How to Get Started With Bluesky

If you’re looking for a new social media platform, then Bluesky may be a good place to start. 

The site added more than 1 million new users in the week following the presidential election and is proving to be a very popular space “where the vibe is seemingly welcoming and there are noticeably fewer trolls,” says an Associated Press article.

All posts and profiles on the site are public, so you can browse before deciding if you’d like to sign up and create your own. Handles default in the site’s domain — .bsky.social — and can be personalized with your own website domain or by purchasing a custom Bluesky one. 

“Bluesky boasts that it gives users ‘algorithmic choice’ to tailor the content they’re shown instead of leaving it up to the whims of a centralized system,” the AP article says. So, you can follow custom feeds that others have created or design your own.

The Feeds button is where you’ll find these and search by topic. My Bangers shows you your most popular posts and Catch Up aggregates the site’s most popular recent posts, sort of like a customized For You section. Lists are a collection of accounts that can be followed, muted or blocked in bulk.

Discover is also good place to find suggestions and a chronological feed of accounts that you follow. And keep an eye out for Starter Packs, which suggests accounts to follow from major news outlets to niche interests. 

Once you’re ready to post or reply, remember there’s a 300-character limit. Videos must be 60 seconds or less, and you can also upload photos or add GIFs and emojis.

The rest should be familiar: Click the heart icon to like posts, use @ with someone’s username to respond or call them out, repost or quote content as you wish, and use hashtags to add a theme.

A third-party browser extension tool called Sky Follower Bridge can help you find your old followers who came over from X to Bluesky.

Bluesky has a team of content moderators to ensure that people follow the rules, and users can also set up their own content filters, or labelers, that extend beyond this and can also fact-check news posts.

Here are five tips to help you get started on Bluesky.

1. Create a profile with a handle and image.
2. Choose interests and follow accounts via Feeds and Lists.
3. Discover new Feeds and accounts with Starter Packs.
4. Explore trending posts and accounts in Discover.
5. Engage with posts through Replies, Likes, and Chats.