Builders and creators are building here on Nostr. Why? Because Nostr is open. Builders can build whatever they want to build and creators can create whatever their heart desires. From clients and services to communities and content. And the best part? It's all powered by hard money and a value for value circular economy. Find your niche and let your creativity flourish. š¤š»šš«
Discussion
Well done Derek šš«
just because many people here value proof of work does not mean that those without means to pay for relays or services are undervalued. nostr being open and permissionless means that it's open to everyone, even those that you would call "freeloaders" or as i may call them, people from developing nations that are just looking for the freedom to communicate.
also, i have not charged 1 sat for my relay wss://nostrelites.org and it's a very popular relay that continues to grow. and soon it will be a default global relay for Amethyst. i don't call these people that use it freeloaders. i call them community members and friends.
and actually, looking at your relay list, you're using MANY free relays, INCLUDING my wss://nostrelites.org relay. ššš
Yup, I use free relays, for now. Iām not against using them; Iām against depending on them. Big difference.
Free relays like yours are great when they work, but letās be real, most wonāt last long-term unless there's a solid incentive. Thatās why I push for paid modelsāto build something sustainable. Iām preparing for the future, not coasting on goodwill forever.
Nostr band said so that they haven't found a way to monetize their relay so they keep it free, but Nostr band is full of spam.
but thanks for running a solid relay. Just know that as soon as a high-quality, paid alternative exists, Iāll happily support it.
Youāre free to run your relay however you want, and thatās the beauty of Nostrāitās open and anyone can build whatever model they believe in. But I think long term, sustainability matters. If everyone builds for free, then only hobbyists or people with fiat jobs can maintain the infrastructure. Thatās not a solid foundation for freedom.
Proof of work applies to more than miningāitās a mindset. Paying to follow, post, or use services filters out bots, spam, and low-effort engagement. It's not about excluding the poor; it's about building a permissionless yet valuable network. And value requires skin in the game.
You call them friends and communityāgreat. I call for responsibility and economic incentives. Both can exist. But Nostr doesnāt scale on charity.
my relay website has a donate button on it. you're freeloading if you're not donating š
outside of my cheeky responses, i do agree that for nostr to be sustainable we do need more people participating in value for value. we do need people donating. we do need people paying subscriptions. we need people paying for services that they're using.
but i also realize that for 20 years people have been using social websites without paying a dime. hell, since the 90's when forums came out. it's been 30 years of people freeloading. we're not going to change people's perceptions over night. it's going to take a while. a long while. the best we can do until we reach critical mass is pay for services if you can afford to do it. and if you can't, i won't mind. i won't mind at all.
I donāt donate, I pay for services I value. If your relay is free, then I treat it like a free service. No hard feelings. But you canāt call it freeloading if you willingly offer it at no cost. Thatās your business decision, not my responsibility.
You say we need more people participating in value-for-value, exactly. Thatās why I support models where users must pay to engage. Donations are nice, but theyāre unreliable. Payments create real sustainability.
And yeah, forums were free, but many had premium tiers, people paid because there was value. Facebook destroyed that by making people think āfreeā was the default. That mindset wonāt reverse unless we build systems that require skin in the game. Iām here for that shift. Youāre just not there yet.
I did pay for some relays but only 3 because there is not many paid relays.
My relay is not free, because mar has skin!
Crazy to imagine anyone attempting to build a "new" centralized social media platform besides CCP or CIA.
Love this! A lot of ppl mistakenly believe you need to be a coder, or cypherpunk, to build on Nostr. You can be anything you want. An artist, candy maker, harvest honey, etc.
Find your niche, and just build! You don't need permission!
#nostr is circular creative economy.. spreading at the pace of #lightning .. #zaps
