This is a bare-bones guide for those who just want to get started, and would rather just jump in and try stuff out before learning more details. ![[Cover-QuickStartGuide-v2-flat-1024.jpg]] > [!NOTE] This is NOT an official Bluesky resource! > Be aware that this is a living vault, very much a work-in-progress. It is NOT meant to be a 100% accurate and finished resource. Please note that these tips are just based on my own experience. What works for me may not work for you. Feel free to send me feedback via [[Contact Debbie]] > # Quickstart Guide ## Consider self-verifying your Bluesky profile. This is especially important if you are a well-known company, but individuals can do it as well! On Bluesky, you can set your website as your username. [Here are instructions](https://bsky.social/about/blog/4-28-2023-domain-handle-tutorial). An earlier version of this paragraph explained the more complicated process I had to go through when I did it, but it looks like the process has improved since then. See the link. ## Before starting to follow people, fill out your profile. Doing this helps show people you are a Real Person. Fill out your profile bio, add a cover image, and updating your user pic. See [[a. Your User Profile|Your User Profile]] for more tips and best practices on Bluesky User Profiles, cover images, and profile bios. ## Make an introductory post. Pin it. Make an intro post. Ideally, this post will give people an idea of who you are, and what they can expect if they follow you. I recommend including an image (include alt text). Pin your post; you can find the option to "Pin to your profile" by going to the three dots (...) in the lower right corner of your post. You can always change your Pinned post later. ## Tweak your Settings. Taking a few minutes to go through your [Bluesky account Settings](https://bsky.app/settings) is 100% worth it because it can make or break your own user experience. I *strongly* recommend reading over [[e. Control What You Do (& Don't) See|Control What You Do (& Don't) See]]. Here are just a few of the many ways you can control your own user experience: [Accessibility Settings](https://bsky.app/settings/accessibility) (for disabling autoplay of videos and GIFs, reminding yourself to add alt text before posting, etc) [Moderation](https://bsky.app/moderation): words and tags you want to mute, enabling/disabling adult content, discouraging apps from showing your account to logged-out users, more. [Following Feed Preferences](https://bsky.app/settings/following-feed): If you're finding Bluesky too quiet or too noisy, this is one place you'll want to tweak. New to Bluesky and just want to see what's out there? Make sure you set everything to "Yes" - you can always adjust this later. [Edit My Feeds](https://bsky.app/settings/saved-feeds) - Custom feeds are Bluesky's magic sauce, in my opinion. More on this in [[d. Why Bluesky?|Why Bluesky?]] and [[Feeds]]. For a quickstart, though, at least be aware this page exists and be sure to come back to it later. [Chat Settings](https://bsky.app/messages/settings) - Default is allowing new messages from users you follow, but you can adjust this to turn off chat messages completely, or to allow messages from everyone. ## Start following people! If your timeline feels empty, it's likely because you're not following enough people. For a quick start, I recommend finding a few users whose posts you enjoy, then check out the list of people they follow. Look for Starter Packs related to a community or topic that interests you; [here's a great directory](https://blueskydirectory.com/starter-packs/all) where you can search for Starter Packs by topic. Another way to find Starter Packs; if someone has created any Starter Packs, you can find the tab on their Bluesky profile. ![[StarterPacks-WhereToFind-1000.jpg]] Here's a great explainer video from Machine Pun Kelly ([@kellyscaletta.bsky.social](https://bsky.app/profile/kellyscaletta.bsky.social)):  ## Starter Threads See my [[c. Starter Threads|Starter Threads]] for a list of useful "welcome to Bluesky" starter threads posted by the Bluesky community. ## How can I post images and video? See [[e. Images and Video|Images and Video]]. Use alt-text; please read [[Alt text - Why It's Important]]. Before posting content that you didn't create, [read this thread](https://bsky.app/profile/debbieohi.com/post/3lbmmvuguv22b) (especially comments from the Bluesky community). ## What about GIFS? Bluesky gives you access to Tenor GIFs. For those interested, I've moved some of my GIPHY gifs over to Tenor; you can [find them here](https://tenor.com/users/debbieohi) (when searching for a gif, make @debbieohi part of your search term, followed by a keyword). Don't want GIFs and videos to auto-play? You can disable autoplay in your [Accessibility Settings](https://bsky.app/settings/accessibility). I strongly encourage you to check out the other [[b. Settings|settings]] as well, and also to learn to [[e. Control What You Do (& Don't) See|Control What You Do (& Don't) See]]. ## Enough already! How do I get people to FIND me? See: [[d. How To Find Interesting People|How To Find Interesting People and Content]] [[Tips - Seeking More Engagement]] > [!NOTE] Advice from the Bluesky community > I asked the community for their advice on finding more engagement, and [here's what they said](https://bsky.app/profile/debbieohi.com/post/3lapt3quwjs2w). > ## Check out third-party apps and tools Once you've done the above, I advise checking out [[Third-party apps and tools]] for potential ways of enhancing your experience on Bluesky. If you're looking for Starter Packs, here's a directory of thousands of Starter Packs you can search by keywod: https://blueskydirectory.com/starter-packs/all