Busy: Your next-gen social network platform based on the Steem Blockchain
With Busy.org: Get your value back !
The next-gen social network platform based on the Steem Blockchain.
We are proud to officially announce the Busy project! Some of you may already be familiar with Busy through word-of-mouth or from @ned mentioning it during the Oslo Cryptofinance Hackathon by @bitspace, or simply from Nate’s (@picokernel) presentation in Amsterdam, Steemfest during the Saturday Appy'Hour.
Credit Photo : @twinner
We tried to keep it secret as long as possible to make sure that we could step in, not with fine words and false promises, but with concrete actions and a real product. We took time understanding the Steem’s ecosystem deeply, the community needs, building a reliable network and an elite team to develop not only the most promising alternative platform to Steemit.com on the Steem Blockchain but also preparing the best strategy to accomplish our mission:
Connect everyone to the next-gen decentralized social network that gives voice and value back to people, by building together a true sharing economy, a more free and trustworthy world without middlemen.
WHY BUSY?
Over the past years, the Internet has risen to become a dominant force in the world economy, more specifically with social media platforms, e-commerce, and online services.
The amount of money generated is astonishing. Facebook and Youtube had more than $10 billion in revenue in the 2nd fiscal quarter 2016. Uber and Airbnb, the top unicorns are valued at $20 billion or more. Paypal 2015 revenue is $9.24 billion. They're seemingly everywhere, backed by a bull market and a new generation of so-called disruptive technology. It’s important to remember that the value created on these networks, which allows these platforms to generate huge profits, comes directly from their users.
As a non-profit organization, BUSY aims to bring value back to the people by replacing these monolithic, centralized, for-profit companies with a Decentralized Open Source Platform, enabled by Blockchain and peer-to-peer technology. We believe that Steem with Graphene can fulfill this mission notably through its high scalability and zero transaction fee model.
WHAT IS BUSY?
Using the power of the Steem blockchain, Busy is an Open-Source social network and communication platform that extends itself to a variety of rich features and functionality including free digital payments and a marketplace for goods and services. On top of that, Busy is also a Non-profit organization offering open-source projects on Steem, which aims to bridge the gap between the old economy and a new economy giving value back to people. Our goal is to develop the best strategy to bootstrap this thriving eco-system and to enable billions of people to take part in this revolution
Busy is:
- A non-profit organization: all donations and potential income will be entirely used to pay expenses and develop the project
- An open-source project and vision: we believe in the wisdom of the crowd and in taking a collaborative and transparent approach, that's why all our work will be open source. Everyone is free to contribute, by all appropriate means to accomplish our mission. Not only coders but also designers, writers, speakers, evangelists, marketers, advisors, etc.
- A social media platform on Steem more like Facebook/Twitter/Rocket.Chat than Reddit/Medium like: On Busy we try to build a platform where everyone can participate, not only bloggers/writers. Not only focus on Money/rewards, but you can also come to chat about different topics, use private messaging, enjoy all type of contents, and bookmark it.
- An alternative interface to Steemit: we work on a different approach with a user-friendly interface and specific marketing for mass adoption aiming to remove all the blockchain and cryptocurrency friction, to make it easier to adopt by everyone and every possible niche.
- An open platform for a future marketplace for Good and services: Busy goal is to build on top of the Busy social media platform, several Apps (like Facebook Apps, or WeChat services). We are offering a secure social network layer to bootstrap any Apps, games, community tools, marketplaces for good (like eBay, OpenBazaar), or services (Airbnb, Uber, Fiverr, etc.).
All developers can submit their project/concept and can be integrated into the Busy ecosystem very easily. We are building this All-in-one platform, embedding killers App into a social network, empowering people using the power of Steem zero transaction fee.
Busy is Not:
- A Steemit competitor: we are not. We believe that we can be complementary to the existing projects like Steemit on this Blockchain. We are working on another approach, another strategy. Both are mandatory. In fact, Busy can bring value to the Steem ecosystem, by adding even more decentralization, diluting the power and providing more trust on the Steem blockchain. By not being the main/official app on Steem, it gives the Busy project more flexibility. Busy will work in close collaboration with Steemit team and have the support of Steemit inc. to bring more value to the Steem Blockchain making it more reliable, trustable, decentralized.
WHO?
Founded by @fabien and me, @ekitcho in July 2016, Busy is now a strong team with several core members, developers, advisors, ambassadors, donors, and so on.
