Nostr Web Client

jleger2023

FREEDOM OR CONTROL - YOUR SUPPORT SHOWS YOUR CHOICE

I saw a long thread discussing another spam attack on Nostr last night. That's not going to stop for free relays. Spammers will always use free services with large audiences to spam. Stopping them is a game of whack-a-mole that even the big Social Media companies have failed to win despite their deep pockets and teams of engineers.

The solution is value-for-value: pay for what you use and find valuable. If Nostr benefits you in some way, be willing to pay for the tools you use that provide it to you (relays, clients, etc). If you can't pay but you can build or support it in some other way, that's great, too.

I had a person (jokingly I assume) say they were sad I didn't ⚡ them. The first thing that jumped into my mind when I read the note was "What benefit are you providing?" I had never seen any other post from them before.

If you want to live in a free world, you need to ask that question often, both of yourself and of others: what benefit are you providing? Because any time you're getting something "free", it's not free. Somebody is paying for it. If that person isn't you, then someone else is setting the agenda for what you consume. Is that what you want?

For many, the idea of freedom is like the idea of owning a boat. They daydream about how great it would be to have a boat, take it out on the water, fish, swim and enjoy it all. But they never buy a boat. Why? Because boats cost money and take work to maintain. All that pleasure has a price. Either you're willing to pay it, or you're not.

Freedom is no different. I hear a lot of talk about freedom today, and that's good. Freedom of speech is a big one. But what are you doing to support those that are building the tools that give you that freedom? Are you content to daydream about that freedom and how nice it would be while never taking any action, or are you willing to put some skin in the game to turn that dream into a reality both for yourself and others you care about?

We've been conditioned to get things for "free", but it's a lie and a trick that's resulted in us selling ourselves and our choices to the highest bidder. For me, Nostr is the path to freedom, but Nostr is not free. It costs money to run the relays, servers and services, and it costs time (which results in lost earning power) to code clients that provide the experience you want and create great content on an ad-free platform.

So if you believe in freedom, and I know you do (that's why you're here) then support the builders that are providing value to you. Show that freedom is not just a daydream. Governments and nefarious actors have long taken advantage of the masses just daydreaming about freedom. Let's wake the world up from that dream and make it a reality. This is our shot. Let's not miss the target.

My deepest thanks to all of those that are supporting the builders already. You are true heroes. 🙏

Krypticity 2y ago 💬 3

I think this is brilliant. I completely agree, however, it is so very difficult to put a value on the Bitcoin I have. It is so rare and the value is so great at this point because so few people have any. It's actually kind of painful to spend any. I'm quite sure I am not the only one that feels this way. Would love to hear your thoughts on that

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Discussion

jleger2023 2y ago 💬 2

I completely feel that! I think about it the way I think about any bills I have to pay. Why do I pay for Internet access? Because I get a lot of value from it. Why do I pay for a mobile phone? Same reason. I have to sacrifice some fiat that I would normally put into Bitcoin for those things, but the value proposition makes it worth it. Same with Nostr. If you value it, you should be willing to pay for it. If you don't, somebody else will and then they'll be in control. That's the social media landscape we have now, and it's been very destructive.

Harebone 2y ago

Social Media is becoming flawed terminology. Nostr shout avoid that tag. Try Shared Media.

Harebone 2y ago

When something is shared it includes all aspects. “ they had a shared love ❤️ of Nostr . So togetherness they nurtured it in growth . The one who couldn’t keep up we helped and the ones who hindered it were taught a better way.”

Krypticity 2y ago

Zapping you because you make good points. Maybe Nostr will incorporate things like marketplace and craigslist inside.

Seeker Erebus 2y ago

It's easier than it seems. Just get started. Get a lightning address on your profile so you can receive as easily as send, budget around 5000 sats in a lightning wallet (self if you can, but 5000 in a custodial is manageable risk), and start engaging. When you go to like a post, also zap 3 sats. Like just as you would otherwise, but add in the zap. Do it publicly, you want the engagement effect. Do it for a few days, or until your budget is reached.

If your experience is at all like that of those of us doing this already, you will discover a few things. First, a single sat will have clear, real value to you now. Not as an abstract concept of potential value, but as a real value you can provide to others as a social factor. Second, you will likely have received zaps of your own, like encourages like. Maybe you'll have a little less, maybe a little more. Depends on how much others enjoy your interactions. And third, you will really understand how shit buying things with dollars is, mechanically. If you have the same net percent of your earnings saved as bitcoin each month as you do now, but all of the spending that you do is done with bitcoin, you are still far better off.

I for one am certain that the way we create hyperbitcoinization is not by preaching the importance of the incorruptible store of value, or how perfectly suited it is as money. We get there by using it as money first, by making the use of it as money so unbelievably easy that every other method of paying people feels like wading through muck by comparison, and by generating enormous value between people without ever touching fiat. When people have to sell goods to bitcoiners for bitcoin because no one else can afford to buy them, and all the quality goods and services can't be purchased but with bitcoin, we've won.