A Stroll Through the Web3 Content Economy
Book Review: Unapologetic Freedom
Unapologetic Freedom had received 50 Amazon reviews by the time I wrote mine, a result of very good marketing. Below is a modified version of my review.
This book has its strong points:
It's easy to read.
It simplifies the concepts for people new to bitcoin.
It's well-designed, well-written, and attractive cover to cover.
And the typography and chapter headings are also very well done for a self-published book.
The author makes a good case for bitcoin in fighting censorship, peer governance, and providing creators with more power and control over their creations. However, it's obvious to any close reader that the point behind the book is to sell the author's social media platform ZION, which utilizes bitcoin's Lightning Network. After all, the book as a ZION imprint.
After being a customer of ZION for about a year now, I still haven't figured out what I can do with it, but at least I have a “node.” Maybe Justin Rezvani should write a book about that.
That aside aside, at 128 pages, the book is quite short. But it's probably as long as it needs to be.
Its biggest weakness is its bitcoin maximalism. Rezvani doesn't mention other cryptocurrencies or cryptosocial networks, many of which provide the same benefits he touts in Unapologetic Freedom. An author who truly cares about creator freedom should be as comfortable promoting Hive, Publish0x, Minds, LBRY, and the 80+ other cryptosocial media platforms and protocols currently active.
While Rezvani and I share the same values in terms of liberty, sovereignty, and control over one's own digital assets, we would part at the place where bitcoin is the only means of getting there. Unapologetic Freedom is good, but it's not great.
I consider this a recommended read, especially for crypto beginners.
Web3 Monetization and Content Ownership
I met Adam Waring on a website called Narrative, which I briefly discuss in one section of my book Cryptosocial: How Cryptocurrencies Are Changing Social Media. Adam was one of the brave souls who test drove Narrative during its beta launch and cataclysmic plunge into oblivion.
After Narrative's self-conscious dive bomb, Adam and I went our separate ways. I wrote a book and he went to work on gFam, a cryptosocial platform that provides XRP tipping for creators and a way to monetize content through the Coil protocol. When I discovered that he was working on the project, I couldn't wait to take it for a test drive. Finally, three years later, I was able to do that.
Adam and I are once again hooking up to discuss cryptosocial media. Today, at noon CDT, we will have an informal discussion on Web3 monetization and content ownership. We invite you to join us.
After our discussion, we'll be joined by Ryan Gerardi for a roundtable discussion on cryptocurrencies and Web3 monetization, especially with regard to strategies for businesses.
Join us on the B2B hour, the podcast for B2B marketing and sales professionals.
Crypto and Web3 News You Can Chew On
Judge kicks the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the teeth. Judge Sarah Netburn said the SEC is hypocritical in its argument concerning Former Director Bill Hinman’s emails concerning whether Ethereum is a security. In other words, she stated the obvious and ruled in favor of Ripple.
Dai is challenging Dogecoin’s market position.
California is investigating crypto lenders. A Vermont state regulator says he believes Celsius is insolvent.
GameStop launched an NFT marketplace and raised $45,000 in the first day. Does this represent the normalization of the NFT market? Forbes says it isn’t all that. That’s not a very big raise, but the fact that GameStop is interested in NFTs is noteworthy.
The U.S. trademark and copyright offices are studying the impact of NFTs on intellectual property (IP). Will this lead to legislation of NFTs, or the expectation that brands will have to register their NFTs as IP? Anything is possible.
The film industry is betting on Web3, which is now going mobile. How businesses can use Web3-enabled art to deliver better customer experiences. Korean fintech giant Dunamu plans to create 10,000 new Web3 jobs. Can cryptography and Web3 restore trust in digital media? Just like corporations infiltrated the World Wide Web and turned it into a centralized paradise for themselves, I expect the same thing to happen to Web3. If Jack Dorsey is right about anything, he’s right about that.
DAO technology and the metaverse. Nevermind the authors state the first mention of the metaverse was in Larry Niven’s novel The Burning City, published in 2000. It actually appeared first in Neal Stephenson’s novel Snow Crash, published in 1992. Still, not a bad read.
One innovative entrepreneur is issuing crypto credit scores. Does crypto lending need a credit scoring system? If this takes off, would that do away with collateralizing loans with more crypto than one is borrowing?
How a fake job offer took down the world’s most popular play-2-earn game.
Learn how to build for the creator economy. A free course.
The most fascinating aspect of the metaverse, for Google, is physical.
Snark and commentary in italics.
Cryptocracy is a decentralized newsletter published several times a week. I curate the latest news and crypto analysis from some of the brightest minds in crypto, and sometimes offer a little insightful and snarky commentary. Always fresh, always interesting, and always crypto.
First published at Cryptocracy. Not to be construed as financial advice. Do your own research.