on the closure of MochaJump, and why we're our own worst enemies in this industry.

"MochaJump? What was that?" is probably your first question, and I'm gonna simply respond with, "Exactly."

MochaJump was a small startup platform made by /u/nunojay2 and a second site engineer (whose name I am not informed of) on reddit. It wasn't anything extraordinary, just a startup site that aimed to offer a more viable alternative to Webtoons and Tapas, with a focus on offering equal visibility to creators, focused recommendation algorithms, loosened restrictions on NSFW content, and bigger cuts for creators on their generated revenue.

Of course, such promises are a tall order, but the creator did their best to host regular discussions with creators in art and webtoon communities to get feedback on what creators really wanted out of their platforms, and they researched what they would need to make in order to keep the site afloat (it came out pretty low at $2 per user per month). Hopes were high and the site launched with a small but eager userbase.

It stayed small. The site shut down in November 2022, just 6 months after launching in May 2022.

Now, I'm not gonna sit here on some soapbox and blame anyone for the site closing down. I unfortunately didn't get much chance to use the site myself so there's surely more I could have done on my own part to help it gain traction. But this is a regular occurrence for start-ups like this, especially in an industry that's as notoriously unprofitable as webcomics. We've seen titans such as SmackJeeves and Inkblazers fall, and MochaJump was merely an infant by comparison.

But it makes me think of how we view and treat these startups as a whole. How we as readers and creators alike have become so trained to exclusively use corporate platforms like Webtoons and Tapas on the promise of "bigger gains". Unlike these bigger companies, platforms like MochaJump depend on building a strong userbase as quickly as possible, and need to find ways to generate revenue to keep things running, otherwise it's only a matter of time before they close down. They don't have a massive conglomerate like Naver or Kakao to pad their pockets through their failures. They don't have the money or reach to inject themselves into society through bus terminal ads and convention sponsorships. They don't have the investors to sink money into their platform until it becomes profitable in return.

So we don't use them. Readers don't use them because we don't see the point in using a platform that has no content... and thus creators don't use them because we don't see the point in publishing our content on a platform with no userbase. Creators seek a place that's "tight knit" and "easy to get seen", but will only post to places that come pre-loaded with massive audiences; because it's not enough anymore to have a couple hundred followers, we're in 2023 now, in the year of consumer bloat, where we expect to now pull in thousands if not millions to be considered a "success". And readers seek a place that offers high-quality high-amount content at the tip of their fingertips, but don't want to pay for the access to these works, and in the case of apps like WT, have given up in trying to support these creators through the platforms themselves because they know that those artists they want to support will likely never see a dime.

The fact of this problem is simple, yet many people seem to ignore it - we cannot expect to have a platform that is tight knit, profitable, and sustainable. These places do not exist, not so long as we continue to raise the bar on what makes a "successful" subscriber count, not so long as we continue to patronize platforms that exploit their artists and writers, and not so long as we keep chasing the dragon of "what these websites used to be". These platforms never used to 'be' anything, they merely existed in one point of time that is now long gone, when owning a smartphone was a luxury and not a need, when online video content wasn't being tethered together by ads, and when the Internet wasn't owned and entirely managed by the same three corporations, the likes of which we haven't seen since cable TV.

Platforms like Tapas and Webtoons are - besides unsustainable - unable to exist and profit in the way they do without undercutting someone along the way. Whether it's underpaying their creators, undercutting their communities, or underexposing the works that have been buried, someone will get the shit hand in the deal and that someone is usually ALWAYS someone who will rarely ever stand to gain anything in the long run from using these platforms despite their issues. The 1% got theirs, and the 10% are barely getting by, while the remaining 89% are pushing onwards, because they have faith in the systemic online enshittification that demands conformity to a single formula for "success".

We are our own worst enemies in this industry. Webcomics are one of the few online mediums that still truly belong to the people - anyone can make them, anyone can find joy in them, but we're letting platforms like Webtoons and Tapas and all the other massive corporate apps rob us of that joy and accessibility in the pursuit of "success" and profiting. Webtoons was never the sole way to profit off this medium and yet I still see people every day who underestimate the existence of legitimate publishing houses and self-publishing, who think that publishing on Webtoons and landing an Originals deal is the only way to find success in this industry. This is meant to be the era of creators, of self-starting and self-actualization, and yet we're still handing all of that control over to corporations that only seek to exploit our art, bodies, and labor, while convincing ourselves that this will somehow all be worth it. We stick with Webtoons, despite the numerous controversies it's been involved in and the lack of support it's given even its own hired creators. We stick with Tapas, despite the undercutting of its most core components such as its community and the outlier genres it used to be known for hosting. We find new ways to justify using platforms that are steadily going downhill - Patreon, Twitter/X, Youtube, Instagram, Facebook - because we've been convinced that these are the routes to success, so if we acknowledge their failures, then "success" can no longer exist.

