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.
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
Is Subsocial a standalone blockchain?
No. Subsocial originally launched as a standalone blockchain, and then became a parachain on Kusama in January 2022. Subsocial won a parachain slot on Polkadot in January 2023, and now runs as a Polkadot parachain.
Why does Subsocial need a parachain?
To learn about why Subsocial launched as a parachain, please read this article.
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 PolkaVerse) 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 is PolkaVerse?
PolkaVerse is the first social network built on Subsocial, created by the Subsocial team. It enables you to use of all the major functionality of the Subsocial network, such as creating spaces and posts, generating energy, etc.
Are there any other dapps built on Subsocial?
Yes, you can see a comprehensive list of applications built on Subsocial on the Awesome Subsocial page.
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?
The answer depends on which application you would like to use.
For Grill.chat, just open the app and start chatting - it's that simple!
If you want to use a more advanced application like PolkaVerse, you can sign in by creating an account with an email address and password, or, if you want to experience the full functionality of the app, use a browser wallet extension.
For that, we recommend you install the Talisman extension in your browser. This extension allows you to sign transactions for the Subsocial blockchain. It’s similar to MetaMask (a browser extension for Ethereum).
After Talisman is installed, create (or import) your account, and then you can sign into PolkaVerse.
Once you have signed in, complete the Onboarding process, which will help you get some energy and create your first space.
Can I use Subsocial on mobile devices?
Yes. There are currently two apps on Subsocial that are compatible with mobile browsers: Grill.chat and PolkaVerse.
For Grill.chat, just open the app and start chatting - it's that simple!
In order to use PolkaVerse from your mobile browser, you will have to sign in with an email address and password.
If you would like to have the full functionality of the app, you will need to use a mobile wallet that supports PolkaVerse.
For this, we recommend Nova Wallet. You can find a tutorial for setting it up here.
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 this post.
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,
and more monetization features will be added in the future.
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.
Is energy required to use Subsocial?
No, you can use SUB for transaction fees, but the fees will be lower if you turn SUB into energy and use energy for transaction fees.
Is there a way to get free tokens in order to use Subsocial?
No, but in the future applications may give energy to their users for free, allowing you to use Subsocial.
How can I buy Subsocial tokens?
Currently it is not possible to buy Subsocial tokens.
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 SUB an ERC20 token?
No. Subsocial has its own native token built on the Substrate blockchain framework. Our token uses the same technology as DOT, KSM, ASTR, HDX, and other tokens of Substrate-based chains.
Where can I see Subsocial's smart contracts?
There are no smart contracts for Subsocial yet, because it is built as a custom blockchain on top of the Substrate blockchain framework. The Subsocial blockchain is optimized for social networking types of operations, and has very low fees.
Do you have a lightpaper?
Where can I learn about Subsocial's tokenomics?
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.
I cannot get my wallet to connect to PolkaVerse. What is wrong?
If you are having issues connecting, try the below steps:
- Turn your AdBlock off
- Make sure you have allowed polkaverse.com to access your wallet
- Reload the page (CTRL + F5)
If you are using the Polkadot.js wallet (which we do not recommend), you should also make sure that you Polkadot.js account is set to "Allow use on any chain"
Please ask us for help in our Discord if you are still having trouble.
What are the official social links?
See all of our important links here.