Though Twitter has 237.8 million monetizable daily active users, many people are looking toward other platforms since Elon Musk took over the platform in April 2022. Now, many alternative platforms are entering the market, creating a new generation of social media sites. To explore this further, Netinfluencer will discuss the prevalence of Bluesky, the latest Twitter alternative that is attracting attention. 

What Is Bluesky?

Bluesky was first formed in December 2019 and was largely viewed as a sister app to Twitter since it was created by a large collection of talented developers who also worked for the corporation. Jack Dorsey, who was also the original founder of Twitter, hoped that this bustling project could grow into a decentralized and open social media platform that could work alongside Twitter to help them gain more control over the market. 

The app became an independent organization in early 2022 and began collating a vast amount of users on its waiting lists. In fact, the platform gained an impressive 30,000 sign ups within the first two days of launch. Bluesky launched as a Beta in February 2023 and managed to secure around 2,000 users. Since the app is currently still in development, Dorsey hopes that Bluesky will soon be available to all potential users and grow into a fully-fledged social media platform. 

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What Features Are Provided?

Servers

Due to its decentralized nature, Bluesky offers users the chance to join a multitude of different servers, meaning they can customize their feed in a way that best suits them. As soon as you create an account, you will automatically be added to the official Bluesky Social server. From here, users can scroll through their feeds and interact with content that adheres to their needs. To differentiate itself from Twitter, Bluesky will only show content from accounts that you follow and will not showcase suggested content or excessive ads. 

Authenticated Transport (AT) Protocol

Bluesky uses a unique form of technology known as Authenticated Transport (AT), which is open and available to any user. As such, this app gives users the chance to actually see how their data is being processed and how it is affecting the algorithms seen across the platform. In addition, the AT Protocol makes use of Lexicon, a schema-based framework that aims to solve an abundance of coordination issues. This technology also ensures that a user’s account is not tied to or owned by any specific corporation, allowing users to transfer their data with ease. 

Cryptography 

Fake accounts have plagued social media and have made it incredibly difficult for platforms to establish a secure sense of trust and accountability with their audiences. In turn, Bluesky implements a range of cryptography techniques to help better verify the content that creators produce online. Users can also use their website domain name as their official handle, meaning that businesses can better identify themselves and create content that effectively engages their customer base. 

Thread Muting

In April 2023, Bluesky introduced Thread Muting, a new feature that gives users the opportunity to silence certain notifications. This tool mainly allows users to mute conversations in which they have been mentioned to help them eliminate unnecessary or disturbing content. 

How Does It Compare to Twitter?

Although Bluesky is receiving a ton of commendation for its new approach, it operates in a very similar way to Twitter. Both apps offer an almost identical interface, yet Bluesky does not allow users to message each other directly yet. Bluesky also offers greater space for expression, offering 300 characters per post and the ability to post images. 

However, since Bluesky is still in its initial stages of development, it does not offer the same capabilities as its competitor. For example, it does not currently support video content and does not allow users to directly block each other. 

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How Do I Join the Platform?

As of May 2023, Bluesky only operates on an invite-only basis. As a result, users must request an invite from the official website. It should also be mentioned that the app is only available on iOS and there is yet to be any confirmation of an app available for Android users. 

Benefits of Using Bluesky as an Influencer

Due to the novel nature of this platform, it is paramount that influencers become more familiar with this transformative app. Bluesky is a fantastic platform for avid content creators as it operates in a similar fashion to Twitter, meaning that users probably have a good understanding of how the app works as soon as they open it. In turn, influencers do not have to learn the ropes or conduct extensive research on how to use the app. Instead, they can simply begin producing content and start creating a new and engaged audience. 

The intuitive AT Protocol is especially useful for creators who are looking to be more cautious with their data and wish to remain in full control of their work. This technology also affects a user’s personal algorithm, meaning that influencers can consistently gain new ideas and inspiration from the content that motivates them the most. As such, influencers are no longer bombarded by irrelevant content and can now focus all of their attention on their specific niche. 

If you are an extremely popular creator who is often a victim of online impersonation, Bluesky’s cryptography techniques ensure that you can effectively validate your account as well as the content you create on the platform. As such, influencers can now eliminate the threat of fake accounts associated with them and can continue to establish a solid foundation of trust with their followers. 

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Twitter may be one of the most popular social media platforms available on the market but its recent decline has allowed many smaller platforms to take the lead. Bluesky uses all of Twitter’s most popular qualities and has revolutionized them to better suit the next generation of users and influencers. Thus, this platform has the potential to become more attractive to brands who are looking to reap the benefits of the lucrative influencer marketing industry.