BlueSky, the social network refuge?

Before I get to the heart of the matter, I want to apologize to my readers. There will be no horror movie recommendations this week. Not that I don’t have one. In view of the current events, I didn’t have the heart to write about this theme. Therefore, I prefer to talk to you about BlueSky.

A blue sky without a bird

Since Elon Musk put his hands in Twitter, the social network has collapsed. In the first place, financially, because, bought for 44 million dollars, it is now only worth 8. The moderation and promotion policy has scared away advertisers. As for the famous blue badge, which was a guarantee of respectability if we can put it that way, anyone can buy it. The user experience has also been severely degraded and the audience is gradually getting poorer.

Thanks to its decentralized approach, its moderation mechanisms and its commitment to interoperability, Bluesky presents itself as a relevant alternative to Twitter. Available as a mobile application by invitation.

Downloads : 1
Release date : 11/10/2023
Author : Bluesky
License : Free license
Categories :
Information – Communication
Operating system : Android – iOS iPhone / iPad

We have gone from a popular and recognized tool to an increasingly mediocre and criticized tool. Problem: when we have built an audience, where to migrate without losing too many feathers? Because, this is the crux of the problem for many people. When part of your business model is based on an audience, changing platforms is not anecdotal. This translates into quite concrete risks.

BlueSky could be a solution. For the moment, an invitation code is always required, except for journalists who can request access directly from the platform. This strategy is far from being silly: it allows journalists to gain a new audience elsewhere and the platform to gain notoriety. But, for others, you always need an invitation code and this may explain part of the success of the platform.

Sourness of the mammoth

For a while, Mastodon was a credible alternative to Twitter in the microblogging social network section. It didn’t last and unfortunately, the bad habits of booksellers die hard. We, the techs and even more the librarians, we must put something simple in our heads: the majority of users do not want to spend hours and hours understanding the operation of a tool that they will use to post pictures of cake.

Mastodon is an open source and free microblogging social network, a direct competitor to Twitter. Share information (or Pouts) with the whole world or just the people of your choice.

Downloads : 1
Release date : 02/10/2023
Author : Mastodon
License : Free license
Categories :
Internet
Operating system : Android – Online Service – iOS iPhone / iPad

We can deplore this lack of intellectual curiosity or come to terms with it. However, when we want to grow and grow, we must have the simplest possible user approach mechanisms. For example, I have some booksellers who deplore that Arcadia’s financial support is done via PayPal, even if bank transfer is possible. If I chose PayPal, it is for its simplicity and its fame. Everyone knows PayPal, at least by name. In three clicks or almost, the payment is made. The same can be said about some free tools. They are surely very good, but, when the user documentation is incomplete, we don’t want to use them.

Let’s add to this a purely human point: arriving on Mastodon means landing in the middle of nerds, not always kind or benevolent, whose discussions are sometimes cryptic. Moderation policies are also not always sympathetic. Wars between instances scare away users, who do not want to find themselves in the middle of a battlefield that does not concern them. In a sense, arriving on Mastodon sometimes means being forced to adopt a militant approach that we don’t want to. Let’s remember: people go to a social network also for fun. And if brands, the media, professionals have not invested in Mastodon, it is also because of a lack of tools. We can’t schedule messages natively, the cross-posting tools stopped working long before Twitter cut off its API and there are no statistical tools.

Nostalgia

So, what explains why users prefer BlueSky to Mastodon? If you were on Twitter around 2010-2011, you already know why. French Twitter users were not legion. It was a fairly modest community where everyone knew everyone or almost everyone. There were already ego battles, but, overall, it felt like we were at a party with friends. As the entrance is filtered, the people present there are quite similar. We can deplore it. Nevertheless, we don’t miss the illiterate Jean-Kevin, as well as the hysterical Karen.

In a word, as in a hundred, we are in a bubble. Yes, we know, bubbles are bad. But, they are doing good, especially these last days. And this can make it possible to start again on new bases. The whole question is how long it can last. As long as the entrance remains filtered, we are relatively safe from breakdowns. In addition, the platform does not offer private messages or a message scheduling system. Brands will therefore remain behind for the moment, especially since there is no statistical monitoring tool. As for the media, it is possible that he will also remain behind, because BlueSky does not offer videos. What will happen to politicians and activists? As paradoxical as it may seem coming from someone whose core business is this, we would like them to stay on Twitter. They too have rotten Twitter with their intent trials, their raids, their persecutory delusions.

We know that this will only last for a while, because the platform will have to find an economic model. Let’s not forget: all these services are commercial services. Even Mastodon’s decentralized networks need money to work, at least to pay for the servers. Users know this. But, until then, we have to take advantage of this bubble.

Let’s conclude this bittersweet chronicle with a message of prevention: nothing obliges you to inflict unpleasant or harsh images or words on yourself. It’s okay to like looking at pictures of cakes, little cats, ducks. You have the right to cut yourself off from the news.