A Digital Incubation Space

Can writing in public become enjoyable again... purely for its own sake?

Imagine a future in which Zora Protocol Rewards inspires many other positive-sum mechanisms and reciprocity norms that recognize creative labor as wealth generation. Imagine these mechanisms as force multipliers for collective intelligence in diverse web3 ecosystems. Imagination and attention are acts of creation...

FREEVALUE

 the most groundbreaking positive-sum arts funding mechanism I’ve seen in web3: 

Remarkably, it even delivers ETH rewards for 

The Protocol Rewards mechanism collects a small fee in ETH from collectors when they mint collectibles as NFTs. Artists, writers, and other creators can 

 only. The Zora smart contract then directs 

I'm still floored every time I read that. 

 can be both free and financially valuable 

"....to make creating on the internet free and valuable." 

To clarify: artists who set prices for their work 

 benefit from Protocol Rewards, and since all blockchain interactions involve network fees, even 0 ETH 

 free for any users. (For more info, read the 

However, it still makes sense to think of Zora Mints as "free" in two ways. 

, Protocol Rewards gives artists a new way to earn ETH rewards over time as their "free" (0 ETH) hidden gems get discovered and minted. This opens never-before-seen possibilities, especially for underrated and emerging niche artists.

 web3-native positive-sum counterweight to the extractive economic forces that financialize "free" art to the detriment of artists. The key to this value unlock is 

: rewarding "free" creative labor that has long been undervalued. 

"It’s been beyond my imagination. A free piece of art has resulted in the largest sale, by many multiples, I’ve had in my three years here. 

 and Zora has found a way to leverage that."

"...using Zora Network as a musician right now just gave me so much hope and happiness." 

"As others are moving away from creator royalties, Zora has doubled down on its position with 'Protocol Rewards.' Creators now earn a revenue share on free mints, regardless of where the mint occurs."

 and take a closer look at value flows in the arts.

To fully appreciate the brilliance of Protocol Rewards as an unlock for "free" value flows, it's helpful to compare extractive economic forces with reciprocity norms in arts networks.

Artists' time, labor, and creative gifts are frequently taken for granted or treated as an afterthought — i.e., implicitly assumed to be available "for free." Accounting for the true costs of "labors of love" would involve a reckoning with this 

Meanwhile, powerful entities use extractive means such as control over 

 much of the value artists create. When these systemic extractive forces (e.g., "...

the big brands that think exposure is cash

") co-opt the vast majority of the value generated by labors of love in arts networks, artists pay out of pocket for these egregious failures of reciprocity. 

In healthy arts networks, normative patterns of value flow follow positive-sum logic, in which "free" creative work includes obligations of reciprocity to the commons. Extractive forces prey on these norms of gift economics by capturing this "free" value and financializing it in zero-sum ways that shift risks and costs onto artists. 

"...platforms are monetizing your content by selling off the ad space, exchanging with advertisers and keeping all of that value for themselves. If you’re a large creator, you might be lucky enough to get a percentage of this value from your own content. The reason these companies are worth billions of dollars is in part because they are able to monetize your content that you give them for free. 

By minting your content on a platform like Ethereum—a blockchain that is entirely public and decentralized—you now have a way to own your content that is entirely native to the internet."

Positive-sum mechanisms such as Zora Protocol Rewards can reduce dependence on these extractive entities by facilitating the return of long-extracted value directly to artists. 

While the amounts involved may seem negligible at first, it's worth noting that Zora has already 

 in a bear market. Consider the possibilities of Protocol Rewards in the 

, Zora is beginning to reclaim artist-generated value from being structurally co-opted and accumulated by extractive forces. 

Herein lies a latent superpower. Thanks to Zora, web3 now holds a new key to unlock it. To use it wisely, web3 will 

 that revalues artists on their own terms 

"The arts regularly generate their own currents of wealth, and rather than treating them as charity cases, or as loss leaders for...“true” commerce, there ought to be ways to channel that wealth back to freshen its source. If there is a commons of creativity there ought to be a way to manage it so that it perpetuates itself."

regularly generate their own currents of wealth

. That bears repeating, since few of us are encouraged to perceive the arts from that perspective. 

 from Zora's playbook and developed positive-sum mechanisms that reward creative labor as 

What if web3 channeled more of that generative wealth back to freshen its source, and developed ways to manage it so that it perpetuates itself through reciprocity?

