Derek Ross and Heather Larson of Soapbox Technology sit down to chat about what’s buzzing in the decentralized social space of Nostr and AI for a fresh edition of Soapbox Sessions. They break down their new podcast platform, Podstr, which they vibe coded using Soapbox tools, and why giving power back to the community matters.

They riff on the headaches of mobile ecosystems, the crazy‑fast rise of Nostr apps, and how AI tools like Gemini (hello, Nano Banana!) are opening up wild creative possibilities.

Heather and Derek also dive into the spirit of collaboration that fuels the Nostr community, the ups and downs of micro‑payments, and why we still need smarter ways to discover cool content.

Oh, and they give us the lowdown on the upcoming Nostr Valley event—don’t miss it!

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction

03:40 - The Launch of Podstr

06:35 - Dogfooding and Community Empowerment

09:34 - Decentralization in Podcasting

12:42 - Mobile Tech and Ecosystem Lock-in

15:32 - Nostr News and App Development

18:41 - The Digital Spaghetti Age

21:31 - Nostr's Growth and Future Prospects

23:46 - Exploring Nostr Search Tools

25:11 - DDoS Attacks and Infrastructure Challenges

26:36 - Testing New Apps: RUNSTR and Its Features

28:10 - The Role of Community in App Development

32:04 - AI Innovations: Gemini and Nano Banana

38:43 - Nostr's Place in the Social Media Landscape

47:20 - Building Community Through Consistency

48:12 - The Demand for Micro Payments on Bluesky

48:27 - Understanding Bitcoin and Its Stigma

49:57 - The Role of Micro Payments in Engagement

52:16 - Algorithms: The Good, The Bad, and The Future

54:04 - The Concept of Algorithm Marketplaces

55:51 - Content Discovery and User Engagement

56:58 - The Future of Nostr and Upcoming Events

01:01:35 - Listener Engagement and Boosts

01:03:27 - Teasing Future Content and Community Growth

Submit a news tip or ask a question: https://soapbox.pub/soapbox-sessions/

Find tools on the website: https://soapbox.pub/

Follow on X: https://x.com/SoapboxTech

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⭐ Support the podcast on Podcast 2.0 open networks:

The one we built, Podstr: https://sessions.soapbox.pub/

Listen on Fountain: https://fountain.fm/show/aq7IaS6bdQ6kF6NWDzzc

Become a fan on True Fans: https://truefans.fm/soapbox-sessions

Podverse: https://podverse.fm/podcast/hPdQ-otsG

Podcast Guru: https://app.podcastguru.io/podcast/1837576097

Podcast Index: https://podcastindex.org/podcast/7473968

🔵 Listen on closed networks/walled gardens: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1uBFCX46GH0npKB46stxAO Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/soapbox-sessions/id1837576097

In this episode of Soapbox Sessions, your hosts, Derek Ross (DevRel) and Heather Larson (Marketing Director), explore the latest developments in the decentralized internet, Nostr, and AI. They discuss the significance of “zaps” and “boosts” in podcasting and other content creation, the rise of live streaming on Nostr, and the impact of Bitchat during protests. Derek & Heather also highlight upcoming events in the Nostr community and a new feature from music streaming platform Tidal that allows independent artists to earn directly from their music, using CashApp. The conversation emphasizes the importance of value exchange between creators & fans as well as rapid advancements in AI technology. They also talk about the significance of the partnership between OpenAI and Oracle, focusing on the implications of their $300 billion compute power deal and the growing need for decentralized AI. They explore the impact of data centers on local communities, particularly in terms of resource consumption. Heather & Derek also tease about Shakespeare Act II, which empowers users to create and own their code using conversational AI. You’ll learn about innovative apps users have developed and what goes on during Soapbox vibe coding jam sessions. You’ll also learn how to get involved in upcoming Nostr community events. Join our grassroots revolution to rebuild the internet and take out power (and data) back from Big Tech™.

Chapters

00:00- Introduction to Decentralized Social Networking and AI

01:03- Understanding zaps and boosts in podcasting and online content

05:02 - The Rapid Evolution of decentralized tech

06:02 - Nostr News: live streaming and DDoS challenges

12:02- BitChat: A decentralized communication tool

16:33 - The Importance of decentralized communication

20:58 - Upcoming events in the Nostr community

23:41 - A new Tidal feature is a step towards fair compensation for independent musicians

25:29 - The value exchange for artists; how artists can earn in new ways

30:13 - Simplifying the UX

35:57 - AI and data centers

42:50 - Innovative app development

46:40 - Purging dead accounts on Nostr

49:02 - The technical challenges of following on Nostr (curating your feed) and how the community is working to fix it.

