Bluesky, the alternative social media platform with 34 million users, rolled out a really cool new feature this week. This newest addition is designed to increase user engagement and improve overall discoverability. The new improvements include a first-of-its-kind search homepage, as well as an exciting new trending discussions homepage. Further, we’ve introduced new forms of user engagement to help users better engage with the content they care about most.
Beyond the aesthetic changes, this update adds more functionality and streamlines the Bluesky search page. Today, users are better able to explore what’s popular on Twitter and jump into ongoing conversations. The discovery / trending page recently added attention grabbing labels such as “New” and “Hot.” These new, permanent updates provide users an unprecedented look at real-time trends into what’s resonating on the platform. This feature helps users quickly identify popular conversations and engage with trending content.
Along with all this enhanced search functionality, Bluesky has so far rolled out curated lists of accounts to follow. The lists are further grouped into different focus areas. History, Culture, Education, Migration, Art, Sports, Music, Comics, Politics, Science, News, Animals, Books, Video Games and so much more! This type of grouping makes it simple for users to locate and engage with other like-minded users on the platform.
Bluesky has created “Starter Packs” to onboard newcomers. These packs come with handpicked groups of users that you can follow in one click! As a result, this feature greatly enhances onboarding for new users. Importantly, it allows them to explore the community without having to go and search for accounts on their own.
Bluesky has really upped the custom feeds game. It now includes other popular choices such as NFL+, enabling users to engage in discussions regarding American football, amongst others on the forum. This curated method of experience extension creates new opportunities for users to explore further in niche subjects and helps connect communities.
That last change, a desire for more engagement, looks to X’s influence for inspiration. Since 2020, X has let users emoji-react to their DMs. Bluesky takes this even further by letting users pick any emoji they want from a huge emoji menu. This new feature goes beyond the default limit that was imposed on their reactions. Users can tap on a three-dot menu to access a spreadsheet emoji when the emoji options users can choose from. This addition encourages more natural, relational dialogue in larger group conversations.
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