My thoughts on joining another social media platform.
As educators and humans, we’re all likely managing full lives. Adding another social media platform to our digital routine isn’t a decision to take lightly. Migrating platforms is an even bigger decision. As Bluesky gains momentum in late 2024, it’s worth examining what this emerging platform might offer the education community.
You might have read my post on People over platforms. While I believe to my core that we, collectively, are ultimately responsible for our online experiences, I am not tied to a particular platform. I am happy to be where my community is.
Aside, for me, Threads has not filled that space. I have found it to be extremist, at times, and mostly missing the vibrant, thoughtful educator community I’ve loved about the past days of Twitter.
Bluesky has hit a tipping point.
The platform is experiencing significant daily growth (self-reporting +3m in the last week), and educational discussions are beginning to take shape there. For educators who have found value in online professional networks before, this early period presents an interesting moment. The space is still new enough that conversations remain relatively focused and manageable, yet finally active enough to sustain meaningful professional discourse. It’s been super fun to watch, after months of slow growth and low engagement.
Those who participated in education communities on other platforms might recognize this phase—when a space is still finding its footing but showing potential for substantive professional connection. While it’s too early to declare Bluesky essential or a replacement, understanding its current landscape and potential value can help us make informed decisions about whether it’s worth our limited time.
What makes Bluesky appealing?
🦋 Feed control through custom algorithms
Want to see more local content? Educational posts? Specific topics? You can adjust for that. Unlike platforms where algorithms are black boxes, Bluesky lets users choose and customize their “feed algorithms” called Custom Feeds. You can select from community-created algorithms or use the default one. This means you control what content gets prioritized in your feed, rather than having it dictated to you. Don’t let people tell you there is no algorithm. There is – but you control it. There is no centralized algorithm.
🦋 Portable identity and content
Your content remains yours in a meaningful way. Your handle is yours to keep and can move between providers (like an email address, or a phone number in the US). If you dislike how Bluesky is being run, you can theoretically move to another provider while keeping your followers and content. This reduces platform lock-in and gives users more power. This is what people mean when they talk about decentralized.
🦋 Lower commercialization
Currently, there are no ads, and no algorithmic pressure to create viral content. The engagement metrics are less prominent, and the environment creates a more conversation-focused feed rather than one optimized for brand promotion.
🦋 Data handling and user interface
I’m enjoying the chronological timeline and moderation transparency on threads. The look is a really easy transition too, since it’s built by past Twitter engineers.
You might wish to read more about Bluesky’s data privacy and content moderation. There is currently no evidence that the data in Bluesky is being used to train AI models. If you’re concerned about this, please check your privacy settings in everything owned by Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Threads, WhatsApp) and Twitter/X. Both of these platforms will use your public data for this purpose. Here’s a good article about this topic.
Five steps to get started with Bluesky
1️⃣ Step one: Set up an account. Previously this required an invite code – not anymore. Visit Bluesky’s website or download the mobile app.
2️⃣ Step two: Add your profile photo and bio information that includes your education interests, role, or background. This is an important step!
3️⃣ Step three: Post using the hashtag #Edusky. Add the hashtag to your Feeds. Scroll away! Continue using the tag.
4️⃣ Step four: Go to tinyurl.com/edusky to join the educator list that Alice Keeler is maintaining. Also follow Alice, of course! Alice has been championing Bluesky for over a year, and is the person who invited me to join!
5️⃣ Step five: Watch for Starter Packs. These are lists that people have curated on a particular topic. This is a really helpful way to Follow All, and build a community quickly. For example, you can start by following the people who monitor and support the #Edusky hashtag. Or test out the Education Power Pack.
⭐ Oops, don’t forget to follow me too!
More things to try
Check lists: These are feeds curated by other users. If you like someone’s content and want to see more from their connections, add their list to your feed.
Transfer your connections from Twitter/X: Use the Skybridge extension for Chrome, Edge, or Firefox to instantly find and follow the same users from your Twitter follows on Bluesky. Shout out to Andre Daughty for sharing this!
Change your handle to your domain: If I can do it, so can you. People who own a domain for a website (like this one, beckykeene.com) can update their handle to match. A cool individualization feature, and it also acts a bit as an authenticity check. Read how to do this here.
Announce your new presence: Find a way to share that you’re on a new platform. I’ve seen some posts on Threads where people are getting pretty annoyed by these, but this is an option for people who want to make sure their followers know where to go. Most people are avoiding mentioning Bluesky by name, to avoid algorithmic deprioritization. (That’s not a word, but I’m using it and I think you know what I mean.) Hot tip: I included my profile URL in the image alt text. Sneaky. Make sure to pin your post to your profile! Here’s a Canva template by Karly Moura you can use, or make your own.
Set a keyboard autocomplete on mobile: Right now, people are posting their Bluesky profiles all over the place for others to follow. Try setting a keyboard autocompletion on your phone so you can quickly reply with your profile link. Here’s how to do that on iPhone.
Consider cross posting: For those who aren’t leaving Twitter/X or Threads, I encourage you to keep interacting on both platforms. At the very least, check your notifications so people trying to get ahold of you can do so. Croissant app for iPhone will post to Threads, Bluesky, and Mastodon. I’m sure there is an Android or web-based option, too.
Missing TweetDeck functionality? Deck Blue is a really similar UI. The website was announced in January 2024, so it’s got some time in the bug fixes stage. It’s built by an engineer from Brazil who needed a solution after getting exited from Twitter/X. Kind of a cool backstory.
Check out my Wakelet of resources if you want to see more.
That’s it!
If you reached the end of this blog, I think you’re well on your way to engage in the Bluesky platform. I’m curious to see what this space looks like a year or two from now. In the meantime, I invite you to join this growing community of educators who are carefully building meaningful connections in a new space. While no platform is perfect, and the future is always uncertain, there’s something energizing about being part of shaping a professional learning community from the ground up. We have the power to shape this space!
Whether you decide to dive in fully, dip your toes in while maintaining presence elsewhere, or wait and see how things develop, the most important thing is staying connected with fellow educators who inspire and challenge you to grow. After all, it’s not about where we gather—it’s about continuing the conversations that make us better educators.
See you in the #Edusky! 🦋 @beckykeene.com