Busy Team
@ekitcho: CEO, Business Developer, working on the global vision, philosophy and strategy
@fabien: CTO, Product Architect, and designer, programmer, leading the way to a real disruptive product
@p0o: Developer, React/Redux expert
@nil1511: Developer
@yamadapc: Developer
@faddat: Server Architect
Our advisors/ambassador
@cass, @smooth, @svk, @clains, @ned, @picokernel
But it's also YOU !
As a decentralized and open source platform in the form of a non-profit organization, we are open to any contribution/suggestion from you. We would love to get the finest resources from this brilliant community to build the best platform ever that can change the world. Our goal is to be able to select and pay every contribution that brings value to Busy. Since the first day we’ve paid every contributor! At the very beginning with our own money and later on with the support from @smooth, @cass, and then Steemit.Inc. (a Big thanks to them)
We're enthusiastically looking for talented people who understand where Busy is going.
OUR GOAL/ VISION
Our goal is to connect billions of people to the best social network platform that can bring value back to the people in a peer-to-peer and decentralized way using the power of the Steem blockchain and cryptocurrencies.
Ensuring compensation for the creators of value
Artists and User-generated content create billions dollars worth of value absorbed by the shareholders of these intermediaries and centralized services.
As a non-profit and decentralized organization, Busy provides the power of cryptocurrency and blockchain innovations within a platform that returns much of its value to the creators ensuring fair compensation.
Creating a true sharing economy
Uber or Airbnb are often described as the sharing economy, a beautiful notion that peers create and share in value. But these businesses have little to do with sharing, they in fact only aggregate as middlemen through their centralized, proprietary platforms and do resell by taking huge commissions.
Today's big disrupters are about to get disrupted! Busy aims to create a true peer-to-peer sharing economy without middlemen and zero transaction fees that allows people to transact safely and freely.
Ending the remittance ripoff
The largest flow of funds into the developing world is not foreign aid but money repatriated to developing countries from their families living abroad. Using Western Union, Moneygram, and other centralized services, the process takes time, patience and costs from 5 to 25% commission. Selling goods or services using eBay, Paypal, makes 1 to 10% commission. The Busy goal is to end the remittance ripoff providing a digital wallet that allows everyone to send/receive digital money with no transaction fees.
Our secret : make it easy-to-use and -to-understand for everyone.
WHEN IS THE OFFICIAL RELEASE, What's inside?
Our Roadmap:
- After Steemfest: Closed Alpha release
We’re inviting a select group of developers and testers to use our Closed Alpha release starting now. Several features are already implemented, and the User interface is growing every day (Almost 1000 commits on Github !)
- Q1 2017: Open Beta release
The Beta release will be in first quarter 2017 for every Steemian who wants to join in preparation of the final public release
- Q2 2017 (If we get Funds): Busy Phase 2
Start the marketplace for goods and services using Escrow and Private messaging. Open the platform to all types of Apps from the dev community
Mobile app iOS/Android + Desktop app
Expected Features for the Beta Release :
- Top-notch user interface / experience like Facebook, Slack/Rocket.chat
- Responsive Web app design for Desktop/Mobile with ReactJs
- All basic features (Votes, Posts, Comments, Search)
- Custom user profile (Picture + Cover + Extra informations)
- Embedding all famous types of digital content (Youtube, Vimeo, Soundcloud, Twitch, Twitter, SteemQ, etc.)
- Internationalization : 5 Languages (EN,FR,DE,RU,CN,ES,JP, etc.)
- Favorite Categories and authors
- Bookmark and filter favorite posts
- Notifications
- Private message 1to1
- Public Chat Channels based on categories (#photography, #travel, #art, etc.)
- Secure connection with SteemConnect.com (secured identity/auth layer for Steem Blockchain, developed by Busy)
- Improved Markdown / Post Editor, including Drafts manager, in-post Image upload
- Different layouts to read/browse the content and improved navigation
This is the first Step of the Busy project. After the Social Network platform release, we want to develop a free marketplace for product and services and integrate different Apps in a healthy ecosystem. We have prepared every tool allowing developers to contribute to the Steem Blockchain and Busy project easily.
Developers, check our Github at https://github.com/adcpm/busy :
- Steemconnect: identity/authentication base layer (working like auth0 + AppStore) allowing Steem blockchain users to log in with their private keys and use trusted Apps, and developers to focus on their app without having to handle private keys.
- SteemEmbed: Embedding all type of digital content on Steem posts (Youtube, Soundcloud, Vimeo, Twitter, Facebook video, Twitch, Periscope, etc.)
- SteemJs: Javascript Library API to easily interact with Steem blockchain
- SteemAPI: API to the Steem blockchain
- SteemScript: Open JSON Standard for Trusted Workflows (JSON metadata)
HOW TO HELP OR CONTRIBUTE TO BUSY?
