Bluesky embraces long-form content to counter X Articles | TechCrunch

Bluesky released an updated app that integrates with Standard.site, enabling users to access long-form content beyond short posts. The integration allows reading articles, blog posts, and newsletters published across AT Protocol-powered apps within the Atmosphere network. Content appears initially as dynamic link cards that provide enhanced previews, with improvements planned over time. This expansion follows earlier Bluesky capability growth through community-built integrations, including a private messaging service launched from the app via a similar approach. By building infrastructure alongside its client, Bluesky can leverage other Atmosphere apps and services, while third parties gain distribution through Bluesky’s large registered user base. WordPress also announced a plugin to publish to the Atmosphere, extending cross-platform publishing options.

"Bluesky rolled out a new version of its app that integrates with Standard.site, a community project for building long-form content on the same underlying protocol that powers Bluesky. This means Bluesky users can now explore content beyond microblogs, or the short posts that Bluesky is known for. Instead, they can read articles, blog posts, and newsletters published across the wider network of AT Protocol-powered apps, known as the "Atmosphere.""

"These articles will initially appear as dynamic link cards - essentially, an enhanced preview. Bluesky says this is just a first step, and the functionality will be improved over time. This marks the second expansion of Bluesky's capabilities based on other projects built by community members. In February, a startup called Germ became the first private messaging service that could launch directly from Bluesky's app, thanks to a similar integration."

"By building the technology infrastructure alongside its social networking client application, Bluesky is able to leverage the other apps and services also running on the AT Protocol. That's not a bad deal for the third parties, either, as they can tap into the distribution provided by Bluesky's network of some 44.5 million registered users. The expansion to long-form content follows shortly after WordPress's announcement earlier this month of its own plugin that allows any WordPress site to publish to the Atmosphere."

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