What is Bluesky, the new 'old Twitter'? How to sign up, import data from Elon Musk's X?

US President-elect Donald Trump's rare non-consecutive return to the White House and Elon Musk, who owns X (formerly Twitter), getting the role of a disruptor in the incoming administration has triggered an influx of new users on Bluesky -- an open source network conceptualised by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey.

Dorsey introduced the Bluesky project in 2019 when he was still the Twitter CEO, with an aim to build a decentralised standard for social media. He had initially believed that Twitter would eventually adopt the standards of Bluesky.

Then entered Elon Musk.

The world's richest man bought Twitter in 2022 in a $44 billion deal and laid off roughly 80% of its staff, paving the way for a complete makeover of what we now call ‘X’. Musk’s control of the platform made its algorithm even more unpredictable. After Musk endorsed Trump for the White House race, many voiced concerns that the X algorithm was putting its owner’s posts at the top of their feed.

Trump’s election victory worked as the final nail in the coffin of several X accounts as the users flocked to Bluesky. According to Business Insider, Bluesky hit 18.3 million registered users this week and shot to the top of Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store.

While the numbers are nowhere near the 259 million active daily users on X, as claimed by Musk, the notable uptick in the activity on Bluesky has made the platform a discussion point.

What is Bluesky?

Bluesky uses the Authenticated Transfer (AT) Protocol, an open-source framework that gives users and developers transparency into its operations. The platform allows individuals to select or even create the algorithms that shape their content feeds, making it a customisable and user-centric alternative to traditional social media.

Blocking on Bluesky is comprehensive: blocked users cannot see or interact with your posts, creating a safer environment compared to X’s recent blocking changes. The Bluesky users can retroactively stop anyone from embedding one of their posts to prevent any kind of mass harassment campaigns. Bluesky has also pledged not to exploit user data for training AI chatbots.

How to sign up for Bluesky

Initially an invite-only platform, Bluesky opened its doors to all users in February 2024. Signing up is straightforward:

The app is available for iOS, Android, and desktop. Head to the website or your device's app store to download and install it.

Once on the platform, you'll be prompted to enter your email address and phone number for verification. After receiving an authentication code, set up a username and password.

• Default usernames are formatted as @username.bsky.social.

• For users who own a domain, Bluesky allows customisation of usernames, enabling handles like @yourname.yourdomain.com, which doubles as a verification method. For instance, a news organisation could adopt @newsdomain.com for official use.

After signing up, you can upload a profile picture, set a background, write a bio, and select people or feeds to follow. Bluesky’s "Starter Pack" feature helps new users by curating a list of accounts and custom feeds tailored to their interests.

Bringing your Data from X to Bluesky

One major barrier to switching social platforms is data portability. Social networks have historically made it challenging to migrate posts and interactions. Bluesky itself does not natively support data imports from X, but innovative third-party solutions have emerged to fill this gap.

Brazilian startup BlueArk has become a go-to service for users migrating from X to Bluesky. Founded by Nicolas Castellani, a software engineer, and Amos da Silva Bezerra, a communications student, BlueArk helps users transfer their posts, replies, and timestamps from X to Bluesky.

BlueArk scrapes content from a user’s X account and uploads it to Bluesky, preserving the original timestamps.

"One of the things we actually wanted to do is make it seem like a person, that all of us, were actually on Bluesky the whole time," Business Insider quoted Bezerra as saying. "We don't want to pretend that Twitter doesn't exist. But we want to give the sensation that you've been on Bluesky for a long time."

For those who want to reconnect with their social circles, the Sky Follower Bridge is a helpful tool. It scans a user’s follower list on X and automatically follows accounts with the same names on Bluesky. While not perfect, it simplifies the transition for those worried about losing their online networks.

Is Jack Dorsey still connected to Bluesky?

No. Jack Dorsey left the board of Bluesky because he felt it was becoming similar to Twitter and was "literally repeating all the mistakes" Twitter made.