What is Metapost?
Metapost is a a place to discover, share, and discuss content from anywhere on the web. Unlike websites like Reddit or Hacker News, Metapost is a decentralized application living on the blockchain. This means that content published through Metapost is resistant to censorship and will remain accessible to everyone, forever.
What is Algorand?
Algorand is a proof-of-stake network that provides <4s transaction finality and very low transaction fees while maintaining decentralization and security. Algorand is a good fit for powering this platform because it allows for fast and cheap transactions. $10 worth of Algorand is enough to create hundreds of posts and comments! You can get Algorand on any major exchange.
Why do I have to pay to post?
To store data on the blockchain, a transaction fee is required. On the Algorand network, this fee is very low, currently less than $0.01 per transaction. This minimal fee acts as a disincentive for spam. Interacting with the platform also makes you eligible to earn POST tokens.
Metapost will never charge any fees other than the minimum required by the Algorand network.
Do I need to create an account?
No. You only need to connect your Algorand wallet. Your posts and comments will be associated with your account's address. We are planning to use NFDomains soon to display customized usernames instead of addresses. No. You only need to connect your Algorand wallet.
What is a board?
Boards are a way to categorize content submitted through Metapost. Each board is dedicated to a particular subject or interest. You can browse existing boards and create your own here.
Does Metapost provide any content curation mechanism?
Content is curated by the community through upvoting, downvoting, and archiving posts.
Upvoting
Upvoting is a way to promote quality content. Posts in the main catalog can be sorted by the number of upvotes they have received. Upvoting can be done by spending POST tokens which are burned.
Downvoting
Downvoting is a way to penalize poor quality content. Downvoting can be done by burning POST tokens. Posts with a net score (upvotes - downvotes) below a certain threshold may be hidden by default in the main catalog.
Archiving
Archiving a post hides it from the main catalog and disables further interactions with it (such as upvoting and commenting). Posts can be archived by both their creator and the owner of a board.
What are POST tokens?
POST tokens are a way to reward users for interacting with the Metapost platform. They can be earned when:
- Creating new posts
- When other users comment on your posts
POST tokens can be used to:
- Upvote posts
- Downvote posts
- Create new boards
More information about the POST token
Why can I upvote my own posts?
There is nothing wrong with a creator promoting their own content. The caveat is that they must pay in POST tokens to do so, which discourages abuse. Preventing upvotes from the same address as the post creator would be trivial to circumvent by creating a new address. Web2 platforms face the same limitation: it is common for users to buy or create multiple accounts to promote their own content.
Where can I contact you?