Our Donors:
We're looking for more support (investors/donors) to be able to develop the whole project. Contact @ekitcho for more information
Vote for @busy.witness
We've been running a witness for one month now (0 Missed Blocks)
Please consider voting for @busy.witness (Now #49 on the list)
https://steemit.com/~witnesses
All our extra witness income will be used to fund the project and support our platform.
Contribute to the project
Our Projects are open source.
For more information, please check https://github.com/adcpm/busy
We're hiring Experienced and talented Designer (Branding), UI/UX Designers, Marketers, Writers, as well as new businesses or apps that want to integrate the Busy Platform. If you feel like you can contribute to the project, feel free to contact us.
Resteem / Share this post, and http://busy.org
Spread the word
Additionnal Links :
- Busy.org (Landing presentation)
- Github Repo
- SteemJs
- SteemAPI
- SteemScript Ann / GitHub
- SteemConnect (still in Alpha)
- Busy video presentation from @picokernel at Steemfest
Let me know if I can help you by any means, even if its just tech advise!
You've been helping for Steem Connect, i'm sure in the future i will need you wise tech advices again! Thank you for your support!
Excellent! Looking forward to seeing how this project unfolds. Exciting times ahead.
I'd like to learn more about SteemConnect. I've been lobbying for options to use one's Steem account to authenticate to other services for quite a while now, but so far no one else seems to have shown much interest.
If you contact me on Rocket chat i can show you how Steem Connect work. The project is alsmost ready we are polishing the interface and preparing a tutorial.
Proud of you @ekitcho :-)
This is the kind of site that could bring steem into the spotlight. I've been saying this from the start the only way you gonna takeover giants like facebook,youtube and amazon is if you integrate everything in the same site. ( wechat already proved that it works and that its the future) The more an environement is interactive ( chat, marketplace,video,live streaming,video calls,games,etc..) the more users you will retain on your site and the bigger the network effect. The only thing that prevented us from creating a real active economy online was the missing piece which was money. Now we have it so we can build some really great innovation and create completely new type of interaction online. The more diversity in a site the better, that's why I think busy should even integrate with a video platform like steemQ or just embed a video uploader and add a video section to users's profil , I wrote my first post on steemit about this https://steemit.com/steem/@snowflake/steem-vision-short-introduction
Imagine 2 strangers who just met in a sport chat room both watching a live stream football game and deciding to make a little bet just for fun and then at the end of the match they can pay each other instantly, this is just the kind of interaction that weren't possible before online but that you can now do on the same site seamlessly
I have a few questions
Is the marketplace's escrow going to be trustless or will you guys hold people's fund?
Why the name busy? It sounds pretty modern, i like it actually.
Will communication be encrypted?
Is UI going to look similar or is this just a demo design?
Is the amount of dollar earned going to be displayed under each post? if yes I suggest you don't display it, as it creates a money grab kinda mentality, it also creates a lot frustration and jealousy for users who can't earn anything. Busy shouldn't primarily advertises itself as a money maker but should instead play the all in one site card and payouts as a bonus.( high expectations often leads to disapointment and users leaving the platform)If users come to the platform with no expectations and realize that they can get paid for posting they are much more likely to stick around.
Anyway from what I read I think you guys really get the vision and the importance to have everything on the same website.
Glad you like it ! You totally get our vision for sure. And of course we want a platform that integrates SteemQ, SteemStays, Steemwhales, Steemdb, SteemUber, SteemGames, all types of apps to build a rich and interactive environnement where you want to stay.
for your questions :
Thanks for your support
Wow so nice to hear that you guys are b us y working towards that goal :-) It will definetely be a winner, I have no doubt about that. Most of the sites you mentionned would stand very little chance on their own to rival big players but when integrated within busy (as the core platform) they will all benefit greatly from the existing userbase, it can only snowball from there, more apps, more value,more users,etc..
I have a few suggestion if I may..
The letter B and Y in busy could be in a different color than the U and S so that people get the message more easily.
Also regarding author rewards, you could display the amount more precisely like $0.001 or even $0.0001 so that even people with little influence can see the counter move up when they upvote. ( psychologicaly this is very important to motivate people to want more power)
Anyway keep it up guys..very good work so far, I ll be following this project closely.
your last suggestion is exactly what I want to suggest to steemit. the argument is also the same. :-) I am glad busy took this advice!
Thank you !
We've been and are still thinking about that. We may keep it like more disguised, and known by some ppl, or to-be-discovered (When you ask yourself why Busy ? like you did), than something really obvious playing with the logo letters/colors etc. (something i'm not real fan of..)
