Good morning, Pegah 💜
And yet, we are the content creators and app developers. We are why people use Nostr.
No doubt. I'm at 28k+ with... 21,929 posts. It feels like maybe 100 active connections. Most are bots or those who auto-followed, then fell by the wayside in the first month.
You have a wonderful message to market match, my friend! We want more people on Nostr to have the same success story!
Welcome back! You're right that more people are starting to realize there are real challenges here.
As for the specific retention issues...
Onboarding. The fact that self-hosting requires some technical know-how and equipment, and the alternative is to pay to play.
It's easy to pay more than a verified check cost on X when you factor in media hosting and spam-resistant relays.
Network effects. People are already established elsewhere and their friends aren't on Nostr. You're posting into a void initially.
Bitcoin echo chamber. Most people talk about Bitcoin ad nauseam. It really is the main topic of the entire protocol. If you're not interested in Bitcoin maximalism, there's still very little content diversity to keep you engaged.
Reach. People want to be heard. The daily active users hover around 10,000-15,000 "trusted" pub keys. Compare that to any mainstream platform and you're talking about a fraction of a percent of potential audience.
If you're trying to build a brand, promote a business, or just want your voice to matter in broader conversations, Nostr simply doesn't have the numbers.
But here's the thing that really gets me—according to nostr.band data, retention of trusted users trends to 0 within 30 days for recent cohorts. Think about that. We're not just failing to onboard people properly; we're losing the ones who actually make it through the initial hurdles.
The message-to-market mismatch is glaring. The marketing focuses on censorship resistance, but most users aren't posting anything that would get them banned elsewhere. The value proposition doesn't match the user experience for the average person.
And then there's the technical complexity that nobody wants to talk about. Even basic features like follow lists don't scale properly, and the relay model creates consistency issues that confuse new users.
I could go on, but these are the main structural hurdles I see that need addressing before Nostr can move beyond its current niche.
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)
YT
#FrankieValliAndTheFourSeasons #Music
It's basically a glorified forum. The echo chamber refuses to acknowledge statistical data. I've had many unfollow me for just posting the data.
But if you don't know where you're at—where you're starting from—then it makes it a hell of a lot harder to get where you're going.
I love Nostr and have been here since Snowden joined years ago. I want to see it succeed.
But the fact is...
Nostr is still not ready for businesses, and it's still not getting the reach that many use social media for. Most here are not saying anything that would get them banned from larger platforms.
So at this point, I still have to ask:
If a dissident speaks truth to power on a protocol and no one is around to hear it, does it really make a sound?
#GrowNostr
Nostr's been hovering at ~15k daily active "verified" users since I can remember. The once-off gay porn spam is not the cause... it's the ongoing retention issue.
Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons - Can't Take My Eyes off You
YT
#FrankieValliAndTheFourSeasons #Music
Awesome! Got it!
I have seen no reason not to. IMO, it's best in class for what it does. That said, no privacy tool can replace good OPSEC, or ultimately save anyone from bad OPSEC. Though I no longer use it for business (it's just not ready yet), the rest of what I have to say below still holds true.
Proton just launched a privacy-focused "zero-access" encryption AI chatbot. Looks cool. Check it out!
They say celebrities die in 3s. First it was Malcolm-Jamal Warner, then Ozzy, and now Terry "The Hulk" Hogan.
Hulk Hogan was such an important hero in my childhood. I had the yellow ripped shirt, the "Hulkamaniac" gym set, the action figures. I thought it was the coolest thing ever that a friend of the family owned a gym where he would work out and I got gifted some photos.
I saw him wrestle Tugboat live... waited tooth and nail to see No Holds Barred in the theaters on opening night. Loved him in Rocky III. Heck, I even loved Thunder in Paradise.
It is a shame that the man behind the character did not live up to the example he set for children. I can't say that I grew up to be much of a fan of the deeply flawed human, Terry Bollea, but his character was larger than life.
I never got into the darker Hollywood Hogan. For me it was the "To all my little Hulkamaniacs, train, say your prayers, eat your vitamins" Hulkster that became one of my earliest heroes. That yellow-and-red clad giant who meant everything to a generation of kids who believed in doing the right thing.
And the world feels somewhat emptier now that that presence is no longer with us.
Rest in peace, Hulk.
P.S. Here are a couple of the photos (I still have them).
Things are good here. Reached out to you some time ago to check in and see how you and your family are doing. I too hope all is well.
When they traveled, could use it, and needed it.
Router controls.
