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Ever since 2013 I have been fascinated by the idea of online business and earning a living online. Once I began to dive into the industry, I found that there are a lot of scams present, but also people who are genuine and truly want to help others. The ones who I consider “the good guys” are those who are transparent and trustworthy in their words and in their actions. People want to do business with people they know, like, and trust before they go to anyone else.

One such gentleman that I first came across was Stefan Pylarinos, who now goes by the name Stefan James. Stefan is the owner of a website and brand called Project Life Mastery, helping others master different areas of their lives such as relationships, business, and physical fitness. The beauty of this is that it started with Stefan's desire to share his personal progress of mastery in an accountability sort of way which then blossomed into a multi-million dollar business over a number of years as his audience grew exponentially.

Stefan is one of the good guys as you can tell by level of transparency and authenticity he brings to the table. I've used him as a role model this past decade and have grown accustomed to realizing the power that comes with building a brand around something you are passionate about. Not only is it important to be passionate, but there also needs to be a market in which your brand will resonate with people looking for that kind of content, products, or services.

Branding comes in 2 main formats depending on your goals and what you see as the long-term play for you.

Personal Branding

Personal branding is using one's name to portray your message to the world. Many people have done this including the famous Gary Vaynerchuck, aka Gary Vee. Many people know him by his name because that is how he decided to package his content. Gary also owns a media company called VaynerMedia which contains a portion of his name inside the title.

Using a name is often an effective strategy, especially if you have a name that is rather unique or has not been used by many others in your industry. If you have a name like John Smith for example, that name is pretty common so you'd want to find a way to differentiate yourself from the multitude of John Smith's in the world who also are building a brand around their name.

Business Branding

A business brand can be any name other than your personal name. Even if you don't own your own LLC for example, you can still create a brand name that envelopes your vision and mission. First you will want to lock down the domain name by making sure it is available, then also check to make sure it is not already trademarked by someone in your industry.

A business brand could be Project Life Mastery for instance or Southern Cooking Styles for example. Once you have the name nailed down and you know for sure it is available as a domain, then it's important to get a quality logo designed. A couple sites to outsource design are upwork.com and 99designs.com. Both services host talented freelancers that can create the look you are after.

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Why Develop a Brand

A brand is one of the best ways that you can effectively reach and build an audience that you want to hear your message. Branding will allow your voice to stand out amongst the crowd and give you a strong platform to stand on to not only live your passion, but also potentially earn a living by doing what you love.

Creating a brand is more than just a name. Even more so, it entails what type of content you are producing, as well as the types of products and services you are developing. Once your content is produced, what platform will you promote it on? What type of free value will you provide up front to your audience that will keep them coming back for more of what you have to offer?

On an even deeper level, discovering the reason WHY you want to create your brand in the first place is what will keep you driven when the horizon looks bleak. When it looks like the world is closing in around you during those dark times, your reason why you started will keep you going in the midst of the storms rolling around you.

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Congruency

An important point to drive home is that your messaging and branding is congruent across all social platforms, as well as online and offline. You embody your brand whether it is personal or business focused. You must be the same and portray the same message everywhere. If not, confusion will ensue and trust will be broken with your audience causing a disconnect that isn't easy to repair.

For example, if you are Joshua from The Minimalists, you wouldn't want to be posting photos of you hoarding useless items in your home or shopping the malls at 6:00am on Black Friday. It isn't congruent with your minimalism message and will cause your audience to lose faith in you. Be congruent and prove to the people you want to reach that you are genuine and you actually live out the life you describe in your branding.

The Power of Developing an Online Brand

Again, developing a strong online brand, or online presence, will allow you to build a platform to spread your message to the world. The internet is a big place, and it takes time and sacrifice to build something worthwhile. The key is to stick with your initial decision and don't get knocked off course. Otherwise you will need to start over.

Developing a brand puts you in the driver's seat of your destiny. If it is well-executed, it could very well become your sole source of income and you could travel the world with ultimate time freedom. Or, perhaps you just want to earn enough to pay the expenses and not have to “worry” about finances again. Or, perhaps you just want to build a brand for fun and aren't concerned about monetary gains.

