Gm Lens Frens! 🌿

So, it seems like we’re at a bit of an intersection with how Lens protocol is used, perceived, and valued by its users. Lately I’ve noticed some discussion on how we define the roles people play in the ecosystem. So this post is just a way for me to document it and get it straight.

Here’s what I’ve gathered so far:

USERS = Anyone (preferably a human, although no slight to AI accounts that are cool) who creates a profile to use the applications built on Lens. Maybe you post, maybe you just lurk; but your contribution might be less frequent than others. You’re probably well versed in web3, but there’s a chance you might feel that you’ve still got some “normie” vibes. You feel good about sharing useful information on the network, and appreciate genuine connections with other users.

CREATORS = You make content, intentionally. You embrace creating things “onchain” and these “things” could be anything really; thoughts, inspirational posts, shit-posts, images, videos, podcasts, memes, GIFs, frames, polls, etc. You are the public-facing persona of the network. When a new user joins, they will likely get a healthy dose of … you! You post frequently, at least once or several times a day. People remember your PFP.

ARTISTS = When you hear the word “creator” you often feel that it relates directly to you, but then feel confused when you notice there are software devs in your ‘creator group’… 🤷 Artists make a specific type of content; visual art, painting, photography, music, video, digital media, 3D assets, graphic design, pottery, crafts, dance, etc. You are here to find collectors, sell your work, live off your art (or at least pay a couple bills with it). You know your work has the potential to change the world and the people in it, but you are humble and self-critical, and stay under the radar — or you don’t; and you know you are fucking awesome, and don’t hesitate to tell people.

INFLUENCERS = All of the above, but your aim is to sway the narrative of the social network, to bring people into your way of thinking, to create a sense of NEED in people (that probably didn’t exist before they saw your post). You are the harbingers of FOMO. You MOST LIKELY GET PAID to post things about other projects and companies, even though you make it look like your content is “organic” and “authentic”.

FOUNDERS = Basically you run a business. Hopefully it is ethical. You use the network to convince people to use your product. Hopefully your product doesn’t rug people. You’re still early.

FREELANCERS = You help founders get shit done. You are probably a jack-of-all-trades, likely an artist. You use the network in a similar way as an influencer, but you are way more transparent about the people that are paying you to do things.

DEVELOPERS = You ship. Then you ship again. People love you. Then they get mad at you. Then you ship. And then they love you again. Then you ship… There is likely pizza involved somewhere in this.

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If you’ve read this far, hopefully you’ll get the sense that I’m jesting a little, and making light of how we take these roles too seriously sometimes.

HOWEVER… in my humble opinion, I do think that this network would grow in a positive way if people were more forthright about the roles they CHOOSE to take on. I know that I am likely a USER, but also contribute as an ARTIST and FREELANCER at times. I could consider myself a CREATOR, but still not sure entirely what that means… In the end, there’s not a lot of mystery to it.

So what roles do you play, frens? Did I miss any?

Am I the only one that finds the ‘Share on Lens’ button never works on third-party platforms?

I’m on mobile, and have @hey running in a browser in Zerion (same app I minted from), also have @orb @buttrfly @Phaver and the @kaira pwa installed. But I’m realizing that button is actually specific to Hey.

It’s happened many times where I click the little @lens logo which opens Hey in another browser tab. But then nothing happens… in comparison to Warpcast, TG and X which auto-composes a post for me.

Fixable? And is it possible for the ‘Share on Lens’ button to accommodate other Lens apps? Like, could it open a prompt that lets you choose what app to post from? Otherwise this should be a ‘Share on Hey’ button, with the Hey logo, no? 🧐

Fixing this would help with artist discovery/ promotion on Lens, imo. We need to be mindful that people use different apps on Lens, which was a huge part of the initial on-boarding to the protocol. It doesn’t feel nice to see one or two apps be given preferential treatment as the ‘main’ Lens apps.

Devs and artists - discuss!!

(Full disclosure, these are my personal thoughts which I’ve had long before I started working with Buttrfly.)

My custom Swatch ⏱️

I owned a Swatch when I was about 12 years old, around the time I was first learning how to skateboard on a Tony Hawk mini deck, wearing my Converse high tops and tapered jeans with safety pins.

One evening last year I was drinking some beer, watching Powell & Peralta Bones Brigade videos and feeling really nostalgic. So, I decided to buy this watch as a reminder of the feeling of being a kid in the 80s and 90s. Everything felt fresh, new, and a little revolutionary.

It serves as a quick reference to that time for me, but has also become a great conversation piece. I thought the @genx folks here might appreciate.