The social network Bluesky has been around since November 2022, but until Tuesday, it was by invitation only. Wannabe users had to know a current Bluesky user who would pass along a numerical code before the new person could join. Now anyone who’s interested can sign up to use the site, no code required. And that appears to be helping Bluesky bloom: The site announced Wednesday that more than a million new users had signed up since the site opened to all. That’s 1,000,179 to be exact, and those newbies are added to the more than 3 million folks who were already on the site.
“For the past year, we used invite codes to help us manage growth while we built features like moderation tooling, custom feeds, and more,” says Tuesday’s blog post on the site. “Now, we’re ready for anyone to join.”
Bluesky is a social-media platform that shares many similarities with X, formerly Twitter. X underwent a number of changes after billionaire owner Elon Musk bought the site and retired legacy blue check marks showing verified accounts and reinstated previously banned accounts, as well as starting a new subscription program. Some former users are seeking an alternative, and according to The New York Times, users say Bluesky is the app that comes closest to mimicking X.
A cartoon in Tuesday’s blog post shows an apocalyptic landscape depicting other social media platforms filled with bots and money scams, and goes on to show Bluesky as a peaceful landscape where users can discuss news, science and art, and share cat pictures.
Although the invite-only model has hampered Bluesky from reaching all interested parties, things could change now that it’s open to all. Here’s a look at what you need to know.
How do I sign up?
Now that the site is open to all, just go to the main page to create an account. You can download the Bluesky app for iOS or Android, or use Bluesky on your desktop.Â
It’ll ask for your email address and phone number (to send an authentication code) and tell…
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