Teaching is too hard to do alone! Having a solid community to support you is essential. It seems these days at Twitter is imploding that we are all being scattered to the wind. Where do we gather together to share our resources and encourage each other around the topic of education? While there will never be one singular place, I am working on building an EDU community on Bluesky social. Find the posts by educators using the hashtag #EDUsky.
What is Bluesky Social
🤖 I asked Google Bard to describe the social media platform. I fact checked it:
Bluesky Social is a decentralized social media platform that is still under development. It was created by Bluesky, an independent public benefit company that was founded in 2021 by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey.
Bluesky’s goal is to create a social media platform that is more open, transparent, and democratic than existing platforms like Twitter.
Bluesky Social is based on the AT Protocol, an open-source protocol that allows different social media platforms to communicate with each other. This means that users of Bluesky Social will be able to interact with users of other social media platforms that are also based on the AT Protocol.
The Bluesky Social platform is still in its early stages of development, but it has the potential to be a major player in the social media landscape. If Bluesky is successful, it could help to create a more decentralized and democratic internet.
Here are some of the key features of Bluesky Social:
- Decentralization: Bluesky Social is a decentralized platform, which means that it is not controlled by any one company or organization. This makes it more difficult for governments or other powerful entities to censor or manipulate the platform.
- Transparency: Bluesky Social is built on an open-source protocol, which means that anyone can see how the platform works. This makes it more transparent and accountable to users.
- Community-based moderation: Bluesky Social uses a community-based moderation system, which means that users are responsible for moderating the content on the platform. This gives users more control over the content they see and helps to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment.
If you are interested in learning more about Bluesky Social, you can visit the Bluesky website or follow them on Twitter. You can also sign up for the Bluesky waitlist to be notified when the platform is publicly available.
Current status: Bluesky Social is currently in beta testing and is only available to a limited number of users. The company plans to launch the platform to the public in 2023.
Is Bluesky Social owned by Twitter? No, Bluesky Social is not owned by Twitter. It is an independent company that was founded by Jack Dorsey, but it is not affiliated with Twitter in any way.
Who made Bluesky Social? Bluesky Social was created by Bluesky, an independent public benefit company that was founded in 2021 by Jack Dorsey. The company’s CEO is Jay Graber.
Educator Invites
As of July 2023 Bluesky is invite only. Do you know someone on the EDUsky spreadsheet? Ask them for an invite 🙂
The platform is trying to build it right before opening the floodgates to anyone to join. You will find your favorite Twitter features might be there YET. However, before adding new features don’t you want the current features to be stable and working right?
#EDUsky Hashtag
Once you create a Bluesky account please make sure you have a bio that indicates you’re in education. A profile picture is really helpful for building credibility, does not have to be your face. A plant, your dog, your backyard, a favorite coffee cup…
POST SOMETHING PLEASE
When I go to your profile I will see your photo and bio, and also posts that you made. Please make a post about education and use the hashtag #EDUsky.
For your education related posts consider including the hashtag #EDUsky
Hashtags are NOT linked
On Twitter you can click on hashtags to see all of the tweets with that hashtag. THAT IS COMING to Bluesky, however, currently you need to type #EDUsky into the search box.
Edusky Spreadsheet
I have started a spreadsheet at tinyurl.com/edusky.
✏️ If you are an educator and would like to get on the list please find a post on my profile that asks you to REPLY TO THE POST to request to be added.
I hope understandably I sit down to add names to the list every few days so having a system to add educators is essential.
A massive shoutout to JenWagner who is helping me to verify educators and add them to the spreadsheet.
#EDUsky Feed
Michael Freeman made a custom feed for Bluesky that filters for the hashtag #EDUsky .
Follow This Feed
After creating an account you will want to add this feed for #EDUsky. You can then pin the feed to make it easy to find education related posts. Click to SAVE FEED.
To pin the feed click on “Settings” on the left hand side. Choose “Saved Feeds.” You will notice that the #EDUsky is not pinned, you’ll want to click on the icon to pin it and then use the arrows to move it up in the queue. You can also delete the default feeds if you want.
Bluesky Is Something Because We Make It Something
The EDUsky community is really starting to rock! But it is through the intentional actions of educators who want to connect and learn from each other.
Please try to reply to an EDUsky person.
REPOST is the highest compliment, you are boosting someone’s ideas.
Create a new post to contribute to the conversation,
When we scroll the EDUsky feed we want to see how to connect with educators and be inspired to do great things with students. Be part of the conversation!!
Custom Username
My username on Bluesky is alicekeeler.com. Since I own the domain I was able to follow the directions from the Bluesky blog to make it my handle.
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