SAFEBook - Social Network

Apps
21

Great points everyone.

@happybeing
I think that’s one way that social interactions can (and will) evolve on SAFE. However, sort of like how a lot of people have started using Bitcoin for many different reasons, people will be attracted to maidsafe for various reasons as well (too many to even try to list here) The people that come to maidsafe becuase … well because it’s awesome technology … probably don’t need a “social platform”, like you’re saying. However, I think one of those reasons will be replacements for “killer apps”, like email or a social network, that solve the privacy problems with current services that everyone is now well aware of.
People might hear about “SAFEWhatever” and decide they wanted to try it because they heard it was more secure, and their trendy friends are using it. The rest of maidsafe comes along for the ride. Before you know it, they’re using all kinds of SAFE apps, possibly without having the slightest idea of how amazing all of the technology is that makes it work - it just works better and is more secure so they keep using it.

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22

@Blindsite2k I like your thoughts on this. If we think about what MaidSafe’s strengths are and build things around those, we might end up with something a lot diff/better than just cloning another social network platform.

Take this Discourse forum; it is in fact a form of social network, albeit a topic-first social network but a social network non-the-less. Think of all the really nice features of this forum app. There is a ton of stuff here and I think it’s an awesome tool. One that I would not want to reinvent if we didn’t have to. When I think of cloning/developing a system like this I start thinking of how many dev hours it would take and my head starts swimming. Is there a way for current web apps to back into the MaidSafe network? I’m sure if an app was developed well (separation of concerns, nice layering, etc.) the database could be swapped out for the DHT, authentication could use self-auth and so on. If there is not, we should think about how to make it possible so good apps that already exist can join the party easily. In fact I could see a real business model forming here that would just be around being experts in helping existing platforms migrate and/or expand. Perhaps this should be a start of a new topic under development, but let’s continue.

Now think of fb or twitter and why they exist. fb is a friend-first network. Twitter and maybe G+ could be categorized as @happybeing said, content-dissemination networks. I too was involved when G+ first came on the scene and I’m not thrilled with it.

So let’s think about what we want/need and go from there. How do we want to use it, vs. cloning other social networks… Just my 0.00003776 BTC.

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23

We’ve been developing a p2p social network / groupware system that involves semantic-web to support advanced forms of communication, planning, and data matching. I’m wondering how we can use Maidsafe as a networking protocol, or integrate more deeply at a DHT or block-chain level.

It’s presently implemented as a Node.JS server and HTML5/JS client, attached to a MongoDB database. One possibility is storing (or at least backing-up) the database in Maidsafe FS. But running a live web server’s database off a network storage system risks introducing unacceptable latency. So what would be more ideal is to use something like Maidsafe’s Kademlia DHT protocol as a shared database for high-speed interaction.

Each Netention object (canonically serialized as JSON) has a universally unique ID, including user profiles. So as nodes receive new objects published by others, they can assemble the attached semantic graph components, with eventual consistency.

We developed a Ripple.com plugin and would like to use Maidsafe in a similar way. The Ripple plugin periodically updates (via Ripple’s WebSockets API) the public ledgers of users who have attached their Ripple wallet ID to their profiles. It also interprets the Ripple trust/credit-lines as edges in a trust network which is used to determine shareability of “trusted” objects. Netention has its own native trust claim objects which function similarly, and other similar and different semantic qualia (“Value”, “Can”, “Need”, etc…) can be modeled in its graph.

Another possibility is to port Ripple (“rippled”, its server) to Maidsafe. Again, simply using the MaidSafe network filesystem is not ideal. From what I understand, the additional features this hypothetical “RippleSafe” would provide are multicurrency, smart trading and conversions, and payments that automatically source from rippling credit (“trust”) lines. We are making similar explorations into Ethereum.

