Bluesky combines concise public conversation with an open-social identity model. A reliable workflow should preserve the exact account, post sequence, media, accessibility text, and evidence instead of treating it as another destination for copied microblog captions.
Current BlendDuck publishing contract
Each Bluesky post supports up to 300 grapheme clusters. Grapheme counting treats visible characters such as combined emoji differently from simple code-unit length, so use the platform-aware counter.
A post or thread reply can contain up to four images or one MP4 video; image and video media cannot be mixed. Images are limited to 2 MB each in the current media contract. Video source uploads are limited to 64 MB and three minutes. Reply threads are supported, and every reply must contain text or media.
Hashtags are supported. There are no extra per-channel post settings in the current contract, but connected-account and provider availability still apply.
Choose one post or a reply thread
Use one post when the observation, resource, question, or result is complete within the limit. Use a thread when sequence is essential: a method, evidence trail, event summary, or set of examples.
Make the opening useful on its own. Every reply needs a job and its own valid text or media. Keep sources close to the claims they support and avoid stretching a small idea into many replies merely to create a thread.
If a reply uses media, recheck its own count, format, duration, alt text, and rights. Approval should treat the complete ordered thread as one editorial object even though the provider publishes several records.
Design media and accessibility
Use images when they provide evidence, comparison, instruction, or a meaningful visual reference. Write alt text that communicates the information a reader needs, not a keyword list. For charts, summarize the result and important axes; for screenshots, identify the relevant interface state.
For video, make the subject understandable early, add captions when speech matters, and check that the final file is MP4, within size and duration limits, and licensed for the intended use. Do not mix images and video in the same post or reply.
A four-image set needs an explicit order. Verify crop, text size, color contrast, and whether each image is still comprehensible when encountered independently.
Approval and delivery verification
Before scheduling, confirm the handle and destination identity, grapheme count for every post, thread order, media constraints, alt text, links, mentions, sources, disclosures, rights, timezone, and approved version.
After sending, distinguish accepted, processing, live, failed, and unknown. Save the opening post URL and verify the reply chain in public order. A partially published thread requires careful recovery; inspect what is live before retrying missing replies.
If a source, media item, or reply changes after approval, review the complete sequence again. A small edit can alter the relationship between later replies.
Learn from comparable conversations
Match metrics to purpose: useful replies for a question, qualified clicks for a resource, reposts for a public explanation, or profile follows for sustained expertise. Compare single posts with single posts and threads with similar thread structures.
Record the opening pattern, topic, sequence length, media type, accessibility work, outcome, response load, and next experiment. Preserve qualitative feedback that reveals terminology, objections, or missing context.
Bluesky publishing checklist
- Every post and reply stays within 300 grapheme clusters
- Media uses up to four images or one MP4 video, without mixing
- Images are within file limits; video is no longer than three minutes
- Every thread reply contains text or media
- Alt text, captions, contrast, crop, and rights reviewed
- Sources, links, mentions, and disclosures checked
- Approved sequence matches the scheduled sequence
- Public thread order, URL, and delivery state verified
Current product limits were verified on 2026-08-23 against BlendDuck's Bluesky platform contract. Bluesky service behavior and account capabilities can change.
