Bluesky, the decentralised social media platform, is quickly becoming a popular alternative to Twitter now known as X. Created by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Bluesky claims to give users more control over their online experience, with features that prioritise privacy, customisation, and decentralisation. If you’re new to Bluesky and want to get the most out of the platform, here’s a quick guide to help you use it like a pro.
Customise your feed: One of the standout features of Bluesky is the ability to customise your feed. The Following feed shows posts from the people you follow, but you can fine-tune what you see. Head to Settings > Following Feed Preferences to choose whether to display replies, reposts, or quote posts. If you only want to see original posts from your followers, you can turn off everything else. This makes your feed cleaner and more tailored to your interests.
Bluesky also lets you decide how you want to view reply threads. Whether you prefer to see the oldest or newest replies, or even prioritize replies from people you follow, you can change these settings under Settings > Thread Preferences. The Poster’s Roulette feature even lets replies be displayed randomly for a bit of surprise!
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Explore custom feeds: Bluesky’s custom algorithmic feeds are a fun way to discover content beyond your usual network. You can start with the default feeds like Discover and Popular With Friends, but things get interesting when you explore user-created feeds. These can be themed around specific interests, such as pets, technology, or art. There are even feeds to track your most popular posts!
To check out custom feeds, go to the sidebar, tap on Feeds, and explore the different options. You can follow any feed you like, and once you find one you enjoy, you can save it to your main page for easy access.
Follow starter packs: If you’re not sure who to follow, Starter Packs are a great way to get started. These are pre-made lists of accounts focused on specific topics or interests. Bluesky’s team creates some, but many are user-generated. For example, if you love tech news, you can follow a Starter Pack with the best tech accounts on Bluesky. Simply tap Follow all to start following everyone on the list in one go.
You can find Starter Packs shared by other users or search for them outside of Bluesky, as they aren’t directly searchable within the app yet.
Pin your favourite posts: Like other social platforms, Bluesky lets you pin your favourite posts to the top of your profile. This is a great way to highlight important updates or share content you want others to see first. To pin a post, simply tap the three dots below any post and select Pin to your profile.
Use Labelers for better content control:Bluesky offers a feature called Labelers, which are third-party tools that let you add tags to posts or accounts. For example, you can filter out content about specific topics or even label accounts based on their interests or affiliations. There are many Labelers available, including ones for hobbies, sports teams, and even moderation tools to hide or show content based on your preferences.
To use Labelers, visit their page, subscribe to the ones you like, and customize how they appear in your feed. You can turn labels on or off, depending on how you want to interact with content.
Personalise your handle with a custom domain: Bluesky allows you to personalise your handle with a custom domain name. This makes it possible to create a unique and memorable online identity. If you already own a domain or want to get one, you can link it to your Bluesky account. Go to Settings > Change Handle and choose “I have my own domain” to set it up. Just be aware that once you make this change, your old handle will no longer work.
Create app passwords for extra security: If you use third-party apps to manage your Bluesky account you can create app passwords for added security. This allows you to give apps limited access to your account without sharing your main password. You can create and manage these passwords in Settings > App Passwords.
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