Any suggestions are appreciated. I would like to attach some new screenshots but I’ve just setup an account on this forum. So here are some older videos of the system but they do not explain what is being shown:

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24

Integrate micropayments as a method of monetization without ads and now you have a huge advantage over Facebook.

Diapora didn’t have the monetization component but now it’s possible.

Do this right. Integrate micropayments so that it can remain ad free yet have similar profitability as Facebook.

Also set it up so that the network is owned by the users.

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25

if it’s open-source, everyone already owns it.

how can we apply a micropayment system to support the costs of decentralized networks? accounting entirely transparent and reasonable to logic systems. such software could be packaged with network hardware.

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26

every user has access to their own data. Write an app that allows cryptocurrency (and possibly regular currency) integration. The same way users exchange any other kind of data privately they should be able to exchange bitcoin addresses privately. Also setting up a safecoin to bitcoin exchange would be handy.

27

What if we’re taking a slightly different approach to this? What if,
instead of focusing on the content, we start with the users instead.

Each new user to the safe network is identified by a unique name (32
alphanumeric characters e.g.) as soon as he signs up. After creating the
user, you can add other users to a set of predefined groups that will
determine what the user can see about you, what you’re sharing with them
and ultimately what the app looks like or what features the app has.

There should be two different apps in the beginning that are using this
contact feature. One, a forum app where everybody can create a section
for specific topics (e.g. maidsafe) and topics that will be created
within that section. You then subscribe to only those sections that are
of interest to you. A bit like the subreddits on reddit.com. The second
app should be SAFEbook which has a bigger focus on sharing content or
“news”.

If I want to stay in touch with someone on the forums, I can add him to my contact list and put him the group “discussions”.

After a while this thing grows and I tell a coworker about it, he also
joins the maidsafe discussiongroup and in addition to that I’ll put him
the group coworkers. I can then share content exclusively with him, or
with the group coworkers, since I don’t want any of you guys here to
know my real name and/or I only want my corworker(s) to see this
content. The same principal applies to the group friends/family.

So instead of creating the users around content, we should try and
create the content around the user/groups. I guess many people stop
“sharing” content because third parties can see that, but also because
they don’t want their coworkers or grandmothers to see what they’d like
to share with their friends. This really should be a core feature (and
it already is for friendica for example).

With this approach it would be way easier to create all kinds of
specialised apps inside of maidsafe without running into the problem of
having to create your community for each and everyone of those apps.
Create a flickr app, upload a photo from your vacation and share with
your groups friends and family, share the photos from the last party
only with the group friends. Create an app that collects your gaming
process, create a new group and put those of your friends that are also
gaming into this game. And then add people that are just your gamer
friends.

On top of that, create a news app that collects all of those things and
creates a timeline of it. What photos werre uploaded to flickr, what is
latest achievement of your friends and in the longrun integrate the
safebook profile of your favourite news site into your timeline.

This would be a cleaner, more streamlined approach that doesn’t scatter your activity all over the place.

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28

Facebook was developed within a very flawed ecosystem and based on very flawed principles.
I don’t see them ever switching - the model on which they’ve been working for a decade just doesn’t fit. They may possibly become the single largest opponent of Project SAFE… who knows.

That said, +1 for making social networks better/starting from the basic building blocks.
Private and public sharing of stories and media with commenting is a good place to start.

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Please don’t call it SAFEBook.

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30

Let it be user owned. Let the network pay the users for contributing more content and referring new users by giving them shares. If there are ads then let advertisers pay the users to view the ads.

31

Just to keep this conversation going in hopes of finding someone interested in working on this…
I would really like to see something replace Facebook ASAP. All of the Google’s and the Facebook’s in the world can be replaced by apps who’s devs are earning safecoin and don’t need ads. This is how the protocol creates incentives for open source development.

I like the idea of basing the app around users too but building the social relationships into the network isn’t necessary for apps to share access to social data through APIs, for example.

Is anyone thinking about working on this?

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32

I do have some ideas on this project. But my vision goes beyond a social network.

