Oddbean

#nostrnewb here! 🙋🏼‍♀️ I’m unfamiliar with bitcoin lingo, relays etc, so I’ve got a LOT to learn. I’m not very tech savvy (even though I’m only 27, so I probably should be 😆) and have only ever used mainstream social media platforms like #tiktok #instagram #facebook #discord #twitter (or #x now). I have a few questions for the #nostr community: 1. What are zaps? 2. How do I find different relays and what relays would y’all suggest? #plebchain #introductions #zaps #relays #bitcoin #asknostr

Simplify language. Think of zaps as tips. Nostriches tip or pay for content. For example, if I come across a meme that makes me laugh, I zap the person cause it’s a great way to start the day. A zap is a bitcoin payment through the lightning network. You will need to link a lightning wallet such as wallet of Satoshi in your profile to send and receive zaps. If not a bitcoiner, sats is short for satoshis which is a fraction of a bitcoin. You’ll soon see how easy and fast it is to use but if all this is new, I’d suggest looking for some videos and explainers and do a little research. I’d recommend doing the research yourself. Always ask questions but you need to personally do the learning curve. Relays. Look up nostr.wine and nostr plebs. A good start. Have a fantastic discovery journey!

Thank you! This is really helpful. I’ve been trying to do some research but frankly didn’t even know what key words to use in a search. I didn’t know what I didn’t know 🤣🤣 I’m looking forward to getting a bitcoin/nostr/relay education!

Zaps are Bitcoin Lightning payments. You'll need a Lightning Wallet to send or receive Zaps on nostr. Wallet of Satoshi is probably your best bet for a newbie friendly wallet everywhere except the US. If you're in the US you should use GetAlby or Strike. GetAlby has a waiting list, but Strike has KYC, so take your pick... As for relays, use your client's default list for now. As you find users you like, you can look at their relay list to add some of the other popular ones, but try to keep it under 20 relays for performance sake.

One thing that's hard for new users is nsec security - your nsec private key IS YOUR IDENTITY - no username/password combo, and no central authority to reset your password if you lose it or if somebody else gains access to it. Protect your nsec key at all costs. To avoid typing it into every new website, use a browser extension. On Chrome, you can use nos2x. On Firefox use nos2xFox. On Android devices you should use Kiwi Browser plus the nos2x extension. On iOS devices you should use the Nostore app. You put your nsec key in the extension and give permissions to nostr sites and apps as you desire.

1) Zaps are Nostr aware bitcoin payments, allowing you to tip, donate, get paid, and pay others for their content that you find valuable. Zaps have real world value. Zaps are better than likes. Likes ar hollow. Zaps for content are our super power here on Nostr. 2) I personally recommend to use a list of paid and public relays. Paid relays help to reduce spam, acting as a paywall. Free relays allow new users to easily find you. Relays aren't like Pokemon. You don't want to collect them all. The more you add, the more issues you'll have. Choose around a dozen or so. You'll want to choose relays that your friends are using. Otherwise you may not be able to find one another unless your client app that you're using is advanced and supports a new discovery method called gossip. Most don't right now, but will later this year. https://nostr.watch has a list most of our relays.

Welcome to nostr Zoë! Some things might feel overwhelming but there is no dumb questions so keep em coming as you learn more! Many people like to use the #askNostr hashtag too when asking all kinds of questions on here. Seems like @Derek Ross covered your questions pretty well in his reply.

1) zaps are payments we sent to each other. It uses bitcoin lightning that's were the term comes from, the unit is sats, so you can say I zapped 21 sats. You need a Lightning wallet that has an lnaddress, it's like an email address, then you can put that address in you profile, there is a field for it. 2)Best way is to just check what other people are using, beware some of the might be paid, and you don't need too many, 4/5 good ones are enough. You can also use blasters that will fire your notes to many relays.

Welcome Zoë! Lots to learn here, but hopefully the experience is seamless enough for any user. Looking back, it gets significantly better every few months. The mute/block functions can be helpful as well 🙂

Think of nostr as like passing notes in school. Relays are the ppl sitting at the desks in between who "pass it on". My suggestion is use the nostr.wine relay. It's a paid relay (you have to pay to use it) but it will connect with other relays so it's like an all in one solution. Instead of connecting to 10 individual relays, connect to the wine relay and it'll blast your notes far and wide AND retrieve notes from other relays you're not directly connected to. See below for long winded explanation on zaps. TLDR zaps are peer to peer bitcoin micropayments. nostr:nevent1qqstm6p2slam9kkgsa6s5hw74t8rzdhfelgweu55v5yh9nfrep9vexcprfmhxue69uhkvun0vashg6r0dchxummnw3erztnrdaksygywyllmtjdm3nwszvddumh6f82k6sqm2sjdnl0e5clqwn2j0vr3tspsgqqqqqqsf8nfdl