*Bonus: A fun Internet experiment I launched this morning to find a better business model for funding quality writing: ghostknowledge.com
A few threads I explore in my work:
1. Media in conditions of abundance: Technology has massively reduced the barriers to creating and distributing content. As a result, more and more people can now create content independent of legacy distribution and consumers are drowning in a virtually infinite supply of things to watch, listen to and read. In a world where attention is the key constraint, not capital or distribution, we’ll see a renewed focus on curation and tastemakers, as well as new media models that empower individuals to build a business around themselves.
2. Community-Curated Knowledge Networks: In a world of abundance, curation becomes increasingly important. But thus far, the conversation on curation has been too focused on the information and not enough on architecture; how we collect, store, augment, and utilize what’s already in our minds. Our current information architectures are oriented around the now, stripped of context, and designed for recreation, not thought. The Internet offers us the first major opportunity to introduce new architectures that improve our understanding of the world through added context and relation.
3. New business models for funding quality writing: Ghost Knowledgeis an experiment I launched today to find a better business model for funding quality writing. Context: Human evolution can be seen through the lens of publishing advancements; from oral language and the printing press to ad-funded Internet writing. Recently, subscription media has dominated the conversation, with Substack popularizing newsletter subscriptions as the dominant business model for writing online. But the paid newsletter model only works for a certain kind of writer – one that wants to primarily dedicate themselves to sharing their ideas online, consistently. The model doesn’t work for the inspired one-timer, busy founder, or expert practitioner that doesn’t want the pressure to publish often. Ghost Knowledge is an experiment to get the people who don’t write enough to share their knowledge.
4. The Ownership Economy: The intersection of Crypto x the Creator Economy is one of the more exciting spaces in tech right now. And a lot of the innovation is happening in what Jesse Walden calls the Ownership Economy, which tries to align incentives for the long-term among a variety of stakeholders. In a world with more individual autonomy and direct to fan relationships, we’ll see new modes of collaboration between creators and their communities and creative organizations will begin to look more like flat peer-to-peer networks as opposed to hierarchies.
There’s so much more to Startupy, Ghost Knowledge, the future of media, curation, knowledge networks, and the ownership economy and I’m excited to chat with you all about it!
Passing this along! On the topic of architecture - there is a 6 part -documentary series about Adam Curtis on BBC called, 'Can't Get You Out of My Head' that shares a perspective of how we have evolved into an individualist first society. We have slowly opted into a dream world that doesn't challenge our imaginations (individual/collective), & justifies the loss of our individual and collective agency. It seems critical that we make time to pause, sense-make, document how we got here, and move forward to discover frameworks that hold space for critical thought, dialog, and imagination. https://watchdocumentaries.com/cant-get-you-out-of-my-head/?video_index=2
First, You are not the only non-fan of Discord here.
In reference to the Community Platform portion, do you have any insights on how to show your product build and/or thought leader credentials when choosing to not always build in public?
Example, I have been in multiple community forums where we all agree not to post to social to protect ideas/anonymity for a safe space. It seems like most are exhausted of having to build in public on social.
Also, my customers are on Insta and the VC sector lives on Twitter... advice on how to cross-pollinate?
Thanks for your time, Sari! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the expectation that founders should be personal brands/content creators. I've noticed that there is a pressure for a founder to show every aspect of their life and business journey on TikTok and IG, which helps consumers feel like they are part of the evolution of the product and brings a level of personalization to the company. I understand this approach in the beginning as a means to building a community and brand, yet, how do we create boundaries around a company/product and its founder? As a podcast host of Okay Sis and self-proclaimed "comfortable person on the internet," I'm fine doing this while I start my new travel recommendations app, Camber, yet my co-founder isn't as comfortable sharing personal updates online, which is totally fine! Do founders need to have personal brands for their company to succeed in the modern age?
Hi Sari! Great intro and food for thought. Excited to dig into Ghost Knowledge!
What are your thoughts about reward mechanisms for online content creators who are not charging for their work but are creating prolifically without a plan to monetise, do you believe that the work recieves the rewards it deserves or that writers/creators need to be proactive in sourcing payment (monetary or otherwise) for their work?
Hello Sari, I always admire your "faster than light" thoughts. With influencers burning out and winner-take-all creator economy, Li Jin and others are calling for Universal Creative Income. What are your thoughts on this form of funding for creators? Do you think we can see something like this in the near future?
i'd love to hear your thoughts re: yen.chat ... the first censorship-resistant community platform built specifically for metacreators in the metaverse.
I love your articles and I can imagine you have a lot of research and observations on how people curate. What are some of the topics that you've noticed people naturally love to curate and talk about?
I've noticed Twitter and Substack are platforms where people actively go to share their curations. What do you think could pull people away from those platforms to share their curations elsewhere?
Q&A with Sari Azout on the future of media, community-driven knowledge networks, and the ownership economy
Passing this along! On the topic of architecture - there is a 6 part -documentary series about Adam Curtis on BBC called, 'Can't Get You Out of My Head' that shares a perspective of how we have evolved into an individualist first society. We have slowly opted into a dream world that doesn't challenge our imaginations (individual/collective), & justifies the loss of our individual and collective agency. It seems critical that we make time to pause, sense-make, document how we got here, and move forward to discover frameworks that hold space for critical thought, dialog, and imagination. https://watchdocumentaries.com/cant-get-you-out-of-my-head/?video_index=2
First, You are not the only non-fan of Discord here.
In reference to the Community Platform portion, do you have any insights on how to show your product build and/or thought leader credentials when choosing to not always build in public?
Example, I have been in multiple community forums where we all agree not to post to social to protect ideas/anonymity for a safe space. It seems like most are exhausted of having to build in public on social.
Also, my customers are on Insta and the VC sector lives on Twitter... advice on how to cross-pollinate?
Thanks for your time, Sari! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the expectation that founders should be personal brands/content creators. I've noticed that there is a pressure for a founder to show every aspect of their life and business journey on TikTok and IG, which helps consumers feel like they are part of the evolution of the product and brings a level of personalization to the company. I understand this approach in the beginning as a means to building a community and brand, yet, how do we create boundaries around a company/product and its founder? As a podcast host of Okay Sis and self-proclaimed "comfortable person on the internet," I'm fine doing this while I start my new travel recommendations app, Camber, yet my co-founder isn't as comfortable sharing personal updates online, which is totally fine! Do founders need to have personal brands for their company to succeed in the modern age?
Hi Sari! Great intro and food for thought. Excited to dig into Ghost Knowledge!
What are your thoughts about reward mechanisms for online content creators who are not charging for their work but are creating prolifically without a plan to monetise, do you believe that the work recieves the rewards it deserves or that writers/creators need to be proactive in sourcing payment (monetary or otherwise) for their work?
What are your thoughts on what the architecture for a curation platform looks like?
really love the thoughts in Ghost Knowlege - Are we able to submit an idea of our own and have other people weigh in?
Hello Sari, I always admire your "faster than light" thoughts. With influencers burning out and winner-take-all creator economy, Li Jin and others are calling for Universal Creative Income. What are your thoughts on this form of funding for creators? Do you think we can see something like this in the near future?
i'd love to hear your thoughts re: yen.chat ... the first censorship-resistant community platform built specifically for metacreators in the metaverse.
What are your thoughts on the absence of middle class of creators? And how we can support smaller creators?
I love your articles and I can imagine you have a lot of research and observations on how people curate. What are some of the topics that you've noticed people naturally love to curate and talk about?
I've noticed Twitter and Substack are platforms where people actively go to share their curations. What do you think could pull people away from those platforms to share their curations elsewhere?
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