Because we need to pay rent. Because we need to eat. Because we need to survive. Because it's a lot more complicated than just "stepping away". Because the startups just don't have any of the surface level potential for us to immediately identify and get on board with, so we don't give them a chance.

I realize this post got very existential and depressing. I've been creating comics for well over a decade now, largely unnoticed, and I've fallen victim to these same limiting mindsets that we have to stick to one way, one "formula" for success - a formula that changes with the wind and only works for those who get in on the ground floor. It's been slowly killing me from the very beginning, robbing me of my joy to create, of my reason to even do this in the first place - to tell and share stories with others, to express myself creatively, to live my life surrounded by art and stories and creations made by and for others. It's made me tired and miserable, and I can tell it's done the same to those who have shared that boat with me.

But there's one silver lining I can always be sure of, and it's one I was reminded of after realizing I was still in the MochaJump Discord, with one announcement post that I hadn't yet read.

Webcomics are one of the few online mediums that still truly belong to the people. Corporations are trying their hardest to take that power away. Let's not continue to let them.

If you want to help sustain, patronize, and contribute to the growth of sites that are still being operated by small teams (or even one man armies), please, consider checking out the following websites, some of which serve as platforms or publishers, others which operate as link directories for independent sites run by creators.

ComicFury GlobalComix TopWebcomics The Webcomic List The Webcomic Library Hiveworks SpiderForest SmackJeeves Archive Inkblot.art And whoever wants to use the GitHub source code used for MochaJump (RIP)

Let's do our part to decentralize webcomics again. We may not be able to leave the platforms that weakly sustain us, but we can still support those that strengthen and support us.

oh god there’s more people on that post doing big impassioned paragraphs against points i didn’t even make. like please for the love of god don’t reblog this but i do actually think there’s a lot of great comics on webtoon and i’m glad it works for some people... i just think everybody ought to read more old-school webcomics that have been running for ages because i feel like they are really special and they’re what got me into comics myself. i probably shouldn’t have even mentioned webtoon because what i think of as the thing that makes Webcomics great and even kinda different from awesome indie comics in print is some nebulous vibes based thing that applies to plenty of stuff on there anyway. so whatever. i’m just saying, like, i was in a comics course where i was surprised how many people hadn’t really read many webcomics that weren’t contained on a platform you can download an app for and i think most people that describes would probably find a bunch of new favorites outside that sphere if they looked. it’d be really tragic if the amazing stories that still exist on a more decentralized version of the web sort of faded away just bc nobody knew where the hell to find them anymore without the help of social media-style platforms.

August Artist Blog (more under the cut)

For August I tried to make a vlog, not only to document my month making art, but also my attempts to overhaul my approach to making and sell art. However, I’m not experienced at making vlogs, nor do I have a quiet, dedicated space to record voiceovers. But I did post a video of me doing marker work. We’ll get to that in a bit.

Introduction

First off, in case you’re new here, my name’s Antonio Tyler. I’m a webcomic creator and illustrator. I’ve been making art most my life, but started drawing comics in 2003 with my first webcomic, Synaptic Misfiring.

I drew variations of Synaptic Misfiring for a few years, got married, had kids, worked two jobs (because California). Over the last 5 years, though, I’ve been focusing more on illustration and selling products, though o want to get back into webcomics. I did a 3 episode Webtoon called Only Human, but I haven’t done a comic in a few years now.

Mobile Studio Setup

I don’t have a dedicated studio. I know a lot of artists do. But it’s not impossible to have a setup that is portable.

I use a 4th generation iPad Air with 64GB and a 2nd generation Apple Pencil. I use IbisPaint X, and use the paid version. I find it’s most ideal for making comics. And it’s constantly updated. New features are added all the time.

I have an assortment of tonal markers by Tombow, and a couple of Copics.

I always carry my iPad with me, so I can work on sketches or finished art whenever or wherever. You can access IbisPaint’s cloud storage via internet if needed, but it also stores files locally. It’s great being able to draw on a lunch break, a bus ride, or at the library. Occasionally I carry a sketchbook and pens with me if I intend to do traditional art.

