{"id":36105,"date":"2025-02-11T22:05:29","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T22:05:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rivaliq.com\/?p=36105"},"modified":"2025-02-11T22:05:29","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T22:05:29","slug":"what-is-bluesky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rivaliq.com\/blog\/what-is-bluesky\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Bluesky? Is This Social Media Platform an Alternative to X (Twitter)?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bluesky is quickly becoming one of the most talked-about alternatives to X (formerly Twitter) \u2014 but what exactly is it, and why is it making waves?<\/p>\n

Bluesky is a social media platform that was launched as an invite-only app in February 2023 and made available to the general public in February 2024. It joins a collection of other Twitter competitors like Mastodon<\/a> and Threads<\/a>, each with its own take on micro-blogging.<\/p>\n

More recently, Bluesky made headlines<\/a> as a wave of public figures joined. Promising a decentralized, user-first experience that gives people more control, the platform is seeing now impressive growth that\u2019s worth paying attention to. Let\u2019s take a look at what Bluesky is, how it functions, and whether it\u2019s a viable alternative to Twitter.<\/p>\n

What Is Bluesky?<\/h2>\n

Bluesky began as an internal Twitter project in 2019, funded by the company with the goal of building a decentralized standard for social media. By late 2021, Bluesky became an independent Public Benefit Corporation, and in late 2022 \u2014 after Elon Musk took over Twitter \u2014 its service agreement with Twitter was officially severed, setting Bluesky on its own path.<\/p>\n

So what makes Bluesky different? The company has a great explainer comic<\/a> that compares social media to islands.<\/p>\n

We can think of traditional social media platforms as isolated islands. Each time you join a new platform \u2014 whether it\u2019s Twitter, TikTok, or Facebook \u2014 you have to start from scratch: new account, new network, new settings, new content. Worse, your data is owned by the company running that platform, and there\u2019s no way to take it with you if you leave. After all, these platforms don\u2019t communicate with each other; they compete.<\/p>\n

The idea behind Bluesky was to break down these barriers by creating an \u201copen social protocol for public conversation<\/a>.\u201d The company developed the AT Protocol, \u201can open source toolbox for building social apps that can all talk to each other.\u201d This means you can create an account that moves with you from app to app. Customize your experience on one, switch platforms if you want, and take all your content, network, and settings with you. No more starting over!<\/p>\n

Built on the AT Protocol is Bluesky, the microblogging app. This is the platform that emulates classic Twitter \u2014 but with a few differences.<\/p>\n

How Bluesky Works<\/h2>\n

At first glance, Bluesky feels a lot like the Twitter we all know. You follow people, scroll through short-form content, and engage in conversations. What sets it apart, though, is how much control users have over their experience. Let\u2019s explore some notable elements of Bluesky.<\/p>\n

Feeds: Choose What You See<\/h3>\n

Bluesky offers a basic reverse-chronological feed showing posts from people you follow \u2014 just like the early days of social media. There\u2019s also a Discover feed, where Bluesky\u2019s algorithm suggests posts it thinks you\u2019ll like.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

What Bluesky uniquely offers, though, is custom Feeds. Anyone can create and share a feed focused on a specific topic, content type, or community. Want a timeline full of cat memes? Breaking news? Niche industry updates? You can build (or follow) a feed for it and easily switch between them.<\/p>\n

\"Interface<\/p>\n

Lists & Starter Packs<\/h3>\n

Bluesky\u2019s Lists lets you organize accounts into groups, whether it\u2019s favorite creators, industry experts, or even a list of people you prefer to block. Lists can be private or public, giving users more control over content curation.<\/p>\n

For new users, there are also Starter Packs<\/a> to help you hit the ground running. These curated collections recommend up to 150 users and three custom feeds to follow, making it easy to build your timeline.<\/p>\n

\"Bloomberg's<\/p>\n

High Level of Customization<\/h3>\n

Bluesky gives users control over how replies, threads, reposts, and quotes appear in their timeline, allowing you to tailor your experience. Content moderation is also in your hands. You can set up custom keyword filters and control who interacts with you.<\/p>\n

Profiles & Verification<\/h3>\n

Profiles come with the usual features \u2014 profile picture, banner image, and bio \u2014 but there\u2019s no verification checkmark like on X. Instead, Bluesky allows users to verify their identity by linking their handle to a web domain, which works as a built-in authenticity check since only domain owners can set it up. For example, Netflix uses @netflix.com.<\/p>\n

\"Netflix's<\/p>\n

Bluesky vs. X (formerly Twitter): Key Differences<\/h2>\n

Since we\u2019ve covered a lot of ground so far, here\u2019s a quick summary of the differences between Bluesky and X (Twitter):<\/p>\n

Protocol vs. Platform<\/h3>\n