This challenge was designed to help make Bluesky work for you in ways that are both meaningful and fun! In the next 20 days, you’ll not only create a Bluesky account but, more importantly, you’ll practice ways to use that account for ongoing professional growth and connection. While this challenge was designed to span twenty days, feel free use it in the ways that work best for you.
Let's get started!
This resource was created by Jennifer LaGarde - with help from Heather Turner and Jeannie Timken. Please cite when sharing.
Lists - Part 2
Creating your own lists!
Checkout this tutorial from Debbie Ridpath Ohi, then create a list of your own!
Congrats! You've finished day nine! See you tomorrow!
Bonus days include extra challenges that may make your Bluesky experience better, but that aren't necessary for using this tool. Enjoy!
Now that you've spent 10 days on Bluesky, let's give a shoutout to the people who have made your exprience meaningful. Your task today is to post thank yous or kudos to at least three of your favorite Bluesky users.
See you tomorrow!
Halfway Mark - Let's Check-in!
A best practice when it comes to ALL social media is to occasionally step back, take a look at what you've created and then evaluate whether or not the content you're seeing continues to add value to your experience. Some questions to ask: is this still working for me? What changes do I need to make in order to ensure that time spent on this platform remains healthy and productive for me?
Spend today evaluating your current Bluesky configuration and make changes as necessary.
Harnessing Hashtags!
Hashtags are a fun and useful way to locate posts about a topic that interests you. For Day 11, spend some time exploring a few hashtags. Note: on Bluesky, many hashtags include "sky" as part of the identifier. Here's a few I recommend:
- #TLSky (Teacher Librarians)
- #Skybrarians (A more general librarian hashtag)
- #EDUSky (a hashtag for educators)
- #Kidlit (many authors and illustrators use this hashtag)
Great job! See you tomorrow!
Educational Chats - Day 1
Harnessing the power of Slow Chats!
Educational chats are one of the most powerful professional uses of social media platforms like Bluesky. A slow chat refers to structured conversations that take place asynchronously. During these chat, moderators post questions and participants post their responses at a time that is convenient for them. This week, you are challenged to locate and participate in a slow chat. This guide from Debbie Ridpath Ohi will help you get started!
See you tomorrow!
Educational Chats - Day 2
Unlike slow chats, other educational chats on Bluesky take place on specific dates and at specific times. These conversations are often fast paced and a lot of fun. It can be hard to keep up with all the posts as they are happening, but here's a pro-tip: even though it may not be a slow chat, you can still search the hashtag after the chat is over, to review content you may have missed before. Additionally, Bluesky chats are a GREAT way to find new people to follow. This spreadsheet, which is maintained by Alice Keeler, contains a ton of information, including a tab at the bottom for Educational Chats. Today your task is to locate a chat that interests you and make plans to participate!
Heather Turner and I moderate a weekly chat for Teacher Librarians called #TLSkyChat. More information can be found here!
Reminder: if you experimented with Deck.Blue as part of an earlier bonus challenge, this tool is GREAT for educational chats!
Day 17 is done! See you tomorrow!
Search Tools on Bluesky
Searching Bluesky for specific posts or users can be made more powerful with a few tricks up your sleeve. For Day 12, your challenge is to practice searching Bluesky using the following prompts:
- Use quotes around keywords, like "hello world" to find a specificl phrase
- Find posts with a specific hashtag
- Search for a handle like @jenniferlagarde.bsky.social to find posts that mention a specific user
- Use from:@jenniferlagarde.bsky.social to see posts from a specific user
You can also find posts that mention/are from you
- from:me shows your own posts
- mentions:me shows posts that mention your username
Read more about how to leverage Bluesky's search capabilities here
Starter Packs - Day 1
Some people make Starter Packs to support specific topics or professional interests - such as this Starter Pack for school librarians (created by Heather Turner.) Sometimes people create Starter Packs for specific events, like a conference or educational chat - which we'll explore on a later date! This spreadsheet, curated by Alice Keeler, contains an extensive list of Starter Packs to explore. For Day 13, locate a few Starter Packs related to topics or events that interest you.
Starter Packs are custom feeds that users can invite others to be a part of. As the platform has grown, many people have created Starter Packs to help new users find their communities on Bluesky. Every Starter Pack comes with a link, QR code, and a preview image, to make sharing easier.
Great job! See you tomorrow!
Time For A Do Over
Take a few minutes to look back over the previous 17 challenges. Are there any you skipped or that you weren't able to put as much time into as you wanted to?Use today to revisit an earlier challenge that could use a little more of your attention.
