Pocketnet FAQ

Updated: May 8, 2021

NOTE: You are free to print, download or distribute this but use this URL when sharing a link to this page: http://tiny.cc/pnetfaq.

Why Pocketnet?

1. Data is stored on a blockchain.
2. There is no central server, "nodes" help manage processing and are run mostly by other users.
3. There are no admin controls to censor people. Each user must block the other users.
4. Pnet app will work even if the website is censored via DNS controls.
5. Access via the website https://pocketnet.app or via the app here: Get the Windows and linux CLIENT app here: https://github.com/pocketnetteam/pocketnet.gui/releases/
6. Your phone number is not required, and your email is optional. Login is done via a long key that is given to you.

Sign up here using your browser, it's free! You can also earn PocketCoin (POC) when you get 4 or 5 stars on your posts.

Pocketnet is a decentralized network that works on a blockchain. That means there are no central servers, and no central control. Admins simply do not have the ability to ban people, the individual must take that responsibility to block people if they want to. Users run the nodes. The more nodes users run, the better the network runs, similar to Bitcoin. You also get paid in POC tokens for good content you create that scores well.

The website is https://pocketnet.app. But if the website goes down you can still use the app to connect to people as long as you have internet. The website uses the DNS system, the app does not. Since Pockenet, or Pnet, is increasing in popularity there will be some days that it is slow. To speed things up they need more nodes running on computers 24/7.

1. The short link that always points to the current location of this faq is at: https://tiny.cc/pnetfaq/
2. Help center and FAQ: https://pocketnet.app/help?page=faq
3. Get the Windows and linux CLIENT app here: https://github.com/pocketnetteam/pocketnet.gui/releases/
4. Get the NODE (server) app here: https://github.com/pocketnetteam/pocketnet.core
5. Get Android app here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pocketnet.app&hl=en
6. It's a decentralized platform for social media, like a blog. It currently supports text and uploading images. It supports links from Youtube and Bitchute. Videos from those sites will automagically get embedded in the post.
7. To log in to Pocketnet you do not get a username and password. You get a rather long key, which is a string of words that you use to log in. Do not lose this as pocketnet cannot get your key back, as they don't know it.
8. It has a large library of emojis you can insert into posts and comments.
9. Pocketnet has great service. There is regular chat on the right of the client screen.
10. You can access pocketnet via a web browser at http://pocketnet.app or via their Windows client app. A linux app is now available.
11. If someone likes your post and upvotes it you get a POC coin. Others can vote posts down. Downvotes help to control noise and spam.
12. The pocketnet app bypasses the DNS system entirely when talking to nodes. I assume this means the app has to know the direct IP addresses of all nodes. This is not true when using a web browser to access Pnet.
13. Types of content:
    1. Posts: no formatting allowed. You can enter URLs and upload local images or links to images.
    2. Articles: An article, similar to a post, adds a little bit of formatting for text. Click the book icon below a blank post to make an article. Some formatting of text allowed.
    3. Comments: Comments can be made on a post or article.
14. Trade Pocketnet coin on Mercatox exchange.

How to give POC to another user.

1. Find a post by that user you want to give POC to.
2. Click the 3 dot menu on the post at top right of the post.
3. Click Donate.
4. Now click "Pocketnet Transaction".

Software that most users want: The GUI

Download Windows client software here: https://github.com/pocketnetteam/pocketnet.gui/releases/

When using a browser, make sure to turn off all ad blockers for the domain Pocketnet.app.

Running a node on Windows.

A node will help confirm posts and comments and relieve some network congestion on other nodes. There is no central server, all nodes are run by users. For help email email:core@pocketnet.app.

1. Get the Windows app at https://github.com/pocketnetteam/pocketnet.gui/releases/
2. Install and start the Windows app. Register or sign in to the app.
3. Click your user avatar in the upper right of the app.
4. Click Manage with the gear icon.
5. On the left you will see several options you can click clike Notifications, Reputation, Wallet, Edit Profile. Click System.
6. On the System screen if you want to change the Data path do that now. Pnet will store the whole blockchain so make sure you have lots of space. For this reason I do not advise putting the data path on your C: drive as it could fill up. Use another drive with hard lots of space.
7. Click the Enable button to start the node.

Notes on a node:

1. You cannot support all functions of Pocketnet without a static IP address. With a dynamic IP address, what most people have, a node will only support some network functions. A VPN with a static IP must allow port forwarding. More info here: https://pocketnet.app/index?s=03b94c3b5d82d93b37497870882766c7a6844d9044f2fc2e185c278f7808cfd1&mpost=true&ref=PWKRY7MzBhk8pzrBg7dJExFhsVi8DvvPSG

Technical limits

1. Posts and comments cannot be edited after 24 hours.
2. Limit of characters per post: 5,000?
3. Limit of characters per comment: 1000.
4. Posts per day are limited for new users. Once you are a user for a while, the limit is 30 posts per day. The stars you can give out to others posts are also limited. This is reduce abuse of the system from fake or puppet accounts.
5. Time limit to edit a post: 24 hours. Max 3 edits per post.
6. Time limit to edit a comment: 24 hours.
7. Video sites supported that will insert a live video: Youtube, Bitchute. Inserting other URLS to other video sites will result in a clickable link.

