Ask HN: Bluesky Accounts Worth Following for HN Enthusiasts

Hacker News Discussion ↗

Starter Packs, Discovery & Tools

  • Many recommend “starter packs” as the best onboarding mechanism to find relevant accounts and communities.
  • A GitHub collection of tech-focused Bluesky starter packs and tools to convert starter packs into Lists is highlighted.
  • Additional tools help find accounts based on existing follows and interests; a separate directory exists for Mastodon.
  • Some propose creating an HN-focused starter pack specifically for this community.

Bluesky vs Mastodon: Decentralization, Control & Data

  • Debate centers on whether Bluesky is truly decentralized or just a centralized service with an open protocol.
  • Supporters of Bluesky’s protocol argue:
    • Identities are portable between hosts (PDSes).
    • Data and identity are decoupled, so users can migrate even if a host disappears.
    • Anyone can run their own server or appview and still interoperate.
  • Critics counter:
    • A single major appview and relay, centralized moderation, and prior outages show it functions de facto as a centralized platform today.
    • Enshittification is expected due to VC financing and monetization pressures.
  • Mastodon is seen as more obviously decentralized but with more complexity, weaker UX, and practical limitations around full account/data migration.

UX, Feeds & Moderation

  • Many value Bluesky’s Twitter-like familiarity and ease of use over federation purity.
  • Bluesky offers:
    • Reverse-chronological “Following” feeds.
    • Custom feeds that users can build/share.
    • Filters, alt text, and partial content-warning support (full text CWs still missing).
  • Mastodon is praised for inclusivity tools and a strong culture around content warnings and filters.
  • Disagreement exists over moderation: some claim systematic bias; others say bans occur only when lines are clearly crossed.

Growth, Activity & Network Effects

  • One commenter reports falling posts-per-second from the firehose despite claimed user growth; others present charts suggesting only slight decline or time-of-day variation.
  • Some see Bluesky’s rapid user growth as evidence of a usability win over Mastodon; others argue neither will approach old Twitter’s scale.
  • Several note social platforms are cyclic: use what’s good now, expect eventual deterioration, and move on.

Accounts & Content Themes

  • Many participants share Bluesky profiles focused on:
    • Software engineering, databases, distributed systems, ML/AI.
    • Web/mobile development, specific languages/frameworks.
    • Science, astronomy, genetics, privacy, robotics, history.
    • Indie hacking, product, game development, and knowledge management.