We've been saying Nostr needs better onboarding and discovery for years. Agreed. But let's talk specifics.
Apps need three things to work as social platforms:
Sign-in. Search. Tag.
If you can't nail these three fundamentals, nothing else matters. Users bounce before they ever see what makes Nostr special. It's standard for mainstream adoption.
Once those are locked down, the next battle is battery and bandwidth. Using Nostr shouldn't drain my phone dead or eat through my data plan. This is not a nice to have feature. It's time.
Let's build. 💜🫂🤙🏻
Replies (33)
Hm, i barely search on social platforms. I thought social networking is all about connecting with people you know/have heard and wanting to be `connected` if not physically then at least virtually (it's just a `promise`). ToIs, feeds - 👍
¿What is Nostr for me? - like-minded folks.
no there is jumble in desktop
ah ok, and money
If we could agree to just use JPEG XL, clients could choose how much detail they want from an image by not downloading the whole file, thus reducing bandwidth.
Clients can do a lot of work on imaging optimization that's for sure.
I think that key management is very hard and we can do a lot of work in this area. Ultimately platforms exist that manage keys for users but hide them away in some fashion. We have similar tools, but more work here needs to be done.
IMO Nostr works too well. I am not a content creator so I don't use it in that manner. I am a casual observer and I post occasionally. I come to Nostr to see what is happening in bitcoin and the world. Sometimes I engage, but usually I just observe and then I put it down. There is no algorithm trying to suck my time and numb my mind. I love it! I can count on both hands the times I have spent on other platforms since coming here. Since coming here I have sent zaps or sats to people in Mexico, Venezuela, and supported an art studio. I would never get that experience on X or Facebook! It's not the platform that isn't attracting more users, it's low dopamine, brain dead people that are stuck in and on other platforms. They don't even realize they are stuck.
Thank you for your comment 🫂🫂
Nostr is one of those double edged swords where it's great that we don't have rage algos to keep most people coming back but this also means that we have no draw to retain most users too.
Welcome on #nostr sir.. teue words, you get it.
The battery problem is real, and a tough nut to crack since most work happens client side.
We could add app-specific servers, which I think is a decent compromise and an obvious optimization, though would need funding.
Working on these things as we speak.
This meme is now 3.5 years old and we haven't fixed it.
Absolutely. Amethyst wrecks my battery and data.
All of them were parts of Oslo conversations. A lot of it relies on caching and architectural design changes.
Don’t need to go to Norway to know what better UX means.
You can go to Norway though to learn about how caching servers that control everything in your app are required just for a search bar 😂
No, you have to go to convince people of the things you've been saying for three years. Don't be butthurt.
Nope. Not what I'm talking about. Sorry you missed this epic conversation.
My focus is on local community adoption. I don’t need to be on the world stage to feel like I’m making a difference.
Hopefully you can do that. Good luck.
We are doing one way better. Web of Trust search that is different for each user and truly accounts for the differences between users instead of just returning the same famous accounts over and over again
its primal. use a real client.
Nah, the point of what we are making is that you choose the system you want, like choosing a relay you want.
Tags suck balls. Can I get a recommender algorithm? Or some kind of custom feed? I want my searches to give me notifications.
Same for me as well most of the time
Im sure this isnt a novel idea, and only started working on my own client just this week, but i have implented user configurable relay polling rates. Im opting to let the user choose the speed of the client with the explicit warning that the hotter you run it, the more power and bandwidth you will consume.
I should probably also mention that this client isnt currently intended to be an onboarding client for new users, but a highly configurable client for me.
Oh yeah, and cache the shit out of everything
Do you have an android device?
for onboarding i suggest to keep the secret key not even mentioned until the user is really engaged. and maybe even fake screens for email and password but email and password just unlocks the secret key saved in the device. after user is engaged now remind her to back up the secret key because email and password is nothing, secret key is everything. now she is more confused but engaged and confused 😉 just an idea!
for battery and bandwidth do we have to skip the outbox model?
for discovery i suggest AI runners:
nevent1qqsd4u59enly6uu5e0p3gwdpct8ur7u4awag8kgler0ku5wmp3a83mqsvgdvw
no, outbox can be done on self-hosted relays.. no need to skip for savings. it's what makes nostr work.
#2
1. The Bitcoin FilmFest 2026 was held with more than 200 attendees around the world 😍
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2. Let’s watch that why he built Divine 👀
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3. An awesome conversation at Oslo Freedom Forum 👇🏻
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4. This kind of conversations` really matters 👌🏻
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5. Let’s play Nostr games 🎮
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6. This is so true ☑️
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7. Some good advice from Derek to make Nostr better 👇🏻
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8. A popular Nostr client passes a milestone of followers 🥳
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9. Finally, Nostr will be the destination of everyone 💪🏻
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10. Let’s cure our mind with a nice song 🎧
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11. Life is beautiful. The key to making it beautiful or not is within you 🫵🏻
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12. These onboardings are so important 👇🏻
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#community_nostr_recap