Home Page: Just about every company battles over getting the end-user to make their page the default HOME page. Facebook has been successful in doing this. It should be the other way around. Instead of going to facebook or google or firefox or any other page, the user only logs into their customized home page. Because they self-authenticate upon Network Login, they should have default features not possible on traditional internet.

FEATURES

  1. Home page is your personal “name page”. ( SAFE:dyamanaka/home ) This should be the starting point. It is the first page a user sees, the first introduction into the SAFE Network. And it is the gateway to an unlimited cyber universe.

  2. No more multiple logins.

  3. Seamless Interface. No offense to stand alone apps. As a user, I don’t like multiple window pop-ups all over my screen. All features should be integrated into a webpage interface. This means: Instant messaging, email, tweets, search engine, blogs, pics, news, ads, games, etc… And if cannot be integrated then it should allow an activation link/plugin from the home page.

  4. Commerce. This helps the world thrive or die. We need “shopping carts” to be a part of the user’s page, not just to buy more storage. Whenever they buy/bid/sell something, they get an instant update at their home page. I’m tired of logging into ebay, then login to paypal, then login to my bank just to make sure 1 transaction is covered. This has to end!

  5. Infrastructure. Traditional internet forces users to go to multiple different sites to do a limited number of activities. We will turn this process upside down. All activities should come to you. News, Music, Games, Education, Shopping, Video, Writing, Politics, etc. Depending on a persons interest, a simple click on a box will customize their experiences. This does not mean they will be locked down on their own site, but it does makes sense to start it this way. Consider how the SAFE Network functions with PUT/GET requests, and it becomes clear.

I’m not a dev, but I can offer insight, consultation, ideas, feedback, analysis, and most of all leadership and management. If people realize the potential we have in our hands, they would be tripping over themselves to collaborate with each other to piece together a (shopping mall of apps) into ONE interface. Just like the ants in nature, we just need several small projects and glue them together to make something new, exciting, and better than anything people have seen before!

I can write a project outline on how to get started. Or we can go solo and do it the hard way. For now, I’m patiently waiting for MaidSafe to build the foundation.

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33

I really like the idea of making the social network a widget screen of other apps… that’s essentially what FB is right? Except they control mostly everything.
So in this case, it really it comes down to someone making a contact list app, someone else making a permission-based text and file sharing app with comments, someone else making a messaging app, someone else making a marketplace app, etc…

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34

Yes, you got the idea. My vision is to tie it all together in a seamless way.
Because there are no servers/sites to visit. Many features can be customized and brought directly to the user. Some things can be as simple as an address extension. Example below.

Upon creating my login, I also establish my domain name page. SAFE:dyamanaka

My home page should be SAFE:dyamanaka I would put a default link to the SMOA “Shopping Mall Of Apps” here. The SMOA GitHub should have a user review system and simple add executables for user adoption. The easier the better.

Check my email? SAFE:dyamanaka/safemail or SAFE:dyamanaka.safemail

Post on my blog? SAFE:dyamanaka/blog or SAFE:dyamanaka.blog

See what’s on the news? SAFE:dyamanaka/mynews or SAFE:dyamanaka.mynews

Want to play some games? SAFE:dyamanaka/mygames or SAFE:dyamanaka.mygames

Check my purchases? SAFE:dyamanaka/shoppingcart or SAFE:dyamanaka.shoppingcart

Don’t like the “safemail” format or features? Switch to another SAFE:dyamanaka/speedmail or SAFE:dyamanaka.speedmail

**Each new app will have its own DOT extension. All activities come to the user now. This is something traditional internet cannot do, and we should take advantage of it. :smile: **

Some apps cannot be integrated in a web-based format and we can work around those. I know this is an ambitious vision, and it cannot be done alone. But if you guys/gals could see what I see… it is truly amazing. We must work together to create it. I can’t even comprehend the rate of innovation we would unleash.

