Nostr is kinda boring, ngl
I come here every few months, and every time it's just tumbleweeds
Anyway, back to Twitter
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Replies (101)
You haven't built you own audience on Nostr that's why. Whereas it seems like Xitter has built an audience for you that you have no control over and are a slave to the algorithm.
Nostr takes a bit of critical thinking. Xitter requires no thinking.
That's the beauty of it.
c u in a few months 
You've been here for two years and still can't figure it out?
With all due respect but I think Facebook is a more appropriate venue for you.
Give it a try, I'm sure you'll fit right in.
That's probably due to you being boring.
And we figured out that you're boring
I invite you to consider that you might be addicted to the dopamine hits you get on twitter and if that's really how you want to live.
"Dopamine doesn't exist for no reason. I tells you when you're doing something worthwhile, at least when it's functioning properly."
Chris do you think that relying on a closed-source algorithm to tell you what you're doing is worthwhile, by literally controlling your neurophysiology, might have some downsides?
"Nostr is the opposite of that.".
Well, yes it is π
Ok, it just doesn't feel like it'll be worth all the effort.
I feel like I'm following everyone I know. I don't like following random accounts because they're more likely to generate noise than be useful.
But maybe that's the trick? Maybe on Nostr you have to follow people to see whether they'll be worth following?
Well honestly "shouting" doesn't feel like it's going to be very good for your soul wherever you do it.
I suspect nostr will become like twitter eventually, because people really are susceptible to this kind of addiction, and will demand it. (Tho at least here the algorithms can be open source.)
So maybe check back here in a year or so and it will be able to supply the feelings you want. Especially when eg telegram users have been driven here. And who knows how long Elon will hold out against the entire western government elite.
Personally I found it a relief to be able to escape the manic compulsion that twitter instils in you, but still feel connected to something.
Ok here's my briefest possible rundown, I'll try to exclude people you already follow. afaict you haven't been on nostr for a hot minute. I can barely keep up myself. Also, I'm running out the door right now so there's probably a bunch of typos and mistakes, but here you go.
every few days or weeks there's some random wildfire meme event, like one day I logged in and everyone was named Dan
I like the consistent trend of pointing to nostr "problems" are actually features indicating how decentralized it is. like follow like or counts can fluctuate, or you can't gaurantee a post has been deleted. Did you know Mastadon stores like counts in a sql record? anyway, seen a lot of posts like that
Two web-based nostr clients you gotta try if you haven't already are nostrudel (tons of features/customization, I particularly like how it handles relays) and
@hodlbod is working on coracle which has the best in class WoT functionality in nostr afaik
@npub12hcy...rdp4 is streaming music on zap.stream 24/7
@Super Testnet posts here occasionally. Always a treat to hear from him.
Some of the grapheneOS folks are on here, like @npub1c9d9...sqfm
@Super Testnet is prolific and working on cool stuff in golang like REPLICATR
@npub15c88...ssvx is publishing about privacy and working on freedom.tech
@npub1jk9h...lqz7 is always keeping the vibe light
You already follow @HoloKat but I just wanted to say he's definitely the best cat these days.
@npub1ye5p...knpr is working on a file sharing protocol called blossom (he was on Citadel Dispatch talking about it recently if you want to catch up on that)
all the usual suspects like odell, the jacks, etc. are all still holding it down influentially. divisive and incisive. all of them have been called out and challenged in one way or another, and they're all still going strong. the stakes are high, so good on'em.
There are some folks on here that have sharp technical views on things, I always love seeing them comment on topics:
@npub16r0t...z5pl
@npub17q5n...6f2y
@npub1w4us...0jr5
You cannot overestimate the need for good vibes so follow @npub1gvlg...nhgv
Offset that with the proper antagonism from @semisol who will probably save us all in the end.