That is the beauty of developing a brand because it gives you options. A brand gives you the ability to express yourself and spread your passions to others across the globe. No matter what your goal is, big or small, you can achieve it by building an online brand. There is immense power in that and the internet makes it all possible. ✦

Hi there, happy to see you again. Right now I am in the process of developing my own WordPress blog on my own hosting platform. It's kind of involved yet not too incredibly difficult. For those of you who have blogged for some time now, you understand what it takes to not only create the site, but also to maintain it and update it regularly.

One of the reasons I am doing this is to have an additional backup of the content I am publishing. Also, I want to experiment and play around with Web Monetization as an alternative means to advertising. I'll be able to customize my site and give people access to additional content and resources. The design I am envisioning is something simple yet functional which would remind me of the Coil.com interface.

Don't worry, I will still be publishing content to Coil.com as I have truly enjoyed the process of creating and sharing life with other bloggers. There is something special about this place that no other platform possesses in quite the same manner. The blog I am developing will have a web monetization meta tag placed into the header of each page. Ideally I would like this monetization method to be primary so that I don't need to place ads on the site.

Steps I am taking to create my blog:

✱ Purchase hosting via BlueHost

✱ Set up / Install WordPress

✱ Install parent theme and child theme

✱ Add and activate a few key plugins

✱ Copy existing content over then add new ones

If you wanted to set up a blog of your own, the steps would be similar depending on which host fits your liking. I tried HostGator for a few years and am not happy with the speed of their service. I was able to get a good deal on a BlueHost package for $2.75/mo for 3 years which is incredibly cheap. The host is in charge of keeping all of your text, photos, and other pieces of your site intact and always running so people can access each page without interruption.

Starting a blog nowadays is a lot simpler than it was 15 years ago as WordPress is much more intuitive and hosting companies often walk users through the setup process. As far as plugins, the ones you want are the ones that track your analytics so that you can see the amount of traffic landing on your pages and where they are coming from.

Choosing a theme may take some time simply because you are deciding on the tone being provided for your audience. It's important to pick something that you are happy with and something that will resonate with the message you are sharing with the world. Of course, themes are not set in stone so if you decide to change it later down the road, it will only require minor touch ups to make all your content look decent again.

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When it comes to content, it helps if you are already a consistent blogger on another platform because ideas and inspiration will flow easier. Filling a blog with content on a consistent basis is key for readers to continue coming back to the site for more. Don't start your own blog if you plan on only publishing a few times a month. It's not worth it. Dedication and commitment are keys to running a successful blog.

I've set up blogs in the past but they have fizzled out during my shiny object syndrome sessions. If you're anything like myself, you tend to get distracted by the occasional opportunity that presents itself without you really looking for one. Regardless, one thing that I have done over the years is create content because I enjoy it and it helps people (at least I hope it does).

I will keep the Coil community updated on the progress of my hosted blog when I can. It will definitely take some tinkering and editing, but like I mentioned, I want this site to be simple and straightforward without a ton of bells and whistles. No one has time to view all of that anyways unless your name is Adam and don't have anything better to do.

Heaven forbid anything happens to Coil, or my other 2 backups, I will still have my own site hosting my content for years to come. If anyone would like questions answered regarding setting up their own blog, feel free to connect with me. Might as well carve out a piece of internet real estate while you still can and perhaps it can turn into a full-time gig later down the road.

Cheers. ✦

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Over the past number of days, numerous tweets have been published about publisher's YouTube channels and individual videos being censored from the site rendering them completely and utterly useless. Seeing this news unfold was kind of surprising yet also expected since YouTube is a centralized platform that can do as they wish including but not limited to deleting or suspending accounts for violating their terms and conditions.

Not only is this phenomenon running rampant on YouTube, but it is also unraveling on other top social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Some people believe that Google is behind a lot of the censoring action while others believe that a group of malicious gang busters are going around flagging people's accounts for little to no reason at all. It very well could be a combination of both accusations as YouTubers and other publishers scramble to find alternative platforms to flock to just in case they get shut down as well.

Lucky for many content creators, there are indeed inviting alternatives to the big box sites which might just do the trick to slow or eliminate the censorship issue all-together. The following websites are ones that I have personal experience with as I will not promote or endorse anything that I have not used and enjoyed myself.

