@fountain_app is a podcasting app that lets listeners and creators earn #Bitcoin while using the app.
How to use Fountain and earn sats while educating and entertaining yourself with podcasts?
Thread 🧵 👇
1/21
The time and attention we give to tech platforms is incredibly valuable.
Every minute that you spend creating or consuming content, or viewing ads, increases the value of the platform you're using.
2/21
Podcasting is also fragmented to many different apps.
This limits the social and monetary features that the apps can offer.
3/21
With Fountain, value stays in its own ecosystem.
Creators get paid directly from their audience, and for their part, creators can reward listeners in a #value4value economy.
Instead of algorithms, Fountain uses Bitcoin as a signal of what content is valuable.
4/21
How to start with Fountain as a podcast listener?
It's simple. You just download the app and start listening!
If you're already subscribed to podcasts on e.g. Apple's podcasting app, you can sync your subscriptions.
5/21
Fountain has the same functions as many other podcasting apps.
You can subscribe to podcasts, download episodes, add them as favorites, browse episodes, create playlists etc.
The app pulls in the open podcast RSS feed, so there is a wide library of content available!
6/21
But now to the cool part.
Because the Bitcoin Lightning Network enables the streaming of micropayments, you can earn and send bitcoin on the app for your actions!
7/21
Podcast creators can decide for themselves how many sats they will stream to listeners per minute.
You can earn sats as a listener only for the 1st hour of listening in a 24-hour period.
It's possible to earn daily extra if you listen to promotions.
8/21
Once you got some sats in your in-app, custodial Fountain wallet, you can start rewarding creators.
You can e.g. boost a comment with sats to get your comment seen by creators.
You can also stream bitcoin directly to the creator while listening to the podcast.
9/21
Of course, you can also withdraw your earned bitcoin to another Lightning wallet.
Fountain supports human-readable Lightning addresses.
Funding your Fountain wallet is also possible through Lightning with a @zebedeeio integration, and now also with fiat with @moonpay.
10/21
One of the most interesting features is the clipping feature, where you can clip parts of a podcast that you find valuable for "soundbites" for others to listen.
Others can then tip you in satoshis if they find your clip valuable.
11/21
So the more active you are on Fountain by creating clips, commenting etc. the more you will earn.
The value you bring to the platform comes back to you.
12/21
Fountain is free to use.
You can have an anonymous account or connect it to your email address.
It also offers a premium option.
With a few dollars a month, you can lower your Lightning fees, plus it lets you create custom playlists and disables promotions.
13/21
Not all podcasts are able to receive BTC, even though you're able to earn sats by listening to them.
If you see a yellow Lightning ⚡ symbol next to the follow button on the podcast's page, it's able to receive BTC.
14/21
If you don't see a podcast able to receive BTC, you can tweet them within the app so they can claim their show.
I like listening to @BanklessHQ to keep myself updated what's going on in the Ethereum ecosystem, but they don't yet receive sats.
So I tweeted at them.
15/21
Once you start listening, you will see an "earning ⚡" logo at the top of the screen with the number of satoshis you will receive every minute.
You can't earn more if you listen with a higher speed.
E.g. if you listen with a 2x speed, you will only earn for 30 mins etc.
16/21
The Activity Feed feels a like a social media feed and is good for social discovery.
Users have a profile page where all their clips, comments, boosts, likes etc. are.
You can also integrate your Twitter account.
17/21
Fountain is planning to add audiobooks in the future to highlight important parts from long-form audiobooks.
It could also help authors to get discovered better.
18/21
Another new planned feature is live podcasts, a bit like "Twitter Spaces with a value layer".
Based on the popularity of Twitter Spaces, this feature could boost tx volumes on Fountain.
Fountain is currently on iOS and Android, but a desktop version is coming in Q1.
19/21
Some minor issues while testing the app:
The app seems to load slightly longer and I had some problems with the rewind button throwing me way back than the 10 seconds I had chosen.
Also, I didn't find a way to change the default dark mode to white in the settings.
20/21
Anyway, from now on, I will keep on using the app because the social discovery features seem so neat.
Fountain also has a referral program that makes you earn more sats.
21/21
Finally, a recent interview of Fountain founder @MerryOscar by @MikeJarmuz of @ltngventures:
youtube.com/watch?v=eY6qxt6ACCY
teemupleb
@teemupleb
I write threads about Bitcoin (#NaturalMoney) projects. ⚡️teemupleb@getalby.com #npub15vxdlmhftkh452a06vnr3mmks2dy8hqejeuxuv6sgy5rgtf0jllsccfzg7