Rethinking websites and storefronts

A couple months back I looked into doing a website on a number of platforms, such as Wix, Squarespace, etc. While a lot of them are pretty affordable, and have good options, I don’t really use my website much. It’s mostly a hub for all my other sites and profiles.

Tumblr, having been purchased by the Wordpress folks awhile back, is really pushing itself as a website alternative, with their templates (which they always have had) and having direct sales of web address. I’m in the process of updating AntonioTyler.com while also keeping the functionality of a Tumblr page. Tumblr is notorious less functional as a mobile site or app. So choosing the right template has been a challenge.

One thing is making a Linktree/Beacons/Milkshake-style link page instead of just a text based link page. Including links to all my different store fronts.

Updating my storefronts happens to be another thing on my to do list. I have several, and they are all decentralized. I use several: Ko-fi, Threadless, INPRNT and BigCartel. Originally I was going to use BigCartel for my sole storefront, but issues with getting Stripe to work dampened those plans. And BigCartel was mostly for my international customers, since it uses Printful products. But since there was a less than enthusiastic response, I will keep all my storefronts, but make them specialty shops. Threadless will have the bulk of my products, BigCartel will be a seasonal exclusive shop, INPRNT will be my…prints, and Ko-fi will be my digital shop (though I’m toying with the idea of carrying my Printful items here).

September plans

Working on some new Wand-Slinger merch for the seasonal shop. Threadless will be getting an overhaul. The website will be wrapped up and relaunched.

I think the webcomic and the podcast are probably tied for being the highest form of internet-based media. Wildly creative stuff out there in each medium, an entirely decentralized nature (even if corporations still try to stick their grubby hands in them,) and to this day more random hobbyists than you can count produce wonderful webcomics and podcasts for nearly nonexistant audiences. When the internet dies in 2038 they'll be the only things I'll truly miss

there's some really important conversations currently being held about webcomics and art spaces online. i'm totally here for the decentralization of these fucking social media spaces that have forced so many artists into corners and having to pursue "the hustle" and contend with algorithms. wanna see all this shit burn, it's been so harmful to creativity over the last 7+ years.

4:30 am pondering aus of my own characters like a putz, a novel by kaji

tumblr & the collapsing internet

I am thinking a lot over the past few years about how profoundly the culture of the internet has changed from the weird decentralized space it once was into a frantically commodified series of walled corporate spaces. In retrospect, the decentered-ness of it in 2006 was probably the circumstance most necessary for me to have a Career doing the sort of art that I do, that I effectively started doing in that year. In recent years I don’t know what to tell to independent artists trying to start working in “webcomics;” the dynamics are profoundly different and less forgiving of experimental work, or messy and digressive work of the sort that Rice Boy was, starting out. Part of that is increasing financial pressure on more and more of the population, part of that is increasingly rigid and centralized corporate control of the places in which we make the work as individuals.

I get a vertigo feeling looking back at how the internet has shifted so quickly and fundamentally. Like a short-term caricature of the process by which capital commodifies every available space; breaks it apart and categorizes it in order to better do so, centralizes itself. The internet being defined by smaller and smaller numbers of social media platforms owned by smaller numbers of enormous media corporations is a process basically in parallel with the gentrification of cities, the privatization of public or uncommodified spaces, etc, right? Neoliberalization; desperate late-capitalism shit.

Tumblr and all of these platforms have been conspicuously dismantling themselves for the sake wringing out ad revenue for a while! The new rule about Explicit Content is another big stupid step in that direction! Destructive to the culture that grew here, destructive to the lives of sex workers and queer people (tho I guess “female-presenting nipple” is meant to have something to do with a performance of trans inclusivity, lol). Grotesque and absurd to see performative moralizing about sexual content from corporations that openly and uncritically provide platforms for overt fascism. I don’t and probably won’t ever make work about sex, but it’s extremely clear to me how this tendency is destructive to the culture I make work in, the culture I grew up in.

I have to figure out how to occupy whatever social spaces there are out there as a mostly-independent artist type; I don’t know what that looks like exactly! But I’ll be mostly using my full actual name on every platform unless another evan dahm gets to it first; I’m on twitter, facebook, instagram, patreon, medium,  and now ello??? Maybe that pillowfort thing soon? I don’t know. Continuing to slowly back off of this platform in particular, though I’ll try to keep important things updated here.

