Online tool
If you are new to Bluesky or are considering joining, here’s a sum up:
Bluesky is a decentralized alternative to popular text-based social media platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter) and Threads. Created in 2019 by Jack Dorsey, the former CEO of Twitter, Bluesky allows you to share images and videos while offering a unique, customizable approach to social media.
Unlike other platforms, Bluesky isn't controlled by one central algorithm; instead, it enables users to personalize their experience according to their preferences. (Source)
If you are not sure how to get started, there are these things called “starter packs.” According to the company,
Starter packs in Bluesky are curated collections of folks to follow. These packs are created by the community and are a great way to get started with Bluesky. You can bulk follow the folks in the pack by clicking on the "Follow all" button on the starter pack page.
Starter packs are a great way for those getting started with Bluesky but you can also bookmark this page and come back to follow new packs and re-follow new folks added to the starter pack. (Source)
For more on ways to set up Bluesky, head back to Bluesky Starter Packs Explained: How to Start Posting for the 411 on feeds and more.
Connecting
NOAA Science Seminar Series event Libraries as Community Hubs for Citizen Science: How SciStarter is Supporting the Movement takes place Wednesday, December 4 from 2:00 - 3:00 pm.
According to the announcement,
Libraries across the country are becoming community hubs for citizen science, introducing their communities to participatory research through training, programs and citizen science kits to make participation more accessible. SciStarter in partnership with Arizona State University and the National Girls Collaborative Project are supporting thousands of libraries through the Citizen and Community Science Library Network. Join us to learn how to leverage this network to reach more communities through libraries.
Editorial note: Not only is this event important in its own right, but it is an example of how libraries are expanding their role as community hubs. How can our local libraries expand to meet the ever-changing needs of people and the planet?
Looking ahead
Park(ing) Day started in San Francisco as a way to better use public streets. The global expansion makes sense, as more and more people wanted to demonstrate the chokehold vehicles had in urban areas.
But Park(ing) Day can also be used in rural areas like the Northern Neck to show that land ownership patterns limit access to engaging outdoor places such as parks and water. Two use cases come to mind: Community parks and public waterfront/beach access.
Two community parks, Hometown Community Park in Callao and the watermen’s heritage park in Reedville, are in the making and are joined by the Windmill Point County Maritime Recreational Campus in Lancaster County. What all three have in common is that they are addressing the dearth of public space in an area that is all space ― farm land, waterfront, beach, woods, and the like.
Instituting Park(ing) Day in September of 2025 would allow the nonprofit organizations building the parks and the collaborative partners creating the new Windmill Point to showcase the additive value of their work to residents, businesses, and visitors. And the day could leverage other activities, such as bike tours, community cleanups, and scavenger hunts.
And Park(ing) Day would not be limited to outdoor space developers, but those who support access to and use of the outdoors, like Friends of Westmoreland State Park, NAPS, TOGA, and health care providers.
The last word
