Like any growing and active social media platform, Bluesky is attracting more spambots and impersonator accounts. I'm sure I'm not the only one hesitant about following people back unless I'm 100% sure the account is genuine.

Before you jump into following and posting on Bluesky, I strongly encourage you to read the following tips on ways you can help show that you're a real person and not a spambot or impersonator.

Consider self-verifying your Bluesky profile.

On Bluesky, you can set your domain as your username. This is one of the ways you can "self-verify" on Bluesky. Here are instructions.

Apply for verification or to be a Trusted Verifier.

You can also apply to receive a verification badge or in becoming a Trusted Verified; see this post. However, be warned that there may be a long wait.

Take the time to fill out your profile.

Fill out your profile bio, add a cover image, update your user pic. If you're concerned about privacy and want to stay anonymous, you can still fill out your profile.

Diagram showing a person looking suspiciously at their phone, where a Bluesky profile has not been filled out at all. They are thinking: placeholder account? spammer? bot? Name sounds sort of familiar. Wish they included a profile link. Hm. I'm not going to following them back yet. Maybe later, if I remember to check back.

A few suggestions, for those who want to stay anonymous but do want to encourage people to follow back:

  • Change the default user profile pic to a different image. It doesn't have to be a headshot photo. If you're a bookish type, perhaps take a selfie holding a book in front of your face. Another option: Use CC Search to find an image with Creative Commons licenses from a variety of databases offered by independent organizations (Wikipedia Commons, etc).

  • Put SOMETHING in your user profile that shows you are a human being who took the time to update your profile bio. Even just a few words, e.g. "Fan of libraries" or "Educator" or "Avid baker, quilter, introvert" etc. If you're on Bluesky mainly to post about cats, include a phrase like "cat lover" or something similar - this will help other cat lovers find your posts (if you want them to, that is).

Of course, a spammer can also do all the above. So it will also help to:

Make an introductory post and Pin it.

Make an intro post. Ideally, this post will give people an idea of who you are, and what they can expect if they follow you. I recommend including an image (include alt text). Pin your post; you can find the option to "Pin to your profile" by going to the three dots (...) in the lower right corner of your post. You can always change your Pinned post later.

Tweak your settings.

Taking a few minutes to familiarize yourself with your Bluesky settings is 100% worth it; it can make or break your user experience. More on this in a future post.

Do you have other suggestions? Feel free to reply with your own tips!