Pichi (pichi)

The Unwritten Rules of Farcaster (a thread 1/11) 1. Don’t ask for follows—most users ignore or avoid those who do. 2. Engagement matters—treat it as a social network, not just a broadcasting platform. 3. The algorithm prioritizes engagement—interact with content you like to train your feed. 4. Give likes freely to support content you enjoy. 5. Reply thoughtfully—generic responses don’t add value and may be ignored. 6. Tag people with purpose—avoid tagging non-followers without a good reason. 7. Use channels to connect—they’re a safe space for engaging beyond your followers. 8. If you’re being ignored, check your spam label—many won’t see your replies if you’re at Level 0 or 1. 9. Rules are looser with friends—banter freely, but remember relationships take time to build. 10. Farcaster is a unique, close-knit community—engage authentically, be patient, and you’ll find your place.

• 103 replies
• 77 recasts
• 431 reactions

The Algo’s Just Not That Into You Something weird is happening on Farcaster, and it’s time we talk about it openly. This isn’t just “home feed doing home feed things.” It’s much deeper and more concerning. Some casts are skyrocketing with 10k+ views from accounts that have 1k followers. Meanwhile, longtime casters with 100k+ followers are seeing reach crater by 50%. The math doesn’t add up…unless something’s being boosted. We’re watching artificial amplification play out in real time and this experiment needs to end now before more trust is lost. The algorithm cares more about engagement quality than raw follower numbers. There are several Dune queries who show the most popular casters by the numbers, but they do NOT align with the Farcaster Leaderboard. We know that not everyone’s engagement is weighted equally, and most of us have come to begrudgingly accept this fact. The home and trending feed have always favored certain accounts, and as little as two engagements with those accounts can amplify a cast to trending. We see it and have come to terms with it. But recently, we’ve seen a new trend emerge: artificial algorithmic boosting…to levels never before seen on Farcaster…and we need to stop dancing around the subject and talk about it. A user with 1,000 followers might have a highly active niche audience, while someone with 250,000 might have a large but disengaged base…but we have Dune queries to show us how “active” each account’s followers have been over the last 7 and 30 days. Very large accounts (6-figure followings) tend to have about 50% of their followers be considered “active” under this metric (active=have casted, liked, or recasted). Newer accounts skew higher because many are only a few weeks old, so most of their followers are obviously active. If the algorithm is boosting based on more active followers, it could explain the great discrepancies we are seeing in reach, so we need to look deeper. A new tool has emerged that lets us look into the number of unique accounts that interacted with a user's content in the last 30 days, and the data is very telling. This data counts everyone on the protocol, not just those with good spam labels. If you think your engagement has gone down a lot over the past few weeks, you aren’t imagining it. Usually, if 2-3% of your followers interact with your casts, you are doing great. But what if most of the people who follow you never even see your casts in the latest version of the algorithm? Spoiler alert: they don’t. Let’s compare some of the biggest, most established accounts on the network to newer accounts who I believe are being artificially amplified. These accounts all have well over 100,000 followers each (even more on the protocol!), cast daily, and consistently engage back with the network. Their content and casting patterns have not changed noticeably over the last 30 days. The number of unique accounts they have reached in the last 30 days and how much their engagement is down is as follows: 15,400 (down 67%) 7,500 (down 49%) 1,500 (down 29%) 2,700 (down 36%) 6,500 (down 55%) 4,200 (down 54%) Now let’s compare this to one of the new accounts that I believe are being purposely placed into many users’ home feeds (note that these accounts have 1,000-3,000 followers). 10,500 The number of views on many of their casts are also between 10,000 and 18,000 views. Remember, the data above shows interactions, but even more people have seen these casts! A user with 1,000 followers getting seen by 10,000+ people requires external amplification. That reach doesn’t emerge organically. The algorithm chose to show them beyond their organic social graph. Observing a few examples of weird reach/follower ratios doesn’t necessarily prove systemic bias. Visibility is complex and can swing based on timing, interaction graphs, and reposts by top casters, but the math doesn’t add up without boosting. The people getting boosted didn’t necessarily ask to be. Now they’re targets of backlash; they are victims as well. Meanwhile, those who have not had this type of algorithmic boost feel invisible and demoralized, even if they’ve consistently added value to the community. It’s creating a toxic imbalance that erodes trust across the board. We can politely say “vibes are off” and tell people to just mute what they don’t want to see, but that’s not going to solve the issue at hand. This is deeper than engagement FOMO. We are watching something we’ve invested time into start to resemble the very platforms we came here to escape. The algorithm may be silent, but its choices are loud. If it is hand picking winners, the rest of us should stop pretending we’re playing the same game. Invest your time here accordingly.