Reciprocity in arts networks is fundamentally relational. As an example, here are some observations on value co-creation as seen through the lens of my creative process as a music journalist.

That's reciprocity in action. I pay it forward by using my writing skills, time, attention, musical tastes, and creative labor to add value back into the arts networks that originally spawned my own creativity. When that value is received in kind by others in the network, the conversation continues, and more value can emerge through 

I think of scenius as a self-organizing form of swarm intelligence that perpetuates itself by sending tendrils out to seed and nourish further creativity. Each artist contributes something unique to the mix, and in doing so, emboldens other artists to pursue 

In a digital media climate inundated with quickly buried "content," art labor that's met with sufficient collective attention, care, and real reciprocity can generate positive-sum value. 

, for example, serve as attractors for generative value creation through 

Zora Protocol Rewards gives artists who release "free" (i.e., 

) work an option to earn from it directly, without 

 or paywalls. In reciprocity-driven contexts, then, artists can choose to pay it forward by releasing creative work as 0 ETH Zora Mints without leaving their 

Imagine A Restorative Onchain Creative Commons 

 a future in which Zora Protocol Rewards inspires many other positive-sum mechanisms and reciprocity norms that recognize creative labor as wealth generation. 

Imagine these mechanisms as force multipliers for collective intelligence in diverse web3 ecosystems.

 a restorative onchain creative commons in which these ecosystems become maximally successful at mitigating the effects of extractive forces on artists' livelihoods over the long term. 

"Minting makes information free and accessible to everyone while accruing value to the creator. Zora is 

bringing the world’s imagination onchain

 so more people can realize more from their ideas.” 

What if web3 were to consult the imaginal realm, peer into the depths of our crystal Zorbs, and 

 that could be unlocked over time if significant numbers of artists...

What else? Feel free to continue the conversation.

 of the stick financially that it's hard to imagine things being any other way. Most artists have been lured by extractive bait-and-switch patterns framed as "creator liberation" and paid a hefty price out of their own hide. It's sensible to proceed with great care.

Of course zero-ETH Zora Mints will not be suitable for 

, however, and merits additional recognition for that reason.

In any case, all such mechanisms will be gamed, and no doubt other limits will be revealed with time and experience. Still, Protocol Rewards seems 

, and writers. Their work continues to gather momentum as they build infrastructure to fund a 

 wealth that can only unfold over time, and only in 

In the meantime, it's good to remember that imagination and attention are 

expansive economics are possible when you choose abundance over scarcity as a first principle. onchain technologies are asking us to experiment with less extractive values so that we can expand more value period. i’m inspired by and grateful for @ourZORA leading us more this way.

[Author's note: This essay is also available as a 

 series — a web3-native project to open-source creative processes in the context of scenius. More info in the 

A big-picture take on creative labor, value, and reciprocity

Free + Valuable: Why I'm Excited About Zora Protocol Rewards

, a web3-native project to open-source creative processes in the context of 

 project and I'm establishing a new home on Paragraph after years of publishing elsewhere, I'll begin with an intro. 

I'm a writer, senior editor, music journalist, philosophy nerd, bibliophile, animist, polytheist, place-maker, and labor/commons/UBI advocate. Much of my background is in academia, including credentials in psychology, philosophy, and accounting. 

I'm a GenX tech-nerd hobbyist: I signed up for my first email and Usenet accounts in 1993; launched my first website and started reading about open source principles in 1999; worked on PC hardware builds as a Free Geek volunteer in 2010; and finished a web dev bootcamp in 2014. 

Professionally, I started working in web3 in early 2021 as a freelance copy editor, and today I do senior-level editorial work on contract for DAOs and DeFi clients.

Currently I'm in the process of winding down three separate Substack newsletters so I can shift my full focus as a writer and editor — personally and professionally — to web3 media.

I didn't set out with the intention of starting three Substacks. I didn't even plan to write newsletters 

. I started my first Substack in 2018, largely because it seemed to be the least objectionable funding possibility for the writing I'd been publishing elsewhere for 20+ years (covering three disparate topics: dark ambient music, paganism, and philosophy of work and leisure). 

 went well. But the funding? Not so much.