@npub1ejvh...6q8x (yes)
oh @brugeman also built nsec.app which is pretty cool too
@npub1xv8m...lk3x is still tearin' it up. he's like the benevolent king that conquered lightning, but he's giving it all back to us in the end with @npub19hg5...yv9p
NWC will be in everything one day
@npub1t0ny...jgqv is scheming up ways to fix lightning (save the money, save the world)
@npub1nxa4...a6q8 also built satdress which I continue to use every day to zap people and continue to aggressively recommend
@calle building wild ecash stuff
I think you already follow me, but you should know that if I was a language model they'd probably just delete me for having terrible inference quality
btw I searched for you in Amethyst and couldn't find you even though I follow you. nostr is SO DECENTRALIZED
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My brother in Christ you need to follow more than 90 people
@Alby Hub, itβs the best. You can run it self-custodially on your node. You just need an invite code.
I follow 1300 people and some may say those are rookie numbers. I try to follow as many people as I find interesting. Unlike twitter YOU are the algorithm. It doesnβt feed you, you need to feed it with people you want to hear from.
I follow 2500 people and I still think Iβm missing things. Every time someone I follow reposts something good from a new npub, Iβm like, heyβ¦whereβd you come from, lilβ buddy?
Honestly I prefer some kind of algorithm to do most of the work. And I pay for Twitter so I don't have to see ads.
I'd do the same on here if some client implemented it. Nostr clients could curate their users' feeds and charge for the service. The advantage of course is that the algorithm would be open and user-configurable. I think that'd be a huge value add.
How aboutβ¦. No. π
Ok, I've heard good things, I'll give it a try π
That's like 1000x more work than necessary
Seems like there's a middle ground here where the Nostr client does *some* of the work for the user...
DM me if you need an invite code, brother. And no hard feelinβs, Iβm glad to see you giving it a go. π«
Don't worry a lot of people here also find nostr a bit boring. It is harder to find stuff here, there's less of some things and some topics/subjects aren't here at all.
It's mostly people who came from bitcointwitter-only who find it absolutely fine as is.
The good news is...... If you are here and posting non-bitcointwitter 'content', you will probably find like-minded people gravitate towards you. But yeah, find some topics you want to follow, flow the hashtags and even if they're not used now one day you may see it in your feed. Reply to stuff you find interesting.
Ignore (or even mute) the boring stuff.
We have all the slogans and memes here.
Do you like the meme with the stick and bitcoin that says 'do something'?
We got that.
The gif with the bitcoin on the rollercoaster having fun?
You bet we got that.
Enjoy saying 'stack sats, stay humble'.
We got that aplenty!
You're in the right place lolol. You may as well delete twitter
;););););)
for instance:
note1twhr0pdayyarn0dlq8gf7v78xswljc59x4v939sfgj3f35zgel4qzn3jva
this got absolutely 0 engagement.
normally on twitter I'd get some kind of interesting conversations in response
here I get nothing
when I came here I had to deal with the silence. I had no idea of who to follow and was to afraid or arrogant to ask. I started writing about important things to me and people didn't see it - I followed not a single soul. but than I saw a post from @The Marie β‘οΈπ¦ and she embraced me and I felt like seeing other people's posts and talking to them. and I started to find more interesting people along the way. I don't follow many people bacause I can't deal with many posts. you don't need an algorithm to make your experience. but I think it helps if you feel you're welcome. and you are. it's not that anyone here needs you or me to be here, it's just that we are glad if you are and if you find people who you can talk to and feel enlightened and inspired and all that. what are you interested in?
Ohh is there any AI generated artwork with a spinning golden coin and a sort of gaudy vapour wave aesthetic?
I guess what I'm usually looking for is enlightening disagreements.
People all seem to just agree with each other on here, so no one feels the need to engage.
I respectfully disagree.
yes. if you want your timeline to show anything fun you need to follow about 900 more people.. find em in global, find em with DVM feeds, find em in conversations etc. you can always unfollow but your feed will not grow itself..
I came here for an argument!
No you didnβt!
When people can longer quote this from memory my time on this earth will have passed.
How so?
There are some disagreements on more technical whatnots, but I can't point you towards that stuff I'm afraid, cos I don't understand the stuff ;)
Follow @calle maybe and check out his follows.
