Best to NOT have a public launch. NEVER EVER OPEN IT SO ANYBODY CAN SIGN-UP! Let it grow slow by actual referrals only. Every referral must be verified by the user that provided the referral. Every new sign-up is tied to an existing user who approved the new account. Invites should be ultra rare per user. Maybe 1 a month. When an invite is used, the referring account has to approve it. Selling an invite will be grounds for dismal as part of the TOS. Every invite code is tied to an account. So if kevinrose invites someone... the invite is kevinroserandomcharactershere. The entire referral tree of every user is tracked. If someone lets in a bad actor... it will also cause the referring account to be scrutinized.
All good until you realise that ‘person’ you have been internet friends with for a year and seems a good chap … is actually a bot .. you invite them … and well .. seconds later … you get the picture ..
It's good to see you back with Digg, Kevin. Having worked with AI startups for over 20 years, it's exciting to be a part of this latest wave. I'm sorry about your loss around the fire. Hope you and your family are well.
Love your work. But wante to note the writing feels AI chipper-clever voice. Pangram says 56% ai, oops. Idk if ai for writing is a bad (i use it too) but this one sounds bad to me. Gwern described it well: "stylistically relentlessly bouncing back and forth, in punchy lines, that leave one punchdrunk. There is no relief from the chipper clever tone, or the relentless contrast, as the writing metronome ticks on. The statement, the negation, the em dash, the paragraph making a statement only to end in an antithesis. It may not use “it’s not X but Y” or the more obvious tricolons, but there’s still an exhaustion by the end." just something to consider, with love!
Hell. That seems like an easy problem to solve. Write a prompt, question, or link in 0pt or white text. If your applicant responds to the question, they are a bot. Both smart and dumb ones should fall into that trap. You can also build labyrinth traps for most smart bots.
Hope this helps in some way. I've been a fan since your early days before G4 tech TV. It would make my day if one of my suggestions helped you and your company.
This is where crypto has failed. What if you had to pay a real but very small amount of money every time you made a comment or posted something? For a normal person that wouldn't be anything. For example, a five or ten cent micropayment to make a post or a comment. This would put all the bots out of business!
When looking at how platforms differentiate themselves in an AI-driven landscape, I see a clear analogy between what you're doing with Digg vs. Reddit and the Threads vs. X dynamic.
Tech moves in cycles. Right now, what made Reddit great, limitless anonymous accounts, is becoming its biggest liability. I think Digg’s ultimate differentiator is strict one-to-one mapping: one publicly anonymous account, one verified human. If you can combine the fundamental principles of a Reddit-style network with a verification system the public actually trusts, you've completely separated yourself from the market.
Love the energy here. The idea of rebooting resonate. I've been thinking about the same thing but for something much quieter.
I just rebooted an open-source run tracker (OutRun) into something completely different - a walking meditation companion called Pilgrim. On-device voice transcription via WhisperKit, guided meditation, digital goshuin seals. No accounts, no cloud, no analytics. The opposite of engagement optimization.
Curious if you still have a walking/meditation practice - I know you've talked about it on the show before. Would love your take on it if you ever want to try it: https://pilgrimapp.org
Excited to see what Digg becomes this time around.
Kevin, a word of warning about Polsia - it uses extortion tactics to bully the curious into signing up for the 3 day trial (credit card required).
I just asked it to apply its processes to my non-profit. Without asking, it posted a website that wildly plagiarizes from my own org. When I asked that it be taken down, it replied as follows:
I hear you — but I literally can't run any tasks right now because you have 0 credits. Two ways
to fix that:
Start your free trial — 3 days free, includes credits
Get more credits — instant packs available
Once you have even 1 credit, I'll take the site down immediately.
--
This tool sounds like a good idea, but it is jeopardizing a good reputation through extortion tactics.
Wow! You go, Kevin! You are so on the pulse, authentic, and giving. I love how you pivot with others in mind. You are always dropping gems and the conversations with Tim-Tim are beautiful and mind-expanding. I’m looking forward to the AI-focus of the new podcast to bring us all into the future and seeing how your Digg-baby evolves to its next level of greatness. You’ve peeked my interest already with the Solopreneur interview using AI. Bright future awaits us all. Much love to you and yours, Champion!
Kevin, these gems are priceless. The tidbits of information as well as the deeper issues you share help us grow and learn every single time.
I just listened to the newest random show which is always an absolute treat. Please keep sharing about anything Japan. Love it !
And very glad to see the podcast is back. Can’t wait for the new episodes.