Much gnashing-of-teeth later, it became clear that with my sporadic publishing schedule, minimal marketing/sales skills, dwindling time on social media, and non-lucrative writing specialties, Substack's funding model would never be a good fit. I favor long-form deep dives, such as meditative blog pieces and 

, and my stint on Patreon (2015-2017) had ended similarly. 

For awhile I tried some contortionist moves to piece together a mutant Substack hybrid resembling what I wanted to accomplish, such as DIY retroactive income splits with the musicians I interviewed. Interviews are co-creations, after all. But without blockchain tools, it quickly became an administrative nightmare. 

Eventually I concluded that in some cases, Patreon and Substack play out as variations on the old "exposure!" bait-and-switch, despite the best of intentions. But that's a story for another time. 

Disillusioned, I discontinued the paid tiers entirely, and back-burnered the idea of monetizing any of the writing I did outside my "day job." 

as the perils of turning an intrinsically motivated craft into an enterprise are legion.

True enough, but... is that the best possible outcome for these projects, or similar niche publications elsewhere? Hardly. 

However, web3-native tools to release and fund my writing the way I wanted — and easily split income with all my collaborators — simply didn't exist.

Scenius in Context: Farcaster, Paragraph, and Zora

Ever the early adopter, in early 2023 I joined the 

 ecosystem and, shortly afterward, started the publication you're reading now in the form of a 

Farcaster quickly became my preferred online hangout. With its welcome-to-the-

, and high signal-to-noise ratio, Farcaster has 

"Where Twitter feels like a noisy stadium, Farcaster feels like a chill party full of interesting friends."  

My feelings exactly. (P.S. I have invites. 

 if you're a web3 writer/editor, especially if you enjoy shop talk in public).

Likewise, Paragraph quickly became my go-to option for web3 publishing. Among my favorite features: Paragraph automatically imports all Farcaster comments on the published work — a great way of building valuable context without requiring additional labor. And reducing the 

 required for editing? Brilliant. For someone like me who edits for hours every day, those design details make a big difference. 

I'm barely scratching the surface here, though. Want to know why I'm so excited about Paragraph and its roadmap, both as a media industry professional and as an avid reader of chronically underfunded niche publications? Listen to founder 

how blockchain can transform the newsletter industry

. Think through the collective implications of the long-term vision he describes for Paragraph (interoperability, membership NFTs, customizable ways to monetize without paywalls... the list goes on). If you work in media and despair at the endless tales of layoffs and funding cuts (I do too), get thee to that interview pronto. It's a breath of fresh air. You're welcome.

As if all that weren't exciting enough, on the summer 

 — launched its own chain and the Zora Network. I've followed Zora with keen interest and an abundance of Zorb-minting glee (my PFP on Farcaster is a 

. Again, I've hardly scratched the surface. Dive into the Zora rabbit holes; you won't regret it.

I'll go out on a limb: the launch of the Zora Network and L2 chain — especially when considered alongside the roadmaps for Farcaster and Paragraph — 

 what will likely be seen, in hindsight, as a watershed moment for creators (including media teams) in web3. If you're building in the space, consider taking a page or two from their artist-friendly open source vision.

I've kept a fairly low profile in this milieu so far, partly as a means of preserving a buffer zone between my intrinsically motivated writing and the ever-encroaching side-hustle squeeze. Since I do my best work backstage, I prefer to leave the spotlight roles to others.

Be that as it may, the daily rhythms on Farcaster are emblematic of early-stage 

. Many writers, including Visakan Veerasamy (

, have written great takes on the concept. 

In this context I want to highlight the words of fellow GenX casters 

 on the "brave" women attending FarCon spawned a 

"if you find yourself lucky enough to stumble into a scenius, you have 

So as momentum continues to build in web3, 

, I've been asking myself some questions: 

How might I help advance open source principles and help this particular scenius unfold in positive-sum ways? 

What's needed here for appropriate context-building? 

Where can I put my editing skills to best use at this pivotal time?

Since discussions in many blockchain spaces focus heavily on business, tech, and DeFi, it took awhile for me to thread my way into the right nooks and crannies. I enjoy reading, learning, and thinking about those topics, and I enjoy 

 business/tech/DeFi writing. There's a need for my professional skills. However, I rarely write about these topics on my own. 

