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Ask SN: how do you feel about a miscellaneous sub?
118 sats \ 11 comments \ @k00b 14 Apr 2022 bitcoin
There's a ton of different features we could add. Everyone has a bunch of great ideas (images, polls, articles, chat, mobile apps, etc.). Honestly, it's making it a bit hard to decide what to work on. One framework I'm considering using to make these decisions is what adds the most value for the most users relative to the amount of time required to get it done (assuming it isn't at odds with the future direction of the site).
One of the more requested "features" are subs that aren't necessarily bitcoin-focused. To start I was thinking of creating a ~misc sub where all of these other discussions could go for the time being. My main concern though is it might be too early and it's not clear where certain stuff should go. Is macro news Bitcoin-related or ~misc? How about meta stuff?
What do you think? ACK or NACK a ~misc sub?
Is misc the right name or ...
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42 sats \ 1 reply \ @kr 14 Apr 2022
I like the idea of a new sub, but this specific idea seems too broad.
The term "miscellaneous" encompasses almost anything, which makes it hard for users to build a strong community or know the kind of content that belongs/doesn't belong.
It will also make it extra hard for SN users to share links to this sub and get initial traction. I'd share a meme sub with someone who likes memes, or a podcast sub with someone who likes podcasts, but who would I share miscellaneous sub with?
Finally, it is really hard to bootstrap new subs from the ground up, and the job board is a first-hand example of this challenge. It has taken a month to get the first 7 job posters on board, and I worry adding a new content sub from the ground up will be extra time consuming at such an early stage (and possibly dilutive to the main page if the content topic is too broad).
If a new sub is going to be added, my vote is for a podcast sub for a few reasons:
  • All podcast episodes can be automatically populated on the podcast sub by their RSS feeds, so it takes minimal effort to fill the sub with great content
  • Podcasting is a focused topic that sets clear boundaries on what content users can expect to see
  • Many of the top Bitcoin-focused podcasts are already integrated with Lightning payments, so SN users can send sats directly to their favorite shows as they upvote to rank items on the podcasts sub
  • SN can integrate Fountain's cross-app comments spec to auto-populate the comments coming in from all Podcasting 2.0 apps and offer SN users a new medium to interact with their favorite podcasters
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1 sat \ 0 replies \ @k00b OP 15 Apr 2022
Good point on it being too broad to build a community!
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22 sats \ 5 replies \ @k00b OP 14 Apr 2022
I'm not saying I'm certainly going to do this, just considering it. On the other hand, we are growing now and we might be fixing something that isn't broke.
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32 sats \ 3 replies \ @shyfire 14 Apr 2022
That's my view @ fixing something that ain't broke.
I come to SN on a daily basis for Bitcoin news and comments. There are lots of other places where I can get non-bitcoin content.
The only marginal benefit I could see is having a source for "non-bitcoin content that other Bitcoiners like", as there might be a lot of overlap there.
If anything one could have L1 vs L2 subs, a mining sub, a markets sub (trading, exchanges, etc), maybe a privacy sub, etc
Actually I could think of one more - a random/OT sub could test value-for-value in a broader market, in a certain sense. But that doesn't really benefit me in any direct way.
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20 sats \ 1 reply \ @gmd 14 Apr 2022
There are lots of other places where I can get non-bitcoin content.
It seems many bitcoiners might want to discuss other topics with like-minded bitcoiners. SN is reddit but much much better. Why not eat reddit? Would certainly increase the TAM for SN if that's part of the vision.
Using lightning to upvote for non-bitcoin related content certainly needs to happen somewhere...
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22 sats \ 0 replies \ @shyfire 14 Apr 2022
"eat reddit" can certainly be a long-term goal, however one would probably want to take it in chunks, and start with "eat r/bitcoin", and then "eat r/bitcoin and some adjacent subs" and then "eat reddit"
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2 sats \ 0 replies \ @k00b OP 14 Apr 2022
There are lots of other places where I can get non-bitcoin content.
Yep, my feelings.
If anything one could have L1 vs L2 subs, a mining sub, a markets sub (trading, exchanges, etc), maybe a privacy sub, etc
I agree, only I suspect there isn't enough of this sort of Bitcoin-related news to break it up yet.
a random/OT sub could test value-for-value in a broader market, in a certain sense.
I don't think we need to do that yet. Even with an OT sub it would probably still mostly be bitcoiners in there.
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21 sats \ 0 replies \ @cozy 14 Apr 2022
I think it's a great idea, I thinking if something can be better and grow it's broken. In that sense, Stacker news IS broken. It's not what it could be. "Stable growth" is an oxymoron. Embrace volatility, but respond to errors quickly.
Turn on the ~misc, then turn it off if it seems like something has gotten out of hand.
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21 sats \ 0 replies \ @cozy 14 Apr 2022
👍
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @TheSatoshiSentinelcom 17 Apr 2022
What about hashtags for searching? And then maybe a section displaying the top 20 tags?
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Undergotten 15 Apr 2022
Random/Misc/Other does seem a bit too broad, as another user mentioned. How about a "hobby" sub? A bit less broad, but still broad enough for nearly everyone to participate. "Everyone's got to have a hobby", as they say.
My other suggestion, which is far less broad, is a sub specifically dedicated to Lightning Node education. How to use it, what strategies work best for specific purposes, requests for channels, etc. etc.
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