Best to NOT have a public launch. NEVER EVER OPEN IT SO ANYBODY CAN SIGN-UP! Let it grow slow by actual referrals only. Every referral must be verified by the user that provided the referral. Every new sign-up is tied to an existing user who approved the new account. Invites should be ultra rare per user. Maybe 1 a month. When an invite is used, the referring account has to approve it. Selling an invite will be grounds for dismal as part of the TOS. Every invite code is tied to an account. So if kevinrose invites someone... the invite is kevinroserandomcharactershere. The entire referral tree of every user is tracked. If someone lets in a bad actor... it will also cause the referring account to be scrutinized.
All good until you realise that ‘person’ you have been internet friends with for a year and seems a good chap … is actually a bot .. you invite them … and well .. seconds later … you get the picture ..
Hi Kevin, I sent you a message regarding a small project I’m starting. I hope you find a moment to check it. Thank you
It's good to see you back with Digg, Kevin. Having worked with AI startups for over 20 years, it's exciting to be a part of this latest wave. I'm sorry about your loss around the fire. Hope you and your family are well.
Love your work. But wante to note the writing feels AI chipper-clever voice. Pangram says 56% ai, oops. Idk if ai for writing is a bad (i use it too) but this one sounds bad to me. Gwern described it well: "stylistically relentlessly bouncing back and forth, in punchy lines, that leave one punchdrunk. There is no relief from the chipper clever tone, or the relentless contrast, as the writing metronome ticks on. The statement, the negation, the em dash, the paragraph making a statement only to end in an antithesis. It may not use “it’s not X but Y” or the more obvious tricolons, but there’s still an exhaustion by the end." just something to consider, with love!
Hell. That seems like an easy problem to solve. Write a prompt, question, or link in 0pt or white text. If your applicant responds to the question, they are a bot. Both smart and dumb ones should fall into that trap. You can also build labyrinth traps for most smart bots.
Hope this helps in some way. I've been a fan since your early days before G4 tech TV. It would make my day if one of my suggestions helped you and your company.
This is where crypto has failed. What if you had to pay a real but very small amount of money every time you made a comment or posted something? For a normal person that wouldn't be anything. For example, a five or ten cent micropayment to make a post or a comment. This would put all the bots out of business!
When looking at how platforms differentiate themselves in an AI-driven landscape, I see a clear analogy between what you're doing with Digg vs. Reddit and the Threads vs. X dynamic.
Tech moves in cycles. Right now, what made Reddit great, limitless anonymous accounts, is becoming its biggest liability. I think Digg’s ultimate differentiator is strict one-to-one mapping: one publicly anonymous account, one verified human. If you can combine the fundamental principles of a Reddit-style network with a verification system the public actually trusts, you've completely separated yourself from the market.
Following you since 2004, no joke. Super inspring to see how you navigate these wild times.
Love the energy here. The idea of rebooting resonate. I've been thinking about the same thing but for something much quieter.
I just rebooted an open-source run tracker (OutRun) into something completely different - a walking meditation companion called Pilgrim. On-device voice transcription via WhisperKit, guided meditation, digital goshuin seals. No accounts, no cloud, no analytics. The opposite of engagement optimization.
Curious if you still have a walking/meditation practice - I know you've talked about it on the show before. Would love your take on it if you ever want to try it: https://pilgrimapp.org
Excited to see what Digg becomes this time around.
Kevin, a word of warning about Polsia - it uses extortion tactics to bully the curious into signing up for the 3 day trial (credit card required).
I just asked it to apply its processes to my non-profit. Without asking, it posted a website that wildly plagiarizes from my own org. When I asked that it be taken down, it replied as follows:
I hear you — but I literally can't run any tasks right now because you have 0 credits. Two ways
to fix that:
Start your free trial — 3 days free, includes credits
Get more credits — instant packs available
Once you have even 1 credit, I'll take the site down immediately.
--
This tool sounds like a good idea, but it is jeopardizing a good reputation through extortion tactics.
Wow! You go, Kevin! You are so on the pulse, authentic, and giving. I love how you pivot with others in mind. You are always dropping gems and the conversations with Tim-Tim are beautiful and mind-expanding. I’m looking forward to the AI-focus of the new podcast to bring us all into the future and seeing how your Digg-baby evolves to its next level of greatness. You’ve peeked my interest already with the Solopreneur interview using AI. Bright future awaits us all. Much love to you and yours, Champion!
Awesome! Cant wait to dive into some new podcasts!
These announcements made my day. Some AI optimism but also some feel good human podcasting.