Teaching is too hard to do alone! Having a strong community that supports you is essential. It seems these days Twitter is imploding that we are all blowing to the wind. Where do we come together to share our resources and encourage each other around the topic of education? While there will never be a singular place, I am working on building an EDU community on Bluesky social. Find publications by educators using the hashtag #EDUsky.
What is Bluesky Social?
🤖 I asked Google Bard to describe the social media platform. I actually checked:
social blue sky is a decentralized social media platform that is still under development. It was created by Bluesky, an independent public benefit company that was founded in 2021 by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey.
Bluesky Social is based on the AT Protocol, an open source protocol that allows different social media platforms to communicate with each other. This means that Bluesky Social users will be able to interact with users of other social media platforms that are also based on the AT Protocol.
The Bluesky Social platform is still in its early stages of development, but it has the potential to be a major player in the social media landscape. If Bluesky is successful, he could help create a more decentralized and democratic Internet.
Here are some of the key features of Bluesky Social:
- Decentralization: Bluesky Social is a decentralized platform, which means that it is not controlled by any company or organization. This makes it more difficult for governments or other powerful entities to censor or manipulate the platform.
- Transparency: Bluesky Social is based on an open source protocol, which means that anyone can see how the platform works. This makes it more transparent and accountable to users.
- Community-Based Moderation: Bluesky Social uses a community-based moderation system, which means that users are responsible for moderating content on the platform. This gives users more control over the content they see and helps create a more inclusive and welcoming environment.
If you are interested in learning more about Bluesky Social, you can visit the Bluesky website or follow them on Twitter. You can also sign up for Bluesky’s waiting list to be notified when the platform is publicly available.
Actual state: Bluesky Social is currently in beta testing and is only available to a limited number of users. The company plans to launch the platform to the public in 2023.
Is Bluesky Social owned by Twitter? No, Bluesky Social is not owned by Twitter. It is an independent company founded by Jack Dorsey, but is not affiliated with Twitter in any way.
Who made Bluesky Social? Bluesky Social was created by Bluesky, an independent public benefit company that was founded in 2021 by Jack Dorsey. The CEO of the company is Jay Graber.
invitations for educators
As of July 2023, Bluesky is invite-only. Do you know someone in the EDUsky spreadsheet? Ask them for an invite 🙂
The platform is trying to build it just before opening the floodgates for anyone to join. You’ll find that your favorite Twitter features may STILL be there. However, before adding new features, don’t you want the current features to be stable and work properly?
Hashtag #EDUSky
Once you create a Bluesky account, make sure you have a bio that indicates you are in education. A profile picture is really useful for building credibility, it doesn’t have to be your face. A plant, your dog, your garden, your favorite cup of coffee…
POST SOMETHING PLEASE
When I go to your profile, I’ll see your photo and bio, as well as any posts you’ve made. Make a post about education and use the hashtag. #EDUsky.
For your education-related posts, consider including the hashtag #EDUsky
Hashtags are NOT linked
On Twitter, you can click on hashtags to see all the tweets with that hashtag. THAT IS COMING to Bluesky, however currently you need to type #EDUsky into the search box.
Edusky Spreadsheet
I have started a spreadsheet in tinyurl.com/edusky.
✏️ If you are an educator and would like to be on the list, look for a post on my profile that asks you to RESPOND TO THE POST to request to be added.
I understandably expect to sit down and add names to the list every few days, so having a system for adding educators is essential.
#EDUSky Feed
michael freeman made a personalized feeding for Bluesky that filters by the hashtag #EDUsky.
follow this source
After you create an account, you’ll want to add this feed for #EDUSky. You can then pin the feed to make it easier to find education-related posts. Click to SAVE FEED.
To pin the feed, click “Settings” on the left side. Choose “Saved Fonts”. You’ll notice that the #EDUsky is not pinned, you’ll want to click the icon to pin it and then use the arrows to move it up the queue. You can also remove the default fonts if you want.
Bluesky is a thing ’cause we made it a thing
The EDUsky community is really starting to rock! But it is through the intentional actions of educators who want to connect and learn from each other.
Try responding to a person from EDUsky.
REPOST is the highest compliment, you are pushing someone’s ideas forward.
Create a new post to contribute to the conversation,
When we scroll through the EDUsky feed, we want to see how we connect with educators and get inspired to do great things with students. Be part of the conversation!!
custom username
My username on Bluesky is alicekeeler.com. Since I own the domain, I was able to follow the instructions on the Bluesky blog to make it my identifier.
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#EDUsky is a community of educators. Come join us! A support group to discuss education and share resources.
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