Bluesky

See below. Duh. 

I was considering it too, but also considering getting off social media entirely. Not sure about the domain thing you reference, haven't signed up yet. 

This might help.  https://lifehacker.com/tech/how-to-get-started-with-bluesky-the-twitter-...

Now that I've read, it looks like it's just an option for folks.

Your Bluesky username will be something like @prawnay.bsky.social. However, you can replace the Bluesky domain name with your own domain. Follow these steps to use your own domain in your Bluesky handle. If you’re switching your handle to your own domain, be aware that your old handle can be claimed by others.

I don't have social media but I am a big fan of their root beer.

Never heard of Bluesky.

I'm sticking with SunnyDay 

More info on Bluesky   https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bluesky-tips-x-alternative-elon-musk_l_67...

Thanks Slick.

I don't think you need to choose a domain. Bluesky is federated which means you can run your own domain and post to places like Mastedon but you don't have to. It never asked me for a domain that I remember. 

Bluesky Is Growing Up. Maybe Too Fast.

The fledgling social media site has been flooded by people seeking alternatives to Facebook, X and Threads. It hasn’t all been easy.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/17/technology/bluesky-growing-pains.html...

I've been spending some time on substack.com lately, and finding a lot to like there with its mix of notes and long-form content. Notes very much resemble a twitter or threads feed, but it's the longer stuff that's catching and holding my attention.

substack is awesome, lots of amazing journalism and content over there, but i have a feeling even the mere mention of substack can ruffle the more straight laced political feathers - there are lots of folks who post to substack who have all different kinds of scary no-no thoughts.

but afaik its not really a posting/conversation type of platform, right? like if youre not some kind of content creator you arent really making posts and there isnt a significant conversational aspect? ive been there a bit to sub to/read glenn greenwald but havent really explored the site much.

Speaking of Substack.....

I was visiting some of my old Twitter contacts while debating pulling the plug and found author Morgan Sjogren. I mentioned Morgan before on Viva as she wrote a great book called "A Path To Light" which recounts her 300 mile backpacking journey around Lake Powell and southern Utah published by a great Utah press, Torrey House Press. https://www.torreyhouse.org/all-books

(They also just published a great book about the future of Lake Powell by Zak Podmore.) Morgan's been nominated for a few writing awards this year and I really enjoy reading her words. 

Morgan is also on Substack, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that late last month, she wrote a beautiful piece about Phil Lesh. I'm thinking a few folks around these parts will really dig it.  

The Desert is a Box of Rain - by Morgan Sjogren   https://wildwords.substack.com/p/the-desert-is-a-box-of-rain?r=73kg&trie...

> its not really a posting/conversation type of platform, right? 

I would say that's one of the ways Bluesky resembles Twitter and Threads, which are very much personality/fame-based. I think Reddit is a much better platform for posting/conversation because it's centered on interests, not personalities, and to the point where most Redditors prefer to remain anonymous.

Edit: I meant to say substack, not Bluesky, here:

> I would say that's one of the ways Bluesky resembles Twitter and Threads

As always, I'm three laps behind the pack and know nothing about any of this, but I came upon this comment about Bluesky and thought I'd share. I have no idea how accurate it is, could be right on or biased fake news. We live in strange times.

"Joe Cardillo - Fighting disinformation, coaching leaders, doing what needs to be done

Many people are making the leap from Twitter/X to Bluesky – even though the design & experience are currently better, I won't be signing up... I worked in/around VC-backed startups for 10 years, mainly within two-sided marketplace platforms, but I certainly got a good look at how social media & big tech operate, including working for a founder who had previously scaled FB adtech There are two huge red flags with Bluesky: 1) They recently raised a venture round – modern venture capitalists invest for one of two reasons: either they want a big return ($15M > $150M considered acceptable, but $1.5B+ is the goal), or they want a place where they can influence/control larger narratives for their personal, political, or financial gain (e.g. Marc Andreessen and a16z investing in Clubhouse and then being featured as "top recommended accounts"). 2) The VCs in Bluesky have ties to far-right authoritarians and cryptocurrency influencers – two of the key investors, Bart and Brad Stephens of Blockchain Capital, co-founded their firm with Brock Pierce, who worked directly with Steve Bannon While Bluesky is built on a better concept – decentralized social media and open protocols – there is little reason to believe them when they say they are focused on how "technology should serve the user, not the reverse." Ultimately, all startups have to answer the question, "Who is your customer," and in this case, it's pretty clear that already powerful people in the cryptocurrency & VC are the main focus. No shade if you do use Bluesky, but I would recommend continuing to maintain other profiles and no over investing your time/energy, particularly if you are a news organization or content creator/influencer."

The only text based Social Media site that is free of all encumbrances is Mastodon. You can go there and interact with the other three people who are on it. 

Bluesky isn't perfect but I do trust Mike Masnick @mmasnick.bsky.social who is on the board. That doesn't mean that they won't take a turn toward the right but for now they don't push algo driven content. It's easy to set up a feed of only the people you want to follow and never see anything else and unlike Threads they aren't hostile to political content. They have the best blocking feature. Once you block a person no can see them post on your comments or your post which is a game changer in starving the trolls. 

Anything online that is free means that you are the product, and the ads will eventually come but for now it is by far the best option out there. Only follow the people you trust and if it takes a turn they will let you know. 

never been on social media either.  

i like pbs, reading, music, weed and psychedelics.  In other words, living in a bubble,   Thanks, Viva  :)

The black screen is social media. It's comprised of user-created content.

Of course it is.  Also, emails might be considered social media.  Maybe not.

Damn, not a Johnny Bluesky thread

>  emails might be considered social media

In a way, yes. It's two or more people using media to socialize. In another, not. It's a closed circuit that's not open to the public, which I think is how most people see social media.

Antisocial media?

>>>>The black screen is social media.

To me the black screen is a small social dbmb.

Musk isn't interested in purchasing Viva to display his ego to the world.  At least not yet. 

a lot of the time when someone talks about the negative effects of "social media", what they are actually referring to are "social networking services", such as instagram, tiktok, myspace, twitter, parler, etc etc. the term "social media" can apply to a huge percentage of common websites and is far to broad to have specific negative outcomes.

personally i do not feel like the zone, or even reddit, really qualify as a social networking service, due to the anonymity and there being virtually no focus on individuals, the focus is entirely on group discussion.

> i do not feel like the zone, or even reddit, really qualify as a social networking service

Unlike the other services you mentioned, those two don't ask for access to your contacts when you sign up for them.

Musk isn't interested in purchasing Viva to display his ego to the world.  At least not yet.

the BIGGEST friday surprise. elon musk buys the zone, first order of business, install ziggy as head admin

Just hoping the big 3 get phenomenally rich from the sale.