Bluesky and the AT Protocol
Bluesky is a social network built on the open AT Protocol, which separates identity, data storage and feed ranking so anyone can run their own server.
Bluesky is a social network built on the AT Protocol (Authenticated Transfer Protocol), an open standard that splits a normal social app into separate parts: an identity system, a personal data server that stores a user's posts, and independent 'feed generators' that decide what to rank and show. Because those pieces are open, anyone can host their own server or write their own feed.
The clearest result of that design is algorithmic choice. Instead of one fixed home feed, Bluesky users pick from a default Discover feed, a plain chronological Following feed, or any of thousands of community built custom feeds around a topic, a hashtag pattern or a niche interest, and can switch between them like browser tabs.
For a brand, Bluesky rewards being findable inside relevant custom feeds as much as it rewards follower count, since a well targeted feed can put a post in front of exactly the right niche audience. Brandlix connects directly to Bluesky and publishes there like any other platform.
Examples
- A photography account getting added to a community run 'street photography' custom feed with 40,000 subscribers, well beyond its own 900 followers.
- A user switching in 1 tap from the Discover feed to a chronological Following feed to see only the 200 accounts they follow.
Related terms
The fediverse is a network of independently run social apps, such as Mastodon, that interoperate through a shared protocol so users on different servers can follow each other.
Threads is Meta's text-based conversation app, tied to an Instagram account, that is also opening up to the wider fediverse via ActivityPub.
The ranking system each platform uses to decide whose content appears in whose feed.
The specific group of people you want your content to reach and resonate with.