> Private responses.
> Private subscriber counts.
> No status games. No trolls. No pressure.
This is the real differentiator. Do you still use algorithms around likes and follows to recommend users to each other and such?
Those data points actually are useful to get people more connected to the network and help them find their community
I've expanded a bit on that thought here: https://nicheless.blog/post/mission
Here's an excerpt from that post:
"I want Nicheless to grow into a place where you come to read the thoughts of people you know. To take a dip into the depths of your friends' minds. And to turn those excursions into conversations – both online and IRL.
In the ideal scenario, I imagine a bunch of friends following each other, each publishing without fear of public judgment, and then occasionally discussing what they read and wrote about when they meet in real life."
With real life friends, people naturally self censor quite a lot.
But if you do want an IRL friend network, also consider a “friend” system. Because I don’t think fully public posts jives with your idea. If I just want to talk to friends, I don’t want to share with the world.