How do star ratings work and how do you get POC?

From support@pocketnet.app:

POC [tokens] definitely does not go down with any ratings, not for the rater or the author. Maybe it is an optical illusion based on balance recalc.

The star rating system and POC winnings work like this. In each block (roughly 1 min) there is a lottery. Each 4 or 5 star rating during that period give you ‘lottery tickets’ to be in the lottery. Up to 25 winners in every block can be ‘announced’. Each block reward is 5 POC split equally between a winning node and all of the authors who have been entered into the lottery with high ratings. So, all authors combined win 2.5 POC in a block. If there are 25 winners, then each wins .1 POC. On the opposite side, if there is one winner, then the win is 2.5 POC.

If you get multiple high ratings during that interval, you get more ‘tickets’ and chances of winning are higher. So, amount that is won depends on the number of authors who got high ratings during that interval. But POC balance can never go down with any action on the blockchain, other than explicitly sending money.

Run a node server

The node server is Also called "pocketnet core". Nodes are decentralized servers which are independent and work together to display and handle posts stored on the blockchain. Even if some nodes go down, the Pocketnet as a whole can still work.

1. Node main page here: For Windows x64: https://github.com/pocketnetteam/pocketnet.core. Also available for Debian and Ubuntu. Get latest linux release here. Support address: core@pocketnet.app.
2. Node help: https://github.com/pocketnetteam/pocketnet.core/tree/master/doc/help
3. White paper here as a PDF.
4. Instructions on running a node: https://pocketnet.app/author?address=PAuPG2DJU3oC1kQNi8Vg4DdfxiipwiwigM&s=fe88f86430a018803921b338a7e629f9c9a52a2b4e3a36056d2adc0f0c74b5b4&mpost=true&ref=PEj7QNjKdDPqE9kMDRboKoCtp8V6vZeZPd&address=PAuPG2DJU3oC1kQNi8Vg4DdfxiipwiwigM. Also for Ubuntu 18.04: https://pocketnet.app/index?s=64a87c77e5f2246cf089a9ad5118d7d250b86aca22d0dbc222b341749556aa7c&mpost=true&ref=PWKRY7MzBhk8pzrBg7dJExFhsVi8DvvPSG
5. Discuss node on Telegram at https://t.me/pocketnet_core.

Current links at the top of the page

All posts

These allow you to view all posts, whether you follow the person or not.

Your pocket

This is viewing all the people you follow.

Top posts

This is for viewing the top posts from the last 3 days.

FAQ

I can't do X.

If you're using the browser to access http://pocketnet.app, do a force refresh on the page. This is normally CTRL-F5, or CTRL-R on some browsers. For the app, right click the app in the Windows system tray and choose quit. Wait 1 minute, now restart the app.

How do I make my own post?

At the bottom right of the chat box, if there is a semi-circle there, click it to jump to the empty post. The semi-circle will not be there if you are close enough to the empty post.

See Image.

You can also scroll to the top of your feed in "All posts" or "Your pocket". An empty post awaits you there. There is no empty post under "Top posts".

What is the difference between a post and article?

Post: When you are at the top of the Pocketnet feed, there is an empty box for text and an empty box for tags, and a "Post" button. When you type in enough text in the original box, a title box will appear. You can type text in the text box and title box and add tags. You can also add links to videos or images and those will show up in your post.

Article: You can add links to videos and images and have a larger window that pops up to enter your article title and text. I did not see tags on the article popup window.

What are "save points"?

When someone signs up with a link to your account you get a point for saving someone from the censored internet. This is not the same as POC coin. The points are displayed at the top of the screen next to the green plus sign. If you click your plus sign, you will get a screen showing how many people you have saved from censored media. Near the bottom of this screen you can copy your author link that people can use to sign up. (I think these have been discontinued.)

How do I access pocketnet?

1. You can use a browser, right now only Firefox and Chrome are supported. Other browsers may have problems.
2. Or download their app for Windows. Only Windows is supported right now, support for Linux and Mac OSX is coming soon. Windows client here.
3. If you use the Pnet web page it can be blocked by a DNS server. Google DNS servers are famous for censorship. So if the web page is blocked use the app instead. It takes much more to block the app.

When I see a video in my feed it plays but I hear no sound.

By default the video plays automatically but with the sound off. Click the video once to make it larger, check the volume control on the video itself, and you should hear sound. Also check that your speakers or headphones are plugged all the way in, your sound is turned on and turned up in the operating system.

By default the videos in your feed are muted. Move your mouse to the bottom of the video until you see the speaker icon and volume slider. Move the volume slider right to increase the volume and remove the mute.

Example post you can read

Twitter blocks movie "Unplanned".

How many users signed up to Pocketnet?

We don't know the number of users, but the blockchain page can show you the number of new users who have registered per day, the number of ratings per day, the number of posts and follows per day, which will give you a general idea of how active the site is.

• June 2019: About 3000 users
• July 2019: About 6000 uers
• Aug 8, 2019: 7800 users

You can now edit posts and comments.

You have 24 hours to edit your post. After that you cannot edit it.