Over 300 subscribers
While I could give you a whole Farcaster basics spiel myself (and will likely ramble about other Farcaster-related topics in future writings), that isn't my goal today. Several others have done so recently - give these a read if you need to get up to speed and feel free to leave any other questions in the comments.
I started what many now know as Page One back in January β22 by going to MoonOverlord with a simple idea. His discord, The One, was the first server I joined when I first got onchain in August and Iβd sat there every day all day since. Open for anyone to join and unaffiliated with any tokens, the server was constantly buzzing at the peak of the NFT bull when I got my start. Hundreds of ants brought crumbs of information to the chat every day, with nearly every big winner making an early appearance - if you could notice it amongst the piles of trash. Months of sifting through with the other ants in #nft-general led to my first real friendships in crypto - you end up cracking a lot of jokes when youβre all staring at the same computer screens 12 hours a day. Most importantly, these friendships were not formed in some WAGMI NFT server over a mutual financial interest, but over debates, disagreements and authentic expression.
A dozen things were happening every day, a hundred every week. If you checked out, youβd come back to the chat and have no idea what anyone was talking about. So in January β22 I proposed Iβd write a recap of the happenings in NFT land. Moon graciously gave me a soapbox in his arena and the first few issues of Page One NFT Recap were written in a channel in The One discord. Shortly after, I moved to Substack for better presentation and wider distribution. Moon introduced me to Tolks, whoβs Round Tripping articles perfectly complimented my NFT recaps. Then we added Boffin, our ever-forgotten esoteric essayist (who also did a great series of artist spotlights we should get back to).
With three consistent writers and the Overlord's megaphone, we grew Page One into - in my humble opinion - one of the most reputable independent crypto newsletters out there. Not through growth hacks and bait headlines and an overflow of fluffy content, but through authenticity, quality and respect. There were no giveaways, no partnerships, no interviews, no tagging people under our tweets to help spread the word, no DMing big accounts to beg for a retweet.
There were no incentives given to readers and no favors given to writers. There was just quality information about what was going on across crypto. On these values, Page One has grown to over 12,000 subscribers - Iβd give you a laundry list of who they work for like many newsletters do, but thatβs exactly the type of thing weβve shown we donβt need to do to win readers. Sticking to those values is the reason we will continue to grow.
As we grew, I gained a π audience and began to figure out the social landscape on a level above that of the glassy-eyed doe. Everybody knows somebody who knows everybody and itβs served me well to simply try to be nice to everybody. Win a friend wherever you can. After I stopped writing in April β23 (I was simply burnt out), I found myself tweeting way too much, which has continued until now. Some of you might not even know I used to larp as an NFT reporter.
As luck would have it, Iβve made a lot of friends on π - big CT stars, tiny noobs and everyone in between. Iβve said before that I just tweet like Iβm texting a best friend that doesnβt exist. Unfiltered thoughts on whatever Iβm thinking. Nowadays, I feel like Iβm a pretty well-defined character on CT. I drink white monster. I tweet some music. I cheer for the Arsenal. I post the Racer airdrop screenshot. Iβm a normal person. While there are certainly other lanes to create your online persona, itβs usually easiest to just be yourself.
Replying your way to the top is not a joke - when you put it simply, it's how I and many others got to where we are. Show up. Be respectful. Have a sense of humor. Contribute something of value. That is genuinely all it takes. These are things Iβve talked about in different ways for years now:
Three or four weeks ago, I started hearing more chatter about Farcaster. Iβd managed to leverage my experience larping as an NFT reporter into an invite in late 2022 (FID 5034 tyvm), but didnβt ever use it much. At that time, and for some time after, the average Farcaster user was firmly on the builder side of the degen-builder spectrum. Dan and the team cultivated an environment of productivity by spending months manually onboarding users, allowing curation at a personal level. VCs, devs, founders and other people who are in crypto for something besides hyperfinancialized gambling formed the culture. There is nothing wrong with this - I believe Farcaster is better off for it today. But to people like me and mine, it made the app a bit like a library - sit next to your friends, do your work and donβt cause a ruckus, please.
By late January β24, though, recents events had peaked interest in my corners: $degen was making its way to the main stage and frames were taking over mindshare. The protocol was open to everybody and DAUs were hitting new highs. I began poking my head into the purple app a few times a day but encountered the same issue that had caused me to shy away in β22 - I was lonely.
Some familiar faces from my social circles were surely already on Farcaster, but I had no good way to find them. More than a few echoed my feeling of uncertainty regarding what to post and how. So I did what any rational person would do - I made a channel for my friends to come hang out in. And I told my friends to come hang out, and they told their friends. On the same day, February 2nd, ciniz started /wearesoearly. The combination was a lot like rolling a snowball down a hill. We just gave it a push. The serendipitous confluence of various factors took care of the rest. Friends began to show up in droves. A cozy place to post was all that was needed. We built it, and they came. One week later, /replyguys and /wearesoearly combined for over 11,000 followers, today ~18,000.
