Weekly Seeds | April 14, 2024 | Who's paying for this product?
Published by Noa Elan on
Why we have paid-only features
We’re launching a new paid feature next week! So I think it's a good opportunity to name WHY we have paid features.
We have a membership program because we believe that our members (you!) should pay for using Plura with money instead of paying indirectly with attention, mental health, freedom of speech, and personal data. Check out our membership page to learn about the perks we offer.
This is part of our effort to make Plura a financially sustainable company for many years to come. I’m inviting you to check out our team page and learn who’s building the app you use.
Reminder: Plura is part of the Pledge 1% community and is committed to donating 1% of its product. Please use and share the benefits we offer as part of NOTAFLOF program.
Next on “let’s get kids addicted to our products”. Yesterday, Duolingo sent me an email about adding social features to my kids' app. Until that email arrived, I didn’t realize how much my 8-year-old needed the social-pressure and extrinsic motivation to succeed in life. This will surely help!
My question: how are we designing our alternative social systems to effectively address the needs previously met by these religious organizations (Including emotional support, matchmaking servicing, mentorship, education, and play)?
I don’t think we’ve figured it out yet. As Ezra Klien beautifully wrote this week for NYT (paywall) “The social networks made it easy for anyone we’ve ever met, and plenty of people we never met, to friend and follow us. We could communicate with them all at once without communicating with them individually at all. Or so we were told. The idea that we could have so much community with so little effort was an illusion. We are digitally connected to more people than ever and terribly lonely nevertheless. Closeness requires time, and time has not fallen in cost or risen in quantity.”
Sex-positive policies
Here is some hopeful policy news to combat the horrific news about the Arizona Supreme Court reviving an 1864 abortion ban.
WASHINGTON STATE: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed the Strippers' Bill of Rights into law this week. The legislation enacts new worker protections, limits owners' fees to dancers, and mandates on-site security, keypad codes in dressing rooms, and panic buttons in places where entertainers may be alone with customers.
SACRAMENTO: The Sacramento council votes unanimously to become a sanctuary city for transgender people. While a welcome signal of intent, I appreciated reading Eric Stanley’s perspective on the challenges of realizing this intent.
Polyamory Orientation or Lifestyle? The debate continues
I’ve been following Remodeled Love content on kitchen-table poly and expanded family systems for a while now. I also heard nothing but amazing things about their Patreon community. Now, they are asking the community to support them as they embark on the long journey of getting medical treatment for their 3-year-old’s sleep apnea issues. As a parent of two kids, and as a partner to multiple people who have sleep apnea, I can’t imagine combining the two. DONATE HERE.
See you next week.
Noa Elan
Community Builder | Plura
Note: This newsletter represents my personal opinions and thoughts. As an average human, I have blindspots, bias, and make mistakes. I am committed to continue to learn and grow. Thank you for giving me feedback, sharing your experience, and educating me.