EDIT: I like the DOT extension better. It helps distinguish the apps from the domain pages.

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35

I was just thinking about this today and decided to Google maidsafe social network and found it is in the works. would you allow for anonymous individuals on this network or would you require it to be linked to an email address or some other identifying factor. It seems to me that Facebook’s original system of requiring student email address meant that no one had fake accounts. This lent to the legitimacy of it and made it easy to find people just with their name. I imagine if you want to compete with Facebook you will need the same kind of thing to make it easy to find friends using it. So if you intend to go in this direction then I would ask if anyone thinks an anonymous social network would be worthwhile. Coupled with safemail, safechat, and anonymous currency this could be a place for a person to initiate a truly anonymous alternate identity online.

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Those are valid points, but there are successful anonymous social networks as well (joindiaspora, friendica etc).

BTW things such as this listed under Projects are mostly just suggestions. Builder Hub and We The Artists are the only ones I know are active… Don’t assume anyone is working in them unless that’s stated, and feel free to pick one up and build it or get a group together to do so.

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One thing to watch out for is to make sure that resharing is easy from individual groups. One of the hangups with Diaspora for example is that you can easily reshare public posts but not from “limited” posts shared only within certain aspects. This means that if someone doesn’t want to post to everybody the post doesn’t get reshared unless it gets manually copied and reposted, which most people don’t want to take the time to do. And this in turn leads people to end up posting everything publically and ignoring the posting to individual aspects feature entirely. So while I like the idea of being user/group centric and building the content around the user/group being able to reshare from a specific group is important.

Also something a lot of techs seem to forget is asthetics. Make it all look good. Code it in such a way so it’s all themeable. That’s one of the things I like about friendica, although I wish it was more so, that it’s themeable and customizable. (Although Friendica’s user interface is a bit complicated and there is a bit of a learning curve to it.)

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38

A decentralised social network with:

  • profile “tabs” that separate your data, so you can have a “professional” profile (replace LinkedIn), a “social” profile (message your friends about getting crunk) and a “family” profile (for safe private talks with granny) would be bomb and earn alot of safecoin :slight_smile:
  • combine the functionality of instagram, twitter, facebook, Whatsapp, SKYPE/hangouts, etc) would have the potential to take over ALL COMMUNICATION markets and earn infillions of safecoin every second. (imagine… THE all-encompassing communication software)
  • have a REAL TIME TRANSLATOR on it, so your English-speaking self could strike up a messaging sesh with a random poor Chinese farmer and learn ancient Chinese knowledge/secrets/recipes/herbal medicines. Imagine how valuable that would be to humanity. UTTERLY SHATTERING any language barriers forever.

Etc. I’m bored of typing now.

But there’s some ideas for the next (decentralized) Zuckerberg out there

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I don’t think the issue is how to make a new, better social network. I think the issue is that the Internet lacked the tools to communicate well in public view and the best way to figure out what those tools should be turned out to be within these little (or big in the case of facebook) walled ghettos. It seems to me “SAFEBook”, as a project, can simply be an effort to take the lessons learned inside social networking sites and use what maidSAFE has to offer to render a closed system unnecessary to get the benefits of social networking.

What did we have before friendster and its line of successors leading to the latest and greatest, facebook? Personal homepages and blogs.

Homepages were the original profile pages, and they sucked. They fulfilled at most half of the role of a profile page, that of saying "here’s who I am – my bio and stuff, but they didn’t have a common format and more importantly they didn’t denote a one to one correspondence with someone who went out and did stuff elsewhere on the internet. It’s hard to put it in todays terms because half the ideas hadn’t formed yet, but today we take for granted that someone who does something in our little node on the social network has their own node on the social network.

Blogs were the original activity feeds. If you were so inclined and don’t mind confusing people, you could call blogging “macrotweeting” instead of calling twitter “microblogging”. Blogs have the disadvantage of being all or nothing sharing. You publish to the whole world or not at all. Also, what notion they have of comments being connected to a particular person is flakey and was a lot flakier.

