Tag Archives: social media

The Social Media Shift: Should Brands Choose Sides Between BlueSky and X?

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I joined BlueSky, the new decentralized social media platform, earlier this year, but only recently became more active on it. To be clear, I didn’t join as some kind of political statement or protest—I simply wanted to explore what all the buzz was about.

That said, I haven’t yet deleted my X account. The reason? I still follow a lot of accounts on X that I enjoy, and honestly, I haven’t found the same level of engagement on BlueSky just yet. As a result, I find myself standing at yet another crossroads in the social media world, as I —like many others —consider whether BlueSky could be a true alternative to X.

BlueSky offers a fresh take on social media by focusing on privacy, giving users more control, and reducing reliance on algorithms. But it’s still in its early stages and faces the challenge of building a larger, more active user base. Many journalists, who’ve relied on X for real-time news and interaction, are hesitant to leave because BlueSky doesn’t yet have the same audience or features. Similarly, brands are hesitant to invest in a new platform without knowing if it will deliver the same level of reach and engagement they’ve found on X. I’m wondering this too, as I manage the social media for a nonprofit client.

This raises an interesting question: As we see a growing divide between platforms like BlueSky and X, do brands now have to pick a political side? It’s becoming clear that each platform is starting to appeal to different political or ideological groups. BlueSky’s decentralized structure and emphasis on privacy seem to attract a more progressive, privacy-focused crowd, while X’s evolving dynamics under new management seem to have aligned more with certain conservative voices. Should brands have to choose where to place their support—or should they focus on reaching their audiences without being pigeonholed by the politics of a platform?

That said, there’s a lot to like about BlueSky. Its decentralized structure puts users in control of their data and the content they see, making it feel more genuine and community-driven. This is a welcome shift for those frustrated with the traditional, algorithm-heavy platforms. Additionally, BlueSky’s open-source nature allows developers to actively shape its future, which could lead to exciting innovations as it grows.

For BlueSky to truly take off, it will need to build a larger, more engaged community while continuing to improve its features. Brands, too, will need to see clear benefits before making the shift. If BlueSky can achieve this, it could become a user-focused alternative to X and other major social platforms.

The future is still uncertain, but BlueSky’s decentralized approach offers a glimpse of a more open, user-friendly social media landscape. As I continue to explore the platform, I’m hopeful that it can lead the way to a new era of online communication. Time will tell if BlueSky can become a mainstream platform that encourages deeper, more meaningful engagement across the digital world.

Follow me on BlueSky at staceyv.bsky.social.

Are all the Social Media tools available to us now making us more efficient and less stressed, or the opposite?

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 Can we achieve a decent work-life balance in today’s world?

Last week, Business Week published an article featuring a number of high profile executives who do not use email (http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-07-16/mlb-s-bud-selig-proudly-joins-the-executive-no-email-crowd ).  Yes, you read that correctly.  They do not use email.  Now I can understand if they don’t use social media tools such as Twitter or Facebook – but email?

These old-school communicators include among others: Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig; secretary of the Department for Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano; and billionaire landowner Brad Kelley.  They are all successful in their own right.  And they have achieved that success with only the use of “old-fashioned” means of communication and most likely, a healthier set of boundaries when it comes to work spilling over into their lives.

Now granted, most of the individuals named in the article are in in their late 60s or 70s.  However, Napolitano is only 55, certainly an age where she could have adapted well to using email.  She claims checking email sucks up too much time (We all know how true that is, especially when you’re helplessly on an email thread that won’t stop).  While she may be right, it’s certainly not practical or feasible for “the rest of us” to scrap email altogether as a means of communication.

This got me to thinking:  all of these modern means of communicating at our fingertips – especially the burst of social media tools available – were invented to help us do so more efficiently and more quickly both personally and professionally.  Yet, in the end, are they doing the opposite and just bogging us down to create more stress, work and interruptions, and to sabotage any chance we have of a healthy work-life balance?

As Napolitano and Selig did, is there a time when the current generations can begin to say “no” to any or all of our modern channels of communication, or have we forever passed that threshold?

Before cell phones (yes, there was a day), I used to love driving in my car because it was the only place where no one could get a hold of me.  There was something to be said for that peaceful and uninterrupted respite where one could focus on the day’s matters at hand with more clarity and without interruption.

Most Millennials have never had that experience and I’m actually not sure they truly ever want to be ‘off-line’ from the world.  In fact, it seems as if it’s quite the opposite that is true – they feel naked without their smartphone and access of being connected to the outside world.  Their angst is certainly palpable when they are in meetings or other places where they cannot check their text messages, Tweets and emails.

I’ve occasionally had that feeling myself and to be honest, I don’t’ like it.  Sometimes I have to literally take a step back and realize that my world and work will actually be just fine without monitoring my emails and social channels every 15 minutes.  So why do I feel guilty when I’m offline?

I get it, in the fields of public relations and marketing, we need to be connected to our devices and to our clients and their customers as well as the media and outside world.  And, we have to test every new social media communications tool in order to best counsel our clients.  The challenge is there is a new tool emerging every day and it’s not only social media managers that need to understand and test these tools. It’s PR folks too. As a PR practitioner, stress is a normal part of the job; it’s just that this modern era of social media seems to be creating more stress and not taking as much away.

I just want to know if anyone else is struggling with when to draw the line at being continuously accessible and connected (and I mean beyond being reachable when a client might have a real emergency situation that needs immediate damage control).

Do you feel guilty or stressed when you’re not emailing, tweeting or trolling on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or Pinterest?

How do you manage to detach from work mode to personal mode?

Any tips or insights are much appreciated!