The first time I heard of Minds must have been a couple of months ago. To me it seemed like just another Social Media platform that tries to be the next big thing so I ignored it after making an account. But now I'm back at it because I'm really starting to see the potential!
So let's have a look at what MINDS actually is. It's like a mixture between Facebook and Steemit. You have a profile, can join groups, write blogs and there is an upvote system which can earn you points. That's just the practical side of it.
But there's more to it. Let's have a look at their vision and ambition.
MINDS Vision:
MINDS Ambition:
Traditional social media networks are overrun with surveillance, censorship, demonetization and restrictive algorithms. Minds solves these problems with free and open source software, free speech policy, anonymity, encryption and decentralization."
Some stats about MINDS
650 million+ views served
3.8 million+ newsfeed impressions served/day
67% revenue growth in 2016
600,000+ registered users
250,000+ mobile app installs
Top 4,000 site in the US
So it seems that MINDS has a clear vision on what they want to be and what they want to offer. Most successful startups see a problem or a pain they want to offer a solution to. For minds it is censorship, privacy and the lack of democracy on other social networks. Problems that become more and more visible on other networks like Facebook and Twitter. So, how do they solve these problems and what do they offer?
I can Monetize my Content
Just like Steemit there is a way to monetize the content you place on MINDS. There's two ways to do this. First is a Patreon-like system. This content is only visible for people who support you. And the second is by placing ads on your blogs. Both options are easy as just hitting a button.
It is open Source
The source code of MINDS is public and everyone is free to contribute to make MINDS a better place. (unlike Facebook, which feels like a mystery most of the time.)
It is Encrypted
The chat function on MINDS is encrypted. A must for a social network that claims to be all about privacy and democracy.
It has a big focus on Free Speech
Facebook has been known to closing down pages and deleting posts and articles that have controversial content. When this content is abusive this is of course a very good thing. But lately this has happened with more and more content that contains news or political views. And that's bad, very bad. MINDS makes sure you're always free to share and discuss every view possible.
It is Community Owned
You, we and I as a community decide what is good content and what is not. By receiving upvotes you gain points that give the possibility to boost your own posts or posts you like. The more a post is boosted, the more exposure it gets. Power to the people!
Annnnd.... it has an affiliate program..
You can join MINDS right here. It's free, and the sooner you join the bigger your chance to share your content to a wider audience. And by joining trough my affiliate link you support me and the community.
So have a look and help keep the internet a place of the people!