I recently got access to Bluesky and it’s…kind of ok! Very much like Twitter, but without the adoption (yet).

I especially like how they are handling verification with custom domains as handles.

How it Works

The method requires a basic capability with DNS–which may prevent a large portion of users from making use of it. But technically, it’s a perfect way of verifying an account is who they say they are. As long as they have control over their DNS records, a recognizable domain can claim that domain as their handle.

I followed their in-app instructions to set my own custom handle as the domain kevin.cantwell.io. The process is simple. You are asked to add a TXT record to your domain that holds a special value. As soon as Bluesky is able to query the record and validate the answer matches the value they specified, you’re good to go!