To Have or Not to Have the Power Badge

➡ Part 1 Unlocking the Power Badge

Dear people of the purple app,

In my last article Unlocking the Power Badge, I discussed what the badge means, and the major factors (Activity, Affinity & Quality, Labeling) that determine who may receive a Power Badge.

Today, we’re going to dive deeper and explore possible reasons why you may have lost the Power Badge or are struggling to obtain one. But fear not, because I’ll also offer some insights into what might help you on your journey to either reclaiming the Power Badge or earning it for the first time.

❗Please note that I am not affiliated with Farcaster/Warpcast in any way; everything I write is based on observation, experience, and my work in related sectors.

Let's get started by laying out some user type categories that I will refer to throughout this article.

• The Farmer

• The Cast Machine

• The Leisurer

• The Bubbler

• The Generalist

• The Builder

• The Memer

• The Big Shot

• The Inner Circle

You can envision these types on a spectrum, starting with the farmer on the far left and moving to the inner circle on the far right. So let's start with Batch 1.

The Farmer

• Has none or only a handful of original casts.

• Replies with generic, repetitive casts.

• Their circle includes mostly other farmers and bots.

The Cast Machine

• Excessive use of automated mechanisms like cannons & moneyguns.

• Giveaway farms for engagement.

• Very little non-generic interaction on their original casts.

• Requires numerous hoops (like, reply, recast, quote).

The Leisurer

• Casts occasionally, sometimes only up to once or twice every few days (or even weeks).

• High rate of quote casting other users' content.

• Very little to no original content.

The Bubbler

• Has very specific interests and a tight-knit group/community/channels they spend most of their time in.

• Rather active but less outgoing.

• Has a hard time making connections outside their bubble.

This is a quick overview to give you an impression of user types and some defining points, for the first batch.

The Farmer and The Cast Machine are the most extractionary types, contributing little to no value to the space. It's likely that any algorithm would deem their content or engagement as low quality and negative value.

It gets a little more complicated with The Leisurer and The Bubbler. The Leisurer might not have low-quality content but may be too inactive or lack originality (e.g., only quote casting or mainly using other users' content to boost their own account). Meanwhile, The Bubbler suffers from their "confined" activity. Unfortunately artists, for example, may fall into this category because they are often very active in their root communities and sharing great content but with little exposure beyond while also facing the challenge of their work being shared without proper attribution or credit.

These types also don't have to be standalone but are rather intersectional, as are the ones in Batch 2 coming up next.

The Generalist

• Is present in a broad range of communities.

• Has a good activity level.

• Interested in new things.

• Casts original content very frequently.

• Interacts with other users through replies, recasts, and substantial quote casts.

The Builder

• Contributes to the community with their creations.

• Highly motivated to move the space forward.

• Likely to have one or more projects that benefit the space.

• Casts educational content and relevant information (news).

The Memer

• Often deeply involved in the space and understands the culture.

• Clever use of well-known memes or creates their own engaging content.

• Has a presence in a broad range of communities.

The Big Shot

• Often early contributors to the space.

• Actively participate with the community.

• Has a large following with a good human user ratio.

• Likely to have one established project of their own or be a team member of one.

We've now covered some user types on the positive side of the spectrum. These types are not standalone but rather intersectional, of course. One can be a generalist builder or a generalist memer big-shot. We all have different sides to ourselves, with shifting priorities, interests, or phases in our lives.

Contrary to the four types mentioned in Batch 1, these are the most contributing types with high positive value. The Generalists probably make up the largest group among them. They establish the quality baseline a social network (or broader community) needs in order to grow and thrive. 

They are the fundamental components, while the more specific types—The Builder, The Memer, and The Big Shots—are the cornerstones.

Lastly, let’s address one of the types I think some of you might have been curious about.

The Inner Circle

• A staple name in the space (industry)

• Likely high-profile and connected to an established project, entity, or corporation

• Very early contributor

This type may be exempt from weekly updates due to their high standing, connections, and/or significant contributions to the space. This could explain why they retain their power badge even if they aren’t very active or active at all. However, I have observed some early contributors or high-profile accounts losing their badge recently after months of complete inactivity.

Now that we’ve covered some user types and defined activities that can be categorized as either positive or negative value, you might be wondering what this means for you.

Let’s be honest and not sugarcoat it. If you lost your badge or haven’t yet received one, most of you have an idea why and you likely fall into one or a combination of the Batch 1 types described above. This doesn’t mean there aren’t exceptions; you might produce good content or avoid excessive cannon use but still not make the cut.

As mentioned in my previous article, no algorithm or system is perfect, and there is always room for improvement.

After reviewing numerous profiles over the last few days - profiles that have lost their badge and those asking why they still don’t have one - I have to say that most resort to activities and content that an algorithm would deem as negative, extractionary value in a social network.

No one knows exactly how this specific algorithm works, and it isn’t simple. As stated on the Warpcast Power Badge Notion:

“It’s no longer a simple algorithm - it uses some heuristics on top of labeling done by machine learning and manual systems. The system is also changing daily as we fine-tune it.”

This means we are looking at a dynamic and rather complex system that is regularly tweaked and improved as they monitor the space, user data, engagement metrics, etc.

One of the most important factors here is data. The algorithm neither knows nor cares if you are a good person or enjoy giving, hence the pewpew-ing that ham or degen around to those in need. The algorithm only relies on the data it is given or has access to within the network environment it is assigned to work on. So, what the algorithm may pick up in this case is that you’ve given control over your casts to an automated mechanism that is rolling out a large amount of repetitive replies on your behalf. That is the activity data the algorithm may connect to your account.

I can hear your thoughts: "But I only pew pew once a day." 

That doesn’t sound so bad at first, but let’s talk about ratios. How is your other content and overall activity?

