An idea for tagging conventions to allow for sending and recieving private messages
This is a rough, jury rigged idea.
If users, by convention, posted a PGP public key with the tag pgp-[username], other users could post pgp encoded messages to them with the tag message-username. Im sure the interface could be changed to ignore these tags unless theyre specifically searched for, but until then, posters could self-downvote to conceal their post from the trending board.
So for example
https://steemit.com/pgp-sigmajin/@sigmajin/this-is-my-pgp-public-key
Now, you could use the code to encode a PGP message and send it to me with the tag message-sigmajin, like so
https://steemit.com/message-sigmajin/@sigmajin/example-message
Now, i can see all the messages to me in order, here
https://steemit.com/created/message-sigmajin
I suspect it would be pretty easy to make a page where you typed the message, then the page looked for the recipients posted key, then encrypted it and posted it for you. To read your messages, you could paste your private key in a browser window and have a script decode them in real time on the browser side.
Also, it could concievably help with account recovery. Because the ability to decode a private msg in your messages tag would prove prior account ownership.
Wondering about opinions on this...
EDIT -- it lookslike there is a new penalty in place for posting more than 4 top level posts per day... as a way to not trigger this, users could simply have one post per month, where users reply with pgp encoded messages.
SO if you wanted to send a message to me, you would go reply here https://steemit.com/message-sigmajin/@sigmajin/example-message ... since replies close after one month, users would have to open a new message box every month.. idk if thats a reasonable burden for the system...
What a wonderful emergency protocol for times when PMs are not functional. It's even OTP compatible.
#message-username it is then, from now on until eternity (if it works with all characters?)
when pms are not functional... is there already a capacity for PMs in the system?
If I understand correctly, that is what the "Memo" key will eventually be there for.
ah... well thats cool and all, but there are so many features that are on the "to do" list that my assumption is that you can't count on any one particular thing getting done in the near future.