• 87 replies
• 50 recasts
• 202 reactions

Warning! Please be EXTREMELY CAUTIOUS when claiming airdrops. There are fake mini apps going around that mimic the real mini app and are DESIGNED to trick you and scam you. Look at the link from @cassie post in image 1. It’s real and leads you to a really fun and interactive claim portal seen in photo 2. Photos 3 and 4 are a scam mini app using her art as their front page to TRICK you. It may LOOK like what you’ve seen on the feed. It’s intentionally designed to mimic the real app in hopes of getting you to connect your wallet. The second screen after you click is completely different and the text to launch the mini app is different. Only claim from Cassie’s original post!!!! Report and block the other randos posting these links. Down with scammers!

• 12 replies
• 46 recasts
• 180 reactions

The Unwritten Rules of Farcaster: You’ve Got to Contribute Farcaster is in a constant state of flux. The team is always experimenting, and the meta is always changing. This makes it hard for new folks to find their place. The Leaderboard is not helping. Many casters are using it as their metric for success here, and it’s measuring the wrong things. Turn off notifications for it and do not let it dictate your worth or how well you are doing. If you want to do well, you have to do one thing: contribute. Content is not the only way to contribute, but it’s going to be the most noticeable this summer. When I joined Farcaster, it was drilled into my head that it was a text-based social network, and I fought that for a long time as an artist…but things are about to change. With the upcoming push for video, Farcaster may be graduating from cozy corners to look a lot more like traditional social media but with a Web3 backbone. Don’t believe me? Look at the leaderboard and see what’s cashing in. In this new era, content may be king. Find your niche, show off your whole authentic self, and you may be able to rise above the noise. But if your strength isn’t in creating, you still need to find a way to stand out. ✎﹏Become a Collector and Curator If you can’t create your own content, cheerlead those who do. Highlight underrated creators. Look for hidden gems on the network. Find artists, writers, photographers who need a boost. Buy their work. Show off your awesome collection. Tell people why you bought it and support it. Why is an article worth reading? What speaks to you about a piece? Help curate the content you want to see more of and things that inspire you. ✎﹏Build Cool Shit Dust off your coding skills and build some mini apps. Find a v1 frame that was awesome and recreate it as a mini app, especially if the original developer has moved on. Vibe code away and build something. Mini Apps get noticed and highlighted by the team and other developers. ✎﹏﹏Build Community If you can’t find a tribe here, build your own. Start your own channel. Start your own group chat. Make your own cabal. Bring your friends from other platforms and give them a place to land. Communities and friendships are the backbone of what makes Farcaster special. Most of us want to see them thrive and evolve. If you can’t find a cozy corner, make one. ✎﹏﹏Become an Enthusiast Participant Maybe none of the above is for you, and that’s okay! Reply. Guys do really well on Farcaster. There is value in making connections and friendships by talking to people authentically. Join audio spaces. Go to IRL events. Host spaces and IRL events if none are nearby. Give developers great feedback about their products. Compliment art and photos you like. Ask thoughtful questions. Seek out people looking for feedback (but avoid engagement bait!) and jump into conversations by putting your best foot forward. No matter how you choose to contribute, it’s going to take work, time, and effort. It won’t happen overnight, but you will find your place if you put in the energy.

• 69 replies
• 37 recasts
• 218 reactions