Yet More on the Dendrite Network

I woke up this morning feeling like writing up a couple of the subtle points of the ol' D.N., so here goes.

No Privileged Position

One thing that I feel is crucial, and that I expect many people to overlook or ignore, is the neutrality of or lack of privileged position in the basis network.

In order to explain more clearly I will employ a metaphor: the basis network is like the Great Plains, and the campaigns that run on top of it are like buffalo. Or again, the network layer is like the Internet, while the campaigns are like the services and sites running on the Internet.

As the operator and steward of the network I do not get any special consideration.  Specifically, I do not take a cut of every sale. In fact, I don't even participate in the transaction. If no one tells me a sale happened I won't even know.  If I want to make money using the D.N. I must start a campaign of my own or help spread others', just like anybody else.

The system is symmetrical, egalitarian, diffident even.  Eventually I will found a non-profit to administer it.

Social Feedback

The D.N. is just a way to spread memes and publicly track the spread. It makes no attempt to provide any communication or feedback between the users, other than publicly recording "reject" notices in the log. It does not even have "accounts".

Because you are generally only exchanging "bump URLs" with people you know, I expect that you can use social channels to communicate with them already!

The D.N. is not meant to foster new connections, only to publicly record and illustrate memes spreading through your existing connections.