Introducing 9takes: Answer First, Then Compare Perspectives
Where do good conversations happen online?
Where can you get honest, unprimed perspectives without walking into an echo chamber?
On most platforms, the first few comments set the frame. Everyone else reacts, copies, or stays quiet. Research shows a single fake upvote shifts a comment’s final score by 25%. The conversation was over before it started.
9takes flips that default. You write your take first, then you unlock the thread and compare how other people see the same question.
Why Social Media Isn’t Social Anymore
Most feeds reward engagement, not understanding. Engagement loves conflict, so the loudest take wins and the rest of us scroll.
Two waves of social media.
🤖 Old wave 🔄
The old social media was about staying in touch and sharing cool stuff.
- Users posted to be seen.
- Sharing became broadcasting.
- Reading became lurking.
- The algorithm rewarded sameness, and different viewpoints got filtered out.
We look connected, and we feel divided.
🎭 New wave ❓
The new social media is already here — it just doesn't look like a feed.
- Discord servers where strangers become friends over shared interests.
- BeReal pushing authenticity over performance.
- Substack Notes and niche communities built around conversation, not content.
- People choosing smaller, honest spaces over massive audiences.
The pattern: participation over performance, depth over reach.
9takes bets on the same shift — starting with questions.
Why Questions Are the Key
Posts perform. Questions invite.
If you’ve ever scrolled past a Twitter thread thinking “I have a take on this but what’s the point” — or lurked on Reddit because the top comment already said the safe thing — 9takes is built for you.
A question-centered approach:
- Sparks curiosity: A good question makes you lean in.
- Invites reflection: You answer with lived experience, not a headline.
- Creates real interaction: People disagree without it turning into a fight.
But asking questions online is easy. Getting good answers is the hard part. You want original takes, not echoes. You don’t want early answers steering everyone else. You want context for where someone is coming from.
How 9takes Gets Better Answers
Here’s what it actually looks like:
Someone asks: “What’s the hardest thing about being honest?”
You think about it. You write your take. You hit submit.
Now the thread opens. You see 30 other answers — and a Type 8 wrote something that catches you off guard. A Type 4 went somewhere deeply personal. A Type 5 reframed the whole question.
You start to notice patterns in how different people approached the same prompt.
Three mechanics make this work:
Comments are hidden until you comment.Seeing other answers first primes your thinking. Hiding them forces an independent take, then lets you compare. The psychology behind why this works — and why most conversations fail before the first fact lands — runs deeper than you’d expect.
A personality lens (the Enneagram).The Enneagram maps nine personality types based on core motivations — what drives you, what you fear, how you process the world. It’s not astrology. It’s a framework for understanding why different people communicate the way they do. On 9takes, you can optionally tag your answer with your type. It gives readers context without forcing a real name. If you don’t know your type yet, start here or skip it entirely.
Filter answers by personality type.Compare how different types answer the same question. Spot patterns, common ground, and blind spots across all nine perspectives.
Go Answer Something
Most questions that matter don’t have a single right answer. The point is not to win — it’s to see what you’re missing.
- Browse questions at /questions (or ask your own).
- Write your take first.
- Read the thread, then filter by personality type if you want.
Pick a question that makes you pause. Write what you actually think, not what sounds right. That’s where it starts.
Curious how 9takes came to be? It started with a marriage counselor and a personality test. Read the origin story. And if you’re wondering about the design choices, the Greek vibe is intentional.