Bluesky is the latest social media platform that seems to share a lot of qualities with Twitter, with some celebrities and public figures already signing up.
Twitter has taken several turns since the CEO role was taken over by Elon Musk last year. The platform now has a paid membership service, Twitter Blue, which took over from the previously free verification system.
Now, it seems that alternatives to Twitter are cropping up left and right, with Bluesky Social already getting big names like New York representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez signing up for the beta.
But is Bluesky something you want to sign up for? Here is everything you need to know about Bluesky Social.
What is Bluesky?
Bluesky is a social media platform that is being compared heavily to Twitter. It is built on Authenticated Transport protocol (AT), which is a social media framework created by the company and made up of various sites.
The Bluesky project was originally started in 2019 by CEO Jay Graber, with Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey currently holding a role on the board of directors.
According to Bloomberg, there were around 50,000 users on Bluesky in April, with the app originally appearing on iOS but now supported on Android.
How similar is Bluesky to Twitter?
Photos from the Apple App Store and from users online show a vertical scrolling messaging site. Users can upload text and images, with other users being able to connect, like and repost these posts.
However, there are some notable differences between the two. Users can set their domain as their own handle, which could help quell any verification issues. A Bluesky blog post confirmed that it is already using automated moderating and is currently working on community labelling. This was described as similar to a shared mute or block list.
Since the service is still in its early stages, we might see more similarities and differences pop up over time.
Users can sign up for the waitlist or, if you know anyone that is currently active on the site, use an invitation code to join. It’s important to note that existing users get one code per week that they can share with friends or family, so you might want to use yours wisely.
