The Two Cents About the Mass Exodus to Bluesky and Why I Made the Switch!
Bye-bye X/Twitter, hello Bluesky and how I am using it to connect with horror fans!
It’s hard to ignore the big buzz happening in the news as well as in social media, that there’s a mass migration from X/Twitter to Bluesky with millions joining just this week. I caught wind of it this on Facebook when several writing associations/groups announced they’re now on Bluesky. I created an account on it when it first launched in 2023 after learning the old CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey made a parallel to Twitter after Elon bought Twitter and had mass layoffs. I wasn’t a huge fan of Twitter and once there was an over saturation of ads filing my feed, encountering way too man fake accounts and the worst is there’s no accountability for misinformation, it made me feel dirty. I only popped on from time to time just to show agents and those in publishing, I’m active on social media and since many literary agents were still using it, I needed to keep up appearances. But that was it, pop on and do a pitch event and add a mood board or post an update about my unpublished book, Buried Secrets on Darbytown Road, then pop off and retreat to Facebook. Note, I’m not a huge fan of FB, but stay because I’m active in several writing groups, my friends and family regularly share updates there, and I have a lollipop business where my fans follow me for business news and sales. But now there’s Bluesky. Is it a fad or here to stay and why am I talking about it on this horror themed substack?
Image is from ABC News. For more info about Bluesky, what is it, how to get the app or find it via desktop, and more, click this link…. https://abcnews.go.com/Business/bluesky-social-media-platform-tops-20-million-users/story?id=116043104
Why did I make a Bluesky account?
I first made my account ( @mksholundauthor.bluesky.social ) in 2023 for the reasons as well as be on the ground floor of something that might become big. I wanted to claim my name/address and have a post or two to show I am someone. With not a lot of people on it, I put a pin in it until this week. After seeing sites like Manuscript Wishlist, Barnes and Noble, Pitch events start to make the switch plus other people who have something to say and in the vein of horror like Stephen King, I didn’t fall into the rabbit hole, I dove in head first. The quality of content - delightful and love consuming all things from what people are reading and writing to watching and listening to regarding podcasts and the like. I am seeing actual posts from real people, and those real people are interacting with my posts - NOT BOTS! Also, is it weird to say I am so happy to be interacting with real people and not a made up account by someone in Nigeria catphishing! AND NO ADS ever other post or ever for that matter. There’s no beating or outsmarting algorithms, because the feeds you want to follow are actually showing up in your feed with maybe a few recommendations to boot. Needless to say, finding all things horror is easier and way more fun on Bluesky (granted I have other interests too which also is easy to find on Bluesky as well).
Is Bluesky a great place for horror enthusiasts?
YES! With hashtags ending with sky like #horrorsky and #writerssky plus normal ones like #horrorbooks and #halloween and #ghoststories - you can easily find great people, groups, associations, authors and readers of horror through their search feature. Also with Bluesky there’s a feature, that launched July 2024 called starter packs which is a way to recommend custom feeds and users to help your community find each other. To create your own Starter Pack, there’s a tab on your Bluesky profile you just click on and follow the directions. There’s also a directory - https://blueskydirectory.com/starter-packs where you can find existing ones too. This is great for those who might want to start an online horror book club, find classic horror movies fans and chat about which ones are your favorite or just connect with other horror authors, writers, readers and learn what makes them tick or what projects they’re working on now. I bet if you put your mind to it, you’ll find more ways how you can make Bluesky work for you.
So, if you’re on Bluesky - hit me up and if you feel like following me, do it as I will follow back! The link to my account is https://bsky.app/profile/mksholundauthor.bsky.social Have a recommendation of someone or a starter pack you think I or others should check out? Comment below! I also want to hear how you got to be on Bluesky and what you’re using it for as well. Let’s learn from each other! - M.K. Sholund