Finding Your Community on Nostr

Discover your Nostr tribe. Strategies for finding people, communities, and conversations that matter to you on decentralized social media.

Hashtag Strategy (2 minutes)

Why Hashtags Matter

Hashtags are the primary way to discover content and people on Nostr:

Benefits:

• Find people with shared interests
• Join ongoing conversations
• Get discovered by others
• Build topical authority

Popular Nostr Hashtags

General:

• #introductions - Say hello
• #asknostr - Ask questions
• #nostr - General Nostr discussion

Technology:

• #bitcoin - Bitcoin discussion
• #lightning - Lightning Network
• #privacy - Privacy tools
• #opensource - Open source software

Lifestyle:

• #photography - Photos
• #music - Music sharing
• #art - Visual art
• #writing - Long-form content
• #foodstr - Food and cooking
• #coffeechain - Coffee culture
• #memes - Memes and humor

Community & Culture:

• #grownostr - Gardening and growing
• #semester - Education and learning
• #plebchain - Bitcoin plebs community

Regional:

• #africa, #asia, #europe, #americas
• City-specific tags
• Language tags

Using Hashtags Effectively

Do:

• Use 2-5 relevant hashtags per post
• Check trending tags in your client
• Follow hashtags you’re interested in
• Create your own for events/series

Don’t:

• Spam with 10+ hashtags
• Use irrelevant tags
• Tag every single post
• Create duplicate/similar tags

Discovering New Hashtags

1. Check what others use - See what hashtags popular accounts in your niche use
2. Search and explore - Try searching different topics
3. Ask the community - “What hashtags should I follow for [topic]?”

Following the Right People (3 minutes)

Quality Over Quantity

Better to follow 50 great accounts than 5,000 random ones.

What to Look For

Good follows:

• Post consistently (not too much, not too little)
• Share valuable content
• Engage with community
• Have been around a while
• Match your interests

Red flags:

• Only self-promotion
• Spam or low-quality posts
• Never engage with others
• Brand new accounts (no history)
• Suspicious behavior

Finding Your First Follows

Method 1: Follow Packs ⭐ Recommended

The easiest way to fill your feed with quality accounts:

Method 2: Client Starter Packs

• Many clients offer “suggested users”
• Topic-based starter lists
• “Who to follow” recommendations

Method 2: Search Hashtags

1. Search #bitcoin (or your interest)
2. See who posts quality content
3. Check their recent posts
4. Follow if you like their vibe

Method 3: Follow the Followers

1. Find one person you like
2. See who they follow
3. Check those accounts
4. Follow interesting ones

Method 4: Community Directories

• Community-curated directories
• GitHub lists of Nostr users

The 50-100 Rule

Aim for 50-100 active follows to start:

• Enough for a lively feed
• Not overwhelming
• Quality over quantity
• Can always add more

Curating Over Time

Weekly review:

• Unfollow accounts that don’t add value
• Add new discoveries
• Balance different interests
• Remove inactive accounts

Community Directories (2 minutes)

Nostr Explorers

What they are:

• Search users, posts, and hashtags
• Discover trending content
• Find people by topic
• Browse without an account

How to use:

1. Use a Nostr explorer
2. Search topics you like
3. See who posts about them
4. Check their profiles
5. Follow interesting people

Directories and Lists

Nostr.info

• User directory
• Client listings
• Relay information

Community Lists

• GitHub repositories with user lists
• Curated Twitter threads (ironic, but useful)
• Telegram/Discord community lists

Client-Specific

• Some clients have built-in discovery
• “Suggested users” features
• Trending posts sections

Creating Your Own List

If you’re well-connected:

1. Create a post with recommended follows
2. Use #starterpack or similar tag
3. Help newcomers find good people
4. Build community reputation

Long-Form Content (2 minutes)

Beyond Short Posts

Nostr isn’t just Twitter-style microblogging. There’s a rich ecosystem of long-form content:

Types of Long-Form:

• Blog posts
• Essays
• Threads (connected posts)
• Newsletters
• Technical articles

Finding Long-Form Writers

Nostrudel

• Specialized client for long-form
• Curated lists of writers
• Great for reading

Habla.news

• News-style interface
• Long-form focused
• Community curated

YakiHonne

• Japanese-focused
• Long-form support
• Growing community

Following Writers

What to look for:

• Consistent publishing
• Quality over quantity
• Engagement with readers
• Unique perspectives
• Good signal-to-noise ratio

Benefits:

• Deeper content
• Better discussions
• Learn new things
• Build relationships

Events & Coordination (2 minutes)

Finding Events on Nostr

Types of Events:

• Meetups (local Nostr gatherings)
• Conferences (Bitcoin, privacy, tech)
• Twitter Spaces equivalents
• Hackathons
• AMAs (Ask Me Anything)

Event Coordination

Hashtags to watch:

• #meetup, #event, #conference
• #AMA, #spaces, #live
• City-specific (#nyc, #london, #tokyo)

RSVP on Nostr:

• Some clients support event RSVPs
• Follow event organizers
• Watch for announcements

Creating Events

To host:

1. Create a post with details
2. Use #event hashtag
3. Tag relevant people
4. Post updates regularly
5. Share photos after

Virtual Events

Twitter Spaces alternatives:

• Some clients adding audio
• External tools (Fountain, etc.)
• Scheduled text AMAs

DM Etiquette (2 minutes)

Safety First

Nostr DMs are encrypted but not perfect:

• End-to-end encrypted (E2EE)
• But metadata visible (who talks to whom)
• Some clients handle encryption differently

DM Best Practices

Do:

• Be respectful
• Introduce yourself
• Keep it relevant
• Respect boundaries
• Remember it’s still public metadata

Don’t:

• Spam or harass
• Send unsolicited messages
• Share private keys (EVER)
• Assume complete privacy
• Send sensitive info

Handling Unwanted DMs

If someone bothers you:

1. Mute - Stop seeing their content
2. Block - They can’t interact with you
3. Report - If serious, tell community
4. Don’t engage - Feeds trolls

Prevention:

• Don’t post your DMs are open if you don’t mean it
• Be selective about who you respond to
• Trust your instincts

Building Your Network (3 minutes)

Engagement Strategy

The 80/20 Rule:

• 80% adding value (posts, replies, zaps)
• 20% self-promotion

Ways to Add Value:

• Thoughtful replies
• Sharing insights
• Answering questions
• Curating content
• Encouraging others

Consistency Matters

Post regularly:

• Daily is great
• Few times a week is good
• Weekly minimum
• Quality over quantity

Best times to post:

• Varies by your audience
• Experiment and see
• Generally: morning/evening
• Avoid middle of night (unless that’s your timezone)

Building Relationships

One-on-one:

• Reply to their posts
• Zap their content
• Send thoughtful DMs
• Remember details
• Be genuine

Community:

• Participate in conversations
• Help newcomers
• Share opportunities
• Celebrate others’ wins

Patience

It takes time:

• First 100 followers are hardest
• Momentum builds slowly
• Quality relationships > quantity
• Be in it for the long term

Quick Reference

Discovery Methods:

• Hashtags (#topic)
• Follow the followers
• Community directories
• Starter packs

Engagement Tips:

• Reply thoughtfully
• Zap generously
• Be consistent
• Add value first

Safety:

• Trust your instincts
• Block/mute freely
• Don’t share sensitive info
• Remember metadata leaks

Remember: Your community is out there. Be patient, be authentic, be helpful.

Test Your Community Knowledge

Ready to see if you’re ready to find your tribe on Nostr?