Any thoughts on a Facebook replacement?

[Nictuku]

24. I'm just figuring out BlueSky

I had a Twitter account, but never really used it.

Here are a few suggestions to get going on BlueSky, it is all about Following people (you see what they post).

There is a 'Discover' think where you can look at different groups (I'm interested in Science, that is the only one I selected there)

You can search for people or organizations that you like, and then follow them. Then, as you see posts you like, you can click on the user and see if you want to follow them. I've had lots of people follow me, but I only follow back people who seem to have similar interests.
Here are a few I selected that led to others:
@freespeechtv.bsky.social
@altyellonatpark.org (Yellowstone National Park info)
@worldofart.bsky.social (art, poems)
@mrsbettybowers.bsky.social (same Betty Bowers we see posted here sometimes)
@emptywheel.bsky.social (same emptywheel posts we see here)
@aoc.bsky.social (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez)

They also have these 'starter packs' which is basically a list of people with similar interests, and you can follow just some of them, or all at once.

So I like Molly Jong Fast, and when I followed her, it led to a lot of other people that I also wanted to follow. I think I used one starter pack, and in the last (month?) my feed now is very busy. So busy that I can't keep up, so to deal with that, I start to unfollow people who's posts I'm not too interested in.

I also am very interested in what is going on in Ukraine, and there is so much good information there.

What to look out for: Fake accounts. Like is that really AOC? I don't see any verification blue check like there was on twitter, but I'm pretty sure that is the real AOC account (based on what is being posted by her). I did like some things said by someone who's user name is Barbara Streisand (but I don't really think that is her), but this person was posting info about the LA fires, and who knows.

The thing I like the most is, if you see someone posting hateful or MAGA BS, you just block them. I haven't seen too much of that, but some other people who are famous (Jeff Tiedrich @jefftiedrich.bsky.social) for instance.

The thing I like the least: There is a Chat feature, which is GREAT because that is how I will keep in touch with my actual friends (and one of the things I might miss on facebook), however, you have to be on-guard.

Anyone who follows you, and immediately wants to start a chat with you, is most likely a scammer. I got a bunch of people from Gambia (Africa) following me. Maybe Gambia is the new Nigerian scammers. I just ignore these chats and I don't even reply. Then there are the ones who's game is .... what do they call it, cat-fishing? I just ignore those kinds of chats.

In only a month, apparently there are over 300 people following me (why? I have no idea), it just seems weird to me. I only block people who say things I don't like, or if they look like they just want to sell me bitcoin or some such BS.

Anyway, I hope some of this helps. Have fun with it, if you can.