I appreciate so much the audience that’s come to my work as an independent creator over the past several years; I appreciate the increasing effort it takes to keep up with independent creators in general!! I’m not going anywhere; I’m making more work now than I probably ever have, and I welcome you following along and saying hello in whatever space works for you even if tumblr in particular totally collapses. thank you for reading.

The Webcomics Vacuum

Comic readers, comic lovers, we’ve got to talk about something. For too long there has been a subset of comics that has been largely ignored by the wider comic review and journalism community. Not necessarily for lack of trying, it’s simply an unwieldy, decentralized branch of this medium we all love. There are no publishing juggernauts to market them, no DC or Marvel or Image equivalents. Instead, these comics are disseminated through a wide variety of hosting services, “small” publishers, collectives, and pure, independent creators operating  their own websites.

Yes, my friends, the time has come to finally talk about that ever present yet always hidden webcomics. While we have touched on this. . . genre?. . . branch?. . . medium?. . . of comics before on Multiversity Comics, in both long form and short form reviews, we have never had any consistent look at webcomics, be it analytically or critically. As I said earlier, this is a failing of the entire industry, not just us. Webcomics just aren’t given the space alongside their print counterparts on sites such as ours. The question remains then, why?

Before I try to tackle that, I want to give you an idea of what the webcomic review landscape actually looks like instead of making broad, seemingly baseless claims.

READ MORE

i dont have the time/energy/willpower/interest to do something like this anymore and i think theres a lot of things thatd need to be ironed out that 17 year old me didnt think of but i still think some safeguard for consuming fanworks or even media at large to meet basic metrics of not being irredeemably gross would be great tbh

like ive only just gotten the energy to start sifting through fanfiction and bl and gl manga and stuff again and it still ends up triggering me how much Bad content there is that still slips through the cracks

i dont know a good metric/scope for something like that because theres bound to be debates about what is acceptable and i dont want to have to be prepared for that and no individual can hope to be a conclusive voice ready for any and all problems that may emerge in online communities they run (not wording this well but like. the only way i can see real accountability for individuals in these spaces in decentralized websites like tumblr is through a cooperative structure that would take a really big amount of time and energy)

but like idk i might just for my own purposes make a sideblog of largely Feel Good things like fanfic or manga/webcomics especially more light hearted/one shots/romance centered ones that people i trust can submit to and others are free to use for reference because when im seeking content like that thats both when im most sensitive to triggers and most likely to be exposed to them

How am I supposed to find indie webcomics? I’m up-to-date on a handful of them and love them all but I’m just not sure how to find new ones. Most searches for webcomics lead you to the mainstream sites.

I mean mainstream sites are fine in and of themselves if you're following the series you like there (especially if the creators of those comics are trying to opt into things like Ad Rev), but if you're wanting to find stuff outside of Webtoons and Tapas, here are some other methods to do so:

Random Webcomic - About as unbiased as you can get, literally sends you to the website for a comic it pulls at random. All comics in the roulette are user-submitted so for the most part, they're all still active or at least have live sites. Sometimes you'll find the odd broken link tho ;0

Top Webcomics - A collective of webcomics competing for top spots. Offers plenty of ad space where people advertise their comics whether or not they make it to the top of the voting pool. And has genre listings you can browse if competitive listings aren't your thing.

The Webcomic List - A collection of webcomics submitted by users that are then crawled by the site's bots to check for new updates. It has a list for most recently updated, but also sorts by genre. Definitely one of the most "old school" listings to exist.

SpiderForest - A jury-picked collection of webcomics. Once every year or two they open submissions where people can pitch their new or ongoing comics - if they're picked, they get a special listing and features on the site, and can either have their existing website affiliated with SF branding or have a new site created for them by the staff. It's all non-profit and it mostly serves as a community of creators and readers, they are not a publisher, but they offer a wide variety of titles.

Hiveworks - Similar concept to SpiderForest except they're an actual publisher so they offer even more benefits to their selected creators including print deals and merchandising, but as such they're way harder to get into. Their submissions have been closed for a VERY long time but they offer a wide array of comics that typically appeal to general-audiences (i.e. there are no NSFW comics AFAIK).

GlobalComix - A platform that, while not new anymore, has been making strides in competing with platforms like Webtoons and Tapas. Has a lot of Western-style comics but their library variety has been growing and I'm pretty sure they're planning on releasing an app soon (if they haven't already).

ComicFury - The final frontier of old school early 2000's webcomic platforms. Run by one guy, this site allows for full HTML/CSS customization, domain hosting, and all those fun little things from an era long gone by. The front page sorting is set to "Recently updated" by default so there's no algorithm bullshit, no editors playing favorites, just classic 2000's era reading.

