FAQ
What is Subsocial?​
Subsocial is a set of Substrate pallets that allows anyone to launch their own decentralized social network or community, or add social features to an existing application. Subsocial is not a decentralized social network, like Twitter or Facebook, but rather Subsocial is a platform for building social networks.
How can I get SUB tokens?​
See our tutorial on how to get SUB.
How can I unlock my locked SUB?​
To manage your locked SUB, visit the Content Staking page on Grill. Content Staking requires users to lock SUB in order to earn rewards for their activity.
How can I claim my vested SUB?​
To claim vested SUB, sign in to Sub.ID, navigate to the Kusama crowdloans tab on the left-hand sidebar, and find the Subsocial row. Towards the right side, you will see how many tokens you have available to claim, along with a hand icon to easily claim them.
Where does the name come from?​
Subsocial will be the underlying architecture which the social networks of the future are built on top of. The prefix Sub refers to two things:
- Subsocial will be the base layer supporting all of the social activity on top of it
- Subsocial is built on the Substrate technology
How does Subsocial compare to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.?​
Because Subsocial is not a social network, but a platform to build social networks on, this is an apples to oranges comparison. However, social networks built on top of Subsocial (such as Grill) will have numerous advantages compared to Web2 social networks, such as decentralization, censorship resistance, multiple avenues of decentralized monetization (no middle-men charging fees), and various other benefits of running on a blockchain.
What are the benefits of building a community on Subsocial?​
Due to some of the features previously listed, Subsocial will allow you to create a much more vibrant and involved community. Utilizing social tokens and decentralized governance features, community members will be able to become participants in a way never before experienced. Because Subsocial is a censorship resistant protocol, there is no central authority that can control your community. Instead, the community itself can determine their own moderation and membership rules.
Additionally, any new communities launched on Subsocial will have access to content already on the network. This solves the chicken and egg problem of whether users or content comes first.
How can users benefit from using Subsocial?​
On traditional social networks, most users never receive any compensation for the value they provide to the network. With social networks built on Subsocial, users will actually be able to capture the value they produce through various monetization methods, like tipping, subscriptions, social tokens, selling ad space, and more. Additionally, Subsocial will feature an algorithm marketplace, letting users be in control of the content they see.
How do I start using Subsocial?​
Head to one of the applications built on top of Subsocial, such as Grill!
Can I use Subsocial on mobile devices?​
Yes. Some Subsocial apps, such as Grill, support mobile use.
I am having trouble figuring out how to use Subsocial. What can I do?​
If you have any questions, please reach out to us in our Discord chat.
How is inappropriate or illegal content handled on Subsocial?​
Subsocial has multiple ways to handle undesirable content. All posts must be made in spaces, and the owner(s) of a space can either act as a moderator themselves, or appoint moderators, who can handle moderation. Additionally, because Subsocial is made up of a separate back-end (the blockchain) and front-end (websites or mobile apps), the creators/operators of the front-end can moderate on their end.
Here is an easy example: a website that runs on Subsocial that is focused only on cats would not show any dog-related content from the Subsocial blockchain.
For more information, check out the moderation page.
How does Subsocial store user’s content and data?​
Subsocial uses the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) to store user’s content. To learn more about how IPFS fits into the Subsocial stack, check out this article.
What are SUB tokens? What can I do with them?​
SUB tokens are the native token of the Subsocial blockchain, and can be used to interact with the network.
You can use your SUB tokens to create a space, make posts, and interact with others on Subsocial,
by following them, or commenting and voting on their posts. Currently, you can also tip other users using your SUB tokens,
or lock them to take part in Content Staking.
You can also burn SUB to generate energy, allowing you to complete transations with reduced fees.
What is energy?​
Energy can be used to perform actions on the network, with lower fees than if you use SUB tokens. Energy can be created by burning SUB tokens. Read more here.
Can I transfer energy?​
No. Energy is not a token, and it cannot be transferred.
Can I give energy to other people or accounts?​
Yes, but only by burning SUB. An account can burn SUB to create energy in a different account, allowing you to burn SUB and create the energy in your friend's account, for example.
Can I convert energy back into SUB?​
No.
What is the ticker for Subsocial’s token?​
The ticker of the token is SUB.
What is the total token supply?​
The total supply at launch was 1 billion (1,000,000,000) tokens.
Is there an existential deposit on Subsocial?​
Currently the existential deposit on the betanet is 0.1 SUB. This is subject to change in the future depending on the overall tokenomics of Subsocial.
What are the official social links?​
See all of our important links here.