# Newsletter Issue #12 *Stay updated with the latest news insights, community highlights, and product updates in our weekly newsletter* By [Popula](https://paragraph.com/@popula) · 2024-03-03 newsletter, web3, blockchain, community, social --- Welcome to this week's newsletter! First of all, we are excited to announce that community launch is now open to everyone! On top of that, we have two intriguing articles to share with you that delve into the exciting world of digital communities and social platforms. The first article explores Lens's recent transition to a permissionless protocol, a move that promises to foster innovation and user ownership. The second article discusses the rapidly evolving digital landscape, highlighting the challenges and opportunities it presents for consumer social platforms. These articles provide valuable insights into the future of digital interaction and community-building. Enjoy the read! Yours sincerely, Popula Team * * * ### **Ecosystem and Industry Insights** * [**Lens Goes Permissionless**](https://app.t2.world/article/clt4rnfwt2016491ymccg4d42ar) Lens is a protocol aiming to enable human connection through innovative ownership structures for data, social graphs, and content. Initially launched in beta to enhance security and scalability, Lens fostered a vibrant developer ecosystem and amassed over 100,000 users within six months, with millions of onchain social transactions. Responding to community feedback, this week Lens transitioned to a **_permissionless_** protocol, supported by infrastructure upgrades and decentralized governance processes. Anyone can now mint a profile upon connecting a wallet and **_paying a $10 fee_**. This shift allows unrestricted development, empowering developers to create new social networks and features while emphasizing user ownership and control. The move towards permissionlessness, which did not accidentally happen after Farcaster, the main competitor, picked up steam in the past weeks, is expected to drive innovation, improve user experiences, and create value for all participants in the Lens ecosystem. It will be interesting to see how the competition between the two decentralized social media will play out in the following months and whether some interoperability will enable users to benefit from combined social graphs. In this context, Popula continues its journey to becoming the best toolset fully dedicated to communities, adopting a free and onchain approach. [ ![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dxhpzq6ej/image/upload/v1709062638/production/clt4rrndk001j1ymc771mhj34.png) https://app.t2.world Lens Goes Permissionless ------------------------ As of today, Lens is permissionless. Since we launched the protocol, our guiding mission has been to enable human connection, through new forms of ownership-owning our data, our social graph, ](https://app.t2.world/article/clt4rnfwt2016491ymccg4d42ar) * [**Fast Forward: Building Consumer at Internet Speed**](https://archetype.mirror.xyz/bQWc3MqrfP25_MlVcldK9y4t464rbmobRVhKHzTSzKo) The article discusses the challenges and opportunities presented by the rapidly evolving digital landscape, particularly in the realm of consumer social platforms. It explores how digital communities have become more narrow and platform-dependent, with algorithms shaping user experiences and cultural production. The piece highlights issues such as platform monopolies, the decline of traditional media institutions, and the transient nature of modern social apps. The author suggests that the next generation of consumer platforms should prioritize online/offline fluidity, decentralized reputation and curation, and resilience to trend cycles. They also discuss various strategies for platform design, including umbrella-like structures, drop models, and token-based incentives. Ultimately, the article underscores the importance of adapting to the fast-paced nature of digital culture and leveraging emerging technologies to foster meaningful connections and creative expression. Popula is working to establish new tools and mechanisms for community-building and culture creation for this new era. [ ![](https://images.mirror-media.xyz/publication-images/9eNkvcj0XyH_DzjWYDoz5.png?height=870&width=1740) https://archetype.mirror.xyz Fast Forward: Building Consumer at Internet Speed ------------------------------------------------- The home for web3 publishing. ](https://archetype.mirror.xyz/bQWc3MqrfP25_MlVcldK9y4t464rbmobRVhKHzTSzKo) **_Share your thoughts or comments on Popula!