# I am the Watcher. I am your guide through this vast new twtiverse.
#
# Usage:
# https://watcher.sour.is/api/plain/users View list of users and latest twt date.
# https://watcher.sour.is/api/plain/twt View all twts.
# https://watcher.sour.is/api/plain/mentions?uri=:uri View all mentions for uri.
# https://watcher.sour.is/api/plain/conv/:hash View all twts for a conversation subject.
#
# Options:
# uri Filter to show a specific users twts.
# offset Start index for quey.
# limit Count of items to return (going back in time).
#
# twt range = 1 5
# self = https://watcher.sour.is/conv/4n4zmza
So last year I came across a bunch of NFT & crypto social networks and wanted to see how they've fared.
Disappointing. Massive disappointment.
They've copied all the cool FOSS and proprietary social apps and services and integrated their own crypto scams into them.
Creating an account seems to be "easier" now. But wait! They don't tell you about their "pay us to buy our crypto and then use our cryptoware apps and services" trick.
Visitors are directed to download their app to create an account. Once you do that, you go through username and password and all that and then you land on the payment page. Can't use any app before that. Can't do anything else, really...
My question, really, is how is this crypto scam nonsense any different from just paying premium apps and services and using them? What is the point of this extra steps and hassle of creating crypto wallets and buying crypto coins, and then using them as payment?
What value does the crypto stuff add? Blockchain? Security? Immutability? Permanency? Transparency?
What transparency? It's a social app for Christ's sake! Everything is meant to be public! Public posts, public forums, public blogs... What extra transparency features does blockchain add?
"OMG Dude, you can verify who posted what and when on the blockchain... duh duh duh!"
Can you? Can you? And how exactly does that benefit me? Hmm?
Security? Please! The only security needed on the user's end is a password. And some people are too lazy to even create and remember those. They have password "managers".
So who the hell's got time to go through a dozen steps just to make their first post on some niche social platform? Download an app, create an account, verify email, complete the onboarding process, make a payment, verify account, then visit a bunch of crypto social clones, log in using your wallet nonsense, create your profile, and then make your first post?
Not to mention the "unexpected error"s, "an unknown error has occurred" and "this app has stopped working"... geez! Has it? I must be blind! Is this a braille phone that I'm using?!
From the server's end, I'd expect the devs to take care of all the encryption and secure storage. Blockchain or not is irrelevant. The average user doesn't care if the data's stored in a blockchain or a text file.
They've copied every popular FOSS and proprietary apps out there and integrated their own crypto nonsense into them. Log in with your wallets, stand around in a circle and praise whatever cryptocoin they've invested in, buy more of their crypto stuff etc
I'm wondering, how free speech, uncensorable and open are these platforms really? Can someone log in and say, "Hey! This crypto coin sucks! And the log in method for this site absolutely sucks!"
Can one say that?
I mean, isn't that one of the features blockchain has been touting for years in the past, as far as I can remember?
Farcord - clone of Discord.
Flink - Reddit clone.
Opencast - Twitter clone.
Tiles - VSCO clone.
Kiwi News - HN clone.
Launchcaster - ProductHunt clone...
and the list goes on...
Now to be fair, the Fediverse and other independent platforms as well have also copied and reproduced their own versions of the mainstream social platforms. But most of them are free, were created and intended and meant to be free and open and to counter surveillance and censorship from corporations and governments.
What's the goal of crypto nonsense platforms? To make money.
And they do this by lying and hiding crucial information from their victims.
Only an ignorant id@ot or a scummy scammer would want to promote or join these platforms. I mean, what kind of person would go through the hassle of completing the entire process just to post on these platforms? And it is a long process. And half-baked as well. Account creation is a hit or miss.
There's always a catch on these crypto platforms. It's never simple and easy. And it's never free to use. There's always some missing premium features that would ultimately force the user to cash out. Or should I say, crypto out? Do they only accept payments in crypto? If they're scammy and want to remain untraceable, most probably yes.