If you manage to get an invite code, Bluesky offers some advantages over Twitter, Threads, and other social networks.
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In the wake of the current Twitter turmoil, several social networks have sprung up to offer an alternative to the Elon Musk-owned platform. One such network is Bluesky, or Bluesky Social, to be specific. Launched by Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey in 2019, Bluesky looks and works like Twitter, but avoids the trouble that Musk brought.
Other social networks trying to grab a slice of the pie include Mastodon and Threads de Meta. Of these two networks, Mastodon has yet to make a name for itself, likely in part due to the complexity of its registration process and multi-server environment. Threads gained tens of millions of users shortly after launch, but has seen its numbers plummet as it strives to overcome its major limitations and add new features.
Bluesky lacks some of the more advanced options offered by Twitter (eg direct messages). Also, the number of users is still low compared to other platforms. But it features a clean and user-friendly interface, with most of the basic functions one expects from a social network. People who are already familiar with Twitter will find it a user-friendly environment.
The biggest hurdle at Bluesky is getting on board. As the service is still in beta mode, access is only possible by invitation, and these invitations are few. But if you manage to get an invite code, Bluesky offers some advantages over Twitter, Threads, and other social networks. Here are five reasons to consider membership.
1. You can use the app or the website
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET
Bluesky is accessible both as a mobile app and a website, so you can read and write messages on your PC or mobile device. This contrasts with Meta’s Threads, where you can read but not create posts on the website, forcing you to turn to the mobile app every time you want to post something. And even reading messages on the Threads site is inconvenient because you can only view one account at a time.
Made for iOS and Android, Bluesky’s mobile app is well-designed and offers quick access to your feed, search options, notifications, and profile. Bluesky’s website is equally good, with all major features and options easily accessible. In the mobile app, you can even swipe right to view the same menu that appears on the website. Since the app and the website have the same look and feel, it’s easy to switch between them.
2. A comprehensive search
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET
Bluesky’s search tool can find both accounts and messages. This is another distinction from Threads, which currently only lets you search for accounts. In the Bluesky app or website, select the Search option and type in your search term. From the results, you can review messages to users based on what you want to see.
3. Easy Content Filtering
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET
Don’t want to be subjected to certain types of content? It’s pretty easy to do in Bluesky, both on the website and in the app, although the website gives you more control to make changes.
On the site, select the Moderation category. In the app, swipe right and select the moderation option. Select content filtering and you can choose to hide, warn before viewing, or directly view sexually explicit or nudity images, sexually suggestive content, violent content, hate group images, spam, and spoofed accounts.
Twitter and Threads offer their own content filtering capabilities, but Bluesky’s process is more precise and efficient.
4. Control your feed
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET
To help you see the accounts you follow and find new ones, Bluesky offers three different feeds: “Following”, “What’s Trending”, and “Popular with Friends”. The Followed feed only displays messages from accounts you follow. The What’s Trending feed displays the latest trending posts. Finally, the Popular with Friends feed displays popular posts among the accounts you follow.
You can even find other feeds. Go to the My Feeds section and select the gear icon. Swipe down to reveal a few more feeds, then select the pin icon to pin it to your main feed page. Select the Discover new feeds option to view even more feeds created by other users based on certain algorithms. Select one of these streams and you can then pin or like it.
Twitter, on the other hand, has a feed called For You, which contains tweets it thinks you’ll like. There’s a feed that only shows tweets from accounts you follow, but Twitter has a nasty habit of switching your default option to the “For you” feed. The main Threads feed shows posts from accounts you follow as well as random ones, so it’s less useful than Bluesky’s feeds.
5. Custom Domains
blue sky
By default, your username in Bluesky takes the domain name of bsky.social, as in lancewhit.bsky.social. But if you already own a domain name, you can use that instead. By using your own domain name, you can personalize and verify your identity on Bluesky and integrate it into an existing website.
Don’t have a domain? No problem. Buy one directly through Bluesky thanks to the company’s partnership with Namecheap, a domain registrar known for preventing unauthorized domain transfers and protecting domain names. Setting up a domain name this way provides several benefits, including greater privacy in the WHOIS directory, URL forwarding, and email forwarding.
Source: “ZDNet.com”