Coil

Coil.com is the website you are reading this article on as we speak. Coil is a relatively new platform that was launched in May of this year utilizing new technology that pays creators in real time as subscribers view their content. No ads, no data pulling, no fuss. Coil provides a clean and friendly atmosphere for both creators and consumers alike with content ranging from cooking to crypto assets.

Although Coil is not specifically a video hosting site, within the body composition space resides an avenue to embed videos from other sites and into the articles themselves. Coil currently sits in beta testing and provides an easy and simple interface for publishers to post their content free of charge.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a Web Monetized video platform that runs off the same backbone technology as Coil. Cinnamon got started earlier this year as well and are making great strides forward in terms of development of their service. Recently they added the ability to follow other creators as well as a new graphical touch giving users the option to display snowfall overlay on their screens.

Cinnamon pays creators as viewers watch their content. Viewers must be subscribed to Coil so that they can support each creator that publishes their work on Cinnamon. Learning about Coil is important because Cinnamon works in a similar manner in terms of payout and login procedures. Both Cinnamon and Coil payments are evergreen, meaning that you can earn on them indefinitely as long as subscribers continue viewing the content.

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DTube

D.Tube is a Steem-based, decentralized video hosting application that runs on IPFS technology to distribute content throughout the IPFS network. As of the recent updates to the site, you have the choice of opening a DTube-only account, and/or linking your Steemit.com account to DTube so that videos post to both interfaces simultaneously.

DTube has been around for a couple years now and has been hard at work to make it a viable alternative to YouTube. Two ways creators can get paid is 1. DTC tokens, the native DTube token, or 2. STEEM tokens, the native token of the Steem blockchain. When Steemit users vote on videos, they have the potential to also gain tokens from each vote depending how much Steem Power a particular account owns.

3Speak

3speak.online is an application built upon the Steem blockchain just like DTube, except that it was created specifically to promote free speech. Many videos that would otherwise be censored by YouTube and Facebook do not get censored here. An additional benefit of 3Speak is that you can get paid for the video content you provide based on votes from other Steem users.

One potential caveat, or perk depending on how you look at it, is that it costs around $3 a month to use the site as a content creator. The cost is to help prevent spam and also to cover the costs of hosting and maintenance since videos tend to hog up a metric ton of server space. The fee is paid in Steem via an app called SteemConnect which basically connects your Steem account or wallet to whichever service you are authorizing at the time.

Obviously no site or service is going to be perfect, but alternatives do exist and its important to explore them if you are an avid creator who cares deeply about content reaching your audience without worrying about potential censorship issues. Technology is changing rapidly which brings forth radical changes within the content creation ecosystem.

With the dawn of the proposed Web Monetization API standard, I envision a multitude of innovation in the near future that will continue working on the growing censorship issue to make the web a better place to co-exist with one another in 2020 and beyond. ✦

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Sometimes on my blog, I like to take a step back from compiling research-based articles to focus on a lighter, life-lessons style of writing. This article is no exception to that. A number of weeks back I had written an article about the concept of minimalism and how dramatic an effect it had and still has on my life's perspective. How it shifted the way I think about what I want and what I don't want in life.

If you've seen the documentary called Minimalism: A Documentary about the Important Things, then you are aware of the two gentleman pictured above, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. Watching the film completely and utterly changed my outlook on material possessions and the negative effects that the advertising industry has caused over the last 100 years.

Our minds have been and currently are filled with ideas that aren't truly ours. Instead, they are ideas that got placed there by advertisers on TV and radio who want to sell their products or services to you and I. Once I realized this, I took a step back and evaluated my own life decisions and desires from childhood up through present day and came to a conclusion.

The conclusion that rang so clearly and vibrantly in my head was this... I didn't really want or need more stuff. The Big Toy Book mailed at Christmas time to parents of young children by Toys R Us gave me the ILLUSION that I could have and should have all these AMAZING toys that any kid would go wild for. In reality, what I wanted was a feeling. What YOU really want is a feeling of wholeness that material possessions have the potential to bring but never really do in the end.

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Fast forward away from Christmas as a kid and into present day Christmas. I found myself this morning, December 24th, re-watching the Minimalism film for the 3rd time, yet again realizing people's overall yearning for more, for excess, when in reality it's not necessary because it's only a fad. A fad to me now means fad-ing, in other words, fads fade away quickly only to leave us wanting the next best item in a matter of weeks.

