Bluesky says it temporarily paused new sign-ups after fresh Twitter chaos led to a surge in interest. Here's how the platform works.
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- Bluesky said in a post on the platform it was dealing with "record-high traffic" on Saturday.
- It comes amid fresh chaos at Twitter, which placed a limit on the number of tweets users can view.
- Bluesky has been compared with Mastodon and is backed by Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey.
Bluesky, a Jack Dorsey-backed Twitter rival, had to temporarily pause new sign-ups over the weekend after it reported a surge of interest.
Bluesky said in a post on the platform it was dealing with "record-high traffic" on Saturday — the same day Elon Musk announced a limit on the number of tweets Twitter users can view.
"We will temporarily be pausing Bluesky sign-ups while our team continues to resolve the existing performance issues," Bluesky wrote in a post on the platform. "We'll keep you updated when invite codes will resume functionality."
On Friday, Twitter started requiring people to sign in to view tweets on the platform, a move that irritated some users. Musk clarified in a tweet that the requirement to sign in was temporary and would be "unlocked shortly."
The fresh wave of Twitter chaos appears to have revitalized interest in alternative platforms. Bluesky, Jack Dorsey, Tumblr, Mastodon, and Hive were all trending on Saturday afternoon, Insider previously reported.
Bluesky is a popular Twitter clone with a very similar format to its established rival.
The platform has already lured in Twitter celebs Dril and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and people have been scrambling to follow them in recent months.
Sam Tabahriti/Insider
Bluesky has been available on Apple's app store since February, but recently added an Android and beta web version.
According to Bluesky CEO Jay Graber, 1.2 million people were on the platform's waitlist, following Musk's Twitter takeover.
Musk's ex-girlfriend, Grimes, also appears to have joined the platform, posting a link to her own Discord server. Insider could not independently verify the profile.
How it works
Bluesky users set up a profile by choosing a picture, bio, display name, and domain name. Once on the app, they can post, repost, and like and reply to other users. There's also a search tab to find others and the platform suggests people to follow that are "in your network."
Bluesky's timeline is split into two feeds — posts from users an account is following, and a "What's Hot" section that displays popular posts. Unlike most alternatives, the app doesn't have any direct messaging features or hashtags.
Another missing function is the ability to block fellow users or set your profile to private. Graber previously acknowledged that some users were "being harassed" and that the team was working on a block function, which had been delayed because of "protocol-level complexity."
The app is still in the beta stage and is only available to users with an invite or on the waiting list. The invite codes are usually given out once every two weeks, although a representative for Bluesky said on the platform the team would occasionally "arbitrarily" hand out extra invite codes to activate more users.
Bluesky has been compared with Mastodon, an earlier Twitter alternative. Both platforms are decentralized, meaning user data is not stored on servers owned by one company. However, unlike Mastodon, users don't have to choose a server when they sign up – something that appeared to be an issue for Mastodon users who found the process too complicated.
Bluesky began in 2019 while Dorsey was still CEO of Twitter and initially received funding from the company it now rivals.
In April last year, Bluesky clarified the company's relationship to Twitter, saying: "The bluesky project originated with Twitter in 2019, but the Bluesky PBLLC established this year is an independent company focused on decentralized social network R&D."
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