So, what is this Bluesky, and why is it the talk of the town? This post explores everything about Bluesky and how it is becoming a popular alternative to existing giant social media platforms. So let’s get started!
What is Bluesky?
Bluesky is an X-like social media platform with distinct features and philosophy that offers a flexible social media ecosystem and user-centric control. It allows you to decide what you want to see and how you want to appear on your profile to other users. Bluesky is built on AT protocols, that is a high-tech engine that keeps the whole thing humming. AT protocols facilitate distributed data storage, promoting user data ownership at individual level.
In addition to this, Bluesky consists of PDS (Personal Data Server), Relay, and AppView. PDS stores your data and manages user authentication, while the relay is like a giant library collecting and sharing information for everyone. AppView is where it all comes together—the app you use to scroll, post, and share your favorite videos. Like a mini-blogging site, it allows you to post pictures, videos and short messages under three hundred words.
Bluesky has made significant parts of its codebase publicly available under permissive licenses. You get features like detaching quote posts and hiding replies to reduce harassment and toxicity. Also, you can link your identity/profile to a domain name verified through DNS text records or HTTPS page hosting. Instead of a username like “maggi999,” you can link your profile to your website. Yep, your name would look something like “maggi999.com.”
What makes Bluesky more interesting is that it allows you to select or create algorithmic feeds as per your taste. It has unique features that enable you to make social media life carefree and personalized. You decide what you want to see. You can even create your own feeds and playlists on topics you enjoy. Most importantly, it has an anti-drama kit that allows you to restrict toxic trollers and hide nasty comments. All the experiences are composable at a personal level.
Bluesky as an Alternative to X and Facebook!
Bluesky was born out of Twitter in 2021, like a rebellious younger sibling who says I will do it my way. At the start, it was a small invite-only club, but in 2024, it exploded and became 20 million headstrong individuals who were looking for an alternative to Facebook and X platforms. People started downloading and installing it on their mobile phones. As a result, it became the Google and Apple app stores` most sought-after free app. It saw the first surge in 2022 when Elon Musk bought Twitter and changed it to X. After this event, Twitter users became frustrated with the new functions and weird rules. Due to this change, they turned to Bluesky as an alternative to the X.
How Bluesky Came Into Existence?
The quick backstory is, one of Twitter’s founders, Jack Dorsey, always wanted to create a decentralized social media platform with open protocols so that the power of decision-making does not concentrate in one hand. He named this project Bluesky, symbolizing openness, freedom, progress, and positivity. Later, it became a public benefit corporation that focused on making the internet more useful and creating a positive impact on society, not just lining the pockets of shareholders. At the start, Twitter`s grant first financed the project, but it stopped when Musk bought the social media giant. After that, Bluesky raised $23 million in venture funding from private investors. It was with this funding, that a team of half a dozen experts started developing AT architecture alongside other technology to complete the Bluesky project.
How Did People Receive Bluesky?
In the beginning, only a few people joined the platform. The big moment came in November 2024 when, all of a sudden, over 20 million people joined it. This explosive growth brought various challenges in the form of glitches, slow servers, and a lack of staff. Sometimes, the site went down for short periods, unable to handle the load of new users joining in millions. Bugs persisted, affecting how user names were displayed in profiles and accounts. A clash of old users with newbies was also seen, where they bristled at new joiners to adapt to the new platform and its norms.
However, users are raving about the Bluesky, but it hasn’t been an easy journey. When the app saw a sudden surge in November 2024 it had to struggle to maintain the server, and keep all the operations running error-free. The lack of staff made the situation out of control. Some users expressed that new users are expecting Bluesky to be like X and Facebook. CEO Ms.Graber said that the glitches are due to internet services. She compared Bluesky with David taking on Goliath, and it would be quite a tough job. Things would take time but it would be a unique social media site. Bluesky promised to never train generative artificial intelligence and machine learning with the user data.
So far, users are happy to join Bluesky for its decentralized ethos, algorithmic flexibility, and community-oriented tools, allowing them freedom and tailored experiences. They are finding solace in the protected and customized environment of the Bluesky, where they can avoid abusive phrases, mean comments, trolling, and endless social drama. So, in user’s terms, it is so far so good. However, it still needs some moderation and improvements to provide a great user experience and social networking benefits.