Let's Create A Post!
Introduce yourself to Bluesky
We're five days in, so it's time to create your first post. This is a great way to say hello, introduce yourself, and let other users know why you're on Bluesky. It's also okay to ask a question, like those below. You may want to pin your first post to your profile. This tutorial will show you how.
- What do you love about Bluesky?
- As a teacher librarian, who do you recommend I follow?
- What advice do you have for someone who is new to Bluesky?
Great job! See you tomorrow!
Find & Follow!
- Is the user's bio filled out?
- Have they included a link for you to learn more about them?
- Do their posts trigger strong emotions that might become challenging for you to navigate in their future?
- Do they share excessive levels of engagement bait?
- Does their content contribute to my goals for being on Bluesky?
Let's start growing your network!
Bluesky offers a number of robust tools for connecting with your community. We will explore many of these reatures over the course of this challenge. For now, your goal for Day Four is to find and follow at least 10 educators, authors or other professionals whose content feels meaningful to you. You may find this spreadsheet, curated by Alice Keeler, helpful. Of course, you will likely follow plenty of people just for fun, too... but before you click the follow button, I encourage you to think about these questions:
You can also follow me!
Woo hoo! Day Four is done! See you tomorrow!
Audit Your Network
Auditing your network for inclusivity is a best practice. One way to do this is to review the list of people and accounts you are following while asking questions like:
- Does my network include a diverse group of thinkers who ideas both reinforce and challenge my own?
- Does my network include a diverse group of practitioners whose work and lived experiences are both similar and different from my own?
- Does my network regularly introduce me to new perspectives?
Just one more day to go!See you tomorrow!
Today's challenge: Take some time to audit the network you've built so far. Identify some goals for continued growth.
Update Your Profile!
Make your profile ready for prime time!
One way to distinguish yourself from a bot or troll account is by completely and thoughfully filing out your profile bio, adding a cover image, and updating your profile pic. Only include information you feel comfortable sharing - but remember, what you share here can make a big difference in helping other users trust your account. Woo hoo! Two days in the books! See you tomorrow!
For more info about Bluesky profiles, checkout this resource from Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Feeding Your Network!
Understanding Feeds on Bluesky
One thing that makes Bluesky different from other social media platforms is the ability to create custom feeds that allow you to follow updates from specific people or topics. Here's Bluesky's official post about algorithmic choice and custom feeds. You may find this information helpful as you learn more about this unique feature.
Today's Tasks:
- Explore several feeds, and...
- Add at least one to your Bluesky!
This spreadsheet, curated by Alice Keeler, contains an extensive list of educator related feeds.
Day seven done!See you tomorrow!
For more information on feeds, checkout this guide from Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Bonus days include extra challenges that may make your Bluesky experience better, but that aren't necessary for using this tool. Enjoy!
Deck Blue is a tool that allows you to sort Bluesky into columns and schedule posts, etc.. This can be especially helpful if you want to participate in Bluesky Chats - which we will talk about on a later date! After you watch this tutorial, try adding a column to your Deck Blue. Note: my Deck Blue interface may look different from yours, because I have changed the settings - click the gear icon on the left to change yours!
Bonus days include extra challenges that may make your Bluesky experience better, but that aren't necessary for using this tool. Enjoy!
The Bluesky community deeply values accessibility. One way to ensure that your posts are accessible to all users is by adding alt-text to all images and videos. Debbie Ridpath Ohi has created this in depth tutorial to help make adding alt-text to visuals on Bluesky a best practice. Note: I have turned on my alt-text reminders in Accessibility Settings - which requires alt-text before allowing me to post content with visuals. This setting helps me remember this important step. It's also available on Deck.Blue!
Lists - Part 1
Understanding Lists on Bluesky
Like on other platforms, Bluesky allows users to create lists to help them curate their user experience. The easiest way to locate existing lists is by checking out users' profiles and clicking on their lists. Your task this week is to locate one or more list that you can add as a feed - which we talked about yesterday!
There are two types of lists on Bluesky!
- Curation Lists: These are groups of recommeneded users. When you "pin" these lists, it's added to your feeds.
- Moderation Lists: These are groups of users that have been identified as potentially harmful. If you subscribe to a Moderation List, you are auto-blocking everyone in that list.
For information on lists, checkout this guide from Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Day Eight is done! See you tomorrow!
Starter Packs - Day 2!
Today you're going to create your own Starter Pack! The tutorial above will help you get started, as will this post from Bluesky! As an extra bonus, share your Starter Pack on Bluesky AND tag me in your post!