These users didnβt show up because there was financial incentive, they just followed their friends. This is a key factor. You are not here because WAGMI our token go up. You are here because you want to participate. This remains top of mind for me as dictator. I did not make this channel to sell you something. If I wanted to sell you garbage, I would have done it a long time ago.
Last week, a sub250 FID Farcaster user asked me if I could provide some feedback on a project theyβre working on. We jumped on a short call and chatted for 45 minutes or so. Somewhere in the conversation, they mentioned feeling a renewed sense of excitement for Farcaster over the past month or so. Without new users from yet-to-be-introduced social circles, they feared the purple app may never grow into more than a quite library for the onchain intelligentsia. I smiled. Farcaster already had the builders, I said. Now it has the users.
Imagine a bell curve from 0 to 100 - degen to builder. 0 is the guy who pumps out memecoin rugs for 10 hours a day. 100 is some crazy laser-eyes maxi type who hates anybody who has ever speculated on anything in their life. Those above 50 will frequently tell you theyβre in crypto to support some Big Idea. Those below 50 will tell you theyβre here for profits. Iβm probably somewhere around 45. It feels safe to say that in November, the average Farcaster user was somewhere above 50, firmly in the builder range. I can tell you anecdotally that many of those who joined Farcaster to join /replyguys is firmly below 50.
These groups can butt heads on occasion. I read plenty of casts from OG users (most of whom Iβd place above 80 degen-builder) that were all but naming and shaming me and Ciniz for dragging our silly little friends across the purple bridge. And I empathize, truly. Timelines were disrupted. Etiquette is still a work in progress. But there is a necessary mutualism here - without builders, degens have nothing to speculate on, and without degens, builders have far fewer users.
Considering the integration has gone (in my humble opinion) quite well so far, this is just a preemptive observation. I am extremely grateful for the OGs who have made their way into /replyguys, many from the first or second day. And for all the new users who have yet to get me into any trouble (yet).
The full degen-builder spectrum is now in attendance. If you build it, /replyguys will come.
Dictatorial content curation is another long-standing tervo motif. The internet is full of misanthropes and misinformation. If you do not purposefully get out of the way, you will be run over by them, whether you realize it or not.
Over the past two weeks, Iβve spent dozens, maybe a hundred hours on Farcaster, mostly in /replyguys. There arenβt really rules besides βdonβt annoy me too much.β In general, the only way to do that is by engagement farming for followers or tips. I basically treat /replyguys like my π timeline, which is filled with memes, charts, jokes, market commentary, relevant events, my friends and their myriad interests. Anything goes, as long as it in some way shows me that you are an actual person with actual thoughts.
I simply have nothing in common with the somebody who shows up to go βfollower for followerβ or βgive 100 $degen to all replies!β I donβt care if youβre giving away - checks notes - $0.17 to a replyguy, I donβt enjoy reading it and it contributes nothing. Tipping at the scale it is currently seen on Farcaster is a rather new phenomenon in text-based social media (as far as I know). Allowing the channel to become inundated by engagement baiters not only annoys me, but makes it much harder for genuinely inventive ideas to make their way to the top of the algorithm.
I will continue exercising dictatorial control over channel curation. I am the first to acknowledge that this may eventually lead to situations some find unfair. The nice part about dictatorial control is that it doesnβt matter what you think is unfair. My interest lies with the channel as a whole.
If I had to synopsize how to be a good /replyguys member, Iβd go back to the well with this one:
Show up. Be respectful. Have a sense of humor. Contribute something of value.
Now for everybodyβs favorite question: what comes next?
History was the first thing I ever βstudiedβ on my own. Mike Duncanβs Revolutions podcast is a personal favorite. Heβll tell you the best laid plans do you no good in a revolution, which is what I believe this has the potential to become. Like a good profiteer, a good revolutionary is not predisposed to any bias, but simply prepared to react as the events in question play out.
As Iβve mentioned on π, I try to position myself in places where I believe opportunities will appear. Farcaster is a place I see opportunities appearing. If freedom from Elonβs wallet-drainers isnβt enough to catch your eye, the ability to bring questions and concerns directly to the Farcaster team might be. The simple but powerful possibilities created by frames and $degen tipping has given the community enough sand to iterate in the sandbox for months. Tying this all together through an onchain social map gives my mind enough runway to rattle off different ideas for hours. Farcaster may not become the crypto everything app, but Iβm quite confident it wonβt be fading into nothingness anytime soon.
I wrote about NFTs for 16 months straight. Nearly all of them have gone to zero by now. Watching this time and again, I came to define a successful project not by its monetary value, but by whether or not it tried something new. Each collection serves as an experiment. Good ones give the next experimenter something fresh to iterate on. One projectβs demise becomes the jumping-off point for the next case study. Minting an NFT directly in your social media feed without leaving the app is one of the biggest βwowβ moments Iβve had in crypto. It will be iterated on. Quickly. This applies to frames as well. One developer makes a cool frame, the next one has a template to build off. Give that six months and see what kind of silliness we can get into.
As for /replyguys? More of the same. Iβll be getting the ball rolling on a few fun plans this week, but in general I tend to cross bridges when I come to them. Until then, we do what we came here to do: hang out, make some friends, crack some jokes, try some fun new stuff on the blockchain. Wander outside our safe space of a channel and into one that interests you. Talk to somebody big and important about something youβre passionate about (they can actually hear you on the purple app). Remain prepared to react when the next opportunity surfaces. I think there will be more.
