These days we can find a number of social media platforms based on blockchain or somehow incorporated with cryptocurrencies. Many of them couldn't sustain themselves because of their handling of issues like spam and lack of attracting content creators and due to some abnormal market conditions. But one thing is sure, social media platforms powered by blockchain technology are emerging and many people are preferring them instead of traditional social media platforms still the gap between the number of users is still large so there is a need to spread the word regarding some good social media platforms.

Recently I encountered a new social media platform called gFam which stands for 'Global Family', powered by the Ripple blockchain and a concept of web monetization. In this article, we will look into some of the features of gFam and things that need to be improved.

What Is gFam?

As discussed earlier, gFam stands for 'Global Family' and in simple words, gFam is a social media platform that utilizes the power of 'web monetization' as well as lets users tip for their favorite content. The social media platform is mainly powered by the Xumm ( XRP wallet) and Coil (web monetization). Users have to connect their Xumm wallet in order to receive and send tips and Coil is a promoter of the concept of 'web monetization' which is out of the context of this article but if you are interested in diving deep into it then you can check out Interledger Foundation which is behind the development of this concept.

Now getting back to gFam, it is funded by Grant For The Web which is a grant program by Interledger Foundation. gFam received a grant of $93,818 from the Grant For The Web From in January 2022, which I suppose is a good amount in order to develop and grow at the early stages.

How To Get Started?

In order to get started with gFam and to use it at its full potential, you should have an activated Xumm account. First, you need to download the Xumm app and create an account and fund an account with at least 10 XRP to activate it. It is not any type of fee but it is the minimum amount of XRP that your Xumm account should have. If you are not comfortable with funding a Xumm account then don't worry you can still sign up and enjoy the content on gFam but then you won't be able to receive or send tips. If you have activated the Xumm wallet then you can enter the address in the 'Xumm Account Address' field otherwise keep it blank.

Once you log into gFam you will see the 'Post' page like below and you can use the 'Menu' to surf through the platform. From Menu, you can go to the 'Account' if you want to make changes in your account, and in 'Profile' you can check your previous activity on the platform.

Unique Features of gFam

Along with the traditional features of social media platforms, gFam has some unique feature that makes it one of a kind social media platform, let's discuss some of them.

Tip Gated Posts

Along with the normal public posts a user can also create tip-gated posts which means that another user has to pay a pre-decided amount of XRP in order to access that post. This feature is beneficial for influencers who have a large following and trying to create exclusive content. But yes, this is not a very well-adoptable feature at the early stages of the platform but it certainly is one of the unique features.

Learn

In Menu, you will find a section called 'Learn', where users can create their own lessons tip-gated or for free. This certainly is one of the features which makes gFam unique. Currently, you can find various lessons related to makeup, coding, cooking, and other tutorials.

Challenges

This is another unique section where you can find simple challenges and after completing them you will receive prizes in XRP. Currently, it does not look open for anyone to post challenges as right now you can see most of the challenges are sponsored by gFam.

Cons Of gFam

When it comes to a new project, especially like gFam certainly there are a few things that needed to be improved, and the following is the list of them:

Xumm: Entry Barrier

As gFam uses Xumm for the tips transaction and in order to receive a tip user must have activated an account of Xumm and it comes with the cost of 10 XRp (~$6). This might stop users from coming from various countries where $6 is a considerably large amount. But there is a benefit of this too, as spammers might not enter due to this. But yes, at first this will stop people from joining the platform.

Note: Although users can join & enjoy gFam without a Xumm account.

Lack Of Content

Being at an early stage social media platform, there is a lack of content on the platform compared to other platforms. It is acceptable but yes unlike never-ending feeds on other social media platforms there will be 30-35 posts daily.

User Interface (UI & UX) & Basic Features

Certainly, there is a need for improvement in the User Interface as well as in the User Experience. Basic features like tagging, mentioning other users and personal chats are some of the features that seem to be missing in gFam. But yes these are basic but very tedious features to develop so we might have to wait for some time to see them in gFam.

General Information

Founder - Adam W.

Grant - $93,818 (Jan 2022)

Total Rewards Earned - 48347.41 XRP

Official Website - https://gfam.live/

Find Me At gFam - G'day Fam (Ashma)

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Thanks for your time!