excitement of joining Bluesky, which is not surprising.

For now, all you can do to receive an invitation to test Bluesky Social is add your email address to the waiting list. As the site is still in beta, not everyone is permitted to join. However, if you know someone on Bluesky Social, you can beg them to send you an invite code by asking them to keep an eye out for them.

CEO Jay Graber states that the website will remain invite-only until it is further developed.