Welcome to DEB-8 👋

First and foremost, thank you for being here.

DEB-8 is currently in V0.2. This is very early.

There will be bugs. Things will change. Features will appear, disappear, break, get rebuilt, and hopefully come back better. It will be some time before DEB-8 reaches what I would consider a complete state.

If you're using DEB-8 this early, you're helping shape what it eventually becomes. I genuinely cannot express enough gratitude to the people willing to spend their time here, provide feedback, start discussions, and help build the community alongside me.

🌎 Use DEB-8 to communicate.

One of the things I'd love to see this community become is a place where people can spread accurate news, share information, raise awareness, debate ideas, and talk about what's happening in the world.

Post things you think people should know about.

Start conversations.

Disagree with each other.

Ask questions.

Correct bad information.

Share something interesting.

Just communicate.

The goal isn't for everyone to agree. The goal is to create an environment where actual people can interact with actual people.

🧬 The DEB-8 Mission

To expose the world to the novelties of early-internet social media while enabling users to establish an online identity that truly represents them through the gamification of social interaction and modern technology.

Think:

X / Reddit / 4Chan 🤝 Neopets / Tamagotchi
(And, YES, AI. For development, and potentially integration with your DEBS)

DEB-8 combines discussion-focused social media with virtual characters called Debs that grow alongside you.

Your Deb will observe how you interact with the community and, over time, evolve based on those interactions.

Initially, that means things like reactions and other basic activity.

Later, with community input, I'd like to explore ways for Debs to respond to the content you create and the communities you participate in, while deliberately prioritizing user privacy in how those systems are designed.

Those interactions will feed your Deb, influence its development, and eventually allow it to evolve into a character that represents you.

Or your completely unhinged online persona.

Whatever. 🤷

And yes:

No bots.

We'll have some special Deb evolutions for those actors eventually. 🤖

What's coming?

The Debs you're growing today aren't intended to just sit on your profile.

As DEB-8 develops, I want to build features, games, community events, progression systems, collectibles, and other experiences where the Deb you've developed through your social activity actually matters.

Your profile becomes something you build simply by participating.

TL;DR

Communicate.

Grow your Debs.

Use your Debs in future features and events.

And please, send feedback.

If something sucks, tell me.

If something breaks, tell me.

If you have an idea, tell me.

If there's something you love, tell me that too.

The people using DEB-8 during these early versions have an opportunity to directly influence what this platform becomes.

Thank you for giving it a chance.

Welcome to DEB-8. 🧬

P.S. one last thing - ^DEBCATS^
- Think of these like hashtags. They are technically 'categories' (i.e., 'cats'), but they have cat-ears, which are way more fun than #'s!

Be Polite. I will archive posts that are deragotry or innately bad in nature 😊

Welcome All! An Obligatory Developer Post.