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Thumbnail originally came from Bitcoin.com.
Introduction
Not all alternative platforms are created equal. Some are centralized with moderation powers allocated to a select number of admins. Meanwhile, others are decentralized and open-source with systems that help make them censorship-resistant. In my opinion, it is far better for the internet to be more decentralized. Not long ago, I wrote about how the Terms of Service from GETTR, a newly launched Twitter alternative, looks suspicious. Sure, things may be all hunky dory at the start, but you're putting a lot of faith on these centralized alternatives to not abuse their power.
For a while, my go-to social media platform has been Minds which is open-source. The UI is intuitive and there are plenty of people who share my interests. Even cooler is how the Minds token now has value when before the only functionality it had was for boosting posts.
That said, I would be lying if Minds is perfect. No platform is. Back in April, I wrote about how the change to the token rewards system was a step back. To succinctly summarize, Minds decided to only award engagement points if the engagement came from users with either Minds+ or Pro accounts when the previous system did not have this requirement. Supposedly, it was to combat bots that tried to game the system. However, it ended up doing very little to stop the problem while my daily earnings were meager.
Basil makes a good explanation of how bots exploit the current token rewards system.
A few weeks ago, one of the channels I follow mentioned Pocketnet as another open-source social media alternative. I took a look at the front page and thought the overall aesthetic was pretty nice, so I created an account and made some posts. I can say that I came away impressed.
My Experience on Pocketnet
One of the biggest gripes I had with Minds is how my posts would get little engagement. I have tried the boost option on Minds before, but the effect tends to be very delayed and the return is pretty pathetic. Sure, I have over 150 followers on my account, but a lot of them are throwaway accounts, so the number is incredibly misleading.
I had the complete opposite experience with Pocketnet. It would not take long for my posts to get engagement including some of my articles that I carried over from Publish0x. On top of that, amount of PKOIN I earn from the positive engagement is pretty reasonable. The daily USD value I earn on Pocketnet is significantly greater and more consistent than on Minds.
Even the Pocketnet team gave one of my posts some love.
It could be because comparatively, Pocketnet has a smaller userbase. As a result, it was less difficult for my content to receive engagement on the platform compared to the bigger Minds. That said, I think Pocketnet does a better job notifying users whenever new content is posted. On the right hand side of the page, it shows the latest comments on the blockchain.
What I also love about the platform is the rating system. While most platforms utilize the like/dislike system, Pocketnet pays a nice homage to the old YouTube 5-star rating system. It definitely gave me some nostalgia of the old days where YouTube was more open and less corporate.
My Wishlist of Improvements
Of course, the strengths also come with the weaknesses. Pocketnet is no exception when it comes to this. The one aspect Minds especially has a leg up on Pocketnet is the diversity of content. Comparatively, much of the content posted on Pocketnet is political. I don't mind it that much as I also participate in some of those discussions, but content on my other interests is pretty lacking.
In addition, the network can be sometimes slow. The front page will occasionally take quite a bit of time to load. Posts will also take some time to be officially published, especially if you attached multiple images. Other than these issues, though, I don't really have much complaints and the existing problems are very fixable.
Closing Thoughts
I think Pocketnet has a lot of potential and I'm pretty satisfied with the PKOIN earnings, thus far. If it can attract a wider variety of users, i.e. gamers, movie and anime enthusiasts, etc., then the platform can be a really good alternative to Minds. Both platforms have their strengths and weaknesses, so I will continue to use both in the meantime.
Something that I am also interested in doing is running a node. Similar to Presearch, you can run a node for Pocketnet to contribute to the network. I do have a very old laptop sitting around at home, so I can perhaps install Linux on it and use it for that purpose.
If Pocketnet sounds like a decentralized social media platform for you, here is my referral link.
