Bluesky, the decentralized social network backed by Jack Dorsey, has taken a step towards providing an ad-free experience by launching a paid domain service in partnership with Namecheap. The aim of this service is to allow users to verify their identities, as outlined in Bluesky's post discussing its plans for sustainability. The team believes that when a company relies on ads, users become the product, which goes against their mission of building a protocol where users can own their data. To explore alternative monetization avenues, Bluesky has started offering paid services.
Currently, users can already set up custom domain names to use with Bluesky, but they have to go through a separate process with a domain registrar. The integration with Namecheap will streamline this process, allowing users to set up custom domain names within Bluesky's interface in just a few minutes. By using a domain name as a handle, users can verify their identity, especially in the absence of a centralized verification system like Twitter's. Notably, some US Senators have been using the senate.gov domain for identity verification purposes.
Through the integrated service, users will have the ability to manage their domain settings and configurations within Bluesky. They can forward emails sent to their domains to an address of their choice and redirect their domain to their Bluesky profile or any URL they desire. If users decide to leave the platform or switch to another domain registrar, they will have the option to transfer their domain away.
Bluesky's domain integration is just the first of several planned paid services on the platform. The team is actively exploring additional services to bundle together, aiming to provide users with a seamless experience. However, Bluesky is currently in private beta, and interested individuals will need to join a waitlist before gaining access to the platform.
