You need a sizable collection of GIFs, you need to index the images (image itself, animated factor -> cat jumps onto the bed, means you need to identify the cat and the action), you need to maintain reliable and redundant infra that indexes and also allows to perform queries, possibly adding editing functionality but not important. All of this needs to be maintained and paid for, not even talking of development costs and other factors. 🐶🐾🫡(this is just a peak of an iceberg)
What about a crowd sourced solution? Like a few users to upload their memes to nostr.build with some labels and a selection of adding their specific upload to the indexer? I want the service to improve /and/ help out if possible. hosting content is great but suppose you wanr some auto labeler - well here's a customer that pays both for a service and to use selective data for a classifier/labeler. 🙋 A way to also incentivize quality could be a "pay-to-contribute". Paying means i have enough skin in the game to keep the uploads/labels of good quality.
if that was taken care of, what else would be needed?
Crowdsourcing never works long term, we saw that we NB moderators who gradually stopped contributing. The only thing that is required for search to be made and functional, is for me to commit to standing one up and doing long term maintenance. I am very cautious about adding to my long list of things that I need to maintain, support and update. This also comes with additional costs for the service that we did not account for, or have zero support (free uploads). We do not do ads, and that is how other services on the internet stay afloat. I’ll think about how to get search going for the accounts (search your own media), and maybe I’ll think of the way to squeeze free images into it (maybe) 🐶🐾🫡
I really appreciate you taking time to answer. Trying to bring out that open communication so we can understand the limitations you are working with and why you have your specific directions. I'm a user partly for the currently available service, but also as a user willing to put in additional time and money to help the service grow because your values are way more aligned with my own than any other similar service. I'm a happy customer, and regardless of what can't or is difficult to be done I'm appreciateive for whatever can.
Of course "helping out" is never something that could be done in a snap, you need to build out the interface among the long list of {everything else}! I'm just a fan of incentive structures and want to at least signal to you that you have a subset of your userbase that /really/ wants to help, either with funding, helping foster communication (the "why" of your roadmap or bring attention to external funder) or otherwise! Your problems need to be brought out to the users - i'd think it would help bring out more gratitude for the involvement of your service but it would also help us advocate for you if you want some sort of external support (like opensats). 🫡🫂
All good! I am already experimenting with the search functionality, and hope to bring something usable to the account holders in a month or so. I need to understand how I can set it up so it is sustainable and scalable at the same time 🐶🐾🙏🏻🫂