Both @jeff and @grayruby have recently expressed the grim reality of trying to run a territory on Stacker News. Breaking even is an unrealistic pipe dream given the fee split structure as it exists. Are we fools? Maybe. As @elvismercury pointed out, there is value that perhaps can’t be calculated by adding up sats, and I agree. Also, no one forced us to own a territory. We knew the rules going in. So we can either surrender our territories, continue to pay our monthly fees and get angrier at that guy @k00b who we all used to like so much (and that @ekzyis guy too), or try to figure out a way to earn sats.
Pinned Posts
I drove everyone crazy to get pinned posts, so I started playing around with them. Initially you could not zap a pinned post, but now you can. Owners can market pinned posts as a better alternative to boosting for either individual stackers or organizations who boost. Boosting gives you added visibility for I think a day or two at most. A pinned post can give visibility for as long as the stacker wants. Perhaps a typical 25k boost could buy a pin for a week. It is a win win.
We can all sit around and wait until SN finds the time to build this code as an option, or we can start now. A prospective pinner makes the post, then tells the owner that they would like it pinned for a period of time. Price and term are negotiated. The owner replies to the post with the terms, and the stacker zaps the reply with the agreed upon amount. Yes, both parties must trust each other. We trust SN with our sats as it is anyway. In fact, setting forth the terms could actually be considered an enforceable contract in some jurisdictions, but that’s not the point. This is an open agreement visible to everyone. The owner’s reputation and that of the territory would be destroyed if the bargain was not upheld.
There are a few technical issues that might need to be addressed. I have the sense that pinned posts do not get the same treatment when it comes to being designated as “hot” or “top.” If I’m right, the poster may benefit from seeing how the post is doing organically over the first 24 hours or so before pinning. Maybe @k00b or @ekzyis can provide some insight.
Also, I think there might be a stigma associated with that little pin. I think a stealth pin would have value. The pinned post would look like any other post. I'll start bugging @ekzyis now.
What I like about this idea is that the owner gets zapped on his reply. This avoids the draconian fee split that SN uses and the sats go directly to the owner’s wallet.
I intend to start offering this option on my territories. Please let me know what you think.
pinicon and I would prefer to keep things clear to the users.