There's also some monero people to argue with if that's your thing lolol
Love arguing with Monero people! It's like shooting fish in a barrel haha
I see what youβre saying and definitely agree for some users they want to open NOSTR and for it to work like Twitter and their algo.
The great thing about NOSTR is that itβs a protocol and with time there will be different clients for new users that do this work for them. Just spit balling here, it might be cool for a new NPUB to be able to follow users that have used a specific hashtag around a topic in the past. Like a mass follow button.
Not everyone agrees with each other hereβ¦
I look forward to your proposal and implementation of this!
That's definitely where we're headed. And way beyond.
Consider that with nostr anyone can implement their own platform, or features. Anyone. And everyone on nostr will already be registered and can start immediately.
Follow or search hashtags of what you like. It's the only way to find the things you're interested in if it's not bitcoin or nostr related π€·ββοΈ. If it's a slow day, I get more stuff done. Sometimes you find comedy gold on here.
Follow hashtags that interest you first. Then notice who posts there, check them out and see if theyβre interesting to you.
This is great advise
Awww thank you gorgeous lady, I love you π
Sorry to hear that youβre not enjoying the experience here Chris, Iβm here to just have fun and unwind from the stress of every day life. π«
Maybe you need to follow some fun people to make it a little more enjoyable.
Organic networks take longer to build but are much stronger than the sugar coated algorithms of Twitter & Facebook. I would challenge, is what you are seeing on Twitter really popular or is it being pushed onto you through manipulative algorithms. Watch out for becoming the NPC. #psyop
I agree, it is much slower on nostr because that is reality. More isn't always better. You sound like a fat person complaining that the restaurant isn't all you can eat. π
classic decentralized media.
not nostr specific
go back to Twitter lol
It is hard for people to make that transition, like going on a diet when they have been fed junk food for all of their life.
Thatβs the analogy. Twitter is the HFCS and MSG of the internet.
LOL..."for...engagement"
nostr is not for Engagement Farming!!
Engagement Farmers will be disappointed.
Pura Vida!
π€β‘π
I second that with @The Marie β‘οΈπ¦ β¦I am currently in the comments with her in 3 separate threads this very moment lolβ¦ I was never on Xitter but #nostr is just more fun
ππ 
Dangerous butt fun.
How do I "follow hashtags"?
Not all clients do it the same way.
In Damus, go to search and search for a hashtag. The results come up, and at top of page, select βfollow hashtag.β
In Primal, how it works differs by whether youβre on mobile or computer, but instead of following hashtags and them ending up directly in your feed, you use them to build different feeds that you can choose to view. All of that is managed with a button in the top right that looks like a box with lines on top (on mobile)
I don't like Twitter for the content.
I like Twitter for the conversations.
it's hard to have interesting back-and-forths on here.
I'm not "engagement farming". I'm seeking genuine engagement. You know, like conversations with people.
There are tons of disagreements here! Youβll run across them eventually.
You can even make them happen. Try making a statement in favor of something counter to prevailing opinions you see.
Thatβs literally most of what goes on here, between memes and shitposting. Itβs a different vibe than what you get on other places. More chill and space to think. Itβs not like drinking from a firehose.
No, I never just follow accounts blindly. This is what many recommend but I actually recommend against it.
I always read every note and reply theyβve made for the past 1-2 weeks before following. If I like them enough, only then do I follow. Your criteria are up to you, but thatβs what I do.
I like the low time preference approach. That works too, as long as youβre not impatient.
It all depends on yourself and your engagement and following.
No tumbleweeds here. Itβs alive, very much alive
lol I actually have a backlog of people to look into.
See my OP ;)
I used to keep a text file of peopleβs npubs before clients had searchable tags so I could find my friends more quickly. π
Ah, clever π
If Iβd done that I wouldnβt have lost 200 ish of my follows π’
Haha still have a note with just that
Try this:
Nostr Profile Manager
Yeah, because this happened to me I asked a question in this note and got a lot of good tips.
View quoted note β
You follow a low number of other people and rarely post, that might be the problem. I see lots of engagement and I'm an idiot. Try this.
Welcome to Nostr!
