A couple of weeks ago I discovered this social community called SOLA. SOLA has some very interesting features that helps to recognise/reward relevant content better, regardless how popular or not the user is.
In this post I like to introduce you to SOLA and inform you about my experiences with the community.
SOLA KEY ASPECT is: RANDOMNESS
Although SOLA gives the ability to the user to follow other users and channels, when browsing through the cards (at SOLA posts are called cards), the cards in your SOLA feed are presented to you randomly, it can be cards from any user in the network. Cards of users or channels you are following are mixed with the random cards in the feed, given a better exposure to those cards created and published by those you follow. However, at all times cards of any user in the network are shown to you offering the chance to anybody to get their content be seen and voted for.
The SOLA distribution algorithm determining how many times your card is shown to others, is based on the votes a card gets (at SOLA, a vote is called an endorsement). Regardless of a card getting endorsements, the distribution algorithm let the card travel around the world, from time to time mixing the card into a feed of some user. When a card get endorsements, more users will see the card shown up in their feed. The more endorsements, the more it is shown. But even when a card doesn't get any endorsement, still the card is shown in other users feed, but with a lower frequency, to less users, giving the opportunity for the card to be endorsed still.
SOLA has NO SEARCH
Interesting to the SOLA social network it that fact it doesn't have any search functionality. It is not possible to search for a user, or for a channel, or for some content. This supports the randomness of the whole service and prevents users to create sub-communities in which they will start endorsing each others cards regardless if they like it or not, ie it reduces to amount circle jerking.
The SOLA development team is engaging with the community right as we speak, about introducing the functionality of search though. Many of the oldtimers at SOLA, are against it though; Most what I read from the comments and cards is most of the oldtimers at SOLA like the randomness!
I do agree with them! I very much like the randomness behaviour of SOLA, and would not like to see search capabilities added. When search will be added, maybe only to search for some channel, but still that could reduce the randomness character of SOLA to much!
image: my cards published (source)
SOLA: NO CURATION REWARDS
At SOLA no curation rewards are given to those who vote/endorses. Interestingly, at Steemit it was decided by design that curation rewards was a 'must' to get a community going. It was believed, users needed to be given incentivised to vote.
I never was of the opinion curation rewards was required, since at many other social media servicea people do vote without getting anything in return. Being a couple of weeks with SOLA, I noticed a lot of users voting, and commenting, and interacting on all sort of topics, from funny talks to discussions about life, to discussion about SOLA and so on. I have the feel that the number of meaningful engagements is higher than what I experience at STEEMIT. Especially with regard to any topic not related to SOLA.
image: my comment notification section (source)
SOLA has HARDLIMITS
Anything a user does, costs Activity Points (AP). These Activity Points are given to you, or you can buy them with the SOLA crypto currency (well: actually an Ethereum based Token). Each day, each user gets a number of free Activity Points. When starting an account, this is something like 75 points and is build up quickly to 200 free points per day. The more the user browses its feed, opens and reads the comments to the cards endorsed, the more free Activity Points can be earned. BUT, when you now think you will be able to get a huge amount of free Activity Points by just swiping eg thousand plus cards in a single day; FORGET IT; SOLA puts a maximum to the number of points you can earn per day!
When publishing a new deck of cards, add a comment to some card, or other comment, or endorse some card, Activity Points are required. A comment always cost 1 Activity Point. Endorsing a card cost between 1 and 100 Activity Points, decided by you.
SOLA rewards Activity Points with SOL (Token)
SOLA recently introduced their own crypto currency (as mentioned already: an Ethereum based Token). Points earned represent an amount of SOL, and every 24 hours, all Activity Points are rewarded to the user in SOL and added to the users wallet. SOL can be transferred to exchanges to sell it, if the users wishes to do so. SOL can also be used to buy more activity points to support the users activities within the community.
image: my card posted in a channel "randomlives23" that went viral (source)
Interested?
SOLA started more than two years ago and has grown its community to more than 700.000 (seven-hundred thousand) users, with more than 2.300.000 cards and 10.000.000 comments. Most of this growth was established without having a monetary system implemented! The SOL crypto token was introduced in December 2017. Remarkable, Right?
SOLA has an Android and iPhone App. They also have a Webapp, but the service is more user friendly using a smartphone. It is based on the well known swipe methodology, introduced by the well know Tinder dating App.
SOLA website: https://sola.foundation/
Sign Up as user: https://sola.ai/
or you can use my referral link: https://sola.ai/edje_305a9
Questions
I like all of us to think about how SOLA implemented the service, and try to figure out if something they do, can be applied to STEEMIT in such a way STEEMIT will be driven towards a human dominated network, a network with the emphasis on valuable content, a network where everybody gets more equal chances, a network with less abuse and circle jerking.
I already suggested to one of our witnesses to remove the curation rewards completely, since I do believe users will still vote for posts without receiving any money for it. SOLA shows me that this is indeed the case.