Nostr Web Client

Centralized tech has made “discoverability” free and easy. The cost? You. But most legacy users don’t “feel” themselves being exploited, or possibly don’t realize the things they are “finding” are actually being fed to them.

Onboarding to nostr has a discoverability gap on the surface to new users coming from a platform where they are used to being fed information disguised as discovery. I think discovery tools will get better on here over time, but I like the current purity of it today. There definitely needs to be more stability in the follow lists and profiles. It sucks to lose those things and have to rebuild.

A good experience on nostr is also not free (premium relay subcriptions, etc) and most payments for these services require lightning. For a new user just wanting to try the protocol out, the initial experience can be lackluster.

There’s also the paradigm shift away from email and password signup.

I think developing all of these things to a point where the experience is not lackluster or daunting for the new user will take time. I also think the new user coming to nostr has to have a certain understanding that discovering new things on your own is hard work, but rewarding and valuable. The former, we have decent control over on the protocol level (thanks devs). The latter is up to the new user.

7fqx 1y ago

I appreciate your points. But I think twitter shouldn't be underestimated, there's a lot of leading thinkers and writers and all sorts from wide fields (I'm talking well outside of just bitcointwitter obviously), you cannot discover these here or elsewhere, cos they're not there. There is also a vibrancy there. I think people are aware of the downsides of 'being the product', of censorship (much improved but far from perfect under Elon), of an Outrage algorithm etc etc and aware of the trade-off and don't see a viable alternative atm.

I think the alien onboarding process of Nostr is surmountable tho if there were a desire to be here.

But I think there is also a general desire for a nostr or nostr-like platform, so I don't think it's impossible.

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Discussion

7fqx 1y ago

People aren't looking for an alternative to BITCOINtwitter, they're looking for an alternative to twitter. I'm sure that's an obvious point, but I feel like it somehow gets forgotten, just imo obvs lol.

oobiyou 1y ago

I agree with you on all of the above 🎯

I believe the things keeping people from making the change will take time to further develop; my only hope is the protocol is not somehow captured by a large centralizing force in the meantime.

IMO, Bitcoin is a large part of the economy of nostr, so it makes sense that we would have them in decent numbers here in the beginning.

7fqx 1y ago

Yes, I think nostr as it is was inevitable, and it could have no users lol, it's not an insignificant thing that it has a hyper loyal user base. I don't want to poopoo too much lolol. But I think it's worth looking at it in realistic terms of what that means as a situation:)