Farcaster

Only bluesky and mastadon mentioned in this. Why is it that Farcaster et al. can't seem to break through on non-crypto media even if the narrative fits? Is it audience size? Weird or too niche content? Not rage baiting, genuinely asking https://t.co/bm1g6P0Q54

deana

Also genuinely asking, wdyt? 
https://x.com/medeana/status/1882166952770338940

I'm eth newbie..just learning
(working on @farcaster)

terminally.online

might be wrong, but it feels like farcaster has lately (understandably) been marketing itself as the place where to earn magic internet money, rather than focusing on attracting users through decentralization and its related core values

and imo now—right after the tiktok ban—is the best time to double down on decentralization as its value is more tangible for people

It's unfortunate they've gone down the path of FC being a place to get crypto universal basic income, instead of what actually matters which is permissionless legos, data decentralization, and open social graphs

Maybe the VCs are pressuring Merkle to increase daus and one way to guarantee that is to position this as a place for, effectively, gambling

Hopefully there is a course correction soon

Founders

One counterintuitive truth in running a startup is that you can succeed by taking infinite paths. As a result there are no definitive right or wrong choices.

The founder’s job is to identify the most efficient route based on key metrics and vision—a hard task that inherently involves trial and error.

Every decision becomes a branch that shapes growth, product, culture, community, and more.

Farcaster, for example, could attract users by focusing on its app ecosystem, its unparalleled builders’ community, decentralization, client diversity, or unique social perks—like enabling users to earn money.

Initially, the focus was on community and post quality, then on attracting builders, and now on growing the user base.

Whether or not you agree with these choices, a startup’s success lies in playing the long game, recognizing the path of least resistance and adapting to external factors. And few do this better than @dwr.eth and the Farcaster team.

If Merkle has decided to pursue this path, it’s likely because the data justifies it, whether we like it or not.

That said, I wish they would simultaneously focus on the core traits like decentralization and permissionless legos. It would be a shame seeing farcaster overshadowed by weaker protocols just because they leaned better into the narrative.

also shared some related thoughts in the cast below

editor [redacted] prev: everyname (acq. Q4 '23)

If Merkle has decided to pursue this path, it’s likely because the data justifies it, whether we like it or not.

That said, I wish they would simultaneously focus on the core traits like decentralization and permissionless legos. It would be a shame seeing farcaster overshadowed by weaker protocols just because they leaned better into the narrative.

also shared some related thoughts in the cast below https://warpcast.com/jacopo.eth/0x56e8a1de