Recently, the Peakd interface releases "Snaps" their short-form content similar to other interfaces and InLeo released paywall functionality, which allows creators to put subscriber-only behind a monthly paywall, with a subscription price of 5 HBD a month.
Snaps is clear enough, as even though I prefer to write articles for people to engage with, I get that some people just want to commentate on random events that are more "in the moment" like on Twitter. Personally, I don't see it as an overly healthy process as demonstrated by Twitter, but that is my opinion.
The Paywall on the other hand is less clear, but it is something that I have been mentioning on and off for about seven years now, but it hasn't been implemented. While many people don't like paywalls as they believe everything on the internet should be free, I am of a different mind, as there is no such thing as free content. There is always a cost and this comes through ad revenue models and data selling to improve and maximize the ad models. There is a space for ads on the internet, but the amount of reliance on it throughout the ecosystem has lead to a host of perhaps partially unintended outcomes, that are being leveraged to make the world worse.
Again, my opinion.
I am sure that rather than diving into that here, you might be able to find an article out there as to the many implications of ad revenue models for both the audience, and the reliance on them for corporations, whichever you are more interested in.
In 2023, Meta (Facebook’s parent company) generated $116.6 billion in revenues, of which $113.6 billion, or 97.5%, was from ads. According to its latest financial report, in Q2 2024, of the $39.1 billion in revenues the company made, $38.3 billion (98.1%) was from ads.
Facebook is free?
No one really likes to pay for anything, but SaaS models of business like Netflix and Spotify has normalized subscriptions for younger generations in the same way that many older generations would order newspapers. Of course, once it went digital, the scalability of a product expands enormously, while the cost of distribution plummets. Couple this with the cost of production coming down also with the likes of generative- AI and automation of processes, and it means that there is far more content being produced.
What this means is that people will increasingly have to decide on what they are willing to pay for, and for the most part, it isn't what people are getting for free now. For instance, using the idea of snaps, would you be willing to pay 5 HBD a month to see random thoughts from an individual specifically? Or if you are on TikTok, is there an individual creator you are willing to pay 5 HBD a month to see? And then, how many creators are you willing to pay for in a month, and what kind of content do you expect from them?
OnlyFans type?
See, there is content creators and content types that people are willing to pay for in order to get behind the wall, but it is a pretty niche set. There are also for instance podcasts that people are willing to pay for also in order to get exclusive content, but that tends to come from personalities who have already established their audience base, and are now opting out of ad revenue models, because they have seen the impact of it on their content, or don't want to have to be beholden to advertisers in the future.
Is there space on Hive for subscriptions?
The short answer is;
Absolutely.
However, I am "pretty sure" that it is going to be a slow burn at least to start with, because just like the internet with a lot of "user-generated" content, people are used to getting it free. On Hive, even without having any HP to add monetary value to an article, people can read. However, there could be space for content that is more tailored to specific users, like larger stakeholders, but for the most part, the majority of content is generally for a wider audience.
There might be users like me who want to add different kinds of content to value add to my blog. For instance, While I probably wouldn't put written articles behind a paywall, I could add videos there that go more in-depth on certain conversations, or have "Ask Me Anything" content or answer subscriber submitted questions behind the paywall. Ultimately though, it wouldn't be about increasing earnings as much as adding value for some to justify the public earnings also, as well as give a way for those interested to support directly if they choose.
In order to have "subscribers" it means being a Premium member of InLeo (10 HBD a month), which I did last night for the next month to see what it is like. I now have a checkmark next to my name.
Yes... I chose the pink theme.
For at least the next month, I will be able to test the platform Premium membership a bit more and perhaps do a writeup on it at the end, to see if I will continue. What I do like about InLeo, is that the team does keep developing capabilities of the platform, though I wish that there was slightly better content in the feed on average, as I feel that there is a lot of short spam that doesn't add much value in any way.
My opinion once more.