At it's core, the desire to have more in life is not the problem. More love, more affection, more joy, more happiness, more health, more fitness, more vitality, more money, more wisdom, etc. The problem comes in when you are buying “things” to fill a gaping void within your soul. That void will never be filled with more stuff from Walmart or Amazon. You must find a way to be happy and fulfilled first, without swiping your credit card at the nearest fashion shop.

Many of the people interviewed in the Minimalism film spoke on the topic of stress, one woman even being diagnosed with MS caused by stress. Once she began utilizing the minimalistic lifestyle with her husband, everything changed for her. In fact, she felt better than she did before she was diagnosed with MS and hadn't relapsed since.

In the film, Ryan and Joshua were both highly successful men to the outside world, to people looking in at their lives. Inside though, they were miserable, even though they had everything they could ever want and technically made it by society's standards. What did they choose to do? Both Ryan and Joshua chose to leave that lifestyle and pursue a life of less. Living with less stuff actually gave them back their sense of happiness. It gave them back their freedom that was taken away in their corporate America environments.

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One man in the film was talking about his walk up the corporate ladder and how he was offered a six-figure promotion at his job. He said that he went into his office after the conversation and started crying because he knew he was trapped. He knew that he'd never be able to walk away from that amount of money and that he would end up becoming his boss for the rest of his life. He made the decision to take the elevator that day and never look back. He chose to live HIS life the way he wanted which was full of adventure.

I don't want to give away the entire film because I want you to go watch it for yourself. A lot of times we as humans live our lives on autopilot, not really noticing the habits and the decisions we are making on a day-to-day basis. Reading this article or viewing the film Minimalism should help to open your eyes and evaluate what you truly want in life.

You see, we don't really want more material possessions. What we really want is the FEELING that we think will come when we receive those things. We don't find satisfaction in our jobs sometimes so we justify our careers with buying things so that it makes going to work worthwhile. The fact is... there is much more to life than going to work and paying the bills.

I'm so thankful that I discovered this way of living because I didn't realize how many of my ideas and desires came from a life bombarded with advertising and subliminal messaging that edited the thought-patterns in my brain. I'll end this article with a tagline from Joshua Fields Millburn which is this...

Love people. Use things. The opposite never works.

Ho ho ho Merry Christmas! It's amazing to think how fast this year has gone by, especially these last couple months. Thanksgiving came then went, Christmas and New Years are right around the corner. We are quickly approaching 2020 which is expected to be an exciting year not only for Ripple, but also for the entire ecosystem that has been built around their technology, including Coil and Cinnamon, both Web Monetized applications.

The Content Builders Club is an invite-only Telegram group focused on publishing works via Coil.com. Some members own their own websites and use Coil's Web Monetization code to add the monetization feature to all of their pages. The club is free of charge and open to anyone looking to join an engaging community full of encouragement and support for Coil bloggers.

In this edition of CBC Member Highlights, 2 members will be highlighted who have demonstrated regular participation in the club while also providing honest and genuine support to the rest of the group. The club's foundation is built upon members who truly care for others and have a heart to serve one another.

Not only have these highlighted members participated in the club, but they also produce blog content on a regular basis which is an important aspect of CBC involvement. We encourage publishing works to Coil.com to help grow the platform, and also to allow each blogger to unleash their creative genius.

Let's find out who is being recognized in today's edition. Drum roll please...

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Deyner López Fernández @deyner1984

Deyner has a knack for adding really neat and interesting images to his articles that really make them pop. Recently he has been publishing on ancient photographers which is quite fun and impressive to say the least. Deyner releases original pieces and puts a lot of time and effort into them.

It is an honor to have you in the CBC Deyner. Thank you for continually showing up and putting in the work neccessary to create high-quality blogs for us all to enjoy. The future looks bright for Coil and you are adding value to the overall ecosystem.

Up next...

Lauren L. @exploremore

Lauren took a bit of a hiatus this month from blogging, but she has still been really active within the CBC Telegram group. Lauren provides members with helpful feedback and is good at opening up and sustaining interesting conversations.

Lauren is 1 of 4 stars on a recent bi-weekly live stream series called Coil and Friends which is quite entertaining. It's great to hear insights and ideas from bloggers within the community. Thank you Lauren for being present in the moment and for adding value to other members.