You've made it to Day 14! See you tomorrow!
Engaging With Others
Bluesky Engagement Is Different
Like on other platforms, you can engage with content on Bluesky by liking it, reposting it, commenting and following users. However, engagement on Bluesky works a bit differently. There's no revenue driven algorithm behind the scenes deciding what you and other see. Your engagement determines your experience. For Day Six, your task is to engage with at least five posts. With that in mind, I think of Bluesky engagement in this way:
- Like: When we like someone's content on Bluesky, we are sending that user the message that we appreciate their work. Others may/may not see this engagement.
- Repost: When we repost someone's content on Bluesky, we ensure that others will see their work, too. This is the most powerful way we can show someone that we appreciate their contributions to your Bluesky network.
- Comment: When we comment on someone's post on Bluesky, we are engaging in a conversation that others may see, too.
- Follow: When we follow someone on Bluesky, we are taking steps to ensure we see more of their posts.
Day Six is in the books! See you tomorrow!
Bonus days include extra challenges that may make your Bluesky experience better, but that aren't necessary for using this tool. Enjoy!
Third Party Tools
Developers Bring Value to Bluesky
One of the things that makes Bluesky unique is that it allows third party developers to create tools that make the Bluesky experience better. This guide from Debbie Ridpath Ohi shares some of the third party tools and apps that she uses most.
Use your Bluesky time today to explore some third party tools. You may not want to use any right now, but you might also find some great tools for enhancing your Bluesky experience.
Have fun! See you tomorrow!
Bonus days include extra challenges that may make your Bluesky experience better, but that aren't necessary for using this tool. Enjoy!
Content/Trigger Warnings
Content warnings are another tool for ensuring that Bluesky remains a safe space for all users. Adding a content warnings to posts containing content that may be triggering to some users is a best practice that helps others know you care about their experience, too. This post, from Bluesky, provides a bit more information.
YOUR Account Settings
Let's tweak your settings to make Bluesky safe and functional for you.
One of the things that distinguishes Bluesky from other social media platforms is the level of control it provides users in customizing their own experiences.
Debbie Ridpath Ohi's tips for tweaking your Bluesky settings will help guide you through this process. The time you spend doing this now will pay dividends later! Congrats! You've completed day three! See you tomorrow!
Threads!
You've probably already discovered users who stitch together multiple posts in order to share longer ideas and multiple resources. These are called threads and they are easy to create!.
Great job! You've completed 15 challenges. See you tomorrow!
Today you'll create your own thread. This guide from Debbie Ridpath Ohi will help you get started.
Create Your Bluesky Account!
It's day one! Time to create a BlueSky account! Picking your user name is an important step that should also be fun! If the username you use on other platforms isn't available, think carefully about how you want to be known on Bluesky. Many people use some version of their real name, but if that doesn't work for you, consider creating a moniker that reflects your professional values. Congrats! That's day one done! See you tomorrow!
You did it!
Let's use this final challenge to reflect on your experience. Share a post on Bluesky that:
- Celebrates your completion of the 20 Day Bluesky Challenge
- Share's your biggest takeaways from this experience.
Be sure to tag me in your post!
See you on Bluesky!
20 Day BlueSky Challenge!
Jennifer LaGarde
Created on March 21, 2025
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Transcript
This challenge was designed to help make Bluesky work for you in ways that are both meaningful and fun! In the next 20 days, you’ll not only create a Bluesky account but, more importantly, you’ll practice ways to use that account for ongoing professional growth and connection. While this challenge was designed to span twenty days, feel free use it in the ways that work best for you.
Let's get started!
This resource was created by Jennifer LaGarde - with help from Heather Turner and Jeannie Timken. Please cite when sharing.
Lists - Part 2
Creating your own lists!
Checkout this tutorial from Debbie Ridpath Ohi, then create a list of your own!
Congrats! You've finished day nine! See you tomorrow!
Bonus days include extra challenges that may make your Bluesky experience better, but that aren't necessary for using this tool. Enjoy!
Now that you've spent 10 days on Bluesky, let's give a shoutout to the people who have made your exprience meaningful. Your task today is to post thank yous or kudos to at least three of your favorite Bluesky users.
See you tomorrow!
Halfway Mark - Let's Check-in!
A best practice when it comes to ALL social media is to occasionally step back, take a look at what you've created and then evaluate whether or not the content you're seeing continues to add value to your experience. Some questions to ask: is this still working for me? What changes do I need to make in order to ensure that time spent on this platform remains healthy and productive for me?
