Stop saying things that are obvious. Twitter/X is not what it once was. Engagement rates plummeted, users left in droves, and the nature of the platform changed significantly. Insecure leadership at the helm has only exacerbated these problems, leaving many people disillusioned with social media overall.
So where is the best place to go? From Threads to Mastadon, it’s hard to say which of the multiple X choices to believe. However, a significant number of people have switched to BlueSky, which launched in February 2023. We are there too. Find us at creativeboom.bsky.social.
So, a year and a half later, what’s going on with BlueSky? Should you join? If so, how can you get the most out of it? Keep reading to find out the answers to all these questions.
What is Blue Sky?
First of all, what is BlueSky? In short, BlueSky is a Twitter/X alternative that works in a very similar way. However, there are two main differences.
For one, it’s not owned by Elon Musk, who many people dislike for various reasons. BlueSky, by contrast, was developed in close partnership with Jack Dorsey, who originally founded Twitter but left in 2022 to join BlueSky’s board of directors.
The second main difference is that BlueSky is decentralized. What does it mean in plain language? On centralized platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X, a single company controls and owns all your data. Distributed systems like BlueSky allow you to choose which servers or network instances to join, or even run your own servers or network instances. In other words, you’ll have more control over your data and what happens to it.
From this perspective, if (a) you want something that works like X but isn’t owned by Elon Musk, or (b) you don’t want your content to be owned and controlled by a big tech company with no accountability. Is it worth moving to BlueSky? If you fall into either (or both) of these categories, keep reading to find out how BlueSky actually works.
Key features of BlueSky
Getting down to the nitty-gritty, BlueSky offers a variety of great features that you won’t find on mainstream social media platforms.
First, a chronological timeline is displayed. This means that the content posted by the people you follow will be displayed in chronological order. This is how Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter used to operate, and as far as we know, literally no one has asked them to change it. But they have changed and the majority of people are nostalgic for how things used to be. BlueSky brings back the concept of a simple timeline, which can be a killer feature for many people.
Another great feature is the ability to create and participate in custom feeds tailored to your specific interests. These essentially act like hashtags on steroids, making it easier to find the types of content and communities you’re really interested in.
Do you want your friends from other social media platforms to join BlueSky? Of course they will. So BlueSky aims to help you by allowing you to create personalized invitations through our โStarter Packโ. This makes it easier to bring your friends directly to specific corners of the platform, helping to create a more cohesive community experience.
One of the challenges with participating on these different social media platforms is making sure you don’t confuse your audience. So, with BlueSky, you can customize your handle with your own domain name to add a unique touch to your profile.
Finally, BlueSky helps keep you safe by providing community-driven tools to block or mute content and accounts that upset or offend you. In my experience, BlueSky still has very few trolls and troublemakers, so there isn’t much use for them at the moment, but it’s good to know they’re available in case you ever need them.
Get started with BlueSky
Setting up a BlueSky account is a simple process. First, visit bsky.app or download the BlueSky mobile app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. Then, click on โSign Upโ and enter your details such as name, handle, email address, and password.
Once you’ve completed the Capture Challenge and set up your account, follow the prompts to set up your profile picture, profile, and other basic information. Finally, select your interests so that BlueSky can show you relevant content as you move around the platform.
To get the most out of your BlueSky experience, start by creating a compelling bio that concisely explains who you are, what you do, and why you’re joining BlueSky . It’s usually best (and easiest) to use the same profile picture and display name as your other social media accounts. And, just like any other social media platform, actively interact with other users to fine-tune your feed and increase your visibility on the platform.
BlueSky’s content strategy
These are the basics when using BlueSky. But like any social platform, once you’ve set it up, it can be difficult to know what kind of content to post.
Not sure how to get started? Start with an introductory post to let the BlueSky community know who you are and what you do. And do all the things you’re probably already doing on Twitter/X. for exampleโฆ
Share insights from your professional life that add value to your followers’ feeds. Discuss current trends and news related to your field of expertise. Get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into work processes and daily operations. Engage your audience by asking for opinions and conducting surveys. Provide practical tips, how-tos, or life hacks related to your area of โโknowledge. Celebrate milestones and achievements and build connections with your audience. Share reviews and thoughts about books, movies, products, and services that you enjoy.
Don’t hesitate to reuse content from other social media platforms and adapt it to BlueSky’s unique environment. We use so many platforms these days that no one expects content exclusive to BlueSky.
Build a community with BlueSky
Once you’ve started posting and getting a feel for BlueSky, it’s time to take full advantage of its features. Explore and engage with custom feeds that match your interests. This helps you find like-minded users and relevant discussions. Next, you can try creating your own custom feed to establish yourself as a thought leader in your niche and attract followers with similar interests.
Take full advantage of BlueSky’s advanced search capabilities to find specific content or people. You can search for phrases, hashtags, or mentions using quotes and specific keywords. Stay up to date with real-time conversations and breaking news with a chronological timeline. We use community-driven moderation tools to curate positive, relevant experiences on our platform.
Growing your BlueSky presence over time requires a thoughtful approach. Trolls and shock value don’t work as well as in X. Instead, actively engage with other users’ content by liking, commenting, and reposting. Participate in community events and hashtag challenges to increase your visibility. Use relevant hashtags to help find your content, but don’t overuse them.
Finally, measure whether all this activity is worthwhile. Although BlueSky doesn’t currently offer built-in analytics tools, you can monitor your follower growth over time and track post engagement rates (likes, comments, reposts) to help you succeed. You can evaluate it.
The future of blue sky
It is impossible to predict the future of social media. But for now, all signs are that BlueSky will continue to steadily grow and improve.
As this happens, we hope to see this open platform respond to user feedback and needs with enhanced features and tools. There is great potential for integration with other decentralized platforms, which would increase the reach and functionality of the network. Better analytics and insight tools are also coming soon, along with more sophisticated customization options for feeds and user interfaces.
Or maybe nothing happens. Perhaps BlueSky will change ownership and go in a different direction. Perhaps it will crash and burn, or maybe it will simply wither away due to lack of interest. But hopefully, this little-talked-about platform will continue to grow slowly and quietly, in a way that empowers rather than exploits its user base. This raises my expectations…