006. Clout girl summer. ☀️
Today’s issue includes special guest writing and curation from @melodaysong and @nicoleruggiero, with @nathanmaton bringing the cross-platform curation perspective. @nvo tackled the writing alongside @melodaysong, and @dripcult designed all the lovely bits blessing your feed. @ASG manned the captain’s stand 🏴☠️
Guest bit design (intro) by @thoughtlesslabs
Before we dive in, a quick word from one of our cherished readers:
“With Bitclout blowing up, I don’t have time to read news anymore… now my primary way to start the day is reading the latest @BitsToday drop.” — @jakeudell
We hear you, @helenowen. Btw remember @nvo from high school? Probably not, it’s cool.
In our first ever edition of @BitsTODAY, we wondered how long it would be before an (active) female creator cracked the fabled Top 10. While we still await that special day, we realize that focusing on the big fish alone wouldn’t do the amazing ecosystem that is BitClout it’s full due.
As such, today we’re taking a look beyond the 🐋 in the ocean and plan to explore the rivers, eddies, and tide pools across BitClout that are home to wonderful creators. And while we do so, we want to hand the mic over to female curators and writers, too. For one, we’re excited to welcome @melodaysong in as a guest writer for today’s main features.
First, it’s been a sec since we highlighted key feature updates across the platform. Let’s start there; @BitsToday will always have something for everyone :). Giddy up!
Diamondhands’ drops 💎:
#1 Founders keepers
There’s a million new features shipping and dev projects launching on BitClout at any given moment. Here’s a quick around-the-horn of major announcements and projects worth watching that caught our eye in the last 24:
You thought this is how it worked the whole time, don’t lie.
In case you missed it, you no longer get an automatic discount when you buy the dip on your favorite creators. @bluepartyhat shared that creators will get rewarded with their founder’s cut on EVERY coin purchase transaction from now on, not just those that occur at an all-time high coin price. Indubitably, this will help creators build and maintain a stake in their own accounts. @Krassenstein also had some good takes on the implications here:
Only losers pump and dump. Don’t be a loser.
Anyone want to chime in with additional / devil’s advocate takes on drawbacks that could pop up here? Leave us a comment on our posts on BitClout or on Medium.
There’s lots more brewing in the clout dev world. For one, we are keeping a keen eye on what @Moonbounce is up to. They dropped a thread earlier today that instantly captured attention on the platform. Their proposed value proposition? See below:
Finally, as a bunch of lads & ladies who are hoping to get 7 hours of sleep again at some point, we can’t wait for the roll out of @Cloutlater, which would let us set and schedule posts for when we’re snoozing. Godspeed, @cloutlater, our circadian rhythms depend on you 💤💤💤.
#2 The up and comers
***Quick disclosure from our future lawyers: Members of the @BitsTODAY team may hold positions in creators featured in our daily editions at the time of publishing or thereafter. If we do, it’s because we believe in them, and intend to hold our stakes for the long-term🐂***
@melodaysong here. Lovely to meet you and excited to be guest writing for @BitsToday. As @NVO pointed out, @BitsToday has spent a lot of time swimming with whale pods (*queues 10-hours of whale noises*). Today, we want to go deeper on the smaller fish, the up and comers, the ‘minnows’ if you will on Planet Clout.
Curious to explore a few of our favorite finds?
1. 7-Year old NFT minter
First up, we’ve got @taylormarie in a class of her own — literally. Taylor is in the second grade. She’s a 7 year old artist and creator here on BitClout whose goal is to “Brighten the future, one creative project at a time.”
What was I doing in second grade? Honestly, couldn’t tell you — probably mucking around on the playground or chowing on some Rocket Pops. Definitely not minting exclusive NFTs like Taylor is.
We love what you’re doing Taylor — keep putting out your art and representing the next generation of ‘Clouters! Here’s what our founder @dripcult had to say about you:
“This is the #1 reason I love the internet. As things progress and these channels become more available for younger and younger generations, it’s only going to get crazier and push the development younger as well.
2. HODL mental health
@klo is a meditation coach from NYC who posts daily mindfulness reminders — just a quick scroll through her feed brings the ol’ heart rate back down closer to normal.
We all need you more than ever @klo, as much as we all love this platform, many of us have begun to experience some form of Clout Burnout amidst the craziness. @david_leavitt put this best:
Asking the real questions, David.
