All things Tolkienian on Bluesky in three easy steps
Welcome, welcome! Lovely to see you have joined the bluest of skies – or are planning on doing so. I think it is clear that by now the Tolkien fan communities have taken to this online space with pleasure and I would love to share a really easy three steps program for you find fellow Middle-earth enthusiasts on Bluesky.
If you are still in doubt about joining Bluesky… some quick facts
I can only highly suggest reading the recent short posts with the Verge (Here’s some cool stuff you can do with Bluesky) and TechCrunch (How to use Bluesky, the Twitter-like social app taking on Elon Musk’s X). The app formerly known as Twitter was my go to social space for many years so I have been hoping for something similar – if not better – and right now this is Bluesky for me. One of the main reasons is that there is no algorithm telling me what I have to see – I am only seeing what I am connecting and interacting with. And a like with a post is a real like – it does not add anything to an algorithm so it will not be sold by some social media farming services but is a small token of connection with something or someone of importance to you!
1. Check out the Tolkien starter pack
One of the best things Bluesky has done in recent weeks is adding the functionality of starter packs (see the featured image above)
This feature, called “Starter Pack,” is intended to help users joining the social network to find interesting content right out of the gate. Existing users can add accounts and custom feeds to create a starter pack and share the link or the QR code with someone who is not on Bluesky yet. [TechCrunch]
And this is what I have done for you! If I are looking for all things Tolkienian with Bluesky you can check it out and simply subscribe to all of the accounts I have mentioned or just some of them. And if you feel like going in a completely different direction you can always use the Bluesky Directory – I have linked the existing Tolkien starter packs here.
2. Check out the following list of someone you trust
As the search functionalities of Bluesky are still being developed they are not of much use yet and you would need to find third-party-apps doing this for you – I already mentioned the Bluesky Directory above, for example – or go a different route. Now that you have made your first steps with Bluesky you are bound to have found someone you know from other places on the web, someone you appreciate, respect and/ or trust. As we are all multi-fandom and multi-interest these days the following list of this particular somone will have other people, spaces and organisations that will be of interest to you, too.
I will simply give you a few suggestions here: on all things academia the amazing Dimitra Fimi is a brilliant place to start; for a wildly eclectic mix Mercury Natis is your go to person; for a lot of art have a look at MGCoco; and for some extra fun and interesting peeps Jeremy from TolkienGuide.com certainly is a great list to start.
3. Interact, post – or go even further with some additional tools
Now, the best way to meet the lovely people you would love to meet is to interact with them, of course. Do say hi, comment on things important to you, write stuff yourself – but do keep in mind the whole clickbaiting morality and social media engagement tactics forced by proprietary algorithms do not work with Bluesky. If you only do open-ended questions, quizzes, lists, and stuff that looks like taken from any Meta clone (Facebook, Instagram, Threads), share videos and particularly shorts that have proven so horribly successful with Youtube and TikTok, well… those are probably not going to work that well. Here are some additional suggestions to make you join the Tolkien Throng if you feel up to it:
Sky Follower Bridge
A Chrome extension that will show you who of your Xitter followers are now with Bluesky. Easy to do even if you are not a tech nerd and you can simply subscribe to them with a click of the button.
Bluesky Stats
If you need to watch something while doing the laundry or any other menial task this is awesome. At the time of writing:
Bluesky statistics at the time of writing
Graysky
Seems to be the favourite app for Android and iOs. The regular app is pretty solid, though.
Deckblue
For those of you who still remember Tweetdeck, this is your thing now.
Bridgy Fed
Is quite a bit tougher on the nerd level but essentially a tool which allows you to interact between Bluesky and Mastodon (Fediverse; should also include Threads). Let’s face it, I am sick of proprietary crap and would love nothing more than actual, true and independent interaction between apps without a risk of further enshittification.
Awesome Bluesky
If you feel like going all Mirkwood nuts then this is the link for you.
Enjoy the bluest of skies – and say hi when you there!
