Let me say this first…I am not a believer in cancelling events “because”…I think when the NBA or MLB moves an All-Star Game, when an artist cancels a prescheduled concert because of an injustice…it creates a buzz and a teachable moment, but then in an attention starved world we move on and mostly forget the why. Not scheduling a city or a state or a country, that’s different. But once a game or a show is in play, pulling it away in my opinion does two things…it unjustly harms not just fans but all those who live and work there and pull an income from the event. More importantly it loses leverage for those who can take a stand. If you stay where you are, the attention drawn to the issue remains in the light…when you leave, the light goes out. I fully understand the other side…you don’t want to celebrate while others are suffering, you don’t want to be a disruption and cause your supporters who don’t what to be politicized to be involved in something they choose not to, you don’t want to put dollars into the coffers of a place that you feel does harm, you are not sure about safety in a disruptive world, or how much local authorities will help those involved if something happens and so on. All valid. However I would take carrying through and showing up vs the silence of leaving.
I raise this because of the ongoing exodus from X and the migration to Bluesky or other platforms, or no social media platforms at all. I have been a loyal and active user of X despite all the issues and the challenges that current ownership has put people through. I have spent a good amount of time since the launch of X listening, learning and sharing content and for the most part, for my needs, it has been a worthwhile experience, and I don’t see myself going away from X anytime soon. While I have seen a massive drop off in engagement and since early November have noticed a pretty significant…at least for me…drop in followers…about 3OO in November are no longer on the platform…it remains a key place for me to engage, share and converse with those who I choose to. I avoid the bots and the ads, I can scroll to find what I am looking for, and it seems like those who are still engaged, and… read Jacob Feldman’s Sportico piece this week as to the why for sports X is still a key part of storytelling and engagement…aren’t going anywhere in a large way anytime soon. X is a habit, and one that most people still want to use for their bookmarking, reading and following.
Now that doesn’t mean that Bluesky, or Threads, don’t have value. I started a Bluesky account this week not to dissolve my X engagement but to enhance it. There are people of their choosing who have found Bluesky as a better…and VERY similar alternative…and at the first go-round I have found a growing number of those who have migrated to be people, especially media types, who I know and enjoy following. So, for me, for now, its best of both worlds. I was an early invitee to Bluesky and although I accepted, I did not start engaging til now, and I will continue to watch, share and grow on both. Now how quickly can one grow a following on Bluesky? Tough to say as that takes time unless you are the biggest and the brightest of names, and that’s not me. It will take some time, and to be honest, I have always been about quality vs quantity…its nice to have followers, but for me its important to follow those who bring me value, no matter what the platform.
The Bluesky migration, or augmentation, is still in its early stage. At first look not a huge amount of people with large following on X, at least in sports, have found their way to Bluesky. Many teams and leagues are not yet on the platform, preferring to take a wait and see approach and not get ‘mastodoned’ as a colleague said to me earlier today. Mastodon had its few seconds in the sun before sliding off the engagement cliff. I don’t think that will happen with Bluesky, but we will see how growth, engagement and user experience goes.
One other thing, sharing options. Key sites have yet to either figure out or add a Bluesky sharing option. NY Times, ESPN, CNN, Washington Post…click and share to X. Easy. Bluesky? Not yet, but as the platform continues to grow and expand those partnerships will grow as well.
For those who have left X, I get it. For me, for now, I’d prefer to keep engaging there, and then learn from the new horizons elsewhere. The more places you can find content, learning with positivity, and engaging the better in my opinion. That’s all it is. It works for me, it’s another click, and I like what I have found on Bluesky…but it doesn’t mean X still doesn’t mark a spot for me.
We will see what the future holds, but for now, where you are, is where I want to be. As a guy who probably would have loved the positive aspects of social media, Benjamin Franklin once said, ‘Moderation in all things,’ and I like the balance of the legacy of X with the discovery of BlueSky. What you do is your call, you can find me either way.
