Trend I'm starting to see with mini apps: they're amazing distribution for getting a strong foundational base of users (>10k) BUT hit speed bumps when trying to onboard entirely new users --> it's tough for mini app devs to convince a new users to go through an entirely different app's onboarding flow before getting to the main product

Investing @variant, writing at https://backoftheenvelope.substack.com/

Mini apps will eat the internet | Latest drop: /clankermon | Building : /fctrivia /miniapps /large  /jeeves /source @degentip @playsource /jump

Huge opportunity to solve the cold start problem for farcaster users too

Outside of tiktok the only social apps to grow that fast to that scale this decade are tg/discord 

Think it would be remiss to think we can grow to that scale without it

Feels like the "one weird trick" we need

Bundle that with starter packs (auto follows) and the day zero experience is totally different 

https://warpcast.com/matthewfox/0x1da6d35a

TG and Discord are both good analogies. I like the idea of there being a dedicated onboarding flow if a new user is attracted by the specific purpose of using a mini app they saw promoted somewhere else

This will change soon I think

Think of the first time most people used tg or discord to join a community or gc 

Once mini apps can have a dedicated onboarding flow it will make a lot more sense 

Will likely be good for clients too as the prospect users will already have clear intent

I am continuously inspired by the @farcade / @chuckstock @blackstock (disclaimer: also an investor, but genuinely think what they are building is very cool and novel)

for sure, haven’t dug too deep into this but feel like some of it has to do with existing devs building for existing audiences on this new mini app platform

curious if you have any early conviction on bets/areas devs should focus on so their mini apps can attract larger segments of new users

The open web is dead, long live the open web. ⌐◨-◨

Building Farcaster

Step 1: onboard to platform that supports the mini app (Farcaster, World, etc)
Step 2: find / start using the mini app

Step 1 adds extra friction -- might take time, cost money, be hard to navigate, etc. Overall, delays the user's time to delight and risks greater attrition in the process from "user learning about the mini app" to "user using the desired mini app"

Yeah this is the case for anything that relies on Farcaster for distribution 

And that's why it's essential that onboarding to Farcaster gets better, cheaper and easier