Thank you for joining us here in edition 11 of the CBC member highlights. If you would like to be considered for one of the next editions, please continue blogging regularly and participating in the CBC. Active members always benefit the most from the club as they give and receive proper support.

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Leadership. It's a term thrown around quite a bit in the 21st century, but what exactly does it entail? How does one become a leader? Is one born a leader or do they grow into the role over time? More than likely, there is a person or multiple people whom you look up to in your life. Let's spend a moment together and explore the topic of leadership a bit deeper.

Leaders are people who possess a myriad of traits that when combined together create a superhero of sorts with the potential to influence others. As Peter Parker's father from the movie Spiderman always said, “With great power comes great responsibility”. Those who are in a position of leadership, title or not, should not abuse their influence, but use it for the good of those following them.

The first indication of strong leadership is integrity. Integrity is doing the same thing in secret as you do in public. It's being the same person around others as you are in private. It's doing the right thing even if no one else is watching or no one will ever know about it.

Strong leaders possess high levels of integrity because integrity is wrapped up within one's character. It is part of what defines who you are at the core level which then plays a significant role in all other areas of your life including relationships, finances, and health.

Integrity is taking an honest look at yourself and at your decisions to see if they match up with how you conduct yourself around others. Keep in mind, obviously no one is perfect, but strong leaders make a conscious effort to stay congruent both in-person and alone as well as online and offline.

The second indication of strong leadership is compassion. One way compassion can be described is “feeling with” another person. Compassion is entering in to one's situation or circumstance and connecting emotionally with them on a deep level.

Leaders who share a personal experience in a certain area of life have the ability to possess a stronger level of compassion. Experience allows a leader to truly understand and feel with that person to assist them the way they need assisted.

For example, if you find out a close friend's dog died, and you never owned a dog before, compassion isn't as easy to come by. On the other hand, if you owned a dog in the past and died just like your friend's dog did, then you can relate with that person in a deeper and special manner.

Compassion involves setting your own wants and desires aside momentarily to make someone else a priority.

Relationships exist in many forms, but for the sake of this article, there are really only two forms. Shallow and deep. A shallow relationship is one where each time you converse, the only topics discussed are about the weather or the score of the last sports game. A deep relationship, on the other hand, is cultivated over time as two people share life together and talk about topics that matter such as faith, family, love, etc.

Being a person who builds deep relationships is a powerful indication of strong leadership. It isn't necessarily easy to reach that deep level with somebody, but it is a crucial aspect of leading that person in the right direction. A deep relationship moves past the weather forecast and onto important life discussions that improve well-being.

The weather is going to continue to do crazy things which we cannot control. Might as well focus energy into topics that can be controlled. A great aspect of being a strong leader in the 21st century is that you don't have to do it face to face. You can lead someone virtually as you share information via video or via messaging. Relationships can be built and cultivated from opposite ends of the world if so desired which is an incredible benefit of modern technology.

Actions speak louder than words. Much louder. Leading others towards a common goal or outcome must be done by first setting the example for them to follow. If you, as a leader, tell others what to do in a certain situation but have never done it yourself, then you are not speaking from experience and will not be seen as trustworthy or credible enough.

Leaders lead from the front, not from the back like a dog sledder. If a leader is going to properly lead and influence others, they need to step forward first before others take the step into a particular action. Leading by example allows one to gain respect and trust, which leads to that deep relationship as discussed above.

The fifth indication of strong leadership is found in being a servant. It's putting others' needs ahead of your own and giving yourself without expecting anything in return. Being a servant means sacrificing time, money, resources, etc, to help someone else in need.

Servant leadership is found within consistent actions that work together with integrity and compassion as described above. Contrary to popular belief, a servant is not low on the social status totem pole even though they are viewed that way. Very few leaders lead with the heart of a servant, living with a heart of surrender and sacrifice for another human being.

Being a servant does not make you weak. It makes you strong. It sets you apart from leaders who lead from afar simply to be elevated as royalty by society, while inside they are empty. A servant's heart is full and overflowing with love and compassion for others. That defines a true servant-leader.