Even my fixation on studying things like "

) is mostly driven by insatiable curiosity about possibilities for sustainably funding media teams, artists, open source efforts, and other underfunded types of labor. 

After following many fascinating discussions and product launches amidst the Farcaster gigabrains, finally I've 

, however tentative it may be, to this corner of the "public finance" conversation. I'm leaning a bit more into writing-as-conversation. Nothing ready to share yet, but I'll keep working.

"The big brands that think exposure is cash.... have been robbing us of the value we create for as long as there’s been a creative industry."

Indeed they have. Maddening. But now we're building staging grounds for scenius, and we've got our sights set on returning more of this long-extracted value back into the hands of those who create it. 

In the process of thinking through all this, I wrote a note-to-self that somehow morphed mid-sentence into an ambitious answer to my how-to-contribute questions. To wit:

Forms of Incubation is an extended study of context-building through creative incubation.

You can double down on the open source ethos. No doubt there are other web3 writers/editors who could make use of your process notes 

, but lesser-known aspects of creative processes such as incubation, which can take many forms

Write not so much on "topics," but on patterns you care about across multiple contexts: creativity; infrastructure; value flows; attention; non-coercion; reciprocity; place-making; atmospheres; contemplative practice; kindness; appreciation; earnestness; critical thinking; spiritual life; deep ecology; language; art; music; pattern languages; insight. 

for artists, media teams, and maintenance efforts. Underrated creative and open source work gets overlooked every day; help others discover and appreciate it when you can. Make unseen labor (including "

") visible, and help contextualize it. Creative work always arises within a specific context, and it should be considered in that light. Funding infrastructure is a crucial element of that context.

Patiently get to know the elephant in the room, one section at a time. Give voice to what you find, and keep thinking about what you do 

 find, especially when your best instincts tell you it should be there. 

Plant the seeds you're given, in the form of your favorite artistic medium: the written word. Let the seeds incubate. Let them gestate, take root, and ripen. Witness the early-stage development of web3 from where you sit. Take good notes, share them when appropriate, and create more space for incubation processes to unfold fruitfully. Always give proper credit where it's due.

Finally, open-source creative processes when you can. Write about the role of incubation in major creative breakthroughs. Maybe one day your work could even help ease the way for others to contribute their gifts and talents to building the renaissance (based on blockchain tech) that you want to see: UBI for all, sustainably funded open source/creative work, and thriving onchain media. 

That's what Forms of Incubation is about, as of this writing. 

Casting far beyond my comfort zone here. But I'm going to lean into it.

At the risk of stating the obvious: plugging into a scenius comes with 

 about what to expect. Not-knowing seems to be how the magic works. 

Typically I avoid social media as much as possible while working on intrinsically motivated projects. It's a way of protecting 

 from interruptions through micro-dispersals of attention. But there's something special about a well-curated Farcaster feed. At its best, it can actually 

 my creative flow states. (!?) Surely the pervasive norms of kindness have something to do with that.

Case in point: a fellow caster I'd followed but never interacted with sent 

 of encouragement as I wrote this essay. (Thanks, 

Scenius intelligence is fundamentally collective, so this may shapeshift into a more interactive project involving riffs or collaborations or who-knows-what-else.

Then again, it may not. There's no way to know in advance. 

Either way, I'll keep writing and editing.

 as a learning-in-public endeavor that's subject to revision at any time — a way of cultivating healthy respect for the wisdom of not-knowing.

Introducing Forms of Incubation, an extended study of context-building through creative incubation.

Scenius Incubation: Open Source Creative Processes

hellno the optimist

 for power users aka superhuman for Farcaster. 

No one knows what it means, but it's provocative. It's gets the people going!

It has support for multiple accounts and can switch channels faster than you can say 'Memes'. It has a command palette 

 to control everything. You can navigate with 

Thanks to everyone that reached out for feedback or reported bugs 🙏🏼  Share 

Collect this post to support the development ⬇️ (I'm testing a paid mint) 

custom channels ✅

herocast log #3

The Tinkering Society

Insights from builders and thinkers on a mission to further develop the crypto ecosystem through protocol research and incubation.

Some see it as an innovation in the creator economy; others suspect that it’s this quarter’s alpha ponzi.