Spend today evaluating your current Bluesky configuration and make changes as necessary.
Harnessing Hashtags!
Hashtags are a fun and useful way to locate posts about a topic that interests you. For Day 11, spend some time exploring a few hashtags. Note: on Bluesky, many hashtags include "sky" as part of the identifier. Here's a few I recommend:
Great job! See you tomorrow!
Educational Chats - Day 1
Harnessing the power of Slow Chats!
Educational chats are one of the most powerful professional uses of social media platforms like Bluesky. A slow chat refers to structured conversations that take place asynchronously. During these chat, moderators post questions and participants post their responses at a time that is convenient for them. This week, you are challenged to locate and participate in a slow chat. This guide from Debbie Ridpath Ohi will help you get started!
See you tomorrow!
Educational Chats - Day 2
Unlike slow chats, other educational chats on Bluesky take place on specific dates and at specific times. These conversations are often fast paced and a lot of fun. It can be hard to keep up with all the posts as they are happening, but here's a pro-tip: even though it may not be a slow chat, you can still search the hashtag after the chat is over, to review content you may have missed before. Additionally, Bluesky chats are a GREAT way to find new people to follow. This spreadsheet, which is maintained by Alice Keeler, contains a ton of information, including a tab at the bottom for Educational Chats. Today your task is to locate a chat that interests you and make plans to participate!
Heather Turner and I moderate a weekly chat for Teacher Librarians called #TLSkyChat. More information can be found here!
Reminder: if you experimented with Deck.Blue as part of an earlier bonus challenge, this tool is GREAT for educational chats!
Day 17 is done! See you tomorrow!
Search Tools on Bluesky
Searching Bluesky for specific posts or users can be made more powerful with a few tricks up your sleeve. For Day 12, your challenge is to practice searching Bluesky using the following prompts:
You can also find posts that mention/are from you
Read more about how to leverage Bluesky's search capabilities here
Starter Packs - Day 1
Some people make Starter Packs to support specific topics or professional interests - such as this Starter Pack for school librarians (created by Heather Turner.) Sometimes people create Starter Packs for specific events, like a conference or educational chat - which we'll explore on a later date! This spreadsheet, curated by Alice Keeler, contains an extensive list of Starter Packs to explore. For Day 13, locate a few Starter Packs related to topics or events that interest you.
Starter Packs are custom feeds that users can invite others to be a part of. As the platform has grown, many people have created Starter Packs to help new users find their communities on Bluesky. Every Starter Pack comes with a link, QR code, and a preview image, to make sharing easier.
Great job! See you tomorrow!
Time For A Do Over
Take a few minutes to look back over the previous 17 challenges. Are there any you skipped or that you weren't able to put as much time into as you wanted to?Use today to revisit an earlier challenge that could use a little more of your attention.
Let's Create A Post!
Introduce yourself to Bluesky
We're five days in, so it's time to create your first post. This is a great way to say hello, introduce yourself, and let other users know why you're on Bluesky. It's also okay to ask a question, like those below. You may want to pin your first post to your profile. This tutorial will show you how.
Great job! See you tomorrow!
Find & Follow!
Let's start growing your network!
Bluesky offers a number of robust tools for connecting with your community. We will explore many of these reatures over the course of this challenge. For now, your goal for Day Four is to find and follow at least 10 educators, authors or other professionals whose content feels meaningful to you. You may find this spreadsheet, curated by Alice Keeler, helpful. Of course, you will likely follow plenty of people just for fun, too... but before you click the follow button, I encourage you to think about these questions:
You can also follow me!
Woo hoo! Day Four is done! See you tomorrow!
Audit Your Network
Auditing your network for inclusivity is a best practice. One way to do this is to review the list of people and accounts you are following while asking questions like:
Just one more day to go!See you tomorrow!
Today's challenge: Take some time to audit the network you've built so far. Identify some goals for continued growth.
Update Your Profile!
Make your profile ready for prime time!
One way to distinguish yourself from a bot or troll account is by completely and thoughfully filing out your profile bio, adding a cover image, and updating your profile pic. Only include information you feel comfortable sharing - but remember, what you share here can make a big difference in helping other users trust your account. Woo hoo! Two days in the books! See you tomorrow!
For more info about Bluesky profiles, checkout this resource from Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Feeding Your Network!