As a final note, the best part about browsing for comics that have their own sites is that they usually include listings of other comics that are similar to their own. Sites like Tamberlane will often have roulettes of other recommended comics that you can sift through.

There are plenty other comic aggregation sites out there too, of course, but these ones should help you get started if you're looking for other platforms and archives that aren't subject to corporate scrubbing or picky algorithms. It helps decentralize the Internet just a little bit more and rejuvenate what made webcomics so amazing in the first place - independent ownership, accessibility, and unapologetic existence.

Enjoy! <3

Cryptic Vs Rakuga Horror

@tyrantisterror, in my eyes, is one of the great horror critics of our generation, and I would say one of his greatest achievements is the existence of the Four Horrors theory. Specifically, it's a hypothesis based on the idea of four primary “Axes” of horror fiction based on the place the horror comes from.

Namely, the horrors of the past (Gothic), horrors of the future/irresponsible-progress (Atomic), the horrors of human rottenness and cruelty (Slasher, tho the issues with that name are for another day) and the horrors of things that are so much more vast and terrible than we could possibly comprehend (Cosmic)

But, I would say there's another axis related to that theory, one that's not quite in the same boat but rather supplemental to it.

Like categorizing library books by author or by subject as TT put it.

And thusly, this is the truth of Cryptic Horror vs Rakuga Horror....

The core difference, of course, which I must emphasize is that while the Four Horrors categorizes the horror in terms of its cause within the narrative, these two categorize them by their means of aesthetic convenyance. And that conveyance is the realistic horror of Cryptic Horror versus the surrealistic horror of Rakuga Horror.

Now, when I speak of Cryptic Horror as “realistic,” I do not mean excluding the fantastical and only keeping the plausible. I mean, the Creepypasta known as The Burgrr Entries goes immensely batshit and weird with such, and David Lynch's weird shit could be slotted into this category as easily as he could the latter (Tho more on that in a bit).

Rather, it's “realistic” in the sense it feels like a real experience, that is; as such an impossible thing would be experienced by a real person at the ground level. It comes with little warning, little if no explanation, more questions than answers, essentially the thing you feel could happen when walking down a dark alley or a dark forest or in an empty Wal-Mart at night.

It presents the horror in the sense that “It could happen to you” and that's perhaps why the idea and its aesthetics has its genesis in stories that were told originally as true.

While, as TT said, most horror stories have always kept a pretense of realism; and there's always been ghost stories of the baffling chronicled around the fire, the true origin I would say is in the sort of “Fortean” stories, named after Charles Fort; who chronicled bizarre; anomalous pheomenon that were documented and real, but also unexplainable.

These spread out into conspiracy theory, urban legends and the cryptid stories from which I gave the genre its name. And I named that because I would say they also spawned its blooming into what could be called a full “thing,” in ways that can be seen in the most wildly prominent of its incarnations, because a lot like fantasy the idea of this as its own aesthetic is relatively recent, thanks to it not really showing that much as an independent “look” in fiction.

And, I would argue, both the medium of found footage film and creepypasta solidified the idea of Cryptic horror as a look, both via the inherent nature of their mediums. The lack of conventional framing in found footage was a perfect vehicle for the versmillitude the genre trades in, and from that versmillitude that sort of profound feeling of paranoia I feel the genre does best (Though that was from a different time).

And, drawing from documentary, it's no wonder it'd draw narratively from real creepy things, such as Blair Witch or; in my mind; V/H/S/2's underrated framing segment for some examples.

Creepypasta, of course, had the feeling of versmillitude just by its sheer embrace of the idea that this is being written by a person from a place of experience, ideally preserved in both the formatting of the text and the level of mystery given. The anonymous and ephemeral nature of the imageboards also has to have helped, along with the decentralized nature of its spread such as in the case of Slender Man especially .

So, if the Cryptic Horror is the horror of Blair Witches, Mothmans and Slendermans, what the hell is Rakuga horror then? Well, that starts with the meaning of the name Rakuga, which is a shortening (as I understand) of the Japanese word Rakugaki, for “childish scribblings,” nonsense if it were.

And, that's what Rakuga Horror is, nonsense horror. It is the horror of the surreal, where everything is in your face impossible, even the world, like the logic of a dream. It may have rules, but those rules are poetic and of the kind no sane person would think up except as a gag or a fit of madness. The aesthetic could be described as generally “fever dream”, a fluid state of liminality.

