LONDON – If you’re seeking an alternative to platforms like X, Threads, and Mastodon, consider giving Bluesky a try.
Following the recent U.S. elections, many users are gravitating towards Bluesky to escape the often chaotic and politically charged atmosphere found on other social media sites. The platform is reportedly cultivating a friendlier environment with far fewer trolls compared to its competitors.
In a striking development, Bluesky announced that it gained over a million new users within just a week after Election Day. The platform has quickly become a prominent contender against Elon Musk’s X and similar social media networks.

If you’re curious about exploring this new platform, here’s a breakdown of how Bluesky functions:

**Getting Started**

If you’re hesitant to create yet another social media account, you can still browse Bluesky without signing up, as all posts and profiles are accessible to the public.
You may find that Bluesky’s interface is reminiscent of X, which is understandable since Jack Dorsey, a co-founder of Twitter, initially supported Bluesky. Although Dorsey is no longer associated with Bluesky, the platform operates as a public benefit corporation led by its executive team.
To create an account, you will need to choose a username. Note that Bluesky handles have a unique twist, as they automatically append the .bsky.social domain. While you can customize your handle to incorporate your personal website or even purchase a custom domain through Bluesky, this option may not be immediately essential for newcomers.

**Discovering Interesting Users**

Bluesky emphasizes “algorithmic choice,” allowing users to customize their content feeds rather than relying solely on a central algorithm.
The platform states, “Our online experience doesn’t have to depend on billionaires unilaterally making decisions over what we see.”
As a result, you can follow various custom feeds created by other users or create your own. Accessing the #Feeds section from the left menu reveals default categories like Cat Pics and Gardening, while “My Bangers” showcases your most-liked posts. The “Catch Up” feature highlights the site’s most popular posts from the last day. Additional feeds can be discovered through searches using the Feeds option.
Bluesky also includes the usual “Discover” feed for recommended posts and a chronological feed of the accounts you follow. To ease new users into the platform, Bluesky has curated starter packs with suggested feeds and accounts to follow, which can be shared and located in directories online, even though they won’t appear in search results.
If you’re interested in reconnecting with people you followed on X, a browser extension called Sky Follower Bridge can assist in finding them on Bluesky. However, double-check the identity of these users before following, as they might share similar display names or handles.

**Making Posts**

Eager to start participating? You can share your thoughts or respond to others, but remember that there’s a character limit of 300, which is slightly more than X’s limit. You’re also allowed to upload photos and videos, though keep video length capped at 60 seconds. Naturally, GIFs and emojis are available to enhance your messages.
You can mention others by typing their username, like posts with a heart icon, and use hashtags to emphasize topics. Bluesky has a hashtag menu that provides additional options for viewing or muting posts related to particular themes.

**Handling Trolls**

Staying true to its decentralization philosophy, Bluesky offers users flexible content control options.
Users can customize which replies, reposts, or quote posts they wish to see in their feeds through the settings menu. You can temporarily or permanently mute specific words or tags and manage your interactions with accounts individually, or by creating a moderation list to bulk mute or block accounts. The platform also allows you to adjust the level of adult content appearing in your feed.
Bluesky employs a content moderation team to oversee illegal or rule-violating material. However, it adopts a unique approach by open-sourcing its content moderation system, striving for more transparency and user control compared to traditional moderation services.
This openness allows individuals and groups to establish their own content filters or labelers, permitting categorization of content or users that can be blocked or concealed. Additionally, these labelers can serve informative or creative purposes, like content curation and verification.
For instance, there are labelers designed to identify AI-generated images or fact-check news updates. After subscribing to a politics labeler, you might see posts flagged with identifiers like “!Donald Trump” or “!Democrat politician,” hiding these until you choose to view them.

In conclusion, Bluesky presents a fresh, alternative social media experience with its unique features intended to create a more enjoyable, user-centric environment.