
My friends and family think my idea is crazy. Want to gather more opinions - jackbrennan
I want to build a peer-to-peer search platform on the blockchain.<p>The experience would flow something like this: I type in a search query. I hit enter. I see a loading view that says &#x27;Finding the right person.&#x27; In the background, the server is matching the search request against all of the profiles it finds relevant. Once a match is found, I&#x27;m taken to a chat view, where I&#x27;m able to message the other person in real-time. I can then ask more follow-up questions, and they can ask questions back to understand my context. Once the conversation is over, I see a rating view where I can rate the other person from 1-5 stars, and they do the same for me.<p>Whenever I tell a family member or close friend that I want to build this, they look at me, their eyes squint, and they say either, &#x27;What? Why?&#x27; or &#x27;Doesn&#x27;t Google do search?&#x27;<p>Am I crazy? Or do they not see how powerful this could be?
======
celticninja
What is the point of the service? Who gets paid and by who? There is already a
Q and A site built on ethereum where people can answer questions and the
highest upvoted answer gets a ETH reward.

Sounds like quora or stack overflow with cryptocurrencies

------
nxsynonym
Personally I would not use this type of service.

When I search I either want close-to-instant knowledge that I need (for simple
info), or an archived discussion (for more complex).

The problem I see with this service is the speed of it. In the time it would
take me to ask a question, get matched with someone, start a conversation,
answer follow up questions, and (maybe) reach an answer - I could have
searched multiple pages of Google/stackoverflow/quora results.

Also there is no guarantee that the person who is answering is knowledgeable
and not trolling. At least with standard search you have a wealth of
information (results) to compare against.

~~~
jackbrennan
Valid points.

To the speed point, we would have an incentive structure that would facilitate
the fastest possible responses.

And to the trolling point, to become a 'partner' on the platform it wouldn't
just be a simple sign-up form-- there would be a peer-to-peer interviewing
system. Say you were an expert on ketogenic diets and wanted to join the
platform. In order to do so, you would have to be interviewed by someone
already on the platform as a keto partner.

------
gvb
_I want to build a peer-to-peer search platform on the blockchain._

How does the blockchain figure in? How are you not doing ______ "but now,
_with blockchain!!!_ "

Why would an expert (presumably) sign up to answer questions from strangers?
What makes your pellets delicious?

[http://dilbert.com/strip/1995-01-25](http://dilbert.com/strip/1995-01-25)

~~~
jackbrennan
At first, we would use the blockchain to build an 'inflationary model.' See
here for a deeper explanation: [https://medium.com/@intenex/stream-101-making-
content-creati...](https://medium.com/@intenex/stream-101-making-content-
creation-profitable-2f444ff27efb)

Essentially, as the platform grows we mint new tokens. The more you contribute
to the growth of the platform through doing an awesome job fulfilling search
requests, the more of these tokens you earn.

~~~
supermdguy
What gives the tokens value? They're worthless until there are enough users to
answer questions on most subjects. However, it's very difficult to create
networks that rely on users to gain users. As others have mentioned,
convincing users to use your service over stackoverflow/quora will be very
difficult at first. You'll need to get a critical mass of guaranteed users
before the site goes live in order to succeed.

------
supermdguy
What do you mean by "peer-to-peer" search platform. Are the people asking each
other questions, instead of using a search engine? Or is it just a platform to
chat with random people?

~~~
jackbrennan
Each topic, say cryptocurrency, would be a network of knowledgeable, skilled
and experienced people. Each of these people would accept incoming search
requests to answer questions, explain information, come up with solutions,
etc. Because each request isn't static anymore, but dynamic-- the tool's
utility can grow from being only information to being collaborative as well.

