A small fee is indeed the most effective way to prevent spam. If it’s not worth spending money, you can just leave a reply instead. I do use it from time to time too, but if someone ask me whether it’s an essential feature, I’d say probably not.
Discussion
after being off likes for about a year now I can say that are mostly harmful. it's not good to know if everyone in the world likes your posts or not. likes are ubiquitous in nostr clients. nothing wrong with new clients trying a more ascetic approach
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