Of course, there are many more indications of strong leadership, but the ones listed in this article are important to take note of. Do you know any leaders who possess these indications that you look up to? Pay attention to what they do more than what they say.

If you want to be a strong leader in your home or in your work, it's entirely possible for you to grow into the person you were destined to become. Yes, some qualities were gifted to you at birth, while others can be cultivated over time.

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Peanut butter, in most cases, provides for a delicious snack in-between meals. It often goes great with apple slices, crackers, or even peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that my kids eat every day. The definitive nature of peanut butter cultivates the need for it to be spread along any surface its placed upon. In most cases, it is a good idea for the substance to be spread so it can be tasted with every bite for prolonged periods.

Taking a step back in time to 2006, the Peanut Butter Manifesto was an internal document composed by Brad Garlinghouse, former senior vice president of Yahoo and current CEO of Ripple. In this particular case at Yahoo, spreading resources thin like peanut butter was seen as a negative aspect by Garlinghouse that many employees of the company were overlooking. Garlinghouse shines a light on the matter in the document he wrote, outlining the current problems Yahoo is facing and the steps they should take turn matters around.

Problems and solutions

Garlinghouse joined Yahoo in the early 2000's and he was proud to be working alongside the team throughout his tenure. Since he cared deeply about the long-term success of the company, he found it necessary to make the team aware the the 3 problems they were facing and also 3 solutions to help solve those problems.

The 3 problems Yahoo was facing at the time were:

Lack of vision

Yahoo was trying to be appease everyone and their brother by spreading their efforts across a plethora of verticals. Time and energy was being directed into multiple different opportunities that the web provided, and the company did not narrow their focus down to a small set of those opportunities.

To give an analogy, imagine driving in a vehicle to a destination you've never visited without a road map or a GPS device. The vehicle is moving fast, but with no clear direction, it will never take you to your desired destination. A clear vision allows for a team to work together towards a common goal which creates that cohesion within a particular organization.

I hate peanut butter. We all should.

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Accountability and ownership

In a nutshell, the organizational structure of Yahoo was disastrous, causing disorganization due to having a lot of employees with similar job duties. Also, too many people were deemed as being “in charge” which caused no one to know who was actually in charge of a department or a project.

If you have ever experienced this in the workplace, you know first hand the stress and confusion caused on a day-to-day basis. Not knowing who is in charge makes your job or project more difficult because you don't know who to approach for the right advice or who to ask pertinent questions.

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... there are so many people in charge (or believe that they are in charge) that it's not clear if anyone is in charge.

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Lack of decisiveness

Decision making is key in any company or team. Garlinghouse goes on to explain that because of the lack of vision and ownership, important decisions were not being made in a timely manner. Even worse, some decisions were not made at all which jeopardized progress and productivity.

Garlinghouse also stated that employee recognition was flipped, resulting in passionate, quality leaders leaving the organization while veteran under-performers were praised and given more compensation. This type of activity was placing metaphorical roadblocks in the way of Yahoo's own success.

...we lack a macro perspective to guide our decisions and visibility into who should make those decisions.

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The 3 solutions Garlinghouse had for Yahoo to improve were:

*✪* Vision – focus and determine who they were, getting rid of projects that didn't line up with their core mission.

*✪* Restoration – forge clear roles that cultivate a need for accountability and restructure incentive systems.

*✪* Reorganization – reduce the headcount and eliminate the current business structure which isn't producing results at optimum levels.

At the end of the day, the solutions were to do the opposite of what they were doing. The overall intention and message the manifesto supplied was to improve the existing infrastructure. Garlinghouse believed in the extreme potential Yahoo had ahead of them, and he simply wanted to provide a way for them to operate more efficiently.

How does the manifesto apply today?

The Peanut Butter Manifesto is a timeless document because it doesn't apply to Yahoo alone. In fact, the underlying message of the manifesto applies to any and all companies that have existed in the past and that will exist heading into the future. In addition, the message of the manifesto applies to people's lives on an individual level.

People in general need a clear vision, they need accountability along with a sense of ownership, and they need to organize their lives in a way that sets them up for long-term success. The alternative results in a person who drifts through life never arriving at a specific destination, causing a sense of regret when reflecting back on their decisions.

