We’re launching tomorrow, and I honestly don’t know if this should work

Tomorrow we're launching Elseweb on Product Hunt.

We're trying something a little unusual:

What if every domain on the internet had a community attached to it?

No integration required. The website owner doesn't have to create it — and more importantly, they don't own or control the conversation.

You can talk about any domain simply by visiting its community. Website owners can also embed that community back into their own sites.

Underneath, it's an open-source federated protocol with independent relays and portable identities. Anyone can run a relay or build another client.

But building the network was the easy part.

The obvious problem was:

Who wants to join an empty network?

So we're experimenting with something else too — an Attention Board where domains can pay for visibility.

Money can buy attention, but nothing more.

It can't buy moderation.
It can't remove criticism.
It can't buy control over a community.

Attention ≠ authority.

I genuinely don't know whether these two ideas belong together.

That's partly why we're launching it.

Tomorrow will be the first time we're putting Elseweb in front of a larger group of people and seeing what actually happens.

Maybe people talk. Maybe nobody cares. Maybe they use it in a completely different way than we expected.

All three outcomes would be interesting.

See you tomorrow. 🫡