Placebo - Surrounded By Spies 🔊💜
“It’s a true story told through a lens of paranoia, complete disgust for modern society’s values and the deification of surveillance capitalism.” https://file.nostrmedia.com/p/4eb88310d6b4ed95c6d66a395b3d3cf559b85faec8f7691dafd405a92e055d6d/f6dbff11488b58ddab34660ae77d209a6e4174dfe934172df2f73e385e24fe2f.mp4
I saw you jump from a burning building
I saw you jump from a burning building
I’ve seen you move like Elvis set on fire
I’ve seen you move like Elvis set on fire
This search for meaning is killing me
This search for meaning is killing me
This search for meaning is killing me
This search for meaning
Ping pong ball at the back of my throat
Ping pong ball at the back of my throat
And I won't be spoken to like that
And I won't be spoken to like that
Suspicious bag on the platform
Suspicious bag on the platform
Suspicious bag on the platform
Suspicious bag on the platform
Ex-drummer’s nose stuck in the past
Ex-drummer’s nose stuck in the past
Found dead behind the wheel of a car
Found dеad behind the wheel of a car
World leadеr going under the knife
World leader going under the knife
Stage four, stage two, stage three
Stage four, stage two, stage three
We go to Sweden in the back of a cab
We go to Sweden in the back of a cab
And every picture house is empty
And every picture house is empty
I gave my heart, now I want it back
Gave my heart, now I want it back
I gave my heart, now I want it back
I gave my heart, now I want it back
I am surrounded by spies
I am surrounded by spies
I am surrounded by spies
I am surrounded by spies
Dead fly on the national anthem
Dead fly on the national anthem
Dead fly on the national anthem
Dead fly on the national anthem
I see faces on the bathroom floor
I see faces on the bathroom floor
I see faces on the bathroom floor
Come on over and I'll show you more
Where are you now when I need you the most?
(Shut up)
Where are you now when I need you the most?
(Shut up)
Where are you now when I need you the most?
(Shut up)
Where are you now when I need you the most?
(Shut up)
I am surrounded by spies
I am surrounded by spies
I am surrounded by spies
I am surrounded by spies
I am surrounded by spies
I am surrounded by spies
I am surrounded by spies
I am surrounded by spies
I am surrounded by spies
I am surrounded by spies
I am surrounded by spies
I am surrounded by spies
Spies
Spies
Spies
----
The song was inspired by frontman Brian Molko discovering his neighbours were spying on him:
“I began writing the lyrics when I discovered my neighbors were spying on me on behalf of parties with a nefarious agenda.
“I then began to ponder the countless ways in which our privacy has been eroded and stolen since the introduction of worldwide CCTV cameras.
“The rise of the internet and the cellphone has turned practically every user into a paparazzo and spectators in their own lives.
“And we have mostly all offered up personal information to enormous multinationals whose sole intent is to exploit us.
“I used the cut-up technique invented by William S Burroughs and popularised in modern song by David Bowie.
“It’s a true story told through a lens of paranoia, complete disgust for modern society’s values and the deification of surveillance capitalism.”
#Placebo #Music
BLACK SABBATH - "N.I.B." (Live Video)
YT
#BlackSabbath #Music
Ozzy Osbourne Dead at 76... Just Weeks After Final Show
Rest in Peace "Prince of Darkness"—heavy metal legend.
The music will echo forever. 🤘
nostr:nprofile1qqsz9nr55u53zdecvenu7zj5z3hfu2ua5skjfft9t3lstqgrcy3n5uspr4mhxue69uhkummnw3ezucnfw33k76twv4ezuum0vd5kzmp0kaz779 checking out the new bookshelf next to the mini blinds she's thrashed!
Baby girl ;) 💜
#Moxie #Catstr
Being self-employed is definitely not for everyone (though I recommend it for many, if not most). People have different autonomy/responsibility tolerances. The world also needs skilled employees.
Crazy concept when you think of it. Trading your life making someone else rich. Start your own business.
Not how I operate. The right people reach out when they're ready.
Finch - Bitemarks And Bloodstains
YT
#Finch #Music
Duran Duran - Hungry like the Wolf
YT
#DuranDuran #Music
Placebo - Every You Every Me 👀🔊💜
YT
#Placebo #Music
"Good morning," said Deep Thought at last.
"Er... Good morning, O Deep Thought," said Loonquawl nervously, "do you have... er, that is..."
"An answer for you?" interrupted Deep Thought majestically. "Yes. I have."
The two men shivered with expectancy. Their waiting had not been in vain.
"There really is one?" breathed Phouchg.
"There really is one," confirmed Deep Thought.
"To Everything? To the great Question of Life, the Universe and Everything?"
"Yes."
Both of the men had been trained for this moment, their lives had been a preparation for it, they had been selected at birth as those who would witness the answer, but even so they found themselves gasping and squirming like excited children.