The words written by Garlinghouse caused a Ripple effect (pun intended) within Yahoo, helping to propel their success forward in ways that may not have happened otherwise. Take the lessons from the Peanut Butter Manifesto to enrich your life as well as those around you. Better to evaluate your choices now and change course as opposed to waiting and never reaching your desired destination.

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Hello and welcome to the State of Web Monetization. I'm Ken, avid content creator and proponent of emerging technologies such as Web Monetization (WM) and Interledger. I'm excited to be sharing this article with you in this new brand new series hosted on Coil.com. Please read through the information in its entirety and come to your own conclusions. Over time, inevitable changes within the WM ecosystem can and will occur. Stay tuned for upcoming articles to stay up to date on what is happening within this exciting, emerging industry.

What is Web Monetization?

Web Monetization is a newly proposed browser API standard, allowing for the generation of a payment stream from the user directly to the website being viewed. Payment streams utilize a series of micropayments made possible by ILP, or Interledger.

The web is fundamentally flawed when it comes to payments due to a lack of transaction abilities. Shady business models and in-your-face advertisements make the user experience sub-par and in need of drastic improvements.

“Web Monetization provides an open, native, efficient, and automatic way to compensate creators, pay for API calls, and support crucial web infrastructure.”

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What is the State of Web Monetization?

The State of Web Monetization, or SoWM, is a one-stop-shop review series hitting upon the current status and updates of the Web Monetization API standard. SoWM also contains special insights and explanations for today as well as a look towards the future. If there happens to be a lack of news updates, then those sections will be replaced with educational content.

Within Article 1, we will be discussing the history of WM as well as the progress it has made through current day. Please join me in this exploring this fascinating topic that is causing a positive shift in the way content creators across the world get paid for their efforts.

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The History of Web Monetization

Beginning in the early 90's, the World Wide Web, consisting of websites and hyperlinks, began its infiltration into society, completely revolutionizing the way we interact with one another. Prior to that point, the internet was not ready for widespread adoption due to the lack of use-cases and the fact that it was still being assembled using protocols such as TCP/IP.

TCP, or transmission control protocol, was and is a standard for how data moves across multiple networks. Without this protocol, or set of rules, there would be no structure for data to flow through, creating extreme inefficiencies for sending and receiving that data across the globe.

The web in the early 90's made it easier for the everyday person to access information they would never have accessed otherwise. As more and more people were buying PC's, and as more companies were building an online presence, the need to generate revenue came about fairly quickly. Website owners were receiving more traffic to their pages and needed a reliable way to monetize their content. Unfortunately, since there was no native payment system built into the web at the time, sites had to rely on clunky advertisements that clogged up portions of the site.

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Over time, advertisements became less subtle and began getting intrusive with in-your-face pop-ups and mid-stream video interruptions. In addition, new revenue models such as subscription services came into play in order to read articles past the point of restrictive paywalls.

Fast forward to the recent 10-15 years when the social media boom took place. What we experienced as a society was the rise of free social platforms that collected our personal data to then turn around and place targeted advertisements in our news feeds. Taking this approach to a company's revenue model is considered to some as unethical and intrusive to the user experience.

As a result of the recent nature of intrusive revenue models, a portion of users online are turning to ad-blockers to stop the annoyance of ads when visiting websites for news and information. The problem with ad-blockers is two-fold. 1, A site can choose to withhold information if they sense you are using an ad-blocker plugin. 2, Ad-blocking plug-ins need constant updates to battle the website / ad updates, otherwise they don't work as intended.

Web Monetization Today

A recent development that took place over the past few years to combat intrusive revenue models on the web is a popular browser known as Brave. Brave encompasses a revenue sharing model with users at the same time providing the blockage of ads and site trackers. The browser makes it optional to view ads tailored to your interests and when you do, you are provided with BAT, or Basic Attention Token, as a reward.

The problem with the Brave model, even though it is a step up from traditional models, is that it still involves the use of advertisements. With the technology available today and the consistent innovations taking place throughout multiple countries, old models have the ability to shift into something new to match the current trends and desires of the internet's broad user-base.

The idea then came about for a revenue model that works seamlessly without the user experience being diminished or interrupted in any way. An open-source, native API (application program interface), that automatically compensates creators without the use of ads or the need for a dozen website subscriptions. The introduction of TCP paved the way for a new standard on how data can be transmitted across the internet. Web Monetization is moving in a similar direction but with payments instead of data.

