Should you join Bluesky?

I had more meaningful engagement in a week of Bluesky than 15 years of Twitter/X

I joined Twitter in 2009. In the early years, I posted jokes and poetry. No one found me funny or deep.

By the time Trump began his rise on the platform, I'd figured out how to use it as a comms professional. I retweeted content from relevant accounts and shared links to my work or my company's activities. Still, pretty much no one found my voice there compelling. I didn't really know how to address the howling void.

When Musk turned Twitter into X, I considered leaving. I'd become a freelance journalist and needed the platform more than ever to network, but it felt increasingly toxic. There were more and more people (and bots!) shouting at each other and posting conspiracy theories. I looked into Mastodon and Substack's notes, but didn't feel clear on how to move forward.

After Trump was elected a second time, I noticed people flocking to Bluesky. As reported by The New York Times, Bluesky rose to over 20 million users in a short period of time, adding a million users a day. I joined when a fellow alum from my MFA created a Canadian Authors & Writers "starter pack." Starter packs are collections of users organized by profession or theme. They allow you to follow a lot of relevant people all at once. In my experience, many will follow you back. It was exactly what I needed to find a meaningful micro-blogging community.

My second day on Bluesky, I got into a public discussion with an editor I've worked with at Toronto Star. My third day, I got into nice conversations with two other writers I didn't know.

Then a link to an article I wrote was shared by a couple people I don't know and liked by a bunch more. A short post I wrote was shared by even more people I don't know, and liked by dozens. My baseline for successful engagement metrics is clearly well below influencer or celebrity status. But even just having a few people acknowledge my contribution to the space meant a lot. Nothing like this had ever happened during my decade-and-a-half of keeping Twitter/X on my radar.

Within a week, an activist sent me a direct message. Again, I did not know this person at all in advance. They wondered if I was interested in covering the development of a Canadian Museum dedicated to peace. When I did some research, it turned out I did know someone connected to the project, an entrepreneur who'd pledged the donation of a historical artifact to the museum—from my hometown. I’m now pursuing the story.

Two days later, an author sent me a direct message asking about a book club I run with Canadian Nonfiction Collective. I explained that it's set up as a monthly drop-in for CNFC members to talk shop about the craft elements of memoirs they're reading. There's no assigned book in advance, and no commitment to come every month. Writers also get a chance to talk about personal narrative projects they're working on. "That's a pretty cool resource for memoirists!" they said.

By switching to Bluesky I'd suddenly found my tribe, one that was both more rooted and more expansive than I'd imagined.

Bluesky is having a moment. It's attracting a critical mass of like-minded people, and it's not yet bogged down by polarized hate or advertising. It's providing people with a chance for a refresh, to reintroduce themselves online in a way that affirms their values. As Kevin Roose put it in The New York Times, “Social media apps live and die on their vibes, and right now, Bluesky’s vibes are better than the alternatives.” I suggest you join, especially if you've left X.

Here are the starter packs I followed:

• Canadian Authors & Writers by Richard Lavangie

• Writers and Authors in Canada by Jeff Miller

• #CanadaSky Parts I - IX by Nick Tsergas

If you’re on Bluesky, drop your link in the comments below and let’s connect!

Recent bylines

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I published a couple Opinion pieces this fall in Toronto Star and have one forthcoming for The Globe and Mail. I like doing sensory writing I've honed as a memoirist and wrapping in reporting.

Two recommendations

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Trevor Noah's Born A Crime. My book recommendations are usually more recent, but Noah's 2016 memoir with its analysis of apartheid feels timely after Trump's election. My wife and kids have a different ethnic background than me, so it hit home. (Note I've moved book links from Goodreads to StoryGraph.)

JJ Wilde's im not crazy youre just an asshole (toxic). I heard Wilde rock her new anthem against bullying at The Opera House a couple weeks ago in Toronto. It was a great show.

Next bit of pith early March. Big thanks to Courtney Kocak for being my first reader on this one.