Bluesky: Great for Social Media as Infrastructure

Most social media platforms are designed to lock you in. Bluesky is different because it is fundamentally built in a more open way than something like X.

Previously, I wrote an article about social media data analysis and automation, and I got good feedback from a business owner I knew who liked that I brought up Python and pandas because he's had trouble getting set up with that in his business (my advice is to try R in that situation because some parts of managing it can be easier).

But there are a lot more benefits to Bluesky. I really believe it is "infrastructure grade" social media for businesses of all sizes. Here are some

• Built on ATproto: designed for decentralized applications where users can

• Accounts get RSS feeds. This theoretically lets people follow your Bluesky account from an RSS reader app and enables you to build apps that consume it. If you have a web site, there is a decent chance that already has an RSS feed.

• oEmbed endpoints: get the embed HTML for a bluesky post programmatically. I build this into this site's "page builder" and article authoring (w/caching)

• Starter packs: Blue sky lets you build starter packs where it's essentially a list of people and feeds. Bluesky has a smaller community that x or facebook, but these starter packs let you enhance the network effect a bit. Here is one I made that includes brands in the guitar/music gear industry that are on Bluesky

• Personal data server

The RSS feature is a legit superpower that I am still wrapping my head around. I have friends that don't really use a lot of forms of social media because they don't want their activity surveilled through it, but I just realized that I can give my friends my bluesky RSS feed

I build websites and apps with Statamic, and it seems like other Statamic developers I know enjoy working with Bluesky. For example, the Statamic marketplace has an addon that lets you use Bluesky as your comments system on your website.

Music Gear Industry Bluesky RSS Feed Examples

Here are the RSS feeds of the Bluesky accounts for cool American companies:

• Offbeat Guitars: Makes beautiful basses in Colorado, USA. (I haven't played one, but I just feel like shouting them out b/c the pictures they post on Bluesky are gorgeous

• Rattlesnake Cable Company: Cable company in Montana. As I was writing this, I decided to treat myself to one of their cables since they were running a sale. Seems like their customer service is good

What Now?

If you market your music online, Bluesky is a great platform. Compared to other platforms that just let you rent your land while they take all your data, Bluesky is built so that you can take control over your data. It lets your build real systems/apps/networks/servers to meet your business needs. This contrasts with platforms like X and Facebook/instagram. Sure, they have APIs that you can use, but they are HEAVILY monetized and/or throttled (to the point where I don't use either currently). They want to keep control over your data and what you can and can't say.

Bluesky does have a slight drive-by leftist problem. But just about any social media platform does. And I think Bluesky shows that we need to look at these platforms at the protocol and API level.

If you are in a band, for example, you could make a starter pack with other bands in your genre and/or region. Spread the love around.

For anyone with a website, look into adding an RSS feed to your site if you don't have one, it's great for letting your customers follow you without having to use any particular social media app.