What Is Bluesky? How It Works and Why It Still Matters
If you’ve ever thought, “What if Twitter gave us more control, fewer ads, and a real chance to shape the platform ourselves?”—meet Bluesky.
Born from the mind of Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Bluesky is the buzzy social platform that’s offering something radically different: freedom, customization, and decentralization.
In this guide, we’ll break down:
📁 What Bluesky is
🔁 How it compares to Twitter
⚙️ How it works behind the scenes
💸 How it plans to make money
💼 Why it matters for businesses and marketers
🚦 Whether it’s right for you
📘 What Is Bluesky?
Bluesky is a new microblogging app—think short posts, image sharing, threaded replies, and reposts—but unlike traditional social media, it’s built on a decentralized protocol called the AT Protocol.
TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read: A quick summary for skimmers
- Looks and feels like Twitter (now X)
- You own your data and identity
- No ads, more transparency
- No invite code required—open to all
🔁 Bluesky vs. Twitter (Now X)
Here’s how Bluesky compares to its predecessor:
Feature | Bluesky 🌤 | Twitter (X) 🐦 |
---|---|---|
Ownership | Independent nonprofit | Elon Musk |
Decentralized? | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
Ads | None | Pervasive |
Feed Control | Customizable | Algorithm-based |
Moderation | Community-driven | Centralized |
Open Source? | Mostly | No |
⚙️ How Does Bluesky Work?
Bluesky uses the Authenticated Transfer Protocol (AT Protocol) to:
- Separate your identity from the app you use
- Let users move between apps while keeping content and followers
- Allow developers to build compatible apps and services
🌟 Think of it like email: Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook all work together. Bluesky wants the same for social media.
💸 How Does Bluesky Make Money?
Bluesky currently isn’t ad-supported. Instead, it’s considering:
- Subscription-based features (e.g., custom domains, moderation tools)
- Infrastructure tools for developers
- Donations or monetization tools
They’ve raised $36M+ in funding to support experimentation.
🔐 Why Decentralization Matters
Bluesky flips the traditional model:
- You own your username and followers
- You can leave one app and take your identity elsewhere
- Censorship isn’t dictated by a single company
🌍 It’s more than a social app—it’s part of the open internet movement, and its architecture continues to evolve to support transparency and portability at scale.
🎧 What Are Custom Feeds?
Custom feeds are like playlists for social content. You can:
- Follow feeds like “Tech News,” “Cat Pics Only,” or “No Politics”
- Create your own algorithm or explore community-built options
🤔 Is Bluesky Worth Trying?
Pros:
- Clean interface (like early Twitter)
- No ads (yet)
- Engaged early community
- High user control
- Direct messaging, chat reactions, and up to 3-minute video uploads now available
Cons:
- Small user base (~34M and growing)
- Still lacks advanced analytics and community management tools
- Some regional restrictions (e.g., age gating in the UK)
🎯 Tip: It’s now open to all — no invite needed.
🚀 How to Get Started
- Visit bsky.app
- Create an Account: Provide your email, password, and birth date
- Verify Phone Number via SMS
- Choose a Handle: (e.g., @yourname.bsky.social or custom domain)
- Customize Your Feed with interest-based topics or feeds
- Explore Settings: Enable or disable DMs, adjust Chat Requests, and fine-tune notification preferences
- Start Posting!: 300-character limit, mentions, hashtags, links, and up to 3-minute video uploads
💼 Bluesky for Businesses
🔹 Engage Early with New Communities
Ideal for thought leadership and authentic conversations
🔹 Foster Loyalty Through Personalization
Your content is chosen by users—not forced on them
🔹 Experiment Without Ads
Great testing ground for organic content and campaign ideas
📊 Strategy Tips for Social Media Managers
- Know Your Audience: Is your community already there?
- Explore Before Posting: Use the app personally first
- Set Goals: Awareness, engagement, feedback?
- Test + Adapt: It’s a new platform—treat it like one
⚠️ Challenges & Risks
- Inconsistent experiences across apps
- Limited features (no analytics, few community tools)
- Platform still evolving—risk of early-stage churn
- Regional content restrictions (e.g., UK age verification law)
🆕 Latest Features (2024–2025)
Bluesky has added major functionality to compete with more established platforms:
- 📹 3-minute video uploads (Mar 2025)
- 💬 Direct messaging with chat reactions (May 2024)
- 📥 Chat Requests folder to manage unwanted messages
- 🔔 Granular notification controls (July 2025)
- ✅ Verification system for public figures (April 2025)
- 🔍 Explore tab for trending content & suggestions (April 2025)
- 🔞 Age verification for UK users (July 2025)
🚦 Is Bluesky for You?
A Quick Decision Guide
Do you like early access to new platforms?
-
No → ❌ Maybe wait a bit longer while the platform matures
-
Yes → Continue to the next question.
Is community and feed control important to you?
-
Yes → ✅ Bluesky is likely a great fit for you.
-
No → ⚠️ You might prefer more established platforms with traditional algorithms—Bluesky may not be ideal just yet.
-
Maybe → 🤔 Try it out, but keep expectations flexible as the platform evolves.
🔗 Keep Exploring
Want to learn more about emerging platforms and tools?
-
Check out our guide on how to schedule social media posts using dlvr.it
-
Or dive into Threads vs. Instagram: Which Platform Fits Your Voice?
🧭 Final Thoughts
Bluesky isn’t just another Twitter clone—it’s a user-first reboot of social networking.
With more control, fewer ads, and a modular experience, it offers fresh possibilities for users, brands, and developers alike.
🌟 So… will you give it a shot?
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Debra Garber
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