Social networking sites combine the traits of home pages and blogs and unite them under a nice coherent account structure that fixes their individual separate problems and all sorts of new possibilities just pop out. Good solid standard homepages lend themselves to everything from sticking userpics anywhere appropriate to single sign-on. “Liking” becomes easy and more meaningful. Integration with whatever service of conversation among people becomes much more effective and useful. But that includes targeted ads.

+1 to anyone and everyone who said “plugins” A social networking site is basically a big collection of identities kept track of by a central authority with a suite of plugins chosen and attached to them by said authority. “SAFEBook” should be the infrastructure needed to cut out that authority.

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40

This has to be done. I think I may have a concept that can evolve into a solution.

Some context.

I was working on a variation of a social network that operated through email with a micropayment system built in with goldbacked digital currency. I had problems with the developer I was working with (and his server: we lost the code) and had to start from scratch. Cut my loses at that point and my life took a slight change with my wife pregnant and then the birth of my first child.

The problems trying to be solved (user privacy, data ownership, brand infiltration in ones digital space, user security, increasing surveillance, increasing centralization of user data, monopolies on payment
systems to mention a few) I couldn’t get out of my mind. This forced me to re-conceptualize the model.

6 months ago I started exploring the possibilities of building onto the bitcoin blockchain and also ethereum. I was looking at using the ID3 project and Open Mustard Seed that came out of MIT media lab and it looked promising however I had some doubts about governance.

Although not devoting much time to it because of family and work commitments it has been hanging around in my thoughts incessantly. I came across Maidsafe 5 weeks ago and it just intuitively felt like a perfect fit. I have been exploring on git and looking at how it will piece together. It has definitely reinvigorated my passion and enthusiasm.

Without going into detail I will share some basic premises and will create a separate project on here soon with a working title “datame” the social data wallet.

The concept would involve a profile that can be shared and connected to. You would have similar features to fb except you own and control your data and content, it is private and just isolated to your network and the software when you give permissions.

There was mention previously in this thread about importing data. I know facebook offers a feature to down load your data as JSON format but pretty sure it is against the data use policy, may have to explore further. Also google take out?

The key is that the data you accumulate through your use of the application can be categorized and also visualized by the user for personal interest into ones own behaviour. Your data can also be sold in a market. Lots of brands are interested in consumer information as are other organisations. So you have individual data and groups of individuals with similar categories of structured fielded data. This data can be pooled up with other people that have similar demographic and psychographic characteristics and sold as a depersonalized aggregated dataset. It can be sold multiple times to multiple buyers. Ideally transactions will be done through safecoin and possibly bitcoin. A marketplace for personal data, a currency in itself.

In addition to this I would like to integrate a way to allow users to browse websites from their profile and store metadata about web visits, searches, timestamp, visit duration, type of site, search history, keywords etc. Having it connected with a mobile app that can track and store metadata on location and aforementioned metadata about browsing history along with facilitating all features of social network. In essence I want to create an application that tracks you, provided you accept and want this, having the choice to switch certain features on and off. The big brother that you control. Secure, private. Shared data with whom you want, when you want.

A market for sharing of individual data and a market for sharing or selling of collective data.

I have been mapping it out and getting some feedback from friends, people in business I know and people I know within the bitcoin community here where I am in Sydney. Generally all very positive. Now create a system for people to accumulate, own, share and sell their data and the ramifications are very significant.

This would necessitate the building of further awareness in the market of MaidSafe as it is integral to the vision.

Now all this sounds a little fluffy and no doubt some of it is at this stage but I am determined to make it happen. Just finished a meeting with a developer who I am hiring to help with project specifications and requirements. I will keep updating on project as it progresses and look forward to any contributions from users on here who seem to be very enthusiastic about MaidSafe and the myriad possibilities.

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