Highlights From The MEDIA Protocol And BlockPulse AMA — Part 2
On Tuesday 31st July, James Tabor, CEO of MEDIA Protocol, and Marien Irzykiewicz, CEO of BlockPulse, sat down for an AMA session conducted over Telegram.
The purpose of this AMA session was to open the floor to each project’s respective communities, to ask any and all questions regarding MEDIA Protocol and BlockPulse, blockchain, and ICOs.
Looking Back At Part 1
In the first part of this AMA James and Marien dealt with topics such as the changes they’re noticing in new projects, ICO vetting and marketing. Marien explored the French crypto space and the legislative environment, as well as the ongoing debates over Utility vs. Security tokens in new offerings. If you missed it, check out Part 1 and catch up on all the insight.
Welcome To Part 2
In this second instalment, James and Marien answer questions about reward protocols, mass adoption, target markets, dApps, and the potential of open source.
How do you differ from reward tokens for attention like Basic Attention Token, ATMChain, TaTaTu and Varanida?
James Tabor, MEDIA Protocol
MEDIA Protocol is focused entirely on the distribution and propagation of content. Basic Attention Token (BAT) is focused on exposure to advertising and validity of impressions. MEDIA Protocol comes through on the other side of the “click”.
Imagine that a piece of content has been advertised to consumers via BAT — we can say with more confidence that this is an engaged and real person. As a result, this content can be promoted using MPT, safe in the knowledge that there is a valuable person on the other side.
Similarly, with Varanida, we would look to understand which high-quality impressions are being served. As a result brands and publishers can feel safer in distributing MPT to consumers that have arrived at content via advertising.
We are collaborative, as opposed to competitive with these projects.
What is your strategy to get mass adoption of your protocol?
James Tabor, MEDIA Protocol
MEDIA Protocol is built to integrate with existing websites and apps. We are working hard to make it as easy to add as, say, Stripe is to e-commerce. We know that the web is inherently social, and that much of the sharing is done away from social networks. However, technology alone does not drive adoption. We must get out and meet the market. We are co-founding members of the Digital Future Council that brings together a host of CMOs, brands and technologists to discuss what the future looks like.
We know that EOS is for dApps, would it not be more strategic to plan dApps instead of an App?
James Tabor, MEDIA Protocol
This has created many fruitful discussions with major brands and publishers looking to establish a direct relationship with their consumers — and to provide easier, better access to content.
Why aren’t you using a faster blockchain like Stellar?
James Tabor, MEDIA Protocol
We are currently assessing several blockchain protocols. Currently, and for the foreseeable future, we run a hybrid approach that uses blockchain as a settlement layer. We are assessing the likes of NEO, Ziliqua, Stellar, Aelf and others.
Will you do a token swap like SophiaTX did recently after moving blockchain?
James Tabor, MEDIA Protocol
We are assessing Stellar, among others. However, we are a while off being able to run the kind of throughput even a moderately large web property will create.
Is there a specific target market, in terms of specific media and zones (US, Europe, Asia)?
James Tabor, MEDIA Protocol
There are options such as a token swap — but that would only be if making a complete commitment to one protocol. As well as multiple blockchains, we have dialogue with interoperability projects such as ICON.
Who will be responsible for selecting the MEDIA Protocol content? Will the community be involved?
James Tabor, MEDIA Protocol
We are London based, and have very strong ties across Europe, and the US. The Digital Future Council’s first events ran in London and NYC. We are looking to build partnerships around the world — particularly in Asia. The amount of content that is created and shared there is amazing. Importantly, there is a thirst for, and understanding of, innovation that is amazing in that part of the world.
MEDIA Protocol is used to facilitate and understand the distribution and propagation of content across the internet. Whoever owns the content / URL decides how they wish to promote it. As there is no centralized application or place for you to go, it will be any type of content that is being promoted.
To add to the above answer, we are often asked about hate speech and fake news. MEDIA Protocol is not designed to censor or inspect content. However, if you wish to create an immutable record of having promoted, or benefitted from this type of content then that is the promoter’s choice.
Could a solution for ad fraud like Adtoken be implemented into your solution in the future?
James Tabor, MEDIA Protocol
Indeed, and not dissimilar to how we would work with other verification / anti-ad-fraud projects:
Scenario 1:
An AdToken (or similar) impression acting as an oracle to a MEDIA Protocol campaign will equate to a better likelihood of interactions and sharing.
