What is Bluesky: How to get invites & more

Want to know what the new social media app Bluesky is all about? We give you the lowdown, as well as how you can get an invite to the elusive new social media platform.

You may have heard of many on social media websites talking about a new app named Bluesky. The platform is yet another brand-new Twitter alternative, but this one has an interesting history, especially considering that it originated from within Twitter itself.

In 2019, Twitter launched a task force to create a decentralized social media platform, and Bluesky was the fruit of its labor. Twitter founder Jack Dorsey eventually concluded that eventually, Twitter would be based upon Bluesky as a network of users.

In February 2022, Bluesky became its own company, and in October 2022, the Bluesky app was launched for iOS. You can currently sign up for a waitlist to join, and users that have access to the platform are granted invitations.

How to get a Bluesky invite

To get a Bluesky invitation, you need to get access to a code from a current Bluesky user. These are dispensed once every two weeks to users on the platform and have become pretty lucrative, with some Reddit communities dedicated to invitations existing out there. Some users have also been selling their invitation codes on sites like eBay. But, we recommend just asking a user who you might know is on the platform, and not purchasing a code.

Alternatively, you can also sign up for a waitlist to gain access to the platform.

How to use a Bluesky invite code

If you have a Bluesky invite code, you can join the platform by heading to “staging.bsky.app“.

• Click “Create a new account”
• Select your hosting provider
• Paste your invite code

Once you have pasted your invitation code, follow the account setup process to get started on Bluesky.

How does Bluesky work?

Similar to Mastodon, Bluesky unifies a network of users in a Twitter-like experience. This is named “Authenticated Transfer Protocol”, where users on different servers running an instance of Bluesky can interact with each other.

On the platform itself, you get access to a Timeline with a selection for “Following” and “What’s Hot” to tailor your experience. Users are able to post comments, add likes and repost other users’ content in a UX that is extremely similar to Twitter itself.

The platform has a 300-character limit for short-form content, and you can also attach media such as images. As of the time of writing, you can also get a Bluesky app on both iPhone and Android.

When you create your handle, you will be able to secure your username, represented with “name.bsky.social”. If you have your own domain, you can also change anything after your username with your own custom domain.

What is a skeet?

Posts on Bluesky have been coined as “Skeets”, a portmanteau of “Bluesky” and “Tweet”. Famous Twitter users and public figures like Dril, James Gunn, and more already joined the platform. As of May 2023, Bluesky has already attained over 60,000 users.

How to sign up for the Bluesky waitlist

To sign up for the Bluesky waitlist, first head over to “staging.bsky.app“. Once you have landed on the page, beneath the “Create a new account” and “Sign in” buttons is a hyperlink with blue text that reads “Join the waitlist”. Click this to open up a pop-up interstitial where you are able to enter your email address to sign up for the waitlist.

However, be warned, as it could take months to get access via the waitlist.