How to Use Bluesky: A Complete Beginner’s Guide

Recently, X (previously known as Twitter) received a lot of criticism for its decision to allow blocked users to see your posts while also using your data to train their AI. As a result, many people have joined Bluesky, a new decentralized platform that looks and feels similar to the good old Twitter. So, if you’re departing the X ship and want to join the Bluesky lifeboat, here’s a comprehensive guide to getting started on the platform.

Getting Started with Bluesky

Bluesky is a decentralized social media platform, that wascreated in 2019. The platform bears a striking resemblance to Twitter as it was created by the same person,Jack Dorsey(Ex Twitter Founder/CEO). Itused to be invite-onlybut opened to the public in February 2024. Soanyone can sign upfor Bluesky from the website or the mobile app.

With the intro out of the way, let’s look at some key things to know before getting started:

Creating an Account on Bluesky

To create an account on Bluesky, you need to download itsAndroidoriPhoneapp or head over to theBluesky websiteto sign up. The steps are identical for the mobile app and the desktop site. So I will be going through the mobile version of the process. Here are the steps to create an account on Bluesky.

That’s it! You have just created a new Bluesky account and can start following users, liking posts, or commenting on others.

Getting Familiar with the Interface

By default, when you sign in to Bluesky, you will land on theDiscoverfeed, which shows recommended content based on your interests. You can also switch to theFollowingtab tosee posts shared by the accounts you follow.

Like X, you can click onShow more like thisorShow less like thison each post to improve your Discover feed recommendations.

The general layout is identical to X, with different options on the left side of the home feed in the website version, and on the bottom toolbar in the mobile app. Here’s a breakdown of what each option does and what you can use it for.

If you are a long-time Twitter/X user, this setup will feel all too familiar, and you can easily navigate it.

How to Use Bluesky

Once you have become familiar with the UI of the app, then we can move on to the important stuff like creating a post, interacting with it, making your feed more engaging, and managing your profile. We will go through all of these things in this section.

Create a Post

To create a post on the app, tap on theCreate buttonas shown in the image below. If you’re on the desktop site, click onNew Postinstead. The character limit is 300, 20 more than X. You can also add photos, videos, or GIFs.

By default, everyone can interact with your post. But Bluesky does give you the option to limit interactions. Just click onAnybody can interactwhen drafting a new post.

Here, you can turn off theQuote settingstoggle, so others can’t quote your post. You can limit comments by pickingNobody,Mentioned usersorFollowed usersunder the “Reply” settings. When you have made all the necessary changes, hit thePostbutton to share it.

Interacting with a Post

Like X, there are multiple ways you can interact with a post. You can reply or comment on someone’s post, by tapping thecomment icon. If you want to share an interesting post, tap on thereshare icon, and selectRepost. To quote a post, selectQuote post.

Clicking on theheart iconwill send a like to someone’s post. You can click on the3-dots iconto access other options likeCopy post text,Send via direct message, andCopy link to post.

Moderate Your Home Feed

Let’s say you want to keep your Bluesky feed family-friendly or don’t want a certain kind of content to pop up in your timeline. You can manage this from the Moderation option. Simply, tap on thehamburger menuat the top right, go toSettings>Moderation. On the desktop site, you can directly jump to Settings from the sidebar menu.

Here you can mute certain words or tags, moderate lists, check muted, and block accounts. This is where you will be able to control whether you want to allow adult content on your feed or not.

Mute, Report, or Block an Account

If an account is troubling you on Bluesky, then you canMute,Report, orBlockit. To do this, tap on theirprofile picture, which takes you to their account. Here, tap the3-dots iconnext to the “+Follow” button. Now select the action you want to take.

Managing Your Profile

To make changes to your profile, press thehamburger menu, and select theProfileoption. You can jump toProfileon the desktop website. Here, click onEdit profile. Now you can add aDisplay Name,Description,profile, andbackground pictureto make your account look more genuine to others.

Limitations of Bluesky

Given that Bluesky has opened its doors to everyone just this year, some features are yet not available on the decentralized Twitter clone. We have listed down some important things that we spotted in our usage.

So this wraps up this beginner’s guide on Bluesky. This guide should be enough to get you on your toes on this new platform. If you need any more help, then let us know what would you like us to cover, and we will make a dedicated guide for it.

Anshuman Jain

As a tech journalist, I dive into the ever-evolving tech landscape with a particular interest for smartphones, apps, and gaming. With a passion for sharing insights, my articles blend expertise with a friendly touch—think of me as your friendly neighborhood tech support.

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