Understanding Feeds on Bluesky
One thing that makes Bluesky different from other social media platforms is the ability to create custom feeds that allow you to follow updates from specific people or topics. Here's Bluesky's official post about algorithmic choice and custom feeds. You may find this information helpful as you learn more about this unique feature.
Today's Tasks:
This spreadsheet, curated by Alice Keeler, contains an extensive list of educator related feeds.
Day seven done!See you tomorrow!
For more information on feeds, checkout this guide from Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Bonus days include extra challenges that may make your Bluesky experience better, but that aren't necessary for using this tool. Enjoy!
Deck Blue is a tool that allows you to sort Bluesky into columns and schedule posts, etc.. This can be especially helpful if you want to participate in Bluesky Chats - which we will talk about on a later date! After you watch this tutorial, try adding a column to your Deck Blue. Note: my Deck Blue interface may look different from yours, because I have changed the settings - click the gear icon on the left to change yours!
Bonus days include extra challenges that may make your Bluesky experience better, but that aren't necessary for using this tool. Enjoy!
The Bluesky community deeply values accessibility. One way to ensure that your posts are accessible to all users is by adding alt-text to all images and videos. Debbie Ridpath Ohi has created this in depth tutorial to help make adding alt-text to visuals on Bluesky a best practice. Note: I have turned on my alt-text reminders in Accessibility Settings - which requires alt-text before allowing me to post content with visuals. This setting helps me remember this important step. It's also available on Deck.Blue!
Lists - Part 1
Understanding Lists on Bluesky
Like on other platforms, Bluesky allows users to create lists to help them curate their user experience. The easiest way to locate existing lists is by checking out users' profiles and clicking on their lists. Your task this week is to locate one or more list that you can add as a feed - which we talked about yesterday!
There are two types of lists on Bluesky!
For information on lists, checkout this guide from Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Day Eight is done! See you tomorrow!
Starter Packs - Day 2!
Today you're going to create your own Starter Pack! The tutorial above will help you get started, as will this post from Bluesky! As an extra bonus, share your Starter Pack on Bluesky AND tag me in your post!
You've made it to Day 14! See you tomorrow!
Engaging With Others
Bluesky Engagement Is Different
Like on other platforms, you can engage with content on Bluesky by liking it, reposting it, commenting and following users. However, engagement on Bluesky works a bit differently. There's no revenue driven algorithm behind the scenes deciding what you and other see. Your engagement determines your experience. For Day Six, your task is to engage with at least five posts. With that in mind, I think of Bluesky engagement in this way:
Day Six is in the books! See you tomorrow!
Bonus days include extra challenges that may make your Bluesky experience better, but that aren't necessary for using this tool. Enjoy!
Third Party Tools
Developers Bring Value to Bluesky
One of the things that makes Bluesky unique is that it allows third party developers to create tools that make the Bluesky experience better. This guide from Debbie Ridpath Ohi shares some of the third party tools and apps that she uses most.
Use your Bluesky time today to explore some third party tools. You may not want to use any right now, but you might also find some great tools for enhancing your Bluesky experience.
Have fun! See you tomorrow!
Bonus days include extra challenges that may make your Bluesky experience better, but that aren't necessary for using this tool. Enjoy!
Content/Trigger Warnings
Content warnings are another tool for ensuring that Bluesky remains a safe space for all users. Adding a content warnings to posts containing content that may be triggering to some users is a best practice that helps others know you care about their experience, too. This post, from Bluesky, provides a bit more information.
YOUR Account Settings
Let's tweak your settings to make Bluesky safe and functional for you.
One of the things that distinguishes Bluesky from other social media platforms is the level of control it provides users in customizing their own experiences.
Debbie Ridpath Ohi's tips for tweaking your Bluesky settings will help guide you through this process. The time you spend doing this now will pay dividends later! Congrats! You've completed day three! See you tomorrow!
Threads!
You've probably already discovered users who stitch together multiple posts in order to share longer ideas and multiple resources. These are called threads and they are easy to create!.
Great job! You've completed 15 challenges. See you tomorrow!
Today you'll create your own thread. This guide from Debbie Ridpath Ohi will help you get started.
Create Your Bluesky Account!
It's day one! Time to create a BlueSky account! Picking your user name is an important step that should also be fun! If the username you use on other platforms isn't available, think carefully about how you want to be known on Bluesky. Many people use some version of their real name, but if that doesn't work for you, consider creating a moniker that reflects your professional values. Congrats! That's day one done! See you tomorrow!
You did it!
Let's use this final challenge to reflect on your experience. Share a post on Bluesky that:
Be sure to tag me in your post!
See you on Bluesky!