Bluesky thinking
Could it be that I’m excited about social media again?
It may be as long ago as my university days since I’ve been enthusiastic about social media. In the years that have followed, there’s been a lot of disillusionment with online platforms for connectivity. Fake news, toxicity, and privacy concerns are just some of the issues we’ve faced as a society.
Facebook went from a place to find local events and share family photos to a cesspool of political squabbles. Greater writers than me have documented the decline of Twitter. Instagram, once my favorite place to share my photography, is now a glorified shopping site.
I recently reached the end of my patience with Twitter. I don’t know what it was — maybe the election results this fall, maybe something else entirely. Something internal finally drove me to create a Bluesky Account.
First impressions are everything
Bluesky refers to itself as “open and decentralized public conversation.” I’m not sure I could say it any more succinctly.
My first day on the site was delightful. People were posting their art, sharing the passions, communicating with each other — actually connecting. Even better? Nobody was being an asshole! I didn’t see any racist screeds or blatant bots. What a change!
In the first few days of having an account, I’ve got to say, I’m impressed. The absence of advertisements is incredible. I feel like a truly ‘free’ social media site can’t last, but I will say, Hank’s recent post has got me thinking!
I would totally pay for the experience I’ve had on Bluesky, in lieu of advertisements.
From what I’ve read, the algorithm on the site is focused more on quality aggregation. I’m looking forward to experimenting with Starter Packs. Per their roll-out announcement:
“On Bluesky, you can set any algorithm or topic as your home timeline. Examples include Quiet Posters (posts from your quieter mutuals), Science (posts from the science community), and Catch Up (most popular posts from the last 24 hours).”
After dealing with so many sites that force-feed you the content they want you to have — this is a very welcome change.
One of the coolest features of Bluesky is their solution to the nebulous ‘blue check’ situation so many sites seem to struggle with. The ability to set your domain as your handle is the coolest innovation I’ve seen on social media in quite some time. Like one user said: “Using a personal URL is actual validation, super easy, and just looks cooler”
Rather than talk more about why I enjoyed Bluesky, I’d encourage you to check it out yourselves. I’d love to connect and hear your thoughts!
Adventure of the Day
I took these photos in the May 2018 at at Monument Valley, on the border of Arizona and Utah.
At the time, I was first learning to use my Canon camera. In retrospect, I really love these images. The desert is quite a beautiful place!
