MaxDeMarco on Nostr: This is my RADICAL approach to how I would build a community-first Nostr client: ...

This is my RADICAL approach to how I would build a community-first Nostr client:

First of all: remove access to the entire ecosystem once a user logs in. (I know this sounds counterintuitive, but hear me out).

This is a community-first approach. Once you're onboarded by a creator, you don't want random Bitcoin or footstr content on your timeline. You came to interact with the community. In the beginning, give users as little choice as possible when it comes to interacting with the protocol.

All they see and feel is the core function of the client: COMMUNITY!
They didn’t come to grow their own community or make new internet friends—they came for the artist, the YouTuber, or whoever it is they care about.

So give them time to slowly get used to the new interface and focus on enjoying their first experience. How do we do that?

From a product and UX perspective, this means thinking about how users interact with the platform and designing an intuitive, engaging experience.

Based on conversations with my friends, here’s what they need:

User-first approach (duh): Users own their data and private keys but don't know that at first. The experience starts as a simple username-password login (NIP-07).
Onboarding: There needs to be a paywall (both fiat and BTC), with as little friction as possible.
Forum-style discussions: Organize content into threads/topics so users can easily participate in conversations.
Threaded discussions: Each thread allows for nested replies, much like Reddit or traditional forums, enabling deep, organized conversations.
Tagging system: Let users tag content by topic or interest to make navigation easier.
We don't want to overcomplicate things—just keep it simple. Make it a basic forum where they only see content from their community.
Voting/Engagement system: Introduce upvoting, reactions, or comments on posts—this is easy.
Now comes the magic of Nostr... with zaps (tips) or the ability to send money back and forth, users slowly realize that this is actually different. (You see? We’re getting there gradually.)
Moderation tools: Yeah, I know this sounds lame, but some creators wouldn’t want their forum spammed with footstr pics (sorry, guys). Allow some users to moderate discussions, flag inappropriate content, or create private spaces within the community.

This is the basic community client mvp. It would be enough for some creators who care about freedom and want to build a community on a self-sovereign level. The rest comes later down the road.

Private and public spaces: Offer both public forums and private groups where users can control membership and discussions—more options for the user.
Leaderboards: Show the most active or helpful members based on engagement, contributions, zaps, or participation.
Reputation: WoT, yes baby—now we're getting closer to the full Nostr ecosystem.
Achievements: Gamify the experience by rewarding users with badges or other forms of recognition for their engagement.
User-controlled feed: Implement a home feed based on the relays and topics the user follows - this is where I would open up the whole nostr ecosystem (how? I have no clue yet).
Analytics: Give admins and group leaders insights into community engagement, most active users, and popular threads.
User feedback system: Allow users to provide feedback on discussions, groups, and content, enabling continuous improvement for the content creator / community owner but also for the client.

These are my first thoughts.
After brain-dumping all of this, I realize that this almost works as a white-label solution for creators.

So… does this make sense? What do you think?

I know it’s radically different from opening up the whole Nostr ecosystem to users, but I want to experiment with this. Based on conversations I’ve had, people would be overwhelmed by too much too soon.

This also solves the problem of onboarding people and letting them follow random accounts. Here, they follow people with similar interests and those they already trust, which reflects trust onto the protocol as a whole.

I’m not sure if this will eventually lead to users discovering the full beauty of the Nostr ecosystem, but hey—that’s for later down the road. At least this is running on nostr in the backend.

Also, I have no idea how to code any of this. But I want to make it happen. This is me starting an open conversation.

Let’s see where this takes us and how we can make it happen together. 🧡