I could continue rambling (and probably will another day), but I think this covers most of my immediate thoughts. I wear a lot of different hats, but most of them somehow result in being a connector, an introducer, an βI got a guy for thatβ guy. It brings me joy to help others. And the many kind words Iβve received from replyguys over the past two weeks have brought me much joy.
I was an unknown, inexperienced, unproven replyguy a very short time ago. I would not be anywhere close to where I am without the gracious support of hundreds of anons Iβve never met. I would be remiss if I did not do my best to extend the favor.
Hopefully somebody actually reads all this, but regardless, thank you for hanging out with me in /replyguys. Iβm proud of what weβve built here so far and grateful for the opportunity to steward it into whatever it may become.
/replyguys together strong.
tervo
I keep hearing about the /replyguy gospel and this was very informative. Great article!
Cheers for this, its nice to have some context to what the heck is going on within the channels in WC outside of the memes, mint mania and tips. It was cool to hear your thoughts, I especially found the degen to builder spectrum breakdown very insightful and overall, I'm liking your friendancial philosophy.
Keep rambling so I can get a chance to make new friends in crypto. Good work Big T!
love this genuine article - came across this from kiwi n immediately found so many good contents here :D biggest alph i've discover in this bull market!!
awesome g
π
how am i the 2nd reply guy to actually reply to this post great read terv
you are not a /replyguy if you are not directly replying under the post on Paragraph.
channel stats for the past week via @ilemi's dune dash (link below). /replyguys has 4th most casts of all channels. yet we are uniquely lacking a defined purpose. which gives us great purpose. everything we do matters all the time. for if it doesnt, nothing matters at all
https://dune.com/ilemi/farcaster-explorer
I still find joy that the Number one word trending word not directly related to crypto or token is: « BeautifulΒ Β». π₯°
We have a purpose, to be here for the others. It's a closed circle of good vibes.
Top influential caster? Sassal? I have literally never seen a post of his here lmao
The purpose is to reply
very true 420 $degen
Letβs sit down and write the reply guys guide to the cryptoverse
200 $DEGEN
I just love /replyguys it is probably the best community Iβve ever been part of (and yes, it is a community, not a simple channel) β€οΈ
Amazing job. Thank's for this beatufil channel π
Don't we have a defined purpose of supporting one another through likes recasts and replying
we move with a purpose what a magnificent purpose https://open.spotify.com/track/3VRR4cKNiHC3CzY4iGj9XX
back to basics innit. this was written 6 weeks ago or so. itβs the same shit im still yelling about
i will just keep reposting until everyone gets it https://paragraph.xyz/@pageone/replyguys-manifesto
Yeah the problem is people don't read
always has been lmao
hahahah seriously
make reply guys great again
Oh man I did it word for word π I repent 5000 $degen
ok ok ok what if..........nvm
Ya I think one thing i'll do is just start doing much larger tips to people who actually do cool shit and jettison my allowance quickly every day instead of letting it dripple out to maximize engagement. Fuck it.
Gun to gun
gm @tervo π«‘ 69 $DEGEN
gm ser tyfys
i have an album
this is so true
I just subscribed to @tervo on /paragraph! Check it out:
given the ranting on etiquette, we will retrieve the weekend reading assignment from the archives. replyguy units have doubled since it was written, so pls do read if you need more context on where im yapping from https://paragraph.xyz/@pageone/replyguys-manifesto
50 $DEGEN for providing a guide on d-etiquette
just as good as the first time i read it
Great read, thank you π€ Subscribed
Tiny noobs, OH, I read tiny boobs. jeez never read shit before first coffee. Anyway 10 months?! That canβt be right feel like Iβd had just read you 2 months ago. 777 $degen To /replyguys:
@tervo π Your shift from NFT reporter to FC influencer showcases authenticity, community, & kindness in crypto. Creating /replyguys π proves spaces for real talk foster the truest value, connection & contribution ππ
studying the teachers syllabus rn
Let's the culture begin
π€© π π π π π β¨
i like the read inline function thats dope
I kept seeing people reference replyguys so I thought I'd check it out. I enjoyed reading this. I'd put myself at 65%. I'm here for the tech, but $ is nice too. Thanks.
reminder to the many new people here that i will prob just straight ban you if you find a way to ask for followers or tips posts mentioning it are already automatically hidden by @automod so if you find a way to annoy me past that see ya later kid study up on the etiquette or risk facing dictatorial wrath
read https://paragraph.xyz/@pageone/replyguys-manifesto
this is a great read
manifested rn 150 $degen
Nice explanation of reply guys and your history. Learning. Best.
I say use the ban hammer with complete and utter jurisprudence.
200 $degen for the use of jurisprudence
good way :) Love to see it.
damn that's tough 250 $degen
Agree!
the existence of the automod explains why this channel remains so based
πx1000
my replying king
500 $degen
Tervo running things around here and thatβs a fact JACK