Illustration by Debbie Ridpath Ohi (DebbieOhi.com)

Bluesky is a social media app that aims to offer users control over their online presence and data. It looks similar to X, only simplified and without the trolls and privacy issues. Bluesky is decentralized, which basically means that no one person or single company controls everything on it. And unlike most other platforms, it doesn’t have a baseline algorithm deciding what posts users should see. Instead, the platform lets users browse posts in chronological order or set their own rules for what they want to see.

The platform used to operate by invitation only, but late last year it dispensed with required invite codes and added features including DMs and hashtags. Recently launched “starter packs” let users create personalized invites for friends and work colleagues, making it easy to recommend suggested users and custom feeds to help with onboarding.

As Bluesky improves its community-building tools, more teachers and librarians have been flocking to the platform as an alternative to X. The user numbers are still small compared with Meta’s Threads, but unlike Threads and X, Bluesky’s decentralized nature means users control their own data.

Bluesky user tips

Fill out your profile and make at least one post. This helps people decide whether or not to follow you. If possible, choose the same username you use on other platforms to make it easier for people to find you. If you are best known for a particular blog or website, include that link in your profile. Bluesky also recently added the capability for users to add working hashtags to their profile.

Give yourself time to learn the basics.“It took me a while to adjust and rebuild a new habit on this new platform,” says Becky Calzada, president of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and library services coordinator in the Leander (TX) Independent School District. Calzada has enjoyed connecting with other librarian friends who moved from X to Bluesky and making new connections. “I’ve also been sharing about opportunities with AASL, information about literacy or new book releases, along with updates regarding the intellectual freedom front lines,” Calzada says.

Adjust your Settings and Moderation options to curate what you do and don’t see. If your home feed seems quiet, check your Following Feed Preferences to make sure you’re seeing all replies, not just those with a certain number of Likes. You can hide Reposts and Quote Posts.

There are several ways to moderate content with Bluesky’s built-in tools, including the ability to block or mute users; mute hashtags, keywords, and accounts; and control who can reply to your posts.

Users also have the option of adding extra moderation tools that can be customized for individual communities. The example given in Bluesky’s tech-heavy post is a community that has a fear of spiders. Someone can create a “Spider Shield” labeler that labels photos of spiders. It could be a label that blocks pictures of real spiders or a label that blurs out illustrations of spiders. You can recruit other users to help assign the labels.

The flexibility in moderation options helps users filter out bad actors. “I’ve been enjoying interacting with people on Bluesky more than on Twitter [X] lately. I have had some deeper and higher-quality conversations,” says New Jersey library media specialist Steve Tetreault. Tetreault adds that many school librarians on X had to lock their accounts during book banning discussions due to online harassment.

Remember that Bluesky is a relatively new platform.Like in the early days of Twitter, you’ll need to learn how to engage with others. Scholastic executive art director Brian LaRossa reminds authors and illustrators, “There is no baseline algorithm at work here, clamoring for your attention. This is a grocery store, not a restaurant. If you came here because you don’t want other people messing with your feed, you need to learn to cook.”

Use hashtags, custom feeds, and lists to find, post, and curate content that interests you. On Bluesky, you can search hashtags not only across the platform but also within a certain user’s feed. Popular hashtags like #Edusky, #Skybrarian, and #SchoolLibrarian can help you connect with other educators and librarians. “Not only are hashtags useful for finding content I want and creating campaigns, but they’re also vital for searching my own old posts for sharing relevant content people are looking for,” says Canadian K–5 teacher-librarian Christopher Hunt.

Texas librarian Deborah Zeman uses hashtags to help find and post content specific to events like the Texas Library Association Annual Conference (#txla24). Zeman also uses custom feeds to focus on specific topics like libraries, librarians, and authors. Custom feeds let you filter posts based on very particular criteria and are super helpful in curating content.

While user-curated lists can help you find specific groups of users on Bluesky, custom feeds have their own rules. For example, my own “Kidlit/YA Book Recommendations” feed shows posts that include a book emoji combo from a user-curated list of book bloggers. I created a “School Visits” feed to include posts by educators and book creators mentioning school visits. Most recently, I collaborated with Charlene Chua, Brian Kirby, and others in the children’s and YA community to put together the KidLit Mega Feed. Anyone can create their own custom feed on Bluesky.

Use alt text when posting images. Alternative text is a written description of an image to help make it accessible to those who are blind or have low vision. Tetreault likes that Bluesky gives users the option to require alt text before posting an image. “That kind of feature shows that Bluesky is thinking about accessibility,” he says. In addition, including alt text can help custom feeds find your posts.

Explore third-party apps. Bluesky’s decentralized, open-sourced nature encourages developers to create useful tools, offering additional features beyond what is currently available in the official Bluesky app. Deck.blue enables users to bookmark, embed links, and schedule posts. BlueskyFeedCreator.com is a new online tool that makes it easy to create your own custom feeds.

Seek conversations and kindred spirits, rather than waiting for them to come to you. A tip for those overwhelmed and unsure where to begin: once a day, search for hashtags, lists, or feeds that interest you. Respond to and engage with posts. Don’t just broadcast. “Login regularly and share; see what’s happening in the community and encourage others to join,” says Calzada.

For more ways to get the most out of Bluesky, browse the hashtag #BlueSkyTips. If you have questions, feel free to contact me through my website or tag me on Bluesky. I’ll help if I can or point you to a resource with answers.

See you on Bluesky!

Debbie Ridpath Ohi is an award-winning author and illustrator.