Despite what some might believe, I am not against short-form content, but I do question how much it is worth on a platform like this in terms of what it should be rewarded from the shared distribution pool. Remember, very little of this content is doing what it does on the centralized platforms, because Hive doesn't work on an ad revenue model like them, it works on a user invests model. A user can be a creator or a consumer of some kind, and the content type, topic and the investment itself can take multiple forms, but at least in the back of the mind, people should be a little more intentional with why, what and how they are creating, or supporting.
I don't expect anyone to subscribe to see under my paywall, but I also don't have to create anything there, so there isn't a loss for me, other than the cost of the possibility of Premium. That is okay though, as I think that if we want to break out of the tyranny of centralization, we have to recognize that we are going to have to pay something for ourselves. We have to learn that to benefit as an owner, we have to take the responsibility of an owner, and that comes with maintenance costs, governance costs, social costs.
The Hive blockchain isn't free to use.
If you want to get more than just information out of it.
But, it always depends on what your definition of "free" is, right?
So now the question is:
What would kind of Hive content would you pay a little for each month?
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Posted Using InLeo Alpha
Your last question is a a bit weirdly formed fyi.
I hope peaks implements subscription options without having to give them 10 hbd a month for it. Those costs never really sat well for me, it would make sense if you'd have them there to prevent multi account abuse but I don't see how that's valid here.
You are right, it is weird. :D
Will change it after.
I think the cost can be for more than the subscription paywall. I think there might be other features or dashboards, or could be in the future. Haven't dug in enough yet.
Would like to be able to put videos there though. Makes it more attractive to porn creators :)
Yeah i listened in on the @spknetwork AMA and they're also making sure to enable "paywalls" to access content using public memo keys to give access to accounts that pay for it. Seems like it's all a lot closer to becoming reality which is great!
That is excellent news. I hadn't heard.
I am like you in that I don’t think anyone would invest to see under my paywall unless I brought an extra level of entertainment and turned myself into either Mia Kalifa or one of those Jackass guys. One is impossible and the other is not something I would do.
I would invest if it resulted in a more rewarding network of builders, writers and engaged community members supporting each other but that can become like a centralized circle jerk. Then it gets exclusive. I agree that there is a case for exclusivity if we hit early majority adoption and can think of some entrepreneurial models that would transition into our real life #shoplocal business @town-crier.
I think Snaps is good for the inclusivity of it all. It is easier to come up with a shorter post and connect with each other than it is to pen a 1000 word essay, which I am prone to write. It can also make for more blockchain transactions and be a separate feed of people new folks can discover without hunting them out.
I have paid for @inleo premium for a few months because I like Khal and wanted to support the progressive development of that platform. I enjoyed it but don’t feel I took full advantage of it with my hive habits. Would do it again though or investigate other innovations and pay wall developments.
I wonder if it would get to a point where an aggregator of paywalled accounts could offer a subscription that is cheaper and puts more of the quality content into a user's eyesight?
I don't mind the short snaps, but I don't think many of them should be getting much of a payout at all. Do it for fun, sure.
I'll probably pay a year subscription at some point and see what happens with it. I don't mind supporting development and if I understood correctly, the cost of subscription goes into a liquidity pool, not direct to the team.
Personally, I don't think Hive has the user base to support paywall content right now. Perhaps one day we will, but I don't think there are a ton of people coming to Hive from Google searches which would be the biggest driving factor to having paywall content. Besides that, as many would argue, there just isn't a ton of stuff on here that adds value. While most of my posts are fun for me to write and in some ways therapeutic, I would be the first to admit that they likely bring little value to others. I appreciate the people who appreciate my posts, but I don't think anyone is going to be dying to fork over their money to read about my recent camping trip. The majority of content on Hive doesn't make your life any better or any worse for having read it (no offense), as long as that is the case, I don't think there is going to be a lot of demand for a paywall.
Very likely not.
