Something about the new social media network, Bluesky, has caught my attention as did Twitter, eighteen years ago.
My former COO and friend turned me on to BlueSky a ways back. Other than creating an account and following him and him following me, I did nothing with this new social media network.
Sunday though I saw an article by Mike Isaac in the New York Times that Bluesky’s growth had exploded from its slow and steady growth from its founding in 2023 to more than doubling in the last week. Bluesky topped Apple’s and Google’s app stores as the most downloaded free app.
Part of Bluesky’s jump ocurred with the election when 150,000 users quit Elon Musk owned Twitter. But there’s something more going on.
Meta introduced Threads, an app also similar to Twitter’s feed, last year. Though many in the legal community thought Threads was the second coming of Twitter and that this new social media network was going to take off, it’s going nowhere.
I never found Threads user friendly, engaging or rewarding. Rewarding in the sense of learning of lol things from people I trusted and nurturing relationships.
Reading Isaac’s article in the Times caused me to take a second look. I found out I had started an account, @okeefe.bsky.social. I posted half a dozen stories. I looked up those legal professionals first to blogging, who each were using Bluesky and started following them and a few other people
The next day during a regular call with my former CEO, he asked if I had been using Bluesky. The reason being is that he thought it perfect for someone like me who had taken to Twitter.
That evening a friend who is CEO of a larger company here in WeWork asked if I was using BlueSky yet.
What was going on?
Bluesky believes a big reason for their success is building out a “decentralized” social network.
Per Isaac:
That meant building the app with an “open protocol,” which keeps the social network’s power and decision making out of the hands of any one company or group of people. Mr. Dorsey [co-founder of Twitter] called the project “Bluesky,” and it eventually became a public benefit corporation, a type of for-profit company that aims to have a positive impact on society rather than focus on maximizing shareholder value.
Perhaps the calling of a decentralized network attracts some to Bluesky. I’d say it’s that the thing just works.
Nice clean upbeat interface, easy to find and engage those you know, easy to post and new features to explore and use to improve your experience.
Sunday, I’m not using Bluesky. Tuesday, I am enjoying the reading, the sharing and the engaging of folks on the social media network.
Eighteen years ago I knew Twitter was something, I just didn’t know what.
I the case of Bluesky I feel more confident that we are looking at an information sharing and relationship building network that could be a good fit for legal professionals.