Bluesky has quickly gained traction in simply two years since its launch in 2021, reaching 20 Million customers in November 2024. That is particularly spectacular, contemplating it’s been closed off and continues to be gated with its invite-only format.
The platform grew to become in style as customers regarded for options to Twitter/X in 2022. It attracted customers with its comparable look, small neighborhood, and give attention to decentralization.
Originating from the imaginative and prescient of Twitter/X’s former CEO, Jack Dorsey, and led by CEO Jay Graber, Bluesky presents an open, user-empowered platform. With its dedication to a decentralized mannequin, symbolized by its blue butterfly brand, Bluesky stands out, promising extra management and freedom for its customers.
On this article, we discover Bluesky’s roster of options (up to now), damaged up by class and highlighting how they cater to the evolving wants of right now’s social media customers.
Moderation system options
Bluesky consistently opinions and evolves its content material moderation to preserve a respectful and secure on-line atmosphere. It combines user-driven reporting with human and automated evaluate processes to tackle content material issues successfully.
Report-and-review suggestions loop
On Bluesky, any consumer can report content material or different accounts that violate the platform’s tips by way of its report-and-review system. To report a put up, click on on the put up and choose the ‘Report’ choice. Specify the explanation for the report, which the moderation staff will then evaluate.
Human moderators then evaluate every report, making certain a good and thorough analysis course of. Bluesky additionally makes use of automated instruments for the preliminary flagging of doubtlessly dangerous content material. This mixture ensures effectivity whereas sustaining human oversight.
Bluesky’s ever-evolving moderation method isn’t excellent, but it surely demonstrates a dedication to a balanced and safe consumer expertise. This technique is pivotal in fostering a reliable and user-centric social media area.
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Interplay management options
Like moderation, these options defend customers’ expertise by empowering them to handle their interactions and content material visibility on the platform.
Moderation lists
Past reporting, customers can even create lists to block or mute different accounts and content material. These lists might be community-driven, offering collective management over the content material seen on the feed. You may as well filter your content material preferences on this part.
To make use of moderation lists, click on on the “≡” on the left-hand facet and choose Moderation. Or, go to your account settings, scroll to discover the ‘Moderation’ part, choose ‘Moderation lists’, and add customers or content material you want to block or mute. You may as well see accounts you’ve beforehand blocked or muted within the Moderation part.
Labeling
Bluesky permits customers to self-label their posts, particularly these containing delicate content material. This characteristic respects viewer discretion and promotes accountable content material sharing. Whereas making a put up, choose the ‘Label’ choice to categorize your content material appropriately.
You may as well use “Labelers”, third-party companies that tag accounts or content material for informational or moderation functions. Customers creatively make use of Labelers to show pronouns, favourite sports activities groups, and fandom affiliations, enriching profiles and interactions. Take a look at this listing of totally different user-created labels.
Reply controls
This characteristic lets authors management who can reply to their posts, enhancing private management over interactions. When posting, choose the ‘Reply Controls’ choice and select who can reply (everybody, followers, or nobody).
Bluesky’s interplay controls are a testomony to Bluesky’s imaginative and prescient of a platform the place consumer company and respectful engagement are paramount, making a uniquely adaptable and thoughtful digital neighborhood.
Customization options
Bluesky customers are allowed a degree of customization over their profiles not typically seen on different social media.
Starter Packs
Bluesky’s Starter Packs are one of my favourite options of the platform. These are curated collections of accounts designed to enable you shortly discover customers with shared pursuits. With a single click on, you may comply with (or block) all accounts inside the chosen pack. Right here’s one of mine:
Go right here for a tutorial on making a Starter Pack of your personal and right here for a listing of each Starter Pack on the platform.
Customized domains
Bluesky presents the distinctive characteristic of customized domains, permitting customers to personalize their handles with their very own domains.
This characteristic provides a layer of personalization and identification to the consumer expertise on the platform. To arrange a customized area, go to your account settings, choose the ‘Change deal with’ choice, and then “I have my own domain.” Then, comply with the directions to hyperlink your area to your Bluesky account. This permits you to use your customized area as your deal with on Bluesky.
For extra detailed directions, verify right here.
Superior feed and thread preferences
Bluesky permits customers to customise their feed and thread viewing preferences, providing a extra tailor-made consumer expertise. You will discover customized feeds to be a part of by clicking on the # image within the menu or on the backside of the app.
Within the app settings, customers can modify preferences for viewing their feed and threads, similar to sorting by most up-to-date or hottest.
“Hide Post” characteristic
The ‘Cover Put up’ characteristic lets customers take away undesirable content material from their feeds. When you see a put up you do not need to see once more, click on on it and choose the ‘Cover Put up’ choice. The put up will then be eliminated out of your feed.
Consumer expertise options
Bluesky has made a number of enhancements designed for the fashionable social media aficionado to enhance consumer expertise.
In-app video and music participant
Bluesky features a video and music participant for media content material from platforms like YouTube and Spotify. Once you encounter a video or music hyperlink in a put up, click on on it to play the content material immediately inside the Bluesky app.
“Likes” tab
The ‘Likes’ tab permits customers to view posts they’ve preferred, facilitating simpler entry to favored content material. Entry your profile and choose the ‘Likes’ tab to view all of your preferred posts.
Urged mentions
This characteristic suggests customers to point out when typing “@”, making it simpler to tag others in posts. Begin typing “@” in a put up, and an inventory of instructed customers will seem for you to select from.
Emoji picker
An emoji picker has been included within the internet model of Bluesky, enhancing expressiveness in posts. When composing a put up on the internet, click on the emoji icon to choose and add emojis to your put up.
Notifications help
Bluesky’s cell app now helps notifications, informing customers about related actions like new follows and content material engagement. Allow notifications within the app settings to begin receiving alerts for actions like mentions, likes, and replies.
Price limits
Price limits have been applied to stabilize community visitors and guarantee a clean consumer expertise. This characteristic works within the background to handle the info circulate and would possibly restrict the quantity of actions (like posts or follows) you may carry out shortly.
Direct Messages (DMs)
Bluesky’s DM characteristic permits personal, one-on-one textual content conversations inside the platform. Customers can customise who can message them and report inappropriate DMs immediately to moderators.
Bluesky vs. Twitter/X vs. Threads characteristic comparability
When you’re questioning how comparable (or totally different) Bluesky is from comparable apps, right here’s a high-level characteristic comparability.
With its X-like interface, Bluesky is finest for customers in search of a well-recognized expertise however with extra management over their information and neighborhood engagement. Being extra established, Twitter/X presents a wider vary of options and a bigger consumer base. Threads, whereas comparable in interface to Twitter/X, is in a much less full state however backed by the strong infrastructure of Meta.