3 tips for a good feed:
1. Follow hashtags!
2. Follow people who post stuff you like! The more the better too for a busy feed. I follow ~1000
3. Post notes! Cool pics, funny jokes, deep thoughts, it's all fair game. Replies are important too, let people know you are here!
Further reading:
Penis Butter
@Sergio and his gay hair
#Danstr
#garlicstr
#footstr
#thenostr
#cornstr
#tardstr
#introductions #grownostr #plebchain
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Cool, this is how I do Twitter. I only follow people once I know I'm interested in hearing what they're gonna say
But I guess that kinda doesn't work on here when you're first starting out, since there's no algorithm to suggest other people you're not following that you might be interested in following.
No, I just like restaurants that have fast service ;)
Seems better than last time I was here ..
So the true thing people say is βwe are the algorithmβ β youβll run into people posting about interests you have (via hashtags) and people who those you follow are interacting with, either through conversation or through reposting their stuff.
Iβve never had Twitter but I think this way is good enough for me. The experiences Iβve personally had with algorithms elsewhere have led me not to trust them to actually account for my real desires of what I want to spend time on. YMMV!
Thanks!
Hmm, none of the hashtags seems to be loading.
What am I doing wrong?
I'm not sure. That looks like an iOS client, Damus? I'm Android only, so might not be the best to ask π
Interesting. I usually have good experiences with algorithms, at least Twitter's and YouTube's. I guess I'm just that kind of personality.
Posting a note with #asknostr can help π€
Weβre growing π
No, it's primal on Android
Try Amethyst, I've always found it to be the best client in Android. It might not be as slick as primal, but more powerful, and Vitor is pretty quick to support the latest Nostr has to offer.
GitHub
GitHub - vitorpamplona/amethyst: Nostr client for Android
Nostr client for Android. Contribute to vitorpamplona/amethyst development by creating an account on GitHub.
yeah I used Amethyst before switching to primal, primal seemed to work a lot better at the time.
maybe now Amethyst is pulling ahead again
Oh man you're in the right place π
I've always avoided primal. Too much VC vibes, also blocking some npubs back in the day #freeralf
Instead I zap Amethyst devs every update ππ
Neat, hashtags are working on Amethyst!
They're a good way to fill out your feed, you can follow them too.
You may need to mute a few hashtag spammers initially π
It would be opt-in, so what would be the problem? I think it would be cool to have many different options available like this, all of them hopefully transparent in how they work.
Primal used to wipe my relay list in the past (frequently) Must be a race condition cause it didn't happen to others
I had a bunch of friends I left on Twitter and Facebook who I really enjoyed talking too, but the fact of how the platforms were trolling me through algorithms broke my trust in them.
Oh I know that you like them, I am just saying that a longer meal can be appreciated more if you have the patience. π
Sir, this is a Wendyβs.
I thought this was Taco Bell π€
Iβm at the combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.
My experience with the algos was that I kept getting served worse and worse content, to the point where I could only assume it was intentionally designed to make people feel anger and start conflicts.
Under the new regime it seems to have been engineered to recommend some of the most insane toxic accounts by default even if you had just set up an private account with only a few followers just to post the funny things your kids say.
I had to completely detach from that internet sewer. I also gave up an account I had since 2008 with several thousand followers, but where almost nobody ever noticed or replied to me.
Going just by βengagementβ alone, Iβm way up after 2 years on Nostr.
Ok, but that's for me to decide, not the restaurant.
A restaurant with chronically slow service is not a good restaurant because occasionally it coincides with my desire to have a slow experience. It's just a bad restaurant.
A restaurant with chronically fast service is a gold restaurant because I can choose to have a fast experience or a slow experience depending on the context.
Your time preference likes is your call. Some people are short-term others are long-term. You don't have to prove anything to me, I am just some guy on the internet. Enjoy your haMbUrGer π
The new Twitter has a "following" feed where it just shows your what your followees are doing
Good for them! Twitter must be reading the NFC in their clothing but soon Musk will have that medically inserted under the skin.
?
NFC (Near Field Communication Chip)