Nostr Web Client

I am still coming to term with #nostr having a radically different architecture that requires a radically different thinking mode on how you build apps.

The latest radical insight is that the network becomes the database. Any database record you generate can be a #nostr event that is signed, relayed, but most importantly encrypted by you (NIP44).

This approach breaks the back on commercial platform capture and lock-in.

To date, commercial platforms have always had the play of providing free services to get you into their closed databases with database records about you. Then over time, those records (not controlled by you) lead to, in the words of Cory Doctorow, “enshittification” of everything about the service and the relationship with you. Also, massive breaches are just an event waiting to happen.

With #nostr, the traditional model is flipped on its head. Instead of feeding a commercial service to generate database records about you, you can generate and sign events that can be stored on any relay, or in the network as a whole.

So just like your nostr npub is no longer beholden to a commercial provider, your nostr events (database records) need no longer to be beholden as well.

I am not discounting the existing commercial platforms. I’m just saying there is now a whole other approach. New commercial models will be discovered eventually, but right now the imperative is to experiment with this radically new approach.

Special thanks to nostr:npub1l2vyh47mk2p0qlsku7hg0vn29faehy9hy34ygaclpn66ukqp3afqutajft who got me thinking this way.

Niel Liesmons 1y ago 💬 1

This is why monthly subscriptions, free trials, etc... won't work anymore.

You don't have your locked-in subscribers anymore to pay for it.

(And you also don't have your locked content/software anymore)

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Discussion

Tim Bouma 1y ago 💬 1

I have no idea what the viable commercial models might be. Then again, nobody had a clue on how the internet would eventually play out (still playing out).

Niel Liesmons 1y ago

Me neither, but I'm not looking at Big Tech monopolies for inspiration.

With Freedom Tech, you'll either be selling something scarce and set a price for that or you'll be creating things that can be copied and rely on zaps.

For the scarce stuff I'd look at what works best for scarce stuff in markets where you've got plenty of competition. Things like restaurants etc...

They don't have monthly subscriptions, they just have a cash price list. Pay for what you eat.

They want to be able to switch prices (and offerings) fast.

That said, they do often

- bundle things under one price (menu of the day, multiple hotel nights + breakfasts paid in advance, ...).

- Give discounts after a certain amount of bought stuff

That seems to indicate to me that pre-bought tokens will be a valid strategy, with eCash as a perfect tool for the job.

For the easy to copy stuff, you're only option is #V4V zaps. There I'd look where #V4V is currently working (streaming, ...). Plus, try to find something related to what you create that actually is scarce and with selling (Community, Merch, In person events, ...).