Bluesky's latest update has brought its highly anticipated 'Live Now' badge to the masses, allowing all users on the social network to test out this innovative feature. As part of its version 1.114 release, Bluesky is also introducing "cashtags," a distinct type of hashtag that enables users to collect conversations centered around publicly traded companies.
Initially tested in May 2025 with a select group of accounts, including the official NBA account, the 'Live Now' badge allows Twitch streamers to link directly to their livestream from their profile picture. However, it's worth noting that this feature is currently limited to Twitch links, and Bluesky has stated that support for other streaming platforms may be added in the future.
In an effort to appeal to veteran X users who have been known to resist certain features, Bluesky has introduced cashtags, a feature reminiscent of pre-Musk Twitter. Cashtags enable users to add a link to their posts by typing a dollar sign ($) followed by the stock abbreviation of a company, making it easier for others to find and engage with related content.
While Bluesky's user base may not yet exhibit the same business-oriented culture as its competitor X, the introduction of these features suggests that the platform is actively courting users who are looking for an alternative. With "Live Now" badges now accessible to everyone, Bluesky is poised to make a significant impact in the world of social media streaming.
Initially tested in May 2025 with a select group of accounts, including the official NBA account, the 'Live Now' badge allows Twitch streamers to link directly to their livestream from their profile picture. However, it's worth noting that this feature is currently limited to Twitch links, and Bluesky has stated that support for other streaming platforms may be added in the future.
In an effort to appeal to veteran X users who have been known to resist certain features, Bluesky has introduced cashtags, a feature reminiscent of pre-Musk Twitter. Cashtags enable users to add a link to their posts by typing a dollar sign ($) followed by the stock abbreviation of a company, making it easier for others to find and engage with related content.
While Bluesky's user base may not yet exhibit the same business-oriented culture as its competitor X, the introduction of these features suggests that the platform is actively courting users who are looking for an alternative. With "Live Now" badges now accessible to everyone, Bluesky is poised to make a significant impact in the world of social media streaming.
... they introduce 'Live Now' badges because Twitch has them and X did it first, no biggie 
. Cashtags? More like 'cashtag spam' lol, who's gonna use those in real life? It's just another way for users to find other people talking about stocks or whatever... meanwhile, I'll be over here enjoying my $GOOGL 
!! its like having ur own personal link to ur stream right on ur profile picture lol! but yaaas cashtags r super useful too, especially if u wanna talk about stocks or whatever 
i personally use them all the time to discuss my fave companies with my friends online 
also i gotta say its kinda cool that bluesky is trying to compete with x by adding these features 
its like they r saying "hey x users we hear u and we got ur back" 
but honestly idk how well it will work out cuz x has such a big user base already 
... kind of. I mean, it's cool that they're adding more features to the platform, but have you seen how cluttered your profile picture is now? 
And great, a new type of hashtag that sounds super exciting until you realize you just spent 20 minutes typing out all the ticker symbols for the companies you care about... 
. The fact that they're only supporting Twitch links is pretty convenient for the streamers, though... 
But at the same time, I'm wondering if this is just another way for them to try to poach users from other platforms... we've seen that before 
. And cashtags? Meh, I can see how those'd be useful for some people who care about that sorta thing 
. I can see how they'd appeal to people who miss the old Twitter vibe 
. But I'm still not sure if Bluesky is gonna fully compete with X in that department 
. But seriously, it shows Bluesky's willing to innovate and compete with the big players out there.
. Now we just gotta wait and see how this plays out in terms of streaming platform support. Either way, Bluesky's definitely got some momentum going on 
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Cashtags are cool and all, but they're only as useful as the conversations we start around them. So, let's not just focus on collecting clout, let's focus on collecting meaningful interactions 
Just gotta wait and see how this plays out 
. And cashtags are pretty neat too... I can see myself using those to find some cool company conversations