Our solution will cover this issue. When you vote on a post you will have a small animation showing exactly the added amount to the payout you just made, also you'll be able to click and view all details, the same way you can see it on steemstats, or steemd
thanks for your kind suggestions
There is a few more thing I wanted to suggest.
To create 2 differents type of upvotes. An upvote where you give the post money and another upvote where you just give a normal like. Maybe you can use 2 signs, a thumbs up and a heart.
This is very important to keep people happy and motivated knowing that even if they didn't receive money their post was liked by many. If you look at a site like reddit it is easy to get many upvotes if you post a nice comment, here on steemit.com however the comment section has no upvote because curators can't make money off of it . You could even integrate different type of emoji so people can tell how they felt about the post.
Also i think the voice comment concept by steempowergirls is interesting, if people had the option to record their voice when posting a comment i think it will make the whole site more lively and it's a great innovation.
The last idea was to put steemradio player on your site ( steemspeak), it would be awesome if any users could get his message heard by millions of users ( hopefully). Also a community radio player on the site would strenghten that community feel and would make the site more real/lively.
Anyway just my 2 cents.
Hello ekitcho,
There is 2 more things I wanted to suggest for busy :) I'm really excited by the potential of this site because you guys have the vision and are thinking big, which tells me this thing is gonna be yuuuge !
Anyway here are my suggestions.
You could use @radiosteem or something similar to allow people to pay to get their song heard by all the busy users. This is something people have always liked, when they think a song is good they want the world to hear it, people could even burn some steem just to get their song heard live by everyone, you could add a steem music player on the interface or something.
The second suggestion is to create a free daily lottery. So that busy can make someone's day everyday, this is very good for user retention, the hope that you can win the busy lottery one day will keep people coming back everyday and also because its free.
It is pretty simple to do basically you need to allocate a unique number to each user using busy. Then these users can just cast their vote for the lottery on the interface so everyday the amount will be different. And finally you need to make the rules clear , basically you can use first or last random hash numbers of a certain block and when this number correspond to the user's unique number he wins. It sounds a bit complexe but It really isn't.
here are some lottery project based on the blockchain https://github.com/ghgr/LottoMotto-Bitcoin https://github.com/EarthLottery/EarthLottery https://github.com/hmel/bitcoin-raffle
A free daily lottery will have everyone coming back , no users will leave for good :)
Let me know what you think
thanks @snowflake, for your support and enthusiasm in the Busy project;
we're working to build a strong platform acting like a base layer where any kind of apps can be integrated, and for the lottery, as well as sports betting, i see integration of a prediction market like Steemsports, as well as some lotto services. Basicilly we will respond to community request / initiative
thx for your contrib
Regarding the busy-by us thing, I would rather see it unveiled by a cool animation from the organization name (e.g. at the end of a promo video.)
b for blockchain, u for user, s for steem and y for you... something like blockchain-based, user-oriented and steem-backed platform for you !?
funny and relevant, you're creative ;) thx for this input
glad you like it. this little exercise proves that humans react to rewards, but not necessarily monetary ones. hence the importance of 'making a difference', no matter how small it is.
Please fix your price feed.
Will we be able to upload pictures instantly from the platform when submitting new posts without the need to host them in third party’s hosting websites first?
Yes can upload pictures instantly in our Editor without the need to host them :)
I have been waiting for this option to come out so makes it seemless and easier to post pictures and Busy will be more likely used because people like options and handiness. I can't wait to use Busy and i'm glad you ventured out to make a user friendly platform. Thanks a bunch.
Thanks!
P.S. I need urgently glasses :)
Don't be too hard on yourself its a long post :D
That's awesome! That's even better than seeing the Bitcoin cap rise above 12. :D
I would love to test the Alpha guys. Anabell and I are two of the most influential social media pros in the world and would love to add our input. If not, I am happy to wait for the Beta. Cheers and great job! I loved @Picokernel's talk at SteemFest.
That's good to hear ! Please fill the form on busy.org i'm also adding you on our list, we will validate few more accounts/slots next week
pico did a great job indeed, i just edited the post and added the link to the video presentation at Steemfest
nice self-fulfilling prophecy <3
this is exactly how we want it to be ! #hub
it will not be easy, maybe impossible, but with faith, Busy is working on this mission..,feets on the ground, building it step by step with the best minds, ;)
i hope your predictions will come true
thx cassandra
Open Source... I wish it'd become decentralized instead of centralized, because one point of entry is not exactly very assuring concerning privacy, freedom and security.