Blueprint for a New Chat Service

I used to be a member of SFnet and of course the yahoo chatrooms before the former collapsed and the latter became spam-infested.

I've been thinking lately of how a system like this could be freed from the spam pillaging and how id could plug into the social network scene.

Here is a quick blueprint for a chat network 2.0.

Micropayments as validation

In order to get a chat identity you have to

1. Pay a dollar using a paypal account
2. Be vouched for by at least one member of the trusted circle
3. Agree to terms of service including punitive measures for commercial messaging; in the first month of the account, a deposit is paid that is forfeit on bad behavior and refunded upon good behavior.

Paid substcriptions are not an accepted model of social networking, but without both a barrier to entry and a financial penalty for violation, you will always be enabling malicious use.

A network of trust

The best communities are built on a network of trust -- you may not trust A, but A is B's friend and you trust B; too far out and it gets murky but the degree of seperation principle works well in practice in social networks.

Establishing a network of trust is important. If you already have a social network, you can register your entire circle at a group discount for the initial deposit.

A history of abuse

Abusive behavior is tied to domains most of the time; a collective registry of abusive domains should quickly establish patterns of abuse. Also a running log of conversations is kept the first month and reviewed by your sponsor. This means you do NOT automatically earn the right to communicate privately until you have demonstrated your maturity in public. Upon elevation of your account to trusted status (by peers and your sponsor) you earn the right to send PMs.

Freedom is expensive

Craigslist has become infested with malicous abuse of accounts and information. It depresses the level of faith and the desire for community members to participate and communicate with each other. This is the best example of how passive blind trust is bad policy and creates enough exploitable opportunities that it really defeats the purpose that open networks were created to fulfill.

Chatscapes

Localizing chatters is a worthwhile ambition. Some tracing can be done through IP tracking, and other tracking can be done through smart phones. Again, the right to chat without broadcasting your position can be earned but should not be granted automatically. I think people have a right to know if they are dealing with an out of state or international entity. I think part of the purpose of online community is to both increase intentional international correspondance and to create opportunitites to talk with people you truly want to meet.