The Flashes for Bluesky app launched last night.
It basically takes Bluesky and presents it as an image-friendly, Instagram-like experience.
It looks great for a launch day. You can curate a portfolio tab to showcase curated images.
Hopefully a sorting tool is in the works to make the portfolio curation easier. I’d like to see the portfolio as the default profile view as well.
Everything you posted on Bluesky and everyone you’ve followed are already there.
Aside from the benefit of having a viable alternative to Instagram that focuses of image sharing, rather than the text/micro blogging-focused presentation on Bluesky itself, Flashes really points the way to what a more federated social web can be. It simplifies your presence and modifies it to suit each platform. You don’t have to toggle between apps to post and reply. All the posts, replies, likes and interactions are shared between platforms. All of your Bluesky friends, feeds and lists are in place, you don’t have to build from scratch. It’s about YOU and your followers as PEOPLE. It points a way forward to more clear-eyed social media management, where the users’ presence is streamlined and consistent.
And there is no algorithm that favors and suppresses posts. Hashtags and links don’t hold anyone back.
It’s a good step in the right direction, where social media is a user-based service and not an institution that exploits your information. And moreover, it’s a fun experience because the moderation tools keep bad actors from poisoning your time on the platforms.
The iOS version is live, and hopefully an Android version is coming soon. More info here:
https://github.com/birdsongapps/Flashes/wiki/FAQ#will-there-be-an-android-or-web-version
I encourage everyone to check it out! Here’s the link to the app in the App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashes-for-bluesky/id6741443033
Find me on Flashes: https://www.flashes.blue/profile/boringstorybook.com