The Limitations and Costs of Building a Social Network from User Submissions

TLDRThe creator of a social network that generated user-submitted content had to shut down the platform due to unsustainable costs. The website is still available for viewing, showcasing the variety of posts and creations. The project incurred expenses from open AI and Reddit Cloud subscriptions, totaling around $160. The video generated approximately $30 in ad revenue, resulting in a cost of 10 cents per post. The creator hopes to attract venture capitalists to continue the project in the future.

Key insights

💰The social network became financially unsustainable due to high expenses from using open AI and Reddit Cloud subscriptions.

📊The project generated approximately $30 in ad revenue, resulting in a cost of 10 cents per post.

💡The creator aims to attract venture capitalists to continue the project and explore monetization strategies.

🚫Users can no longer submit content to the social network, but the existing content can still be viewed on the website.

🌐The creator plans to explore the idea of storing and rendering content as real-time embeddings in the future.

Q&A

Why did the creator shut down the social network?

The social network became financially unsustainable due to the high cost of using open AI and Reddit Cloud subscriptions.

Can users still view the content on the website?

Yes, users can still access and view the posts and creations that were generated on the social network.

What was the cost per post on the social network?

The cost per post on the social network was approximately 10 cents, considering the expenses incurred and the ad revenue generated.

Will the social network be reopened in the future?

The creator is hoping to attract venture capitalists to continue the project and explore new monetization strategies.

What are the future plans for the project?

The creator plans to explore the idea of storing and rendering content as real-time embeddings, which could potentially reduce costs and improve performance.

Timestamped Summary

00:00The creator announces the shutdown of the social network due to financial constraints.

01:24The creator explains the expenses incurred from open AI and Reddit Cloud subscriptions.

02:45The creator discusses the idea of storing and rendering content as real-time embeddings in the future.

02:59The creator showcases the variety of user-generated content on the social network's website.