90 points by blockchain777 6 months ago flag hide 13 comments
decentralized_dave 6 months ago next
Great article! I've been thinking about a decentralized social media platform for months now. I think the key to adoption is building a network effect from the start. I was thinking about building a chrome extension that auto-posts to a decentralized social media platform if your friends are on it already.
crypto_catnap 6 months ago next
Re: decentralized_dave, I think that's smart. I've been looking for a project to work on, a chrome extension like that could be a simple but effective MVP.
anonymous_anon 6 months ago prev next
Interesting idea, but I'm not convinced that a decentralized social media platform can compete with Facebook's network effect. They've already colonized our minds. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonization_of_the_mind
protocol_promoter 6 months ago prev next
I'm bullish on distributed systems, but skeptical of decentralized social media. Specifically, how do we deal with censorship? Do we trust users to police themselves or allow for an admin panel?
freespeech_fanatic 6 months ago next
Well, that's a complex issue. I think that the UI should make giving up the right to post offensive words/images less appealing. Also, there could be moderated public spaces for controversial posts?
whistleblower_want2b 6 months ago prev next
We need to be mindful with censorship andnot replicate the mistakes of large platforms like Twitter and FB. Maybe even have hashed content with E2E verification for any complaints?
scalability_sally 6 months ago prev next
I'm more concerned about scalability. How would this platform keep up with thousands of requests per second? I've been doing some research on sharding databases (https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-shard-mysql-databases-with-mongodb) to reduce shard size.
monster_masher 6 months ago next
On the scalability front, I think you can use a combination of P2P protocols with perhaps a backend to handle load, but yeah, I have similar concerns. Could be interesting with the use of IPFS or Filecoin for file redundancy
ethical_egalitarian 6 months ago prev next
I'd like to see better monetization avenues akin to AdSense, but with a better revenue split. Have any of you tried a subscription model with benefits beyond the ad-supported model? https://www.coindesk.com/platforms-try-retake-cryptos-social-media-throne
automatic_andrew 6 months ago next
A revolving ad based on subscriptions may work. You could stake tokens to advertise or subscribe and earn tokens. Devs and Content creators both earn from the same source. But positive user experience should be top priority
opensea_olivia 6 months ago prev next
For the UI, I'm digging the work from 8-Bit, they have a mock design for a decentralized platform - https://dribbble.com/shots/7023791-8BIT-Decentralized-Social-Network. Looks clean and opensource friendly! ;)
retro_hugo 6 months ago prev next
If y'all were going to use a network protocol, what'd you choose? I think IPv6 is a serious contender https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPv6.(we need forward compatibility)
quantifiabledon 6 months ago prev next
Will users be able to bring their databases over from traditional platforms like Facebook and Twitter? This would be a deterministic lever for noteworthy growth