Be the node you want to see in the network

I learned essential etiquette from LimeWire.

Seeders & Leechers

When freebooting on the web, people participate in a sort of distributed iterated prisoner's dilemma. Everybody shares bandwidth; everybody risks prosecution.

These conditions naturally create "seeders" and "leechers" -- those who create surplus, and those who exploit that surplus.

You also attract scammers and (angelic) archivists.

Networks are characterized by their incentives. The seeder/leecher distribution is largely determined by risk/reward (e.g. payoff matrices).

One investigation showed that of 123 randomly selected downloaded files, 37 contained malware – about 30%.

-- via Wikipedia

Within a network, individuals exercise discretion; the sum of rational decisions determine the fate of the network. Sometimes these equilibria tend toward tragic commons.

But humans can act irrationally. Some scoundrels pay dearly to reap revenge. Some Good Samaritans sacrifice their lives for others. Game theory only works when people play the game.

Etiquette

Trust lubricates networks; nodes can skip verification to contribute more surplus. You don't need proof-of-work in a high-trust society.

TLS costs more than TCP.

One such verification shortcut is etiquette. When individuals follow certain norms/conventions, they're signaling a willingness to participate a high-trust game.

Pedigree is another shortcut.

I went to see Mrs. B (Rose Blumkin), carrying a 11/4-page purchase proposal for NFM that I had drafted…. Mrs. B accepted my offer without changing a word, and we completed the deal without the involvement of investment bankers or lawyers (an experience that can only be described as heavenly).

-- Warren Buffet, Berkshire Hathaway 2013 Annual Report

My ideal world runs on handshake deals, but unverified agreements invite exploitation. When a pot grows too large, people defect.

Ray Kroc allegedly forsook his handshake deal with the titular McDonald family.

Prior to April 2004, the free version of LimeWire was distributed with a bundled program called LimeShop (a variant of TopMoxie), which was spyware. Among other things, LimeShop monitored online purchases in order to redirect sales commissions to Lime Wire LLC. Uninstallation of LimeWire would not remove LimeShop. These objections were addressed in 2004 with the removal of all bundled software in LimeWire 3.9.4.

-- via Wikipedia

As wolves don sheep's clothing, etiquette evolves new signals. The meta changes. "Networking" events fill with leechers; seeders start secret high-trust clubs.

Reputation

Reputation is the evergreen shortcut. It is hard to earn, harder to keep, and nearly impossible to salvage.

Reputable BitTorrent archives remain. Consider donating to archive.org, scihub, Anna's Archive, and LibGen.

To earn reputation, (1) act predictably and (2) maximize your seed/leech ratio.

Most real-world games are iterated. Predictable actors are more valuable than unpredictable ones.

Optimizing seed/leech ratio is a wicked problem. Nobody can define what seeding/leeching means for you, nor whether you're succeeding, nor whether it leverages your unique life experience.

Open-source software culture is exemplary. Where can you make the most impact in OSS? Contributing to an existing project or starting a new one? To serve the status-quo or betray it? Solving a few big problems or lots of small problems? Individual contribution or management or governance? DPS, support, or tank?

When seeding your network, you learn how the system really works. By continued good-faith effort, you discover friction and opportunity.

I experienced this phenomenon on this blog. By sharing others' essays online (e.g. HN), I honed a sense of valuable/viral content. By consistently contributing such surplus, I've learned to anticipate specific wants/needs of the network. It's wholesome fun -- promoting friends' blogs and tickling the imagination of the masses.

Like money, you can apply leverage to reputation. By staking time/resources/connections on people, you extend your reputation like a line-of-credit. Each time this cycle succeeds, surplus can be reinvested in your local network.

As surplus grows, people become more tempted to defect. Beware greed; embrace "enough". Prune disreputable acquaintances. Adhere to your principles; continue to pursue others' wants/needs. Establish trustworthy neighbors and help them flourish.

It's difficult to identify/articulate "core" issues, and most polite folks will not advertise their troubles. People appreciate an opening for sincere dialogue: "What are you looking for right now?", "How can I help?", "Need any money for that?", and so on.

Lately, I've been working hard to (1) find "dream" jobs for friends, (2) find capital for friends' startups, and (3) find startups for my friends' funds. It costs me nothing to dramatically improve the lives of my loved ones. Ask friends what they want; go make it happen.

Extend trust; tragic commons are not inevitable. Don't let the leechers win. Flood this world with abundance.