Bluesky, the decentralized social network positioned as a Twitter alternative
Bluesky, has made a significant update to its platform. Users can now view posts without the need to log in, offering a more accessible experience. While creating an account and posting still requires an invitation, anyone can read posts through a shared link.
This development opens up new possibilities, as publishers can now link to or embed Bluesky posts in blogs. Additionally, users can easily share content in individual or group chats, expanding the reach of their messages.
To enhance user control, Bluesky introduced a toggle feature in the settings menu (Settings > Moderation > Logged-out visibility), allowing users to prevent their posts from being visible to logged-out users. It’s important to note that this setting is applicable only on Bluesky’s website and app; third-party clients may not adhere to this preference.
In a blog post, Bluesky’s CEO, Jay Graber, revealed a refreshed logo—a butterfly emoji 🦋—inspired by users’ organic adoption of the symbol to represent their Bluesky handles. Graber emphasized that the butterfly aligns with the platform’s mission to redefine social media.
With the recent launch of iOS and Android apps, Bluesky has rapidly grown to reach 2 million users. The platform has also responded to content moderation concerns by introducing various tools. Currently the sole instance on the AT Protocol, Bluesky aims to establish federation “early next year,” anticipating the inclusion of more servers and instances with their own unique rules.
This announcement coincides with Meta’s Threads experimenting with ActivityPub integration. Following Meta’s recent announcement, Instagram head Adam Mosseri and the Threads team have made their accounts and posts visible on Mastodon and other compatible apps, reflecting the evolving landscape of decentralized social networks.
