Twitter essentially invented the concept of micro-blogging when it debuted in 2006. But how the mighty have fallen.
Acquired in early 2022 by Elon Musk who rebranded it as "X," the platform's seen a number of changes that have left many users cold; and pundits asking whether it will continue to be a necessary component in every company's social media toolkit for much longer.
(By the way, if you want to gauge how miserably your rebranding campaign has failed, pay attention to how often journalists continue to describe "X" as "the company that used to be known as Twitter." After months of hinting at the change, the new name became official in Summer '23, but referencing "X" still draws blank stares from many.)
The logical question for users of social media has become, "Well, if not Twitter — excuse me, X — then what?" One answer that's becoming more common is, "Bluesky."
Still in beta, the platform offers an experience familiar to users of Twitter — or, rather, X — without the sponsored tweets and nagging suggestions to follow Musk.
The numbers might indicate it's not yet time to jump on board — as of September '23 Bluesky's user base was 1 million compared to Twitter's — or, rather X's — 550 million. But snagging a good username means getting in early.
Speaking of which, Bluesky offers a feature where you can avoid the standard username template of @username.bsky.social and use your domain name as your username. And, unlike Twitter's — sorry, X's — blue verified checkmark, which starts at $7 a month, there's no cost.
In order to join the fun, you'll need a friend who's already a user to pass you an "invite code"; or join the platform's waiting list.
As of this writing, we have a few invite codes we're happy to pass out, first come, first serve. Get in touch.
