4 ms·

Billionaire is pouring $100M into a decentralized Facebook alternative

12 points by rmason 5y ago

rmason 5y ago
This is the first serious challenge Facebook has faced since Google. Someone is willing to bet $100 million that people will prefer an uncensored version of Facebook. A lot of people are angry with Facebook these days. Just had a discussion about this very topic and the majority decided they just couldn't quit their network of friends. I think McCourt has to produce something better and I don't mean on the blockchain but a better more powerful user experience.
- vb6sp6 5y ago
  This isn't a serious challenge to anything. It's just a bunch of buzzwords strung together. Blockchain! IPFS! FREE SPEECH!!!!!
  - rmason 5y ago
    Well I agree with you about the blockchain. Cannot see a legitimate reason to be using it. In fact it might limit scalability. Thought the reason you bring up blockchain, like AI, is to get funding. But there the funding has already been arranged. There are legit reasons to use the blockchain (and even more for AI) but just not for a social network.
geoah 5y ago
> using the blockchain as its foundational technology > The first building block of this new architecture is something called the Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSNP), which developers can use to build social apps and services. Only thing that i could find that matches this is the following whitepaper: https://unfinished.com/wp-content/uploads/dsnp_whitepaper.pdf https://unfinished.com/wp-content/uploads/dsnp_whitepaper.pd... > Content hosting is assumed, by default, to be the responsibility of the sender. It is, however, possible for the sender to delegate this responsibility to a third party. The only criteria for content hosting is that the data should be persistently available and have unrestricted access for retrieval. And the paper goes on to suggest swarm (not sure what that is) or ipfs. So not only you will be needing to pay for gas for your social graph interactions on the blockchain, you need to either manage your own content store, or pay someone else to do it for you. Sigh.
hilbert42 5y ago
Good, about time. If it succeeds then I'll be one of the first to use it.
anamax 5y ago
"He’s also assembled and funded a “governance” organization along with partners Georgetown University and Sciences Po in Paris called the McCourt Institute, which will develop an ethical framework for moderating content." Oh joy.
- FranksTV 5y ago
  "Stop writing your grant applications everyone! We've got a whale!!"
AndrewKemendo 5y ago
This is like starting a chewing tobacco company to compete with Marlboro. People seem to fail to grasp the fundamental concept here is flawed.
anamax 5y ago
"The first building block of this new architecture is something called the Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSNP), which developers can use to build social apps and services. Instead of creating value by hoarding personal data, social apps would compete based on the value of the service they provide users. " There are only four "social apps" that people value - finding content that they want to see, seeing said content, finding people who they want to communicate with, and communicating with said people. Everything else is a cost imposed on people in return for providing those services.

12 points by rmason 5y ago

This is the first serious challenge Facebook has faced since Google. Someone is willing to bet $100 million that people will prefer an uncensored version of Facebook. A lot of people are angry with Facebook these days. Just had a discussion about this very topic and the majority decided they just couldn't quit their network of friends. I think McCourt has to produce something better and I don't mean on the blockchain but a better more powerful user experience.

vb6sp6 5y ago
This isn't a serious challenge to anything. It's just a bunch of buzzwords strung together. Blockchain! IPFS! FREE SPEECH!!!!!
- rmason 5y ago
  Well I agree with you about the blockchain. Cannot see a legitimate reason to be using it. In fact it might limit scalability. Thought the reason you bring up blockchain, like AI, is to get funding. But there the funding has already been arranged. There are legit reasons to use the blockchain (and even more for AI) but just not for a social network.

geoah 5y ago

> using the blockchain as its foundational technology > The first building block of this new architecture is something called the Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSNP), which developers can use to build social apps and services. Only thing that i could find that matches this is the following whitepaper: https://unfinished.com/wp-content/uploads/dsnp_whitepaper.pdf https://unfinished.com/wp-content/uploads/dsnp_whitepaper.pd... > Content hosting is assumed, by default, to be the responsibility of the sender. It is, however, possible for the sender to delegate this responsibility to a third party. The only criteria for content hosting is that the data should be persistently available and have unrestricted access for retrieval. And the paper goes on to suggest swarm (not sure what that is) or ipfs. So not only you will be needing to pay for gas for your social graph interactions on the blockchain, you need to either manage your own content store, or pay someone else to do it for you. Sigh.

hilbert42 5y ago

Good, about time. If it succeeds then I'll be one of the first to use it.

anamax 5y ago

"He’s also assembled and funded a “governance” organization along with partners Georgetown University and Sciences Po in Paris called the McCourt Institute, which will develop an ethical framework for moderating content." Oh joy.

FranksTV 5y ago
"Stop writing your grant applications everyone! We've got a whale!!"

AndrewKemendo 5y ago

This is like starting a chewing tobacco company to compete with Marlboro. People seem to fail to grasp the fundamental concept here is flawed.

anamax 5y ago

"The first building block of this new architecture is something called the Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSNP), which developers can use to build social apps and services. Instead of creating value by hoarding personal data, social apps would compete based on the value of the service they provide users. " There are only four "social apps" that people value - finding content that they want to see, seeing said content, finding people who they want to communicate with, and communicating with said people. Everything else is a cost imposed on people in return for providing those services.