I would give this style the alternate name “Cartoon Horror,” because that is what it is and what it's been most concentrated in throughout its history, though some early examples like Alice in Wonderland or the works of Winsor McCay are borderline such (Though not horror per-say).

From animation history, Minnie The Moocher and Swing You Sinners from Fleischer Studios are outstanding examples of it, as ar the Heffalumps and Woozles and Pink Elephants On Parade scenes from Disney, even Sally Cruikshank’s Face Like A Frog is a primo example.

But, it's never really been considered horror, perhaps due to how animation; especially the type known as “cartoons” has been treated as the beaten child kept in the basement of filmmaking. Likely because of Western film criticism’s fetish for realism, which is why I would go back in time and beat in Andre Bazin’s face with a shovel if I could, but I digress.

Of course, as animation becomes de-stigmatized, there are more creators than ever using that for their aesthetics, though mostly online given it's the fasted medium for such (Though Gekidan Inu Curry’s work on Madoka Magica captures its aesthetic properties quite well). Don't Hug Me I'm Scared is an excellent example, as is, and Bogleech's webcomic Awful Hospital.

Which leads us to the issues with those categorizations, at least the big one, which is that they mix a lot. For example, Burgrr as I mentioned before is a primo example of truly weird Cryptic horror, and yet it takes place in the same universe as Awful Hospital. And; as I also said before; David Lynch can fit in both, with his dreamlike underbellies to seedy realities.

But, given TT did say that Slasher/Cosmic and Gothic/Atomic Horrors could coexist in the same work, I don't really see that as a disqualification. Horror, like ogres, has layers, and their coexistence does not make them any less aesthetically distinct.

Though, the cliffs notes on the imagery, that's for another post...

This is something of a rough sketch of the idea, so feel free to critique it for my inevitable “smoothed out” version, but that's the gist of it! Hope ya dig it, and hope it’s interesting!

BTW, I don’t quite have a name for the two representative critters above. Anyone got any ideas?

Chat app Line hopes its own crypto token can solve its user growth problem

Line, the Japanese messaging app firm that’s best known for its cutesy characters and stickers, is pushing deeper into crypto after it launched its own token to help grow its stagnant user base.

Line went public two years ago with 218 million monthly active users, but it hasn’t been able to kick on. The company no longer gives out its worldwide user number, but the number of active users in its four biggest markets has fallen from 169 million in Q2 2017 to 164 million in its recent Q2 2018 period.

Link — Line’s token — isn’t being minted through an ICO, instead, it’ll be given out to Line users as an incentive for using certain services. Line hasn’t said exactly how it can be earned yet, although it is likely that it’ll be tied to specific activities to promote engagement.

Line plans to use Link to incentive user activity on its messaging app and other services

The token will be listed on Bitbox — Line’s crypto exchange — and it’ll be used it to buy content like stickers and webcomics, as well as other Line services. It’ll also be possible to use Link to get a lower commission rate on trading in the same way that Binance, the world’s largest exchange, uses its BNB token.

Line currently has a virtual currency for its in-app content and services, and you’d imagine that Link will replace it in the future.

It’s worth noting, however, that Link hasn’t launched in Japan yet. That’s because Line is awaiting regulatory approval for its token and exchange, so, for now, those in Japan — which is Line’s largest market — will earn virtual tokens which can be traded for Link in the future.

Line is struggling to grow its user numbers

Link will launch next month, and it follows the announcement of BitBox in July and the launch of a dedicated crypto fund in early August.

Line has dodged the legal questions around token sales by not holding an ICO, and the fact it is using the currency to incentivize user engagement and activity isn’t a huge surprise. Line went public in a dual U.S-Japan IPO that raised over $1 billion in 2016 but, despite user numbers declining, it has grown its revenue through additional services.

Increased competition from the likes of Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp is likely its biggest threat, so incentivizing users is a logical strategy. Of course, that depends on how useful Link becomes. If users can exchange it for a decent amount of cash or credits inside Line’s platform it may gain appeal, but if they just pick up trivial amounts, it may be less interesting to them. The bigger picture will be when Link replaces Line’s virtual currency for all purchases but that alone isn’t likely to boost user engagement.

Despite declining user numbers, Line has grown revenue by pushing out services that connect to its messaging platform.