- AdToken (or similar) serves a non-fraudulent impression or ad, meaning the click-through is going to be an actual person
- The advertiser can use AdToken (or similar) to promote the content they want to be interacted with and shared.
- This relationship would give them peace of mind that they are dealing with a person and not a fraudulent network from the first interaction.
Scenario 2:
A MEDIA Protocol user acting as an oracle to AdToken (or similar) equates to higher value impressions.
- A site or network supporting MEDIA Protocol has users who hold tokens or have an ID
- AdToken (or similar) can point to a MEDIA Protocol wallet demonstrating the existence of tokens as proof of ID and value
- The advertiser is more confident that the impression is of value.
More specifically to AdToken, the link in the impression served would differ depending upon it being verified or approved:
- If it is — send the click to content promoted by MPT.
- If it is not — send the click to unpromoted content.
As an open source protocol, will it be able to be integrated into apps like Telegram? How will you track URLs in apps that could have the infrastructure to be partly anonymous?
James Tabor, MEDIA Protocol
Telegram can choose to integrate. But it is at the interaction level that we focus. So if a URL is sent through Telegram it is the interaction that is of interest and for which tokens can be distributed. With smartphone forwarding we can generate a specific UTM — we are working on browser to Telegram copy and paste.
However, it is important to state that this is about understanding interactions and networks, not about breaking anonymity.
Major company services like Google and Facebook could restructure their model to integrate a reward attention-based engine. Are major social media platforms expected to be part of MEDIA Protocol?
James Tabor, MEDIA Protocol
These large platforms are important nodes in the audience network. They are not the network themselves.
A reward attention-based engine that works in Facebook, Google, or even WeChat, would overlook the fact that we, as the audience, share across multiple channels. As such, a platform agnostic, open source approach like mEDIA Protocol benefits all parties as it allows consumers to move freely across these different platforms. Interaction, value and reward becomes universal and frictionless. This freedom means consumers are free to do as they wish, and that can lead to more engagement.
How does it work for a content creator to promote their articles over CryptoCatnip?
James Tabor, MEDIA Protocol
If a crypto project or publication would like to add their content to CryptoCatnip they just need to get in touch with us. Once we go to Main-net, there will be a publisher portal making it very simple to add content and allocate the tokens they wish to see distributed.
Where are you in your app’s development? When will the CryptoCatnip testnet phase end?
James Tabor, MEDIA Protocol
CryptoCatnip will move to main-net after the TGE is complete. As it is a complete application, and to encourage wider adoption and experimentation, we are open sourcing CryptoCatnip this month so that others can build on-top of it. More important is the state of the protocol itself, and the surrounding technology.
How can publishers or advertisers implement MEDIA Protocol?
James Tabor, MEDIA Protocol
By contacting and working directly with MEDIA Protocol. This approach allows us to work closely and better understand the goals they have around bringing blockchain in to their marketing approach. This also allows us to build a more complete SDK and set of APIs over time that can be implemented by other agencies and advertisers.
A documented and security audited version of MEDIA Protocol is published on GitHub and includes the full set of use cases.
We have also worked on the hybrid and tracking servers that allow us to spin-up POCs and deployments, despite the limitations of Ethereum. These also allow for more sophisticated calculations to take place offline with blockchain acting as the settlement layer.
Remember to check out Part 1 of the MEDIA Protocol and BlockPulse AMA.
Earn Real MPT With CryptoCatnip
Catch up on all the latest crypto news on MEDIA Protocol’s CryptoCatnip app and earn real MEDIA Tokens for interacting with the content you love. The CryptoCatnip reward bounty is still ongoing. Click on the link and follow the steps for the opportunity to earn real MPT up until the end of MEDIA Protocol’s TGE.
Crypto project announcements are now available on CryptoCatnip too.
For more information regarding MEDIA Protocol find us on our social channels below:
Website: www.mediaprotocol.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MEDIAProtocol
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MEDIA_Protocol
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/media-protocol/
Telegram: https://t.me/Media_Protocol_Community and https://t.me/MP_Announcements
Medium: https://medium.com/@mediaprotocolsm
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MEDIAProtocol
For more information about BlockPulse, here are their social channels too:
Website: www.blockpulse.eu
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Blockpulse_eu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blockpulse/
Medium: https://medium.com/@blockpulse
