A Steampunk’s Guide to Bluesky

Bluesky, the new X/Twitter alternative, has been attracting steampunk fans and creators in droves. If you’re looking to get started on the platform, here’s a quick guide to starter packs, custom feeds, and everything else you need to know.

What Is Bluesky?

Bluesky is a microblogging platform that’s similar in many ways to X (formerly Twitter). It originated as a project within Twitter and was later spun out as an independent company known as Bluesky Social. The company’s stated goal is to “develop and drive large-scale adoption of technologies for open and decentralized public conversation.”

If you’re accustomed to X/Twitter, you should find it relatively easy to get up to speed on Bluesky. It feels a lot like X/Twitter, though with many improvements and a new decentralized software architecture.

If you’re more familiar with Facebook, you should understand that Bluesky is a different kind of social media experience. Facebook posts can be as long as 63,206 characters, whereas posts in Bluesky are limited to 300 characters. In Facebook, you’re often engaging with a relatively small circle of family and friends, whereas Bluesky is geared for public interactions. And in Bluesky, you won’t find anything comparable to popular Facebook features such as groups and event listings.

Starter Packs

After you’ve set up a Bluesky account and configured your profile, your first step will be to find other accounts to follow. Bluesky has made this easier by introducing a feature known as Starter Packs—lists of Bluesky accounts that are typically organized around specific interests.

We’ve created three starter packs for steampunk fans: Steampunk Authors, Steampunk Artists, etc., and Steampunk Adjacent. The latter consists of accounts related to sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and 19th century history.

Each list has a button that allows you to follow all users in the starter pack, or you can follow them individually.

One essential resource for Bluesky users is the Bluesky Directory, an independent website that includes a searchable collection of starter packs covering every topic imaginable—more than 80,000 in all. We’ve been highlighting some of these in daily posts on Bluesky. For example, you can find starter packs listing sci-fi, fantasy, and horror authors, as well as podcasts, conventions, and small presses.

Custom Feeds

By default, Bluesky offers two feeds that you can access from your home screen. “Following” consists of posts from accounts you’ve followed, whereas “Discover” shows posts chosen by a recommendation algorithm.

However, you can also choose from thousands of custom feeds geared toward specific interests, such as gardening, visual arts, current events, and, yes, steampunk. These feeds will appear on your home screen alongside the default feeds.

We’ve created three custom feeds. One, Steampunk Live, shows any post (from anyone) that includes the word “steampunk.” Another, Steampunk Authors, shows posts by steampunk authors who were on Bluesky back in February. It shows all posts by the authors, so you might find cat pictures, political commentary, or posts that mention steampunk.

The third, Steampunk Creators, has two rules: The post must mention steampunk, and it must be from an account in one of the steampunk starter packs mentioned above (Steampunk Authors and Steampunk Artists, etc.).

You can also create your own custom feeds using tools such as SkyFeed, Bluesky Social Feeds, and Bluesky Feed Creator.

Moderation

Bluesky offers powerful tools for moderating what appears in your feeds or in comments on your posts. The platform has a built-in moderation service that you can configure in your profile settings. But you can also subscribe to moderation lists—created by users—that allow you to block or mute problematic accounts en masse.

They include lists designed to flag content scrapers, spambots, art scammers, white nationalists, “crypto dweebs” (an actual list), and users who primarily post AI-generated imagery. You can find a searchable collection on the Bluesky Directory website.

It’s likely that the quality of these lists will vary, and some may include false positives, so they should be used judiciously.

With features like this, “the trolls and the haters will have less fun and less success here—for structural not for cultural reasons,” wrote political scientist Thomas Rid in a post on Bluesky. “So they won’t thrive in the way they do on X. That’s the hope. For the rest, you have very decent tools to shield yourself and even to defend yourself.”

Labeling

Another moderation feature is labeling, which enables annotation and classification of users and posts. Bluesky’s built-in moderation service automatically labels certain kinds of posts, such as those containing adult content or unsafe links. By default, these posts are hidden, but users have the option to unhide them or present a warning. Users posting images with adult content have the option to self-label their posts.

Facebook and X/Twitter both have features that allow you to control display of objectionable content, but Bluesky provides a wider range of settings. For example, you can determine what happens (show, warn, or hide) when content is flagged as extremist, rude, promoting self-harm, etc.

Bluesky also allows developers to create customized labeling services that automatically label posts or users in various ways. You can use these to hide or present warnings about objectionable content, or to categorize content you want to see.

For example, the AI Imagery Labeler labels posts containing AI-generated imagery as well as users who post AI imagery. The labeler distinguishes between users who frequently post AI images versus those who post them occasionally, so you can choose to treat them differently.

Another service, Content Creator Labeler, applies categories to content creators, such as cosplayers, 3D artists, voice actors, musicians, etc.

The accuracy of these labels depends on the methodology used to apply them. AI Imagery Labeler flags posts and users based on AI-related keywords. It also has a crowdsourcing element—users who encounter AI imagery can report posts and/or users to the labeling service, and then moderators will verify whether the content is, indeed, AI-generated. The developers have provided a moderator handbook that describes (at least in part) how it flags posts or users for labeling. Users who believe that their content has been incorrectly labeled have an option to appeal.

The larger point is that use of labeling services is entirely at the discretion of the user. You can choose which services to subscribe to and you always have the option to unsubscribe.

You can find a list of labeling services at the Bluesky Labelers website.

Custom Domains

If you have your own website, or even a domain without a website, you have the option to use the domain as your handle. We’ve done this with The Steampunk Explorer profile, so our handle is @steampunk-explorer.com. One advantage is that it serves as a form of authentication. Users who see our posts will know that they’re from the publisher of The Steampunk Explorer and not some cheap imitation.

To do this, you’ll have to grab some code from your Bluesky account, visit your domain registrar, and add a DNS record. The Bluesky blog includes a tutorial that walks you through the steps.

Bluesky Etiquette

One of the big problems on X/Twitter—especially for users with large followings—has been an abundance of trolls, spammers, and other miscreants who comment on posts. Experienced Bluesky users advise liberal use of the platform’s powerful block function to deal with them.

“‘Don’t Engage, Just Block’ absolutely IS the Bluesky motto,” wrote science fiction author John Scalzi in one post. “The notion of a ‘Bluesky Elder’ is vaguely ridiculous but the ONE THING that we oldheads are good for is telling the new folks that blocking without engagement is praxis, and encouraging them to do it early and often.”

Another point of etiquette is that you should always add alt text when posting images. Alt text describes the content of an image so that screen readers can read it aloud for visually impaired users. Go to Settings>Accessibility and check “Require alt text before posting” to ensure that you don’t mistakenly post an image without describing it.

More info: How to use Bluesky Social: Everything to know about the popular X alternative (ZDNet)

7 things to know about Bluesky before you join - and why you should (ZDNet)

Here’s some cool stuff you can do with Bluesky (The Verge)

All of Bluesky’s Features (So Far) and How to Use Them (Buffer)

How to Get Started With Bluesky, the X Rival Everyone's Flocking To (Lifehacker)

Bluesky Moderation – Nuclear Block & Mute Lists for Beginners (Boring Story Books)

Migrating to Bluesky? This Extension Finds Your X Followers on the App (Mental Floss)

Additional coverage: Steampunks Are Taking to Bluesky – Here’s Why You Should Give It a Spin

Bluesky Surges as Steampunk Creators Abandon X/Twitter

Update (11/24/2024): This article was updated with additional information about custom feeds and labelers.