It’s been an exciting week on Twitter for those following the BitcoinSV community. There’s a new image sharing platform that has been moving eyeballs. Bitstagram allows contributors to post their images to the BitcoinSV chain using an interface similar to Instagram. The developer, known as unwriter, has been on an absolute tear over the last few weeks seemingly launching one project after another.

I’ve posted consistently to Instagram over the years and really liked Steepshot when it launched in coordination with Steemit. As photographer, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give this project a little exploration time. While the options available to users are currently slimmed down to just four image variations, Bitstagram is an incredible proof of what can be accomplished “on-chain”. Without getting too technical, I hope to walk you through the basics of getting your images on Bitstagram via $BSV.

You won’t get lost engaging the platform because there is only one upload option and four image variants that are automatically enabled via the browser. All the versions become available to viewers after the entered to the app.

You are going to need to sign up for a Money Button account first. This process is fairly straight froward but as always, use a unique password (and if you’re ambitious initiate a new email account).

Posting is straight forward - it works like loading up a file to any other website you have used in the past. I’ve already loaded more than half a dozen images to Bitstagram, each costing only pennies.

Now here is the big kicker for this platform: tipping is built right in. As long as your Money Button wallet has $BSV in it, you can actively tip contributors to Bitstagram. In fact, unwritten and good friend Randi Eitzman sent a tip for posts I made to Bitstagram while I was researching it for this write up.

And it’s incredibly easy to commit something to the platform.

Because posting is pay to play, it changes the relationship we have with our media. If it costs us, the user, to interact with networks - how does this change the engagement mechanisms?

How does this begin to change the advertising sphere?

Plenty of questions to ask about what is to come as the real potential of blockchains becomes more evident. In the meantime, it’s fun posting pictures to a photo sharing network that enables micropayment.

Thanks for reading!

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