Line also plans to use Link — and the blockchain it has developed to power it — to host decentralized applications (dapps) that will connect to its messaging platform. The company already does a lot more than messaging — for example payments, ride-hailing, music and videos — and it plans to tap third-party developers to build dapps. Generally, though, dapps haven’t taken off. The collectibles game Cryptokitties did blow up late last year, but studies have suggested user activity is massively down this year as the fad has slowly worn off.

Crypto enthusiasts will no doubt take positives from Line’s latest move — it is arguably the largest company to embrace crypto, in terms of end-user audience reach — but it remains to be seen whether Link and its dapps platform can help it crack its user growth and retention issues.

“Over the last seven years, Line was able to grow into a global service because of our users, and now with Link, we wanted to build a user-friendly reward system that gives back to our users. With Link, we would like to continue developing as a user participation-based platform, one that rewards and shares added value through the introduction of easy-to-use dapps for people’s daily lives,” said Line CEO Takeshi Idezawa in a statement.

Unlike Bitcoin, which is mined, Line has minted a total of one billion Link tokens which it said will be “gradually issued according to how this ecosystem develops.” The company plans to keep 200 million tokens, with the remaining 800 million made available as user rewards.

Note: The author owns a small amount of cryptocurrency. Enough to gain an understanding, not enough to change a life.

from Facebook – TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2CfzeQP via IFTTT

Chat app Line hopes its own crypto token can solve its user growth problem

Line, the Japanese messaging app firm that’s best known for its cutesy characters and stickers, is pushing deeper into crypto after it launched its own token to help grow its stagnant user base.

Line went public two years ago with 218 million monthly active users, but it hasn’t been able to kick on. The company no longer gives out its worldwide user number, but the number of active users in its four biggest markets has fallen from 169 million in Q2 2017 to 164 million in its recent Q2 2018 period.

Link — Line’s token — isn’t being minted through an ICO, instead, it’ll be given out to Line users as an incentive for using certain services. Line hasn’t said exactly how it can be earned yet, although it is likely that it’ll be tied to specific activities to promote engagement.

Line plans to use Link to incentive user activity on its messaging app and other services

The token will be listed on Bitbox — Line’s crypto exchange — and it’ll be used it to buy content like stickers and webcomics, as well as other Line services. It’ll also be possible to use Link to get a lower commission rate on trading in the same way that Binance, the world’s largest exchange, uses its BNB token.

Line currently has a virtual currency for its in-app content and services, and you’d imagine that Link will replace it in the future.

It’s worth noting, however, that Link hasn’t launched in Japan yet. That’s because Line is awaiting regulatory approval for its token and exchange, so, for now, those in Japan — which is Line’s largest market — will earn virtual tokens which can be traded for Link in the future.

Line is struggling to grow its user numbers

Link will launch next month, and it follows the announcement of BitBox in July and the launch of a dedicated crypto fund in early August.

Line has dodged the legal questions around token sales by not holding an ICO, and the fact it is using the currency to incentivize user engagement and activity isn’t a huge surprise. Line went public in a dual U.S-Japan IPO that raised over $1 billion in 2016 but, despite user numbers declining, it has grown its revenue through additional services.

Increased competition from the likes of Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp is likely its biggest threat, so incentivizing users is a logical strategy. Of course, that depends on how useful Link becomes. If users can exchange it for a decent amount of cash or credits inside Line’s platform it may gain appeal, but if they just pick up trivial amounts, it may be less interesting to them. The bigger picture will be when Link replaces Line’s virtual currency for all purchases but that alone isn’t likely to boost user engagement.

Despite declining user numbers, Line has grown revenue by pushing out services that connect to its messaging platform.

Line also plans to use Link — and the blockchain it has developed to power it — to host decentralized applications (dapps) that will connect to its messaging platform. The company already does a lot more than messaging — for example payments, ride-hailing, music and videos — and it plans to tap third-party developers to build dapps. Generally, though, dapps haven’t taken off. The collectibles game Cryptokitties did blow up late last year, but studies have suggested user activity is massively down this year as the fad has slowly worn off.

Crypto enthusiasts will no doubt take positives from Line’s latest move — it is arguably the largest company to embrace crypto, in terms of end-user audience reach — but it remains to be seen whether Link and its dapps platform can help it crack its user growth and retention issues.

“Over the last seven years, Line was able to grow into a global service because of our users, and now with Link, we wanted to build a user-friendly reward system that gives back to our users. With Link, we would like to continue developing as a user participation-based platform, one that rewards and shares added value through the introduction of easy-to-use dapps for people’s daily lives,” said Line CEO Takeshi Idezawa in a statement.