While it’s clear that influencers are lubing up any poor soul to join their private groups, it might actually be a blessing in disguise for the average degen.

With cash now being a mediator for attention, 

 essentially becomes a decentralized OnlyFans, and that drastically changes the creator-follower relationship compared to open-access platforms like X/Twitter.

For those playing catch-up, here’s a very quick introduction to 

. It’s a SocialFi platform that lets creators and influencers sell access to private groups through tokens. It’s essentially BitClout but without the sneaky launch tactics.

That means if you have a Cobie share (known as a ‘Key’ after a recent rebrand), you get an invite to the inner lair and, presumably, all the alpha.

During this beta test phase, set to last six months, 100,000,000 reward points will be airdropped to users. There’s currently no other information about these beyond speculation.

It’s worth noting that the prices for these Keys are set on an exponential bonding curve. Which is a completely different discussion in terms of economic sustainability, and may have an impact on the rationale behind this article in the future.

Influencers wouldn’t be worth their salt if they couldn’t shill 

 to the far reaches. Since its launch, the platform has bounced off a combination of BASE chain hype and influencer-on-influencer shilling to lay down impressive growth stats.

Transactions have ebbed and flowed in the first month but cumulative users and trading volume are starting to flatten out. An early assumption could be that this is airdrop farming.

Crypto, degens, and influencers are tightly bound together. Mega accounts have the ability to shift market prices. Many of whom just don’t have the credentials to substantiate that kind of power.

 has shades of being a meta ponzi. Influencers are (understandably) getting excited about the platform, and they’re also the loudest voices in the room. Meaning degens are caught in an endless shill cycle.

It’s easy to forget under the guise of terms like ‘SocialFi’ and ‘creator economy’ that the platform is transactional, both in terms of its product and its trading market. Things can get un-friendly quickly and there’s a solid chance some honest degens will get dumped on.

There’s also a question around output. The growth of OnlyFans is a testament to primordial allure of ahegao girls, BDSM madams, or whatever sexual kink someone ascribes to. When the 

 hype simmers, it will be interesting to see if anon.eth covertly pumping their bags to Key holders in the form of ‘alpha research’ will remain as meaningful.

The crux of this argument is that, while crypto influencers may well be rubbing their hands now, they could have also opened Pandora’s Box. A converse rationale for 

 is that it could change the influencer-follower relationship and make it more transparent.

Projects like DeBank have recently been experimenting with social scoring so that every clickable post interaction doesn’t only equal positive sentiment. Having Key prices as a barometer for content quality would help degens navigate a crypto market where post engagement and search algorithms can be so easily gamed.

Friend.Tech is an influencer's fantasy. But strip away the shills and there are clear question marks about its intentions. Let's explore the true cost of DeFi friendships.

OnlyFrenz

It has support for multiple accounts and can switch channels faster than you can say 'Memes'. It supports 

 (command palette) to control everything. You can navigate with 

 to recast. Switch channels on Feed page with 

thanks to everyone that reached out for feedback or reported bugs 🙏🏼

search ✅ notifications and feed improvements ✅

herocast log #2

herocast is a desktop and keyboard-first Farcaster client. It has support for multiple accounts and switching channels. cmd + k (command palette) to control everything. aka superhuman for Farcaster, 

no one knows what it means, but it's provocative. It's gets the people going!

Discover the magic of the internet at Imgur, a community powered entertainment destination. Lift your spirits with funny jokes, trending memes, entertaining gifs, inspiring stories, viral videos, and so much more from users.

posting on herocast

, DM on Warpcast @hellno or telegram @HELLNO_HELLNO.

first update on herocast v0.1

herocast log #1

Owning a social media account right now is a little like selling your soul.

Social media users are caught in a David vs. Goliath battle with centralized actors over their identities, data, and content. These innovative Web3 configurations are now tipping the balance and letting users take back control.

Free + Valuable: Why I'm Excited About Zora Protocol Rewards

Scenius Incubation: Open Source Creative Processes

herocast log #3

OnlyFrenz

herocast log #2

herocast log #1

DeSoc, Decoded

The Close-Loop of Token-Based Connections

Who Will Control the Narratives?

Crypto Sapiens Hosts Samudai: A One-Stop Solution for Community Building and Collaboration