Social network review: Bluesky
As of this week, I’ve finally gotten an invite to join Bluesky, one of numerous Twitter clones to gain popularity in the wake of Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter. Currently, Bluesky is in beta, with a slow, invite-only rollout. Said invites are either through a waitlist (how I joined) or by receiving an invite code.
Sign-up experience
Invite-only nature aside, signing up for Bluesky was as easy as signing up for any other social network. (Which has been an obstacle to fellow federated social network Mastodon attracting more users.) Currently, users are defaulted to the main (and for now, only) Bluesky server, though the sign-up screen gives an option to use an alternate server.
After setting up my account and filling out my bio, I started looking for users to follow. Fortunately, I managed to find some users that I formerly followed on Twitter. However, I notice some of them are (for now) just sitting on the screen name, versus actively using Bluesky.
The Bluesky experience so far
So far, Bluesky has been an easy-to-use experience, and shares some features in common with Twitter. An app and a web version are available. Features include:
Text-based search.
The ability to block users. Which I’ve already exercised; someone wasted their beta access on an AI-themed account?
Reposts (and quote reposts). Just as I don’t call posts on Mastodon “toots,” I’m not calling Bluesky posts “skeets.” Unsurprisingly (given the internet), it’s a reference to a crude slang term, and not to Skeets, the cute-but-snarky flying robot sidekick of DC Comics superhero Booster Gold. Sigh.
A chronological feed.
Tabs highlighting popular posts from friends and Bluesky overall.
Between Bluesky’s invite-only status and “early days” nature, things are relatively quiet so far. While there’s no Beyonce, CNN, or Disney present, there’s also been fewer trolls (so far).
Downsides of Bluesky
The downsides of Bluesky? For starters, it’s clearly still in beta, and missing numerous features. (Blocking, a pretty obvious feature, was added after a prominent harassment incident.) Among the features missing (as of this writing):
User lists (that aren’t just for muting/banning accounts).
Polls.
Direct messaging.
Embedded video support. YouTube links just lead to YouTube.
Scheduling posts.
Hashtags, the feature I miss the most.
There’s also been some concerns over how well Bluesky’s moderation will work once it fully opens up, given its federated nature and policies so far. Some are wondering how friendly Bluesky will ultimately be for people of color, LGBTQ folk, and those that make NSFW content. (Anecdotally, I haven’t experienced any issues so far.) However, some users are making efforts to get more people of color and LGBTQ folk from Twitter onto Bluesky, through invites. Plus, Twitter’s decline into troll territory (headed by its transphobic owner) makes almost every other platform look better in comparison.
Bluesky also isn’t using ActivityPub, but its own federated protocol (AT Protocol), which might explain some of the slowness in the rollout. It also brings to mind memories of the classic competing platform wars (Mac vs. Windows vs. Linux, VHS vs. Beta, Android vs. iOS, etc.).
Finally, Bluesky has some backing from (but isn’t directly run by) Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s co-founder, which makes some people wary.
Alternatives to Bluesky
So far, there aren’t many alternatives to Bluesky for a Twitter-like social network. Other than staying on Twitter (yes, I know), the only major alternative right now is Mastodon. While Mastodon’s made efforts to make its sign up process more user-friendly (the app now defaults to a single server), I suspect it’s still seen by most Twitter users as “that hard-to-use thing only nerds like.”
Instagram has announced plans to roll out its own competing Twitter clone, using ActivityPub. While there’s already been grumbling on Mastodon over this (to the point some servers vow to pre-emptively block Instagram’s service), I could see reasons for Instagram’s clone to take off. It’s a familiar and popular service; there are clear tech and financial resources behind it; Meta’s moderation policies would apply (for better or worse); it’ll likely be easy to use; and it could end up launching before Bluesky comes out of beta. On the downside, this is Meta we’re talking about, plus it’d give Meta even more control over the most popular social media platforms.
Overall, Bluesky (for now) seems like a prominent possible Twitter replacement. I hope for the best for Bluesky, and that it’s not a complete repeat of Twitter’s experience.
One more thing: those that want to follow me on Bluesky can do so at my profile here. I've also listed my Bluesky page in the blog's footer.
Image by Gianni Crestani from Pixabay