Unlike Bitcoin, which is mined, Line has minted a total of one billion Link tokens which it said will be “gradually issued according to how this ecosystem develops.” The company plans to keep 200 million tokens, with the remaining 800 million made available as user rewards.

Note: The author owns a small amount of cryptocurrency. Enough to gain an understanding, not enough to change a life.

I see why webcomics could overtake the comics industry. I just spent like two hours being led to different ones. As far I can tell; webcomics are interesting. They have unique storylines and aren’t afraid to be unconventional. It’s also easily accessible and all you need is internet access. The art style is varied. The creators are usually young and therefore can be more relatable. Traditional comics don’t have that. Webcomics are decentralized so that there’s not any gatekeeping or shaming associated with comic book culture. Unless it’s really popular, webcomics allow to immerse yourself and escape into the story because they aren’t tied to universe like comics are.

Chat app Line hopes its own crypto token can solve its user growth problem

Line, the Japanese messaging app firm that’s best known for its cutesy characters and stickers, is pushing deeper into crypto after it launched its own token to help grow its stagnant user base. Line went public two years ago with 218 million monthly active users, but it hasn’t been able to kick on. The company no longer gives out its worldwide user number, but the number of active users in its four biggest markets has fallen from 169 million in Q2 2017 to 164 million in its recent Q2 2018 period. Link — Line’s token — isn’t being minted through an ICO, instead, it’ll be given out to Line users as an incentive for using certain services. Line hasn’t said exactly how it can be earned yet, although it is likely that it’ll be tied to specific activities to promote engagement.

Line plans to use Link to incentive user activity on its messaging app and other services The token will be listed on Bitbox — Line’s crypto exchange — and it’ll be used it to buy content like stickers and webcomics, as well as other Line services. It’ll also be possible to use Link to get a lower commission rate on trading in the same way that Binance, the world’s largest exchange, uses its BNB token. Line currently has a virtual currency for its in-app content and services, and you’d imagine that Link will replace it in the future. It’s worth noting, however, that Link hasn’t launched in Japan yet. That’s because Line is awaiting regulatory approval for its token and exchange, so, for now, those in Japan — which is Line’s largest market — will earn virtual tokens which can be traded for Link in the future.

Line is struggling to grow its user numbers Link will launch next month, and it follows the announcement of BitBox in July and the launch of a dedicated crypto fund in early August. Line has dodged the legal questions around token sales by not holding an ICO, and the fact it is using the currency to incentivize user engagement and activity isn’t a huge surprise. Line went public in a dual U.S-Japan IPO that raised over $1 billion in 2016 but, despite user numbers declining, it has grown its revenue through additional services. Increased competition from the likes of Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp is likely its biggest threat, so incentivizing users is a logical strategy. Of course, that depends on how useful Link becomes. If users can exchange it for a decent amount of cash or credits inside Line’s platform it may gain appeal, but if they just pick up trivial amounts, it may be less interesting to them. The bigger picture will be when Link replaces Line’s virtual currency for all purchases but that alone isn’t likely to boost user engagement.

Despite declining user numbers, Line has grown revenue by pushing out services that connect to its messaging platform. Line also plans to use Link — and the blockchain it has developed to power it — to host decentralized applications (dapps) that will connect to its messaging platform. The company already does a lot more than messaging — for example payments, ride-hailing, music and videos — and it plans to tap third-party developers to build dapps. Generally, though, dapps haven’t taken off. The collectibles game Cryptokitties did blow up late last year, but studies have suggested user activity is massively down this year as the fad has slowly worn off. Crypto enthusiasts will no doubt take positives from Line’s latest move — it is arguably the largest company to embrace crypto, in terms of end-user audience reach — but it remains to be seen whether Link and its dapps platform can help it crack its user growth and retention issues. “Over the last seven years, Line was able to grow into a global service because of our users, and now with Link, we wanted to build a user-friendly reward system that gives back to our users. With Link, we would like to continue developing as a user participation-based platform, one that rewards and shares added value through the introduction of easy-to-use dapps for people’s daily lives,” said Line CEO Takeshi Idezawa in a statement. Unlike Bitcoin, which is mined, Line has minted a total of one billion Link tokens which it said will be “gradually issued according to how this ecosystem develops.” The company plans to keep 200 million tokens, with the remaining 800 million made available as user rewards. Note: The author owns a small amount of cryptocurrency. Enough to gain an understanding, not enough to change a life. Via: TechCrunch Read the full article

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