Social Media: X and Bluesky
Published: 27 February 2025
Like many others, we have been monitoring the ongoing developments of X/Twitter and have been engaging with colleagues across UofG and our Higher Education sector peers about our presence on this channel as well as exploring other options
Like many others, we have been monitoring the ongoing developments of X/Twitter and have been engaging with colleagues across UofG and our Higher Education sector peers about our presence on this channel as well as exploring other options - most recently, Bluesky. We thought it would be useful to provide a summary of our plans, recognising that social media is an ever-evolving medium and we constantly evaluate the channels we use to present UofG.
@UofGlasgow channel approach:
While we recognise the shifting dynamics of X/Twitter, we continue to use the central University of Glasgow X account for a number of reasons. Despite current uncertainties, X/Twitter continues to deliver strong engagement and meaningful interactions from our many different audiences on the central channel. Through our presence on the channel, we can continue to be a source of truth for the University of Glasgow and our community and can help continue to contribute positive content on the platform.
At the same time, we are also exploring and posting on other channels to stay adaptable and connect with our audiences as their platform choices to post or consume information evolves. We have recently joined Bluesky as we have seen some of our audience choose to move across there. It offers a similar experience to X/Twitter with a smaller, yet growing, user base. We are posting content on this platform to assess its potential value. We are also maintaining a light presence on Threads. So far, engagement on Bluesky is stronger than Threads. User levels across other platforms such as Mastodon and Hive remain low, and we are not prioritising engagement as a result.
Guidance for Colleagues:
It is at the discretion of each area whether they want to continue using X/Twitter, start an account on a new platform or focus efforts on other established platforms.
Considerations could include:
Staying on X/Twitter: you may wish to remain active if the platform continues delivering value. Check your engagement metrics to determine if the time investment is justified. Accessing metrics for free on X/Twitter is limited. However, keeping track of the likes, comments and shares on your posts can provide a useful snapshot of your performance.
Pausing Activity: If engagement is low, you could consider pausing X/Twitter activity rather than deleting accounts. This approach keeps content accessible should the platform’s relevance for your audience rebound. Pin a post directing users to other platforms. Ensure you log in every 30 days to keep the account active.
Bluesky: This channel seems to have potential, and it has been noted that the academic audience is growing. It is wise to reserve your account name to protect your brand and prevent impersonation, even if you don’t post straight away. Next, begin to experiment with posting on Bluesky. As it is similar to X/Twitter, you could post the same content on both platforms and evaluate engagement.
Timing & resource: You don’t need to be first on a new platform and there could be a benefit in waiting until Bluesky grows. You can reserve your name but watch how early adopters use the platform and watch it develop before you invest time.
Other Platforms: Consider which platform best aligns with your audience and objectives. It may not be X/Twitter or Bluesky; for example, your target audience might be more active on Instagram. Focus on quality over quantity when creating content. Managing social media alongside other responsibilities can be time-consuming, so it’s better to excel on one platform before expanding to others. Take time to understand your audience and develop a clear social media strategy before committing to a new platform. Learn more about Social Media Strategy.
Future Outlook
Our approach will always be flexible and agile, responding to the social media environment as well as where are audiences are. X/Twitter remains a key platform, but we are building our presence on Bluesky and Threads to ensure adaptability. We’ll continue monitoring these platforms and provide further guidance as they develop.
It’s important to remember X/Twitter is just one platform in our large range of digital communications channels for the University. Beyond X/Twitter, we continue to see strong engagement on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok as well as our Chinese social channels, including Weibo, WeChat, BiliBili and new to our offering – Little Red Book. These platforms are central to our strategy, offering diverse ways to engage with our audiences and online community.
We recommend colleagues consider their own X/Twitter accounts on a case-by-case basis in support of their wider social media strategy.
The Web team are currently developing a mechanism for research-active staff to include links to a variety of social platforms on their profile pages.
For more resources, visit our Social Media Toolkit. Here, you’ll find a whole host of resources, including video training guides to help support social media users across the University.
Get in touch with the team via socialmedia@glasgow.ac.uk.
Emma Gilmartin & Tasha Quinn
Head of Social Media and Student Communications & Social and Digital Media Manager
First published: 27 February 2025