Bluesky 101: Your Cheat Sheet for Posting, Feeds, and More
Now comes the question of how you post and throw your thoughts into the Bluesky void. Don’t worry; it has similar traits to Twitter. You`ve got 300 characters to express yourself short and snappy. All you need to do is press the blue “New Post” button with the pen-and-paper icon and just write it out. Also, you can post photos and videos with captions to share about your special events and moments. Now, here is the talk: there’s a cheeky push to dub the messages and posts on the sites as Skeets, Flits, and Bleets. Whether you love it or hate it, the Nickname Skeets has got people talking.
Feeds That Actually Get You
Bluesky offers two main feeds where you can switch from one option to another hassle-free. First is Discover, which is an algorithm-driven magic that shows you trending posts based on your previous activity. It works like TikTok, Meta, and X sites. The other option is Feed, which gives you stuff from people you actually care about and follow on the site.
Emily Liu, a communications director for Bluesky, said you can tailor-make your feeds using lists, feeds, and Starter Packs. Here, things get spicy, where you can roll up your sleeves and customize your feeds. Lists are like curating your own mixtape of accounts. For example, if you want a Football Favorite List, then hit the checklist icon on the left, give it a name, and add your favorites in the football.
Feeds are like souped-up hashtags that let you tailor the type of post you want to see about a topic or keyword. If you love Art, just search for art-related feeds, and you will get a whole long litany about different types of art from different parts of the globe. According to Ms. Liu, “You can think of Feeds as superpowered hashtags or lists.”
Starter packs will act like a friend who offers a curated list. You can find tailored packs with specific topics and niches and share them with your fans and followers. They can enjoy the same skeets when they join the group as you.
A Familiar Face, but with Its Quirks
The design of Bluesky is similar to Twitter, thanks to Jack Dorsey, the OG Twitter boss. The Twitter users feel a déjà vu when they join the new app. The layout, scroll, and blue-and-white palette all look familiar. In addition to this, it has blocking, muting, and reporting options that help users manage interactions and avoid unwanted content. Here is the kicker: if you don’t want someone to take a peek at your content, you have to block them. You cannot make the post private unless you block individual users. To all others, the messages will appear as they are.
Complete Verification: Forget the Checkmarks
Bluesky uses different verification methods. Unlike Twitter (X) or Instagram, which use visible checkmarks to indicate verified accounts, it takes a DIY approach. You have to manage your verification on your own rather than relying on the platform. It doesn’t have any blue badges or checkmarks to prove you are legit. You link your profile to your personal website to prove authenticity in a simple and self-managed way. You get simple, straightforward, and less tied to big-business norms. It is more community-focused and works at the grassroot levels.
How to Find Friends?
Unlike other social media sites, finding friends on Bluesky is a bit like finding easter eggs. It has no built-in tool where you can import your Instagram and Facebook friends to your account. Instead, independent developers have developed a creative workaround solution called “Sky Follower Bridge.” Using this extension, users can find and follow their friends from other networks.
What is Bugging People?
Well, nothing is perfect in this world, and you have to accept reality for what it is. So is true about Bluesky. Big names in sports and social media celebrities are still parked on X. It has bot accounts that automatically repost content from other platforms like X. It mirrors posts from big names. This way, the content technically exists on the site. A bot doesn’t capture the full human experience or brand, engaging and interacting directly with users. It feels like eating frozen pizza when you want to have it fresh out of the oven. It doesn’t hit the palate; you have to swallow it because you cannot get it fresh.
You also miss features like alerts, drafts, and the X`s new features like “views.” They are not here yet. Not only this, there may be some glitches like flashing images in the likes section that is like a real buzzkill.
The Final Opinion
Bluesky is like a cool indie band, a subject of curiosity and hope for social media users who are looking for an alternative to the meta and X, but it’s still ironing out the kinks. It is fun, full of potential, but you cannot rely on it entirely. It is in the evolution stage and gradually develops in its course before becoming a full-fledged social media giant. You can take a dive into it if you are looking for something fresh, but at the same time, keep your expectations in check. Time will tell whether it is really fulfilling the vision it started with. So keep calm and go with the flow!