Whether it’s obsessively refreshing your coin price or spiralling down creator rabbit holes, it’s easy to end up with deep-fried dopamine receptors here. Don’t forget to give your mind some love. Your worth/productivity is in no way directly tied to your coin’s valuation. Even though we get that it’s easy to think that. ❤️
3. BitClout beatz 🎧🎧
Want to hear about some up & coming tunemakers? As of this writing, Bitclout still doesn’t have support for audio/video. Yes, you can link to Spotify or point users to your website, but in the absence of a way to foster native engagement with their music, it’s tough for artists to convert a lurker into a fan. Open question clouters, anyone working on getting some dope UX live around this??
That being said, let’s take a look at BitClout musicians who are churning out hits regardless — and exciting and delighting our little eardrums in the process.
1. @jessicajolia: R&B fans, where you at? Jessica Jolia’s got pipes like SZA, beats like Summer Walker, and she’s got us over here at @BitsTODAY HQ bopping along to her latest, Sunset. Beyond her musical prowess, though, we’re even bigger fans of her vision for a more inclusive music industry:
2. @twntyfour: Underground artist @twntyfour from the Netherlands grabbed our attention with his witty lyricism and bass heavy beats. We could easily see him on the soundtrack for the next 50 Shades of Grey (Have they made 2 of those? 3? Not that we’re counting…). @TheWeeknd better watch his back, too.
One of our favorite things about the musicians of Bitclout is their excitement and hunger to leverage the platform and connect directly to their fans.
Here’s an excerpt from @twntyfour’s Q&A with @thequeenofclout:
#4 Doubling down on the artist’s corner
@nvo back on the beat here. I’ll be the first to admit it. I’m not an expert when it comes to the visual arts. Can I put letters and words in different order effectively? Sure. But did I know digital sculpting was a thing even three weeks ago? Nope.
So when we decided to focus on up & comers today, I wanted to make sure we (i) highlighted stellar artists and NFTers on BitClout (ii) that I tapped someone actually in the know to help and that (iii) the contributor wasn’t another white guy like me. So I turned to the wonderful @nicoleruggiero, whose own work mesmerized me a few weeks back when I was still trawling twitter. Courtesy of @nicoleruggiero, here are some up & coming artists on the platform that you should keep two eyes trained on (& maybe your 3rd-eye, too). @BitCloutMuseum, get one of your curators in here 👇👇
@andyrolfes: Andy is an amazing character designer who brings highly emotive ideas to the table. Much like @BitClout itself, there’s a certain… structured chaos to his work. We stan’ a little meta-interaction between art and platform, message and medium.
@planttdaddii: To tell the truth, we’ve had our eye on her for a while. And not just because of her amazing handle. @planttdaddi is another stellar character artist and digital sculptor. The whimsical detail and colorful sculpts with which she imbues her work, all wrapped in a unique and playful style… well simply put it makes us smile :)
@ixshells: A genius generative artist who works in both 2D and 3D, @ixshells brings a super cool glitch aesthetic to the table. It’s well off the beaten path, befitting of the BitClout ecosystem.
@thegladscientist: In true web3 renaissance fashion, @thegladscientist is a talented artist, developer, and musician. They’re also trailblazing special access to their multifaceted approach for their BitClout coin holders in partnership with @cloutmembers; we’re eager to see artists leverage the platform to provide enhanced benefits in ways that are just as innovative as their work itself.
@nicoleruggiero: Last but certainly not least, @nicoleruggiero is an outstanding artist in her own right. Rather than take my word for it, you should go scope the new collaboration between her and @planttdaddi that was teased on BitClout and is now live on SuperRare. We can only hope that someday we’ll be able to afford some of their work for our portfolios 🥺🥺.
We can’t thank @nicoleruggiero enough for all the brilliant suggestions. We’re eagerly awaiting the next piece you mint. @BitsToday fam — looking for an exclusive sneak peak? Today’s your lucky day.
(courtesy of @nicoleruggiero)
Wow. What a fun edition. There’s little more exciting about BitClout than the ability to discover amazing creators on the daily. We hope you introduced you to some new faves today. Special thanks again to our guests @melodaysong and @nicoleruggiero. We’d love to have you back soon, maybe as early as like…er… tomorrow.
And to our readers — we’re blessed to have you. We’re more eager than ever for feedback, hot-tips, and suggestions. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Much love,
The @BitsToday team