Join the X-odus to Bluesky

Learn about the new social network quickly replacing Twitter / X

Bluesky is a new social network that is currently growing at over 1 million users per day. This recent growth has been fueled mostly by Elon Musk’s destructive reign at the social network formally known as Twitter (I never liked calling it X), Elon’s aligning himself with the newly re-elected president Trump and far-right ideologies, new changes in the platforms approach to blocking users, and X using user content to train AI.

But Bluesky isn’t just a Twitter alternative. The app boasts key design features which are key to creating a more harmonious and open online community.   

What Makes Bluesky Different?

Bluesky is a B-Corp

Bluesky is a US public benefit corporation with a mission to “develop and drive large-scale adoption of technologies for open and decentralized public conversation.” (https://bsky.social/about/blog/7-05-2023-business-plan)  It’s designed not to be controlled by a single company or person. 

Bluesky is Decentralized

A decentralized social network can run on independent servers.  They give the user more control and autonomy.  Moderation of content can be controlled by the server’s operators, rather than a central authority.  With Bluesky, users can determine the kind of content that they want to see by using moderation features, blocking or muting users, and subscribing to moderation lists. 

When a social media network isn’t controlled by a central authority, there’s a reduced risk of censorship by the platform’s owners (source).  When users control what they see on the platform, they can protect themselves from negative content and hate speech without raising concerns about freedom of speech. 

Open Source Code

Bluesky’s code is open source, meaning that anyone can use it to create their own social network.

Host your own data

When you join Bluesky, you have the option to host your data on your own server.   Even if you initially decide to host your data on the main Bluesky platform, you can later decide to host your own data if you choose.

The Community is Seeking Change

Many of the users of Bluesky are tired of the negativity and drama of other social networks, and are looking for something different. As one user puts it, “I didn’t realize just how worn down and jaded Twitter had made me until I logged on to Bluesky and took in the welcoming atmosphere on the site.” (Source)

Can’t express enough just how delightful it is to make a post and not have hundreds of hateful replies. Thanks, Bluesky. @bsky.app

— Rex Chapman (@rexchapman.bsky.social) November 15, 2024 at 11:23 AM

You’re not stuck in a downward spiral algorithm

I think many people have experienced modern social media algorithms as a downward spiral. With Bluesky, the content that you see on your feed is based on keywords in the content that you post, and the users that you decide to follow. It’s common to see posts by users telling Bluesky what kind of content they want to see:

Hi bluesky algorithm! Here's what I'm into, hit me up if you wanna connect about this stuff: ✨JRPGs ✨Trails ✨Final Fantasy ✨Xeno series ✨Ys ✨Uchikoshi games (Zero Escape / AI) ✨Persona ✨Omori ✨Bravely Default ✨Mana ✨Harvestella ✨Tales of ✨Life is Strange ✨Narrative games ✨Anime ✨Go Shiina music

— Just the Gems (Branden) (@justthegems.net) November 9, 2024 at 9:01 AM

Personalized Moderation Features

Bluesky has layers of moderation features. They have default moderation provided by the Bluesky team (you can adjust the moderation settings for these). You can also subscribe to moderation lists created by individual users, and block or mute individual users.

Glad to see people using this, we’ve tried to build a healthier social app! These controls let you filter the amount of negativity you see.

[image or embed]

— Jay 🦋 (@jay.bsky.team) November 15, 2024 at 4:33 PM

Tips for Joining Bluesky

1. Complete your profile, including your photo, banner, and description, before following other users. An incomplete profile can be read as a sign of a “lurker” account or a bot. Some users will block you if you follow them before completing your account.

2. Follow starter packs based on your interests. This will fill your feed with content that you’re interested in, and it will also reduce the chances that you’ll see something that you don’t want to see.* Visit blueskydirectory.com/starter-packs for a searchable directory of Bluesky starter packs. For example, I started a Cute Animal starter pack:

3. User your domain as your handle. By default, your handle will look like @username.bsky.social, but you can self-verify your account by using your domain name as your handle. For example, my handle is @createscape.ca. You can use your domain as your handle by adding a Bluesky record to your domain DNS settings. https://bsky.social/about/blog/4-28-2023-domain-handle-tutorial
4. Block or Mute Moderation Lists – Moderation lists are lists of users that other users recommend blocking for various reasons. You can block all of the users on this list at once. It is important to keep in mind that moderation lists are user-created, and could potentially be misused, so have a quick check before blocking the entire list to make sure. Here are some recommended moderation lists:
   • Elon Musk Impersonators
   • ANTI NFT/AI/CRYPTO SHILL LIST – Accounts related to AI, NFT and Cryptocurrency.
   • Arrogant Jerks and lousy trolls
   • Right-wing propaganda and their followers
   • AI fanbois – “Dudes shoving AI down everybody’s throat”
   • Scambots and Spammers
   • MAGA
   • Nazi Symbolism
   • NSFW List (Includes some artists)- Accounts that are using hashtags like “Yoga” for NSFW content and not tagging their posts properly.
   • Political Meme Posters (Too much politics) – Accounts posting nothing but political memes from both the left and the right.

5. Follow People and Feeds – You’ll need to follow accounts that you like in order to have them populate your home or discovery page. If you don’t follow accounts, this page will basically have content from every user on bluesky, with some content being things that you are probably not interested in seeing. Currently there are a lot of political memes going around and that is likely what you will see if you don’t follow other accounts.

Warnings / Cautions

1. All Bluesky content is public, including your posts, who you’re following, and moderation lists. DM content is not public.
2. Avoid using the Search feature if you can – Even searching for ordinary things can yield NSFW content. Some users are using ordinary hashtags for NSFW content. You can block and report these users, but if you want to avoid seeing that altogether, you may want to avoid the search function. Currently Bluesky has a very small moderation team, so it’s possible that they may resolve this issue in the future.

Use Bluesky Differently

Because of the freedom given to users to block other users, I would recommend that anyone using Bluesky for a business take a different approach than they may have done for Twitter. If you’re only posting advertisement / sales content, you may find that your account is being blocked or added to moderation lists. Bluesky tends to be more community focused, so try to contribute something useful to the conversation.

Who Should Join Bluesky?

At the moment, “smaller” cities like Victoria have fewer users on Bluesky, and there aren’t many local businesses or business networking accounts on Bluesky. But I can see that changing within the next year as Bluesky grows.

Currently Bluesky could be a good option for:

• Anyone who works remotely with clients across the US or Canada
• Non-profits fundraising for a cause or trying to gain awareness
• Online services
• E-commerce retailers with a niche audience.
• Artists and Authors
• Local businesses in large cities like New York / Los Angeles

Migrating from X / Twitter

If you want to migrate from X and find your followers / people you followed, there is a tool called Sky Follower Bridge that will help you migrate your connections from X to Bluesky.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading!