People of DeSo: @ mp3

An occasional series featuring interviews with the people who make the Decentralized Social network (DeS0) so rich and unique.

Haven’t heard of DeSo? It’s a new social media platform that turns the tables on old-school giants Twitter, Facebook and the like. It enables people to own their own posts and be paid, along with all the usual benefits of a social network. You can read more about it here.

Featured today is long-time mega contributor to DeSo, NFT artist and all-round positive-energy rabble-rouser, @mp3 (Pseudonyms are the norm on DeS0. I’m @dreeds there, for example.) Let’s get to it…

Dean: Please introduce yourself in whatever way you’re most comfortable. I know many people on DeSo prefer varying degrees of anonymity.

Sly: Hi my name is Sly, most people know me as @mp3. I’m a recording artist from California.

Dean: You’re OG here, how’d you discover DeSo and who/what convinced you to join in those early days?

Sly: I had been trying for some time to predict the next new social media platform, as I was convinced it was easier than trying to gain traction with Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/TikTok, etc.

I was late to TikTok but early to Clubhouse. Not early enough to easily become an early adopter, yet I really enjoyed the app. It was right when lockdowns took place here in San Diego and I spent a lot more time at home, so I was on my phone in clubhouse rooms when I stumbled across a room where they were talking about @BitClout [DeSo’s first web app].

It was right around the same time as the Gamestop hype and Trump had gotten kicked off twitter, the nation’s capital had been stormed 2 months before, with riots still breaking out across the country, tension was at an all time high and no one was sure how things would play out politically or economically. It was a perfect melting pot of events all transpiring simultaneously, and then bang…

Here was BitClout, this alternative platform that was going viral that was a mix between Twitter and the stock market with native crypto features and new inventions never seen before. Encrypted direct messages, no censorship, no ban, decentralization, big crypto bags, I was hooked.

Not to mention the community was exploding with new users flowing in heavier by the day. I actually first heard about BitClout the day the password was given to users on March 12th. I spent the first week learning about the platform helping other users sign up before actually convincing myself to join.

I tested a few usernames and finally settled with mp3. At first I wanted @sly — like my name but it was a reserved username. I’m glad it was because @mp3 turned out to be a new opportunity to reinvent myself digitally on a revolutionary new social platform.

Dean: What’s the ride been like for you so far?

Sly: It’s been a rocket ride. Up down left right, but man I’m happy I’m here. DeSo really feels like a once in a lifetime opportunity. It’s really changed my perspective on the world and how I see myself and the people around me.

I’ve met so many new friends from the platform and I actually meet up with a bunch of them regularly. Something I had never done before with friends online pre-DeSo. I’ve met some of the coolest people with amazing backgrounds and inspiring stories. The best part is I continue to make new friends every day!

Dean: Which app do you use to access DeSo? Diamondapp, BitClout, CloutFeed or something else? And why?

Sly: I actually use all 3! I’m a huge fan of each of these apps. BitClout is the proof of concept and a historic and symbolic landmark in Web3. Diamond App is its successor. I’ve been a huge CloutFeed supporter and advocate, especially in the early days when I felt it wasn’t getting enough recognition compared to the other apps. CloutFeed has since continued to dominate the mobile app space for DeSo. Excited to see what’s next!

Dean: What other DeSo apps do you use on a regular basis?

Sly: I use so many! You name it I’ve probably tried it. I’m actually about to launch my own app soon called “NameTrade” — the first DeSo username exchange. Coming very soon :) Name-Trade.com

Dean: What type of Creators do you tend to follow? NFT projects, photographers, DeSo investing enthusiasts, others?

Sly: It’s been my mission to follow every active user on DeSo. If you haven’t noticed I follow A LOT of people, so it can get a bit crazy, but the return I get is so awesome. I get to survey what’s going on at any given time in the DeSo world, and easily check in on all my friends. I will continue to follow people until I have followed every single daily active user!

Dean: What Feed do you spend the most time in Hot/Global, New, Following, NFTs?

Sly: I like to get lost in the sea. Basically I just click around between all of them and engage with people at random, based on whoever is saying or posting something that catches my interest. I also make sure to always reply to anybody who has mentioned me or commented on one of my posts. The goal is to maintain a genuine connection, not just spam people.

Dean: How do you choose what to post?

Sly: Hah. Guess I never thought about it. I just let it run. At first I was semi-cautious (at least for my own standards). Then somewhere along the line I tossed it all out the window. Basically what I’m posting represents whatever I’m thinking about at the time. My feed is a super random mix between crazy, genius, stupid, funny, and anything in between. Oh and music, cuz ya know I'm @mp3 ! :P

Dean: After being here since pretty much the beginning, you’re currently posting an average of more than 10 posts per day. What keeps you motivated to continue posting?

Sly: Shoot, if I had to narrow it down to one thing, I guess I took this whole experience as an opportunity to start fresh and to not care what people think about what I post. I literally just be myself and try to give people my genuine side. Some of that is memes I see on the web, and some of that is deep intimate thoughts mixed between mp3 files and 8-bit penguin NFT’s, check out @cloutpenguin btw :)

Dean: Does July 28th stand out for you as a memorable day on DeSo? I see you had an astronomical 297 reposts that day. Do you remember the subjects of the post(s) that caused that explosion?

Sly: Great question. I actually was able to socially engineer a viral post. I basically spent a month studying all the posts that had the most engagement, the top being a post by @highkey that said “repost this post and we will buy $10 of your coin”. This post had almost 2k reposts, and after lurking the comments I realized they had stopped following through on the promise to buy $10, probably because it was a lot of money to buy $10 x 2k LMAO… so I was like, ok what if I copy their post, but instead of saying I’ll buy $10 worth of coin, I just say I’ll buy your coin. Then I can mitigate how much to buy depending on the account. Needless to say, it easily became the most reposted post on DeSo chain history and still currently is. I still buy some amount of coin from each person who reposts that post — I get a few a day :)

Dean: What are some words to describe your CloutPenguin NFT project experiences?

Sly: For me they are nostalgic. The project is a derivative art project based on the multiplayer online game “Club Penguin”. I used to play it as a kid and it was one of many childhood experiences talking to people online. The whole experience was cool and when the game shut down I moved on to other games. Well when BitClout came around and NFTs got hot, I wanted to make an NFT series to join in the art fun. Bang, CloutPenguin was born.

At first, I made penguins of users on DeSo but then I started making them based on characters in the game, then in real life, historical characters, seasonal characters, and basically anything I can think of. I also make a custom penguin for anyone who buys the coin @cloutpenguin .

Dean: Any plans for future NFT projects?

Sly: Actually yes I have huge plans for a generative project. I don’t want to say much but trust me it’s gonna be big. I know everyone says that, so I’ll just let it speak for itself and say, “be on the lookout” :) I’m trying to do something nobody has done yet, so expect something interesting.

Dean: Is there anything you’re itching to see roll out on DeSo?

Sly: My project NameTrade. I’ve been working on it since May and I really just can’t wait to let people use it. It will be the first time anyone can safely trade usernames, creating a whole new market and way to make and spend $DeSo. I’m excited af!!!

Dean: Any advice to all the new people joining DeSo and discovering the place these days?

Sly: It takes time. Be patient with the development, the growth, the community. Don’t worry if you don’t get the same engagement as others. Just keep connecting with the people you vibe with and build genuine community with people of similar interest. Before you know it, you will have so many great opportunities to get involved in what others are doing and give others the opportunity to become involved with what you’re doing.

Dean: Having some fun here… What’s the one post you’d love to see Nader/CoreTeam publish?

Sly: I really just love seeing them post in general. When they engage with the community it really just spreads a wave of engagement across the network. As we continue to build I would love to continue seeing that same effect take place with other developers and node operators as we expand into the future. At this point I’m all the way in and just really excited for the possibilities for what is to come.

Dean: Can you list your socials or websites where people can learn more about you, your music and other projects?

Sly:

SlyDisciple.com
Sptfy.com/slydisciple
Music.Apple.com/us/artist/sly-disciple/958399218 Youtube.com/slydisciplemp3
Twitter.com/slydisciple
Instagram.com/sly.disciple

Dean: What did I forget to ask about that’s important to you that you’d like to share?

Sly: Remember to have love, patience, mercy and grace for others who are here. We have gold on our hands and it’s our duty to share this resource in a way that will benefit not only each other but future generations of this world.

Have any other questions for Sly (aka @ mp3)? Send them a message on Diamondapp.com or BitClout.com. If you’re not a member yet, it’s (better than) free to join. Learn everything you need to know to sign up and be gifted some free $DeSo in the process.