Bluesky, a new social media platform created as a Twitter alternative, backed by Jack Dorsey, is now available in beta on App Store (iOS).
The catch is it is currently available ]as an invite-only, meaning very few testers/users can experience it.
“We really are still in beta, but DM me if you want an invite,” tweeted Jay Graber, CEO of Bluesky.
Bluesky, which is now a public benefit company, was created in 2019 as a project within Twitter.
The micro-blogging company also funded Bluesky with around $13M without any condition except one: “Bluesky is to research and develop technologies that enable open and decentralised public conversation.”
According to TechCrunch, Bluesky features a simplified user interface where users can click the ‘+’ button to create a post of 256 characters with photos.
Overall look and feel of Bluesky are similar to Twitter, right from home, search, and notification tabs. Users can search and follow other individuals and view their updates in their timelines.
However, what differentiates Bluesky from Twitter is its protocol, AT Protocol (Authenticated Transfer Protocol).
This protocol would allow various social media networks to interact with one another. Bluesky is the first app to run on this protocol.
Explaining the AT Protocol, Bluesky says, “Instead of one site running the network, you can have many sites. It means you get a choice of provider, and individuals and businesses can self-host if they want.”
Bluesky also mentioned this would offer:
- Interoperability
- Account portability
- Open algorithms
“We’re calling the application we’re building Bluesky because it will be a portal to the world of possibility on top of the AT Protocol,” says the blog.
