ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (WHAT THE TECH?) — Bluesky is a new app at the top of the app charts as millions are flocking to it as an alternative to X, the app formerly known as Twitter.

Here’s what to know before making the switch.

Unlike Twitter, or X, Bluesky is open-source, meaning it’s operated by its users and not a single entity. Rather than the company controlling what people can and cannot post, users control moderation. Users can set content filters to hide, warn, or show specific types of content.

The interface will be familiar to X users. You follow people and they follow you. Instead of tweets, there are ‘skeets’, limited to 500 characters.

Signing up for an account is easy, just pick a username. Choose some interests to start building your feed. Bluesky is available for iPhone and Android, and web browsers.

But compared to other social networks like X, Facebook, Threads, and Instagram, there aren’t many people using Bluesky. At least right now. The discover tab helps find people to follow. And if you want to see any X users with Bluesky accounts, you can use the browser extension Sky Follower Bridge which scans people you follow on X. If it finds someone with Bluesky accounts you can follow them with a click.

In my brief experience using Bluesky, I found users to be less snarky and argumentative. If you do get an account and looking for people to follow, you can follow me at jameytucker.bsky.social. And let me know what you think.

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