Hey, still on Twitter? Why? The old Twitter is gone, and now it's a cesspool owned and controlled by one of the tech bros. If you haven’t ditched it yet, what's keeping you? The owner of what used to be Twitter turned it into his own online playground - his rules, his whims, his decisions, all under the guise of freedom of speech. Frankly, it’s time to move on, Twitter, as we know it has joined the ranks of Friendster.
So, where can you rebuild your online community? There are two options: the ATmosphere and the Fediverse. The ATmosphere is where you’ll find BlueSky, which uses the new AT protocol. The Fediverse is where you’ll find services like Mastodon, GoToSocial, CalcKey, MissKey, PixelFed, Loops, and PeerTube, all based on the ActivityPub protocol. You can choose one and start building your community, or use both. In my case, I use both because each has its strengths.
Hey Twitter migrants! If you’re looking for a similar platform, BlueSky is the best fit. It’s like Twitter, but with more control over what you see on your timeline. Want a feed only about the Philippines? You can do that. Or, don’t want to see porn, adult content, or nudes? No problem! You can also set up your own moderation system. And that’s just a tip of the iceberg, you can do more customization on BlueSky, even hosting your own data on your server!
If you’re worried about being part of a VC-funded project and getting enshittified, there are plenty of other options in the Fediverse. Mastodon, CalcKey, MissKey, and GoToSocial are all great choices. If you’re a video person, PeerTube is your go-to. And if you’re into photos, PixelFed is like Instagram but powered by ActivityPub. For short-form videos, check out Loops. The best part is that all ActivityPub-based services can talk to each other, so you can follow people from different platforms and see what they’re up to.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to expand your community, BlueSky has got you covered. With their Starter Packs, you can easily find and follow BlueSky users who match your interests. For instance, if you’re a fan of the University of the Philippines faculty, there’s a Starter Pack just for you. And that’s not all - BlueSky also offers lists that you can subscribe to. The best part about starting from scratch is that you have complete control over your community, which can help prevent it from becoming too one-sided.
BlueSky, like Mastodon, is growing rapidly, with almost a million new users joining every day! If you’re a Philippine news media outlet, don’t miss out. And if you’re a brand, expanding your social media presence is a must. Even if you use social media for marketing and information sharing, consider joining ATmosphere and Fediverse ASAP. Oh, and don’t forget to use your official domain as your handle - both platforms use self-verification, unlike that other site.
Hey, I am rom.bsky.social on BlueSky and @[email protected] on the fediverse - hope to see you follow me on these two environments, and yes, they’re the future of social, so don’t get left out!