You're My Bluesky

As users and journalists are shifting away from X, Justin Egan guides NYCFC fans on how to get started and thrive on Bluesky.

Folks, Soccer Twitter is finally transitioning from X to Bluesky, and I am here to help you make the switch to a much better social media experience.

For us at The Outfield, this is a bittersweet moment. Not only were we absolutely addicted to Twitter, but if you are a long-time reader, you most likely discovered us there.

Since Elon Musk's enshittification of Twitter and its transformation into X, the site has become less about delivering the content users want to see in their feeds and more about the whims of the world's richest man.

Credit: Bluesky user @dfeldman.org

But now is the perfect time to join. Sports journalists have been moving en masse, and millions of users have joined over the past week, pushing Bluesky to the #1 social media app in the Apple App Store.

When you first log on to Bluesky, it's hard to feel anything but nostalgia. This is what Twitter used to be before Elon took over. There are no blue checkmarks, no platform boosting of toxic content, and no link suppression. Blocking someone actually removes them from your feed, and the posts of people you follow and want to see appear as they should.

So, how do you get started? Head over to https://bsky.app/ to sign up.

After you figure out the basics, I’ve created a New York City FC starter pack. This pack allows you to follow all the important NYCFC media, podcasts, and personalities, as well as national writers like Matt Doyle and Ben Wright, who cover the team or report on league-wide developments, all with just one click.

Here are some other starter packs you may find useful:

• MLS Clubs by Hudson River Blue: https://go.bsky.app/7t1pt5k

• Soccer Twitter by Hudson River Blue: https://go.bsky.app/M4NQ7L2

• It’s Called Soccer by American Soccer Analysis’ Ben Bellman: https://go.bsky.app/F1e3fAo

• Active Soccer Football Follows by James Nalton: https://go.bsky.app/Lz1AVQi

• Bluesky Starter Pack Directory: https://blueskydirectory.com/
  
  If you have a curated follow list on Twitter, tools like Sky Follower Bridge allow you to quickly find and mass follow the same users from your Twitter list on Bluesky.
  
  I hope to see all of you over on Bluesky. If you have any questions or know of any NYCFC-related accounts that I should add to the starter pack, please let me know in the comments. ❧

Image: Vincent Van Gogh, Almond Blossom