Bluesky 'starter packs' help new users find their way

One of the most difficult parts of joining a new social platform is finding relevant accounts to follow. That has proved especially challenging for people who quit X to try out one of the many Twitter-like services that have cropped up in the last couple of years. Now, Bluesky has an interesting solution to this dilemma. The service introduced “starter packs,” which aim to address that initial discovery problem by allow existing users to build lists of accounts and custom feeds oriented around specific interests or themes.

In a blog post, the company described the feature as a way to “bring friends directly into your slice of Bluesky.” Users can curate up to 50 accounts and three custom feeds into a “starter pack.” That list can then be shared broadly on Bluesky or sent to new users via a QR code. Other users can then opt to follow an entire “pack” all at once, or scroll through to manually add the accounts and feeds they want to follow.

Bluesky starter pack.
Bluesky

Though Bluesky seems to be positioning the feature as a tool for new users, it’s also useful for anyone who feels like their feed is getting a little stale or has been curious about one of the many subcultures that have emerged on the platform. I’ve been on Bluesky for well over a year and I’ve already found some interesting starter packs, including Bluesky for Journalists (for people interested in news content) and Starter Cats (for accounts that post cat photos).

Starter packs also highlight another one of Bluesky’s more interesting features: custom feeds. The open-source service allows users to create their own algorithmic feeds that others can subscribe to and follow, a bit like a list on X. Custom feeds were introduced last year and have also been an important discovery tool. But scrolling a massive list of custom feeds can be overwhelming. Pairing these feeds with curated lists of users, though, is a much easier way to find ones related to topics you're actually interested in.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bluesky-starter-packs-help-new-users-find-their-way-234322177.html?src=rss https://www.engadget.com/bluesky-starter-packs-help-new-users-find-their-way-234322177.html?src=rss
Vytvorené 3d | 28. 6. 2024, 2:40:05


Ak chcete pridať komentár, prihláste sa

Ostatné príspevky v tejto skupine

Detroit police can no longer use facial recognition results as the sole basis for arrests

The Detroit Police Department has to adopt new rules curbing its reliance on facial recognition technology after the city reached a settlement this week with Robert Williams, a Black man who was wr

29. 6. 2024, 22:30:10 | Engadget
Extreme E is now Extreme H, a hydrogen-powered racing series starting 2025

Extreme E, the premium off-road EV racing series, is pivoting to hydrogen. The series announced this week that it’s rebranding to

29. 6. 2024, 22:30:09 | Engadget
NASA and Boeing say Starliner astronauts ‘are not stranded,’ but will be on the ISS for a few more weeks

NASA and Boeing plan to spend the next few weeks conducting tests on the ground in order to better understand issues with the Starliner spacecraft’s thrusters before giving its crew the go-ahead to

29. 6. 2024, 17:50:40 | Engadget
The owner of Redbox has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, which

29. 6. 2024, 17:50:38 | Engadget
US Treasury finalizes crypto rules to prevent tax evasion

While people who own and sell cryptocurrency have always had to pay taxes on their earnings, a new rule final

29. 6. 2024, 15:30:05 | Engadget
The AI prison of the future is just an Outer Limits episode

According to the Prison Policy Institute, the US has a higher incarceration rate per 100,000 people in its popul

29. 6. 2024, 1:50:04 | Engadget