51:06 - The importance of maintaining a clean follower list (Heather & Derek have differing opinions).

54:41 - Community initiatives in vibe coding

56:58 - Empowering creativity with Shakespeare

01:01:02 - The future of Shakespeare means users will get more flexibility

01:04:42 - Wrapping Up: Shakespeare Act II coming soon…

Find tools on the website: https://soapbox.pub/

Follow on X: https://x.com/SoapboxTech

Follow on Nostr: https://primal.net/p/nprofile1qqs8sxs4yuz47axp7uprpugrs3sfkdz5379tdg9xe2n5qfvz070a4egc9mrhy

⭐ Support the podcast on Podcast 2.0 open networks: The one we built, Podstr: https://sessions.soapbox.pub/ Listen on Fountain: https://fountain.fm/show/aq7IaS6bdQ6kF6NWDzzc Become a fan on True Fans: https://truefans.fm/soapbox-sessions Podverse: https://podverse.fm/podcast/hPdQ-otsG Podcast Guru: https://app.podcastguru.io/podcast/1837576097 Podcast Index: https://podcastindex.org/podcast/7473968

🔵 Listen on closed networks/walled gardens: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1uBFCX46GH0npKB46stxAO Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/soapbox-sessions/id1837576097

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction to Soapbox Sessions

03:41 - Understanding Nostr and the decentralized social future

06:56 - Exploring Nostr Apps: Primal, Amethyst, and more

09:40 - The power of decentralization: Your data, your identity

13:02 - Nostr is beyond social media with diverse applications possible

15:58 - Centralized platforms are high on censorship and control

18:48 - Navigating Nostr: Keys, security, and UX

21:52 - Personal Journeys: How we discovered and got into Nostr

24:51 - Building Community: Nostr meetups in Phoenix and beyond

30:32 - The Aha Moment: How Nostr offers true value to the user

33:10 - Reclaiming Humanity in Social Media

34:51 - The Journey to Nostr: From skepticism to adoption

39:21 - Building on Nostr: Nostrplebs, what it is, and why Derek made it

43:52 - Navigating the technical landscape of Nostr

45:17 - The Future of Social Media: What makes Nostr unique

51:34 - Navigating personal content choices

54:02 - Decentralization and freedom of speech

57:39 - The Echo Chamber Effect

01:00:53 - Advertising and user experience

01:03:05 - Building a healthier digital relationship with social media

01:05:04 - Upcoming events

01:12:04 - Reflections on the conversation

Find tools on the website: https://soapbox.pub/

Follow on X: https://x.com/SoapboxTech

Follow on Nostr: https://nostr.com/npub10qdp2fc9ta6vraczxrcs8prqnv69fru2k6s2dj48gqjcylulmtjsg9arpj

⭐ Support the podcast on Podcast 2.0 open networks:

The one we built, Podstr: https://sessions.soapbox.pub/

Listen on Fountain: https://fountain.fm/show/aq7IaS6bdQ6kF6NWDzzc

Become a fan on True Fans: https://truefans.fm/soapbox-sessions

Podverse: https://podverse.fm/podcast/hPdQ-otsG

Podcast Guru: https://app.podcastguru.io/podcast/1837576097

Podcast Index: https://podcastindex.org/podcast/7473968

🔵 Listen on closed networks/walled gardens:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1uBFCX46GH0npKB46stxAO

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/soapbox-sessions/id1837576097

Join Soapbox DevRel, Derek Ross, and Marketing Director, Heather Larson, for a relaxed chat about what’s happening in decentralized social media, AI, and the Nostr community. They’ll walk you through the newest app updates, talk about the trends shaping the “purple‑verse,” and share a few stories from the front lines.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

How Nostr helps people build truly decentralized communities.

New Android release: the Amethyst app for Nostr.

A quick look at Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat and what makes it different.

Takeaways from “BTC HEL(sinki)” and the future of the Internet

The rise of “vibe coding,” or AI‑assisted development.

Some cool projects the Soapbox team is working on, like Podstr

The thing we can’t tell you about, but we’ll call it “Purpleverse” for now…

Coming up next week:

Catch a new episode each Thursday for more insights and updates on decentralized tech. You can listen at sessions.soapbox.pub or on any major podcast platform.