Source

Up until this point in time, there has not been an open protocol to allow for payments to be transferred in small amounts to multiple recipients. There came the need for a way to move value across any ledger at any time and in any form. That need blossomed into the creation of Interledger which accomplishes those requirements. In other words, Web-Monetized streaming is only possible with the utilization of Interledger to transfer that money to user's wallets.

Web Monetization was submitted for proposal on August 5th, 2019 by Adrian Hope-Bailie as a possible W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) standard within the Web Platform Incubator Community Group. Adrian is the Co-chair
of W3C
Web Payments and the head of Interledger at Coil technologies.

Now, with the fusion of two heavy-hitting technologies, Web Monetization and Interledger, streaming payments are finally becoming a reality. The evolution of the internet is continuing to mature all while requiring new recipes for better user experiences. Creators contribute their skills and talents, putting considerable time and effort towards their content. Those same creators now have the opportunity to get paid in a seamless, natural way that doesn't steal data and doesn't intrude on privacy.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Stay tuned for Article 2 later on as we will be exploring the different Web Monetization wallets and the providers who are making this payments revolution possible. ✦

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Imagine waking up tomorrow morning and being able to do whatever you want, whenever you want, with whoever you'd like to do it with. I think that is the dream for many Americans, as well as those outside of the US. What does it mean to live the dream? I know what it doesn't mean. It doesn't mean passing your co-worker in the hall, them asking you how it's going, then responding with, “Oh you know, living the dream!”.

Our current, evolved version of living the dream is drastically different from the original which was created back in 1931. Today, generally the dream involves having a secure job, a nice family, and a great house in the suburbs. The dream so to speak, is not MY dream at all. In fact, it is a bit more like a prison cell because, I believe, you're trapped into thinking you are secure when in fact you really aren't.

I had a co-worker of mine say something to me under his breath the other day. He turns to me and says, “They use me around here”. I turned to him and bellowed back, “Well yeah, they use everyone”. My point was this... employees exist to be used by their employers to fit the needs of the business. Employees trade their time for a paycheck, which is never an even exchange. You can always make more money, but you can't make more time.

My dad has been laid off three different times throughout his days in the workforce. Why? He wasn't in control. No one is in control when they sign up to work for someone else. Instead, you are like a cog in the wheel of someone else's machine. Does this mean everyone should avoid jobs at all cost? No. If you are happy working your job, then by all means stay there and enjoy life.

The truth is, most of society prefers not to punch the clock each day, not because they're lazy, but because they aren't fulfilled.

The Problem

A large segment of the US population today is stuck in the rat race. The rat race is that perpetual cycle of going to work, paying the bills, going to work, paying the bills, and never getting ahead. To illustrate, imagine yourself walking on a treadmill. You are keeping busy, but all the while you're getting absolutely nowhere.

I believe there comes a point when people's lives slip into autopilot. Every day is the same. Every week is the same. Every month is the same. Do you know what the definition of insanity is? It's doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. Reality doesn't change when decisions remain constant.

Source

For a lot of people, this is all they know. And, in many cases, they don't even realize this is happening because they are so “busy”, they don't have time to sit down and reflect on the situation at hand. The rat race keeps people stuck and feeling like there's no way out. Living paycheck to paycheck becomes the norm with fear of not having enough to get by.

The frustration in the rat race lies in the fact that you are working endless hours trying to make ends meet, but you aren't getting paid what you actually deserve. Add to that the fact that you see no hope, no light at the end of the tunnel that things will ever change in the near or distant future, which ultimately makes people miserable.

The Teaching

Robert Kiyosaki, famous author on business and personal finance, teaches on a principle called the Cashflow Quadrant. In order to fully understand this philosophy, you need to take a step back from your busy-work and focus on what this actually means. Below is an illustration of the Cashflow Quadrant. It's not the exact one from Kiyosaki's books, just a slightly different look.

The quadrant is broken up into 4 areas which are employee, self-employed, business owner, and investor. Many people today reside on the left side of the quadrant as either an employee working for someone else or they work for themselves, for example a contractor. The wealthiest people in society reside on the right side of the quadrant as either a business owner and/or an investor.

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One of