The Zapbox Style Relay
Generally I try to avoid mentioning zaps in anything that I write about Nostr. There are enough people talking about that... constantly. It is a pretty unavoidable subject with this relay, though, since they are the main crux of what makes it really cool. Let's take a little walk through of what it does:
The Zapbox style relay enables content creators to accumulate de facto subscribers through their incoming zaps. Any note can receive zaps, so Zapbox collects and counts zap receipts on the creator's behalf. The creator can then set up a threshold, like 5000 sats, for example. Over a 3 month timespan, if any individual follower has zapped that predetermined amount to the creator on any of their notes or other content, that follower then gain access to any exclusive content that the creator has posted to the Zapbox relay. It's not paywalled content in the way that we normally think about that, but more of a way to provide special extras for your supporters.
Zapbox notes will appear in the feed of anyone following the content creator, so long as they are using an outbox supporting client. Zapbox utilizes Nostr's protected events, to limit the audience. Like with most things on the internet, there is no guarantee of privacy, but for the normal creator with normal supporters, its a fun and simple way to engage with fans in a more personalized fashion. Conversation can happen around a video or blog entry in a way that creates curiosity among onlookers, spurring possible new "subscribers". In the event that someone comes across these conversations, they too, can zap the creator and gain access to the discussed content. The zap log updates every few hours, so once the threshold is met and some time has passed, the publication becomes available, looping in the new zapper with full context to the conversation.
I've played around with this quite a bit and its a very fun. I don't consider myself to be a content creator, but still with 5-6 friends who have zapped the minimum threshold amount to me, I have been able to leave a few little surprises and give a few other people the opportunity to see what Zapbox notes are all about. I've left jokes, special images, and poetry (albiet not very good poetry) for my fan-friends to enjoy, if they so choose. Given the current state of support for protected events and the outbox method of relay connection on Nostr, right now it is best to announce that you have made or intend on making a Zapbox post. Otherwise, a lot of people may not know that you've done so. With many major clients shifting towards an outbox supporting model, this should be a moot point before long. Still though, for the serious (or even semi-serious) content creator, announcing these posts in a fully public note can drum up interest and give you the opportunity to convey your minimum zap threshold, as this information is not really visible anywhere. I really don't need to delve any further into the mechanics behind engagement. I'm sure any creator can come up with the methods that will work for them, and I far from an expert on the subject. Most important to me is that people have the knowledge and awareness to use the super cool tools that are available to them. The client/relay relationship on Nostr enables so much more than the typical social media experience. There are whole swaths of unexplored and underexplored ways of interacting with eachother. Zapbox is a great example of that... and who knows what else hasn't even been thought up yet. This concept could be the gateway to a whole new world for earning income for your creations.
I don't currently know of an active example to present. I will update this again if I should come across an instance for reference.
...and in the usual spirit, host your own or contribute to development here.
Published to Nostr with untype.app
nostr:2c6ba6ba763a4acb5a2bf17abaf72c0e7d6e88ec1de2161969cfb998db5a33c2