Alright Steemians, I'm seeing a lot of people coming from the Steem Blockchain and starting to make posts over on PocketNet.
After checking it out for a little while, it looks like it could be a really nice alternative to Steem, given some time to grow. Although there are many, many features missing right now, there are already some things I like about PocketNet that might give it a leg up on Steem.
Here's what I've learned after only a little bit of poking around:
What I Like
For one, everybody's vote is equal. This goes for both upvoting or downvoting. They use a type of 5-star rating system where each star gives you a number which is then averaged among all the votes. This is much better than Steem, in my opinion. It would allow real curation of content, bringing the good content to the top and sending the bad to the bottom based on everyone's opinion, not just the whales.
There is no time limit on posts, from what I can tell so far. Somebody reading a post from 3 months ago can still rank it, which gives POC to the author instantly. This will also help with curation in the long run as things move forward. It may take a little bit of time for some things to make their rounds, maybe weeks or even months. But, with no time limit, there is no rush for the curation and eventually, the good content will make it to the top and the author will be rewarded accordingly.
There is a Windows desktop app already available for download. It actually works a little better than their webpage right now but they are both pretty much the same. They are working on Mac and Linux versions of this, as well as Android and IOS apps as well. Most of these look like they'll be rolled out by summer. The Windows app also means that it can't be shut down as a webpage can. Sure, Steem is the same way. But, most people use steemit.com (or the many other) as their way of accessing the blockchain. There have already been instances in the past where steemit.com was all messed up from hacks and many people couldn't access their accounts. The desktop app for PocketNet fixes any of that.
There is a reputation system based on the number of posts made and the number of stars received. I haven't really dived into the details on how this works, but it's there from the start. Steem didn't always have a reputation system and it was implemented afterward. We'll see how it works out as people start earning their reputation there.
Their way of dealing with plagiarism, spammers, bots, and other unwanted individuals is a little different and I hope it works out. From what I understand, if a post gets enough bad review, it will be hidden and there will be some sort of restrictions (a time limit) on what the author can post. I also heard mention of people with higher reputation being able to "complain" about posts. If enough reputable people complain, more restrictions will be applied to prevent this unwanted user from spamming, plagiarising, or whatever. An example they give in their FAQ is about porn. They don't want porn on the site, not because they disagree with it, but because there are other sites just for porn and it isn't needed on PocketNet just because people can add it. So, they encourage porn to be downvoted and to complain about it so it can be removed from view, and the poster can be prevented from posting more. I don't know how this will work out in the long run as this is supposed to be censorship free. Could people join together and vote other people out because they don't like what they are saying? Maybe. We'll have to see if that actually happens. Having the community police any abusers is a good idea, though, and it looks like this system will be interesting to watch how it turns out.
And of course, this blockchain is all about not censoring anybody. It's all posted to the blockchain and it's not coming off, just like Steem. Seeing this happen more and more is wonderful and it won't be long before many aspects of our lives are like this, not just social media.
What Needs Improving
I know there are a number of things in the works and they will be rolling out in time, but I'll still list the things this platform is missing.
There is no way to comment on posts yet. This is a little annoying right now. I've already read a number of great articles and voted 5 stars on them, but there is no way of commenting my approval on the post. These features will be rolling out soon, but it's annoying right now, just the same.
Things don't work right on a phone. I actually first stumbled across PocketNet on my phone. I tried to sign up, but it just wouldn't work. PocketNet doesn't get you to fill out the regular fields when creating an account. They give you a QR Code and a recovery phrase and you have to either put in the phrase or upload the QR Code to confirm that you saved it. Now, this is great because it doesn't ask you about any personal information - not even your email - but the registration just didn't work on the phone and I had to try it again on the computer.
There is no search feature yet. Self-explanatory but there is no way for me to search for anything - content or users.
No categories or groups yet. The idea is that the good content will be ranked to the top, but as more and more people join, the content is going to be added faster and faster. This is the same problem with Steem right now; too many posts and not enough organization. My introduction post is already way down the list and, with no way to search or filter content, posts right now will be lost down the list whether they are good quality or not.
There are other little problems here and there but this platform is extremely new and I'm sure it will all get ironed out once things get rolling.
In The Works
There are a number of things in the works on this site and the developers have some really grand ideas. If they can pull them off, it's going to be amazing.
- Decentralized Direct Messaging - encrypted and private
- Group Chats
- Crypto Store - with other cryptocurrency integration
- Advertising - taking things that work from Google and Facebook, but with a focus on privacy and decentralization with a trustless system. Advertisers paying content creators with no middle-man.
So, if you haven't checked it out yet, go check it out. The affiliate link will keep track of how many people I bring over. They are calling it "rescuing them" from the censored social media and there is some sort of "Rescue Team Status" but I haven't found any information on that yet.
https://pocketnet.app/index?r=recommended&ref=PBM8jCFSPzutB9cssJBsgLzK4bmZLHCr4f&msocialshare=true
In any case, check it out and get yourself some free POC tokens just for signing up. Then make a post and earn some more.