I agree with this. Most is just content filler, with little thought behind it in terms of what the audience gets out of it. DiY stuff is a bit different, but then, it is also niche considering the size of market here.
Yeah, the DIY stuff is a little different. Some of the TA stuff might bring people in, but a lot of it is just recycled from other places on the Internet. Your stuff is thoughtful and makes you think, which might create some draw. Besides the personal satisfaction, I think many of us just keep posting for the upvotes, not because we think it is actually making an impact. I honestly like the idea @dbooster has floated for a while now about allowing people without Hive accounts to comment on posts. It might drive in more engagement and ultimately lead to more users.
Yeah, the idea of opening it up to comments from outside is a good one, and then each comment could provide some info on earning potential and account signup etc. The problem might be trolling?
I think there would definitely be some issues with unwanted comments or things like that. Perhaps the OP could be able to delete comments like that since they aren't written to the blockchain by an account with keys. Anyone who takes the time to get an account is censorship free. That could be a way of selling the benefits of membership.
Ok, I can see you both are pretty clear about this. And I'm glad for that. However, I think paywalls to access content should be required and compulsory in Hive for at least a good while. Just so that many self-important users with pretentions have the opportunity to face the naked truth of how valuable, valued, interesting, appreciated and sought after their content really is. Just so they have the chance to get off their high horse once and for all. Getting off of that imaginary and self-created pedestal of fantasy and importance that only resides in their poor self-deceiving minds due the automated upvotes they receive and have received up to now.
I've been saying for a while that if it wasn't for autovotes my content would make pretty much nothing. I get what you are saying. I can honestly think of a handful of users I would be willing to pay to read their content. It's very likely they would not reciprocate.
Yeah, I believe and I'm almost convinced that all of that always is gonna depend on how much spare money you have to invest in that and how exclusive, abundant or scarce is that same "information" offered by those authors behind a paywall that you cannot get for free elsewhere.
I tested Premium on Leo on my small account - the one where I write poetry. It is giving you a slightly more exposure, and Leo curration account usually is geting you at least a couple of votes that months to be sure that you get some value back. I would say that it is quite useful for small accounts. If you can afford it.
I have no idea about the curation that goes on behind it, but I assume that they are supporting some of the content at least. I hope that they support those who drive value, or at least attempt to, rather than those continually extracting and putting little back.
Yes, they are quite good. I think they got 4-5 curators, for different specific content.
I was wondering what PeakD Snaps was all about. Now I see it is a paywall service? I am not going to use it, but I guess it is good to have all kinds of features available. Maybe it can be used to attract celebrities by giving them a way to monetize their fame? Would be great for HIVE visibility...
Snaps isn't a paywall, it is just shortform posts.
I guess I am totally confused so it is a Hive version of Twitter with a possibility of putting content behind a paywall?
I think short-term content such as on Twitter or on Threads of Instagram is not appropriate for a rewarded system.
I agree for the most part. In my opinion, that kind of content can support a full personality, but not be that personality exclusively.
I haven't ever use inleo premium but I have heard that with a subscription there, the whale vote of inleo comes while publishhing through the front-end. It is a win/win apparently. However, ther are concerns too.....
While paywall is beneficial for the owners of every platform, but it is disappointing for the users too if they cannot afford it.
Nothing is free, I agree thoug
I don't know anything about the curation of it. That shouldn't be the reason to use it I think.
Disappointing for the users in some respect, but also empowering for those who are looking for more. Not everything can be for free, can it?
Yeah, if things are free, we take them for granted
I am far too +-average looking to put my pics behind paywall. I may use snaps from time to time. But instead of paying someone few HBD I would rather put those HBD in savings and get interest growing. I don't pay for any tv streaming services. I don't pay for patreon or for porn. If I would pay for any of those things I would be way poorer than I am now. I pay for Wild pass but I hate it.
A lot of people don't have much of value to put behind a paywall, do they? :D
the internet will continue to expand and yes I think they'll be a place for hive and other web3 platform as time progresses.