Let’s give an example with an imaginary data credit system to show why you shouldn’t compare yourself to other accounts and their activities.

In this imaginary data system, positive and negative network behavior and engagement are valued with either positive or negative credits.

Superuser is a big shot turned cast machine who is an early contributor but has recently changed his network behavior, doing a lot of cannons and giveaways. However, due to his overall standing (connections to Power Badge Users) and earlier contributions of good content, he has amassed a large amount of +100,000 data credits on his account over time. The cannons and giveaways are flagged as spammy or negative behavior if they exceed a certain ratio compared to the total of Superuser’s casts on the day/week. Such a cast can cost him -1,000 data credits. For Superuser, this isn’t a problem as he can easily balance it out with his standing or by contributing some good content that gets positive engagement from his Power Badge followers.

You, on the other hand, may not be in that position with only +2,000 credits so far and possibly a fragile ratio on your overall casts because you aren’t very active in general and/or mostly farmers/bots engage with your casts.

Do you see the point? If something works for some accounts, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you too.

And again, I can hear your thoughts: "Well, I have never used a cannon, I quote/share art/general content, and cast 20 times a day."

Okay, let’s take a look at this as an example. How do you share the content? Do you, for example, quote cast another artist’s/user’s content with one word on a repetitive basis?

Think about what is machine-readable and what data may be transported or collected from your cast. Keep in mind that quote casts are "registered" as original casts on your account, and one main reason for a quote cast is to amplify content to your follower base/favorite channel while adding your own perspective. Otherwise, you could easily just recast it. So if you quote content on a repetitive basis with only a "wow," "amazing," or "I love it," it may not make the cut or qualify for good and valuable content.

These are just simple examples to illustrate how some content may be received on the data side.

But data isn’t everything and has its flaws.

Recently, some users experienced receiving the Power Badge only to have it revoked within a few hours. There could be several reasons for this. One likely reason is that there were issues or mistakes with the algorithm, leading to minor human intervention where these Power Badges were manually removed from affected accounts.

Additionally, there could be certain limits or thresholds on how many users in total can obtain the Power Badge compared to the overall number of active users. This means that even if an algorithm initially grants the badge, manual adjustments might be made to ensure these limits are maintained.

As I mentioned before, no system is perfect, and situations like this do occur, although they are usually corrected before users notice. In this case, the correction did not happen in time, causing confusion and distress among users. Receiving recognition, having emotions run high, and then having it taken away so quickly can be disheartening and frustrating.

However, I think it’s important to mention that this was surely never meant to hurt or devalue anyone’s contributions but rather a necessary step to maintain the integrity of the system.

First of all, there isn’t one magical way to go about it. Everyone is different. Not everyone is super funny, has an eye for good memes, or is the greatest educator, builder, artist, etc. The best part is you don’t have to be all of these to contribute positively to this space and enhance your presence.

Starting with being yourself and letting others know about you and what you do, here are some examples of what may not only be a good way to navigate a social network in general but could also bring you closer to the Power Badge:

• Know what you can offer and bring it to the table: Identify your strengths and share them with the community.

• Be original and creative with your content: Stand out by creating unique and engaging casts.

• Be present in a few channels: Engage in multiple communities to broaden your reach and impact.

• Connect with others and share your ideas: Build relationships and exchange thoughts to foster community spirit.

• If you cast a lot of visuals, spice it up with some text and vice versa: Balance your content to keep it diverse and interesting.

• Find your style but stay interesting by varying from time to time: Develop a unique voice but occasionally mix things up to maintain engagement.

• Have fun: Enjoy the process and let your enthusiasm show in your casts.

• Experiment with new tools: Try out new features and tools to enhance your content.

• Limit your use of automated mechanisms (the dose makes the poison): Use automation sparingly to avoid appearing spammy.

• Engage meaningfully: Respond to replies on your casts, participate in discussions, and interact thoughtfully with others’ content.

• Cast regularly: Maintain a consistent casting schedule to keep others engaged and demonstrate ongoing activity.

• Diversify content: Mix different types of content, such as text, images, videos, to keep your profile dynamic and engaging.

• Optimize your timing: Cast during peak hours when your communities are most active to increase engagement.

• Stay updated: Follow and participate in current events and conversations relevant to the community.

• Provide value: Share valuable information, tips, insights, or resources that the community will find useful.

• Encourage interaction: Ask questions, or initiate conversations to encourage others to interact with your content.

• Share original research or insights: Offer unique perspectives, data, or analysis that can’t be found elsewhere.

• Showcase community contributions: Highlight and celebrate the work or contributions of other community members to foster a sense of community.

• Be transparent and authentic: Share your personal experiences and be honest in your interactions to build trust with others.

• Use visuals effectively: Incorporate high-quality images, graphics, and videos to make your content more appealing and engaging.

• Collaborate with others: Partner with other community members for wider reach and to build credibility.

• Avoid spammy practices: Steer clear of tactics like excessive non-substantial casting, overuse of promotional content, or repetitive and generic replies.

In conclusion, while experiencing the temporary acquisition and subsequent loss of the Power Badge can indeed be disheartening, it’s vital to acknowledge that such occurrences, while infrequent, are an inherent aspect of a dynamic system. Whether due to algorithmic glitches, manual interventions, or constraints on badge allocation, these experiences serve as reminders of the ongoing evolution and refinement of Warpcast & Farcaster.

Remember, the pursuit of a Power Badge is not solely about meeting any criteria, but also about contributing meaningfully to the community.

So I’d like to encourage you to keep casting, staying resilient, and embracing the journey towards becoming a Power Badge User. Your contributions are valued, and together, we continue to create and shape the Warpcast experience for everyone.

Best of luck on your journey!

Ryya

➡ Part 3 Balancing the Power Badge