Been thinking a lot lately about what would actually make people return to community platforms again instead of just endlessly scrolling global feeds.
I’m currently building Substr, a more community-focused social app on top of Nostr, and one thing I keep asking myself is:
What is genuinely missing from places like Reddit, Discord, X, etc. that would make you actively want to use something else?
Not “better moderation” or “less ads” — but actual features, structures, or experiences.
Some things I personally miss:
- calmer, more organized communities
- long-form discussions that don’t disappear instantly
- feeds shaped around interests instead of engagement farming
- spaces that feel more like digital neighborhoods than content machines
- discussions around podcasts/shows/projects instead of just personalities
- ownership of identity/content without platform lock-in
I also think there’s something interesting in bringing back smaller niche communities instead of one giant global feed for everything.
Curious what others here think.
If you could redesign online communities/social platforms from scratch today:
what would they absolutely need for you to come back and actually stay?
I think there’s overlap, and SN is already doing a lot of interesting things.
But Substr is just a bit more focused on Reddit-style communities and dedicated spaces around creators, podcasts, projects, interests, etc. with their own feeds, post types, long-form content, media and live streams.
Mostly just looking for ideas/features that could make those kinds of communities genuinely interesting to use and come back to.
It sounds like you want what SN is already building. Why reinvent the wheel?