It honestly feels like we’ve just blinked, and another new social media platform has appeared right before us.
That is, to an extent, what has happened.
However, Bluesky hasn’t just appeared; it’s been around since 2021, but it’s recently seen immense surges of popularity, thanks largely to the downfall of our once beloved Twitter (now X).
But what actually is Bluesky? How does it differ from Twitter/X? And why should you consider making the switch?
Keep reading for all the details.
What is Bluesky?
Bluesky is one of the fastest-growing apps on the App Store at the moment.
As of November 19th 2024, it’s sitting pretty at number 1 on the Top Free iPhone Apps section on the Apple App Store. Now, this is likely to change, maybe even tomorrow or over the upcoming week, but it’s a fantastic position to be in at the moment.
Bluesky also tweeted (hilariously on Elon Musk’s platform) on November 15th that the platform saw 1,000,000 new users sign up in the previous 24 hours.
They then posted on their own platform that they received another million new users on November 16th and another million on November 18th.
Over the last few weeks, Bluesky has also posted about a series of other milestones, including receiving a new round of funding, helping to push the platform to even more people.
It’s growing and growing and growing, and we love to see it!
Elon Musk recently introduced what may be the final nail in X's coffin—if Apple and Google actually take action against him.
This is all because of a brand new update that switches up how the block function works on the platform.
Previously, blocking someone meant they couldn't contact you, follow your profile, or view your posts. Now, anyone can view your posts, regardless of whether they've been blocked. They just cannot interact with you in any way, such as messaging, commenting, reposting, etc.
Quite a stupid thing, really. What was actually wrong with the previous block function? And why has Elon Musk so drastically changed this?
Questions we’d all love to know the answers to, but it’s likely just to be another way for Elon Musk to get his own way and impose his control.
However, as we’ve mentioned previously with Apple and Google, this new block feature actually violates Apple's and Google's guidelines.
The App Store states, "Apps with user-generated content or social networking services must include… The ability to block abusive users from the service." Similarly, the Google Play Store states, "Apps that contain or feature [user-generated content]… must implement robust, effective and ongoing UGC moderation that … Provides an in-app system for blocking UGC and users."
So, the new, potentially app-destroying update Elon Musk has introduced seems to be causing millions of users to migrate to Bluesky.
In fact, Musk bought Twitter for $30 billion, but the social platform is set to be valued currently at close to $15 billion. He’s tanked the value by around 80%! And now, users are joining the original Twitter CEO’s new platform in their masses.
We can’t really see how Elon Musk could’ve done any worse here…
How Does Bluesky Differ from Twitter?
The main difference between the two platforms is centralisation vs decentralisation.
Bluesky is decentralised, meaning users have more control over what happens to their data, who can access it, and how they interact with and use the platform.
Users on Bluesky can choose the server they want to join and have more control over the algorithms that affect what they see. They can also choose or create custom domains to represent their profiles, so they are essentially given the opportunity to thrive in a user-controlled environment.
X, on the other hand, is a centralised social media platform owned by Elon Musk, who, as we all know, dictates everything that happens on the platform. If he doesn’t like a certain feature, it’ll be gone at the snap of his fingers.
Here, centralisation influences the monetisation elements, such as its subscription service for verified accounts and API access, which has positively and negatively impacted third-party developers.
Apart from this, both platforms are built around an algorithm that pushes content to the top of your feed, depending on whether you’ve previously engaged with similar posts.
Bluesky gives the user more power by offering multiple customisable algorithms, whereas X offers one central algorithm that determines how content is prioritised and displayed based on criteria such as user engagement, preferences, and advertiser goals.
However, the two platforms are alike in that you can follow users, like, comment on, reshare their posts, and send other users direct messages.
How Do I Find My Twitter Followers on Bluesky?
We completely understand wanting to move to the nice, shiny new platform while thinking, “How do I get my Twitter followers on Bluesky?”
We’ve done our research and discovered a nifty Chrome extension called Sky Follower Bridge. When connected to X and Bluesky, it will scour your X following list and find users on Bluesky who have used the exact same usernames.
Now, this won’t work perfectly, as many big-name X giants have been pipped to the post on Bluesky, and some will find their usernames stolen by individuals. Until the platform brings in verification for companies and corporations, we may not entirely know who is running particular accounts.
For example, Sky Football on X has 1.9 million followers, and everyone knows that’s the official page. In contrast, the same username on Bluesky has just 108 followers and is obviously an Arsenal fan who snatched the username first.
If you’re a little unsure how to approach your social media strategy and need a few tips, get in touch with our social media management team and see how we can grow your brand to new levels.
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