technology
Bluesky’s Smiling on Me Ryan Gutsch, WMEA State Chair, Technology
Social media has taken a new twist recently. There has been a big uptick in the use of a new social media plat- form. It is nothing but Bluesky. If you aren’t in the know, let me inform you.
Bluesky is technically a side project from former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. While Twitter (now “X”) was bluebirds all day long, Bluesky uses a butterfly as its icon. My, how they fly! The platform was cre- ated in 2019 and was invitation-only until February 2024. According to a CNET
article, since the recent presidential elec- tion, Bluesky has seen a major jump in new users – at least 14 million.
With the advent of Bluesky being open to anyone, several educators have flocked to the platform. Bluesky offers things called “starter packs” that allow users to get started quickly on the platform and connect with people. For instance, one was created prior to the recent Future of Education Technology Conference in January. Bluesky has also seen an uptick in what used to be called Twitter Chats. In the education world, teachers would be logged into their platform and follow a certain hashtag, and a moderator would offer up user-posted questions, thoughts and opinions for discussion.
There’s a nostalgia factor with Bluesky, too. I have read so many articles, inter- views, etc. that claim that Bluesky is a clean platform that takes people back to what Twitter used to be when it was really blossoming. However, it combines that with modern features meant to bring about a great user experience. This is pure con- jecture, but Twitter has never seen things go so right.
There are some who have given up on Twit- ter and Facebook in spite of recent news – basically saying, “only Bluesky from now on” – but you don’t have to go that far. For quite awhile, I have used Facebook as my main social media platform for family and friends while using Twitter for professional development. I even got into Discord and Clubhouse and LinkedIn for a while, each for different purposes.
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Truth is, there is no right or wrong way to use social media. You can have multiple accounts and even use tools to cross-post the same thing on different platforms. Examples of these tools are Buffer, Zapier and SocialBee, among others. Decide what is best for you. Maybe you’ll use Facebook for family, Instagram for a side hustle, Twitter for political news and Bluesky for professional development. Once you get into the flow of things, you’ll see the days hurrying by.
I would welcome anyone to at least check out Bluesky. If you liked the way Twitter once was, I think you will like it. I’m hop- ing it will be a home for my own profes- sional development. I’m still gathering connections there, but so far, Bluesky’s smiling on me.
Ryan Gutsch is the band director and technology coordinator at the Owen-Withee School District.
Email:
rgutsch@owk12.org
April 2025
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