Loved the ๐๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ข call yesterday looking at how we make Sopha a great place for artists and writers. Here are the notes.
Great to meet
@eirrann.eth loved
@naaate insight about uncozy corners.
๐ฆ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ
The meeting centered on a deep discussion about the nature of online communities for creators, specifically within the context of the ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ต๐ฎ platform on Farcaster. The conversation flowed from personal stories of artistic rediscovery and the failures of mainstream social media to the foundational principles needed to build a durable, meaningful space for artists and writers. Key themes included the search for depth over ephemeral engagement, the critical need for safety and anonymity, and the ongoing tension between creating intimate "cozy corners" and achieving sustainable distribution.
๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ก๐ง ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก๐ฆ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐ก๐๐ฆ
A diverse group of creators shared their journeys to the platform, united by a desire for a more substantive online environment.
โข One participant, after a two-decade hiatus enforced by military and corporate life, rediscovered a creative outlet through AI art, finding early validation in niche crypto-art communities.
โข Another described themselves as a "social media refugee," having watched platforms like Instagram and Twitter degrade from powerful distribution channels for their photography and writing into unusable spaces, leading them to seek refuge in Farcaster.
โข The founder of Sopha framed their motivation as that of a "philosopher builder" or "community artist," aiming to create infrastructure that facilitates genuine connection and creativity for themselves and others, inspired by the unique "scenius" of early Farcaster.
โข A fourth participant expressed interest in how on-chain tools and AI could enable new forms of collaborative, "multiplayer" creativity, drawing parallels to historical art movements that emerged from tight-knit scenes.
๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ค๐จ๐ ๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ฆ๐ง๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐
Existing platforms were analyzed and found wanting, primarily due to toxicity, impermanence, and algorithm-driven degradation.
โข ๐ง๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ (๐ซ) was characterized as increasingly toxic and capricious, with the real risk of being deplatformed and losing one's entire social graph and creative history, a firsthand experience for one participant.
โข ๐๐ป๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ป were cited as examples of platforms that ruined their utility for creators by shifting algorithms to favor video or brand-safe content, destroying the distribution that artists and writers once relied upon.
โข The fundamental "job" of social networks was identified as providing users with the feeling of ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป. When platforms fail at this, either through algorithmic obscurity or hostile environments, users become refugees in search of a new home.
๐ง๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐ข๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ก๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ง๐ฌ
For many professionals, the ability to create under a pseudonym is not a luxury but a necessity for true artistic freedom.
โข Compartmentalization between one's professional (IRL) identity and creative persona is essential for those in sensitive fields, such as individuals with security clearances or those who have faced credible professional threats due to public exposure.
โข Anonymity allows for exploration of taboo subjects, political discourse, and personal artistic themes without fear of real-world repercussions, enabling a form of expression that would otherwise be impossible.
โข Farcaster's protocol-level design, where one's social graph persists even if a specific client (app) bans them, was highlighted as a superior model for safety and durability compared to centrally controlled platforms.
๐๐ก๐ฉ๐๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ก๐๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฃ๐๐'๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐ข๐ฅ
The group explored various conceptual models for what Sopha could become, emphasizing a space for depth and curation.
โข Core aspirations for Sopha include being a ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ต๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ต๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ for work and a "๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ" ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ where creators feel their work is deeply appreciated, not just scrolled past.
โข Architectural metaphors were debated: a ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฝ, ๐น๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐, ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ด๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ with central gathering spaces and many side rooms; a ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ฒ with private houses and a shared common house; or a ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ with public courtyards, private parlors, and intimate bedrooms for trusted circles.
โข A key insight was the desire for an "๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ"-a space safe enough to allow for uncomfortable, challenging feedback and creative risk-taking, supported by a foundation of trust and mutual understanding that such criticism won't break the relationship.
๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ง๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐ก๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ก: ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ฆ. ๐๐๐ฆ๐ง๐ฅ๐๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ข๐ก
A significant portion of the debate focused on whether a small, dedicated community is sufficient or if built-in distribution mechanisms are essential.
โข The "๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ" ๐บ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น promises deep appreciation and connection but may top out at a small number of highly engaged participants, which can be nourishing but doesn't scale or provide monetary sustainability.
โข The ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฏ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐บ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น recognizes that creators have limited time (a "return on attention" hurdle) and often need broader reach for validation and, potentially, income.
โข The concept of "๐บ๐๐น๐๐ถ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ" ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ was proposed as a potential solution: small groups or collectives (a ๐ด๐ค๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ช๐ถ๐ด) working together could create more impactful work that has a better chance of finding an audience, sharing both the creative burden and the potential rewards.
๐๐จ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐, ๐ข๐ก-๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐ก๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ง๐ฅ๐จ๐๐ง๐จ๐ฅ๐
Technical discussions focused on how to make creative contributions and curation efforts last beyond the lifespan of any single application.
โข A major limitation of current platforms (evidenced by the shutdown of ๐ฅ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ผ) is the impermanence of both the platform and the social actions (likes, curation) that happen there.
โข The ideal vision is for all meaningful actions within Sopha (e.g., curating a cast into a collection) to be recorded ๐ผ๐ป-๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป, making them persistent, permissionless, and portable.
โข Upcoming protocol developments like ๐ต๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ป๐ฎ๐ฝ (an extended frames-like system) were mentioned as a potential path to enable richer, on-chain interactions (e.g., a "curate" reaction) that could form the backbone of a durable creative ecosystem.
๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐ข๐ ๐ช๐๐๐ฏ ๐๐ฅ๐ง ๐ฃ๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ฆ
The recent shutdown of Rodeo served as a sobering case study on the challenges facing digital art platforms.
โข The closure underscored the ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ of many Web3 projects still searching for product-market fit, despite users often perceiving them as permanent.
โข Participants mourned the loss of not just a marketplace, but a community space and a body of work (with one having minted over 150 pieces there), highlighting the fragility of digital contexts.
โข This reinforced the argument for ๐ผ๐ป-๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฑ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ and raised questions about the sustainability of platforms that rely on continuous user engagement without a clear economic model.
๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฃ๐๐'๐ฆ ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ข๐ก ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ช๐ง๐
The conversation concluded with practical brainstorming for near-term development and community building.
โข ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ต๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฑ: Using ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ curated within Sopha as shareable, high-quality "cultural artifacts" to attract attention from the broader Farcaster ecosystem, effectively "matching the hatch" of current community interests.
โข ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐: Implementing a system of ๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ that would allow creators to share work at different levels of privacy-from public broadcasts to semi-private spaces for trusted feedback, to fully intimate circles for vulnerable works-in-progress.
โข ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฒ: The advice was to ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ, focusing energy on demonstrating the unique value of the community (deep discussion, thoughtful pauses, curated content) rather than solely on feature development, in order to grow organically from the current small, dedicated user base.