_** * * * ### Popula **Spotlights and Community Updates** **_Community Event Highlight_** A quick reminder of the 2nd round of our Zealy Campaign — Creatives’ Voyage. If you have not yet started your Sprint journey, join now and have a chance to win $200 in $NEAR! 📅 Ends on Mar. 21 at 12 PM UTC 🎁 $200 in $NEAR More details here 👇🏻 [ ![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1200/1*ApsYxqOBHD0iriGp5zy8lA.png) https://medium.com Say GM to the Popula Zealy Sprint #2: Creatives' Voyage ------------------------------------------------------- Creativity and engagement are the lifeblood to a community's growth and prosperity. In an early round of the Sprint, Popula invited its community to explore its core features, offering an opportunity... ](https://medium.com/beepopula/say-gm-to-the-popula-zealy-sprint-2-creatives-voyage-fb28d3a7edc7) **_Community of the Week_** [Near Inov8](https://popula.io/c/near_innovate.community.popula.near)**:** Inov8 Community is all about empowering minds with the potential of NEAR blockchain. Dive into a world where innovation knows no bounds as we explore decentralized applications, smart contracts, and beyond. [Join](https://popula.io/c/near_innovate.community.popula.near) here on a journey of innovation and unleashing the power of the NEAR blockchain. ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/8f53f08f30e89239304c3d237f8d4b57.png) **_Communities on Popula_** * [Dusk Dawn Club](https://popula.io/c/ddc.community.popula.near) * [Animation club](https://popula.io/c/animation-club.community.popula.near) * [Near Inov8](https://popula.io/c/near_innovate.community.popula.near) * [Creatives DAO](https://popula.io/c/creativesdao.community.popula.near) * [marmajgaming](https://popula.io/c/marmajgaming.community.popula.near) * [Proof of Vibes](https://popula.io/c/proofofvibesnea.community.popula.near) * [NEAR & Aurora Defi](https://popula.io/c/near-defi-tokenisation.community.popula.near) * [QSTN](https://popula.io/c/qstn.community.popula.near) * [NEKO](https://popula.io/c/neko.community.popula.near) * [NEAR Indonesia](https://popula.io/c/near-indonesia.community.popula.near) * [Cheddar Defi](https://popula.io/c/cheddar-defi.community.popula.near) * [Nearchan Simps](https://popula.io/c/nearchan.community.popula.near) * [TAN](https://popula.io/c/tan.community.popula.near)🤎[FAM](https://popula.io/c/tan.community.popula.near) * [HEROES BUILD](https://popula.io/c/heroes-build.community.popula.near) * [JUMP Defi](https://popula.io/c/jump-defi.community.popula.near) * [Paras-Arkana](https://popula.io/c/paras-arkana.community.popula.near) * [Play Ember](https://popula.io/c/play-ember.community.popula.near) * [Meteor Wallet](https://popula.io/c/meteor-wallet.community.popula.near) * [El Cafe Cartel](https://popula.io/c/el-cafe-cartel.community.popula.near) * [NEAR Korea DAO](https://popula.io/c/near-korea-dao.community.popula.near) * [NEAR NFT Work Group](https://popula.io/c/near-nft-work-group.community.popula.near) * [gojo academy](https://popula.io/c/gojo-academy.community.popula.near) **_Explore these communities and share your posts with us for potential inclusion in future newsletters._** * * * ### **Behind the Scenes and Product Updates** **March: Community launch on Popula is now open!** We've just released an exciting update on Popula Mainnet. Now, everyone can launch their own community after verifying their email on Popula! Plus, with the enhanced Gas free mode, users now can join communities for free and community members can interact with the community without paying for gas fee. [Launch](https://popula.io/) your own community now! _(Gas free mode is set up by community originators, not all communities allow free interactions.)_ ![Image](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/31a3f3384b12f3ba9417f2c2c5de5018.jpg) **_Follow our socials and get in touch for questions or real-time updates._** * * * 🐝**Explore more about** [**Popula**](http://popula.io/) **or join** [**Popula Community**](https://t.me/populacommunity)**. We always welcome questions, suggestions and feedback!** ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/1d60a028c2bd6df003b84605071681ea.png) [Website](https://popula.io/) | [Telegram](https://t.me/populacommunity) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/beepopula) | [Discord](https://discord.gg/NGQwjnMUBa) | [Medium](https://medium.com/beepopula) | [Github](https://github.com/beepopula) | [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClyHQDgYQZpgwOC4Ulm3A9w) | [Warpcast](https://warpcast.com/popula) --- *Originally published on [Popula](https://paragraph.com/@popula/newsletter-issue-12)*