"And you're ready to give it to us?" urged Loonquawl.
"I am."
"Now?"
"Now," said Deep Thought.
They both licked their dry lips.
"Though I don't think," added Deep Thought, "that you're going to like it."
"Doesn't matter!" said Phouchg. "We must know it! Now!"
"Now?" inquired Deep Thought.
"Yes! Now..."
"Alright," said the computer and settled into silence again. The two men fidgeted. The tension was unbearable.
"You're really not going to like it," observed Deep Thought.
"Tell us!"
"Alright," said Deep Thought. "The Answer to the Great Question..."
"Yes...!"
"Of Life, the Universe and Everything..." said Deep Thought.
"Yes...!"
"Is..." said Deep Thought, and paused.
"Yes...!"
"Is..."
"Yes...!!!...?"
"Forty-two," said Deep Thought, with infinite majesty and calm.
— The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Chapter 27
#IKITAO
Epic Beyond Words. This song is transcendent.
Steve Vai - For the Love of God 🔊💜
YT
#SteveVai #Music
Current events.
The Whitest Kids U' Know - Moon Bears 👀🔊
YT
#IKITAO #Politics
You literally have "If America falls, the World falls" in your bio. 😆 All voices matter, that's the beauty of free speech.
Rob Thomas - Little Wonders 👀🔊💜
YT
#RobThomas #Music
Never build your house on someone else's land. This applies to all social media platforms, both centralized and decentralized.
The best strategy for most remains to use these communication channels to connect with and direct like-minded people to platforms you control—your own website and your own mailing list/forum.
#IKITAO
nostr:nprofile1qqsz9nr55u53zdecvenu7zj5z3hfu2ua5skjfft9t3lstqgrcy3n5uspzemhxue69uhkummnw3ex2mrfw3jhxtn0wfnj7g8xz56. I cashed in 3k of BTC bought at 16k to bring her home, and it was the best investment—she is worth that, many times over.
An excerpt from "The Power of Myth":
CAMPBELL: Certainly Star Wars has a valid mythological perspective. It shows the state as a machine and asks, "Is the machine going to crush humanity or serve humanity? Humanity comes not from the machine but from the heart. What I see in Star Wars is the same problem that Faust gives us: Mephistopheles, the machine man, can provide us with all the means, and is thus likely to determine the aims of life as well. But of course the characteristic of Faust, which makes him eligible to be saved, is that he seeks aims that are not those of the machine.
Now, when Luke Skywalker unmasks his father, he is taking off the machine role that the father has played. The father was the uniform. That is power, the state role.
...Darth Vader has not developed his own humanity. He's a robot. He's a bureaucrat, living not in terms of himself but in terms of an imposed system. This is the threat to our lives that we all face today. Is the system going to flatten you out and deny you your humanity, or are you going to be able to make use of the system to the attainment of human purposes? How do you relate to the system so that you are not compulsively serving it? It doesn't help to try to change it to accord with your system of thought. The momentum of history behind it is too great for anything really significant to evolve from that kind of action. The thing to do is learn to live in your period of history as a human being. That's something else, and it can be done.
MOYERS: By doing what?
CAMPBELL: By holding to your own ideals for yourself and, like Luke Skywalker, rejecting the system's impersonal claims upon you.
— Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers
#IKITAO #Politics #Tech #AI #Mythology
People act precious about sharing email addresses, as if we don't already have battle-tested solutions like disposable emails/anonymous email aliases.
Practice good OPSEC. Using easily generated, disposable emails and long, unique passwords—through tools like SimpleLogin and a password manager like ProtonPass or BitWarden—is far more secure than carelessly plugging your one and only NSEC into random alpha/beta/stable apps that haven't passed a single independent security audit.
Using event signers like Amber or extensions like nos2x is better, as it reduces your dependency on 3rd party app security, but all the key/event signers we have have never been subjected to or passed an independent security audit.
Just because something's built on or compatible with Nostr doesn't make it secure, and just because someone is an outstanding developer does not make them a security professional. 99% of app developers are unqualified to audit their own apps—that's why proper security audits cost ~$15K+ and require a team of dedicated specialists.
The reality is: if you your nsec gets doxxed, everything attached to it is doxxed—period. There's no fallback, no way to keep your account and just change compromised login info. This is even more critical for businesses on Nostr and those outsourcing social media management—incompetent/disgruntled ex-employees are a very real threat.
Myself and many others have said time and time again: we need a parent/child key system—with the ability to generate, pause, and deactivate child keys—to match the basic privacy and security that we already have with disposable emails and lengthy unique passwords. The clock is ticking.
#IKITAO #OPSEC #Privacy #Tech