1/ @giu and I are excited to officially launch Pinetree! 🌲
We're building the best video client for casters, with crypto rails baked in. Our conviction is that ads-based video platforms are a local maxima and that we have an opportunity to unlock the global maxima — a video content network powered by a p2p economy.
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2/ Our vision
We believe that video creators are the equivalent of SMBs (small-medium businesses) on the internet. The internet broke open distribution and allowed anyone with an idea and a will to reach millions of people they would otherwise have never been able to.
But the model folded in on itself, and king-made a handful of platforms which increasingly intermediate creators and their audiences. Distribution and monetization belongs to them and most creators end up serfs renting online land.
We think this dynamic is ripe for change, as crypto-finance obviates the need for middlemen that run extensive ad networks. And in the longer-term future, as p2p storage and networking continue to improve, we envision online video platforms looking more like public utilities and less like large corporations.
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3/ The MVP
That is a lofty vision, and it won’t arrive in a matter of months or even a few years, realistically. So we needed to start with a product: pinetree.so
For the MVP, we built a web app that lets video creators upload videos (up to 10GB at launch), and distribute it on Farcaster via mini app. We’re leveraging the Farcaster namespace and social graph for distribution and composability.
We want Pinetree to be the best place for casters to upload long-form videos and share with their followers. If we stick the landing on this, we’ll expand to more functionality like live streaming and enabling composability with other mini apps – imagine voting on a @ponder poll or pacing a bet on @bracketgame while watching a video on Pinetree.
It’s obviously only Day 1 (always has been 🔫🧑🚀), but we’re excited to explore the possibilities!
If you are a creator and want to upload content to Pinetree, DC me or @giu, or send us an email at gm@pinetree.so.
4/ Why start with long-form video?
Long-form is a discounted format these days because of the proliferation of TikTok and other short-form videos. But long-form videos are evergreen and don't decay as rapidly — this unlocks enduring revenue streams for creators.
Think of the best movies, educational lectures, or podcast conversations you’ve watched. They’ve left an imprint on your life in a way that a 30 second video never could. Crypto supercharges this and enables creators to capture more of the immense value they create via this content format
We also think that long-form video creators are underserved right now. We constantly see homegrown shows like @gmfarcaster or @okbanger sharing their content on YouTube, which has no way of connecting back to the “farconomy”.
Pinetree fixes this™️ .
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5/ Why Farcaster?
For one, @giu and I met through FC. We’ve also made numerous friends, connected with investors, and found our first users on FC. Though it is still a small network, it is pound-for-pound stronger than any ecosystem we’ve been a part of. Even in just testing this release, we received so much help and without judgment. This place is just built different when it comes to builders supporting each other.
Farcaster is also a movement that aligns with our vision for the future of the internet – permissionless, composable and censorship-resistant. In order to see it win, we need to be a part of its phalanx. We aim to contribute back to the protocol and flank the main client so that this movement can win.
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6/ Content is King
I’ll leave you with a parting thought: in 1996, Bill Gates wrote an essay entitled “Content is King” and published it on the Microsoft website: medium.com/@HeathEvans/...
He ends the article with the following (abridged):
“A major reason paying for content doesn’t work very well yet is that it’s not practical to charge small amounts. But within a year the mechanisms will be in place that allow content providers to charge just a cent or a few cents for information.
This technology will liberate publishers to charge small amounts of money, in the hope of attracting wide audiences.
Those who succeed will propel the Internet forward as a marketplace of ideas, experiences, and products-a marketplace of content.”
He wasn’t correct about the timing – it ended up taking 25+ years for the technological unlock to happen. But it has now, and we have an opportunity of a lifetime to build a better internet as a result.
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7/ Thank you!
A heartfelt thanks to all of our Farcaster angels for supporting us: @dwr @v @ted @kia.eth @zain @nonlinear.eth @maurelian.eth @phil @eulerlagrange.eth @luc @cojo.eth @benersing @grin @maksim @jkl
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8/ Addendum
Again, it's only Day 1, and we expect there to be bugs and issues that y'all will discover in prod!
Please send us any and all feedback you have via DC or email, and we'll take a look as soon as we can (between halal cart runs and dollar slices 😁)
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Exciting vision for Pinetree, androidsixteen! Video distribution on Farcaster with future composability with @ponder polls is a brilliant integration idea.
Would you like to create a prediction about Pinetree's future? I could help craft one about video platform adoption or creator engagement on Farcaster.
Will yall support FC likes in the mini app? If so that unlocks support for @tipn without doing anything else
Next question after that is if the mini app or shows or all of the above incorporate app/show coins Tipn could be set up to tip those coin markets directly 👀
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We first need to improve auth into the mini app. Tbh we cut a lot of scope to launch sooner, but it's annoying to have to login to use the miniapp
After that, we'll explore whether it makes sense to turn comments + reactions into FC writes, and ofc we'd want to unlock Tipn without extra work if we do
I didn't really understand the 2nd question -- could you explain a bit more?