be kind

The prosocial non-network

FAQ

What is this?
A social non-network.
How does it work?
You throw bottles in the sea, stranger can answer them. You can't answer back. It's not a discussion.
Can you elaborate? It's pretty cryptic.
be_kind uses the metaphor of a bottle at sea. You can throw a bottle with a message inside. Other users might be able to catch it, read it, and answer it. Each bottle can have several answers. Once you get an answer, you can send back a thank if you feel like it. And that's it.
Are there rules? Limits?
Bottles can contain 250 characters. Answers can contain 1500 characters. Thanks contain nothing. Bottles can be sent once a day, and caught once an hour.
What about trolls? How do you moderate the content?
When you catch a bottle you can decide to put it back in the water or not. This way nobody else will see it and everyone is a moderator. Coupled with the time limit listed above, it's a pretty safe space in my experience.
Where did you get that idea?
I documented my reflection here if that helps.
Is it open source?
Yes it is!
Can you share the algorithm?
Sure! Every social platform should do so. It's plain simple: the algorithm to select a bottle is:
  • Take all the bottles that aren't on the shore.
  • Remove the one you already saw.
  • Take all the bottle with the minimum number of answers.
  • Keep only the one that has been seen the least.
  • If several are left, take the one least answered.
  • If several are left, take a random one.
Can I use my account on another device?
Yes! Use the following link on another device to bind it to the current account:

/change_user/unknown