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Show HN: Slow Social, a social network built for friends, not influencers

slowsocial.us

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Re: Show HN: Slow Social, a social network built for friends, not influencers

#11

Post by whatshisface »

civilized wrote: post #6

Respect the effort, but I think it's not going in quite the right direction. I don't think people need paternalistic restrictions on post frequency. People need to be liberated from engagement-optimizing algorithms and allowed to choose which activity is presented to them and in what order.

I think the idea of paternalism comes from seeing people harm themselves by undertaking actions they were manipulated into taking, and confusing that with actions they'd have done on their own, independently.

Re: Show HN: Slow Social, a social network built for friends, not influencers

#12

Post by lotsofpulp »

civilized wrote: post #6

Respect the effort, but I think it's not going in quite the right direction. I don't think people need paternalistic restrictions on post frequency. People need to be liberated from engagement-optimizing algorithms and allowed to choose which activity is presented to them and in what order.

I have WhatsApp/iMessage groups for immediate friends and family who I don’t mind getting real time updates from. Everyone else, I am okay with periodically contacting as desired via text/audio/video call.

It seems pretty liberated, and I am not sure what more a social network website could offer. Outside of about 5 people, I have no interest in real time updates…I can wait to see photo albums next time I call or visit, like in the times before broadband. In fact I prefer it, so that there is a jumping off point for things to talk about.

Re: Show HN: Slow Social, a social network built for friends, not influencers

#13

Post by kqr »

> The goal of the company is to equally value the customer, environment, and profits. In other words, the model isn't to maximize profit like an investor backed startup, but rather to create a lean, useful piece of software that grows with its users and can sustain itself from every angle from day one.

If the owners are separate from the users, it's not set up for sustainability. If someone other than the users bear the risk of loss and upside of profits, it creates weird incentives whether you want it to or not.

Have you considered running it as a co-op? Every user has an equal stake in costs and profits and an equal voice in decisions. This model literally grows with its users, and it's the only one that does so.

I like this but it sounds like you've chosen the wrong model for running it. If I was going to use something like this (which I would like to, I think, if nothing else to share updates with families/close friends) I would want to own it equally with the other users.

Re: Show HN: Slow Social, a social network built for friends, not influencers

#14

Post by CitrusFruits »

faraaz98 wrote: post #4

How long until this too succumbs to influencers or dies out?

If I'm running it, I have no intentions of letting it become that way. The whole point of the product is that it's about friends and not influencers. People, not money. This is something for myself, my friends, and people like them more than.

If Slow Social had any measure of great success I'd love to make it a B-Corp.

Re: Show HN: Slow Social, a social network built for friends, not influencers

#15

Post by civilized »

whatshisface wrote: post #11
civilized wrote: post #6

Respect the effort, but I think it's not going in quite the right direction. I don't think people need paternalistic restrictions on post frequency. People need to be liberated from engagement-optimizing algorithms and allowed to choose which activity is presented to them and in what order.

I think the idea of paternalism comes from seeing people harm themselves by undertaking actions they were manipulated into taking, and confusing that with actions they'd have done on their own, independently.

What I object to is we skipped straight from exploitation to paternalism. Freedom was never an option on offer.

Re: Show HN: Slow Social, a social network built for friends, not influencers

#17

Post by CitrusFruits »

kqr wrote: post #13

> The goal of the company is to equally value the customer, environment, and profits. In other words, the model isn't to maximize profit like an investor backed startup, but rather to create a lean, useful piece of software that grows with its users and can sustain itself from every angle from day one. If the owners are separate from the users, it's not set up for sustainability. If someone other than the users bear…

That's an interesting idea! No I haven't considered that. B-Corp is what I was imagining, but a co-op is a great idea as well.

Re: Show HN: Slow Social, a social network built for friends, not influencers

#18

Post by civilized »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #12
civilized wrote: post #6

Respect the effort, but I think it's not going in quite the right direction. I don't think people need paternalistic restrictions on post frequency. People need to be liberated from engagement-optimizing algorithms and allowed to choose which activity is presented to them and in what order.

I have WhatsApp/iMessage groups for immediate friends and family who I don’t mind getting real time updates from. Everyone else, I am okay with periodically contacting as desired via text/audio/video call. It seems pretty liberated, and I am not sure what more a social network website could offer. Outside of about 5 people, I have no interest in real time updates…I can wait to see photo albums next time I call or vis…

I have the family SMS group as well.

I can't imagine having much use for a social network after all these years of social networks being awful, but maybe a truly different and more liberated one would offer some possibilities.

Re: Show HN: Slow Social, a social network built for friends, not influencers

#20

Post by riffic »

slater wrote: post #2

Not sure if it's your site, but the sign-up and magic link went straight to my GMail's spam folder, with the link removed.

curious who they're using for transactional email. there are unfortunately a few hoops to jump through to ensure deliverability.
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