Hey 👋 I’ve been here over a year now. 

Long ago someone explained it like this: apologies as I didn’t keep their name. Sorry 😣 

Relays are like postal services that make copies of your messages and distribute them when your followers ask for them.  No.

They also give you copies of messages they got from people you follow. 

In other words, they are public postal services. 
Ironically, it's more similar to postal services than "email" (you don't need "user and password" to send/receive physical mail). 

And clients are like typewriters. Apps like Damus, Amethyst and Nostrudel are "clients". 

So, when you communicate through Nostr, you're communicating with the world, or at least the portion of it that you follow/follows you.

After you’ve been here awhile I’d suggest tossing some sats a developer you enjoy. 😉 

Why? Older writing ✍️ of mine below 👇 

Social media sites are pyramid schemes but instead of purchasing product: 

Users: 
• collect dopamine hits via likes & shares 
• form friendships without every meeting 
• willingly feed our data to be used 

For those in the back: we are the product being sold
——

It’s a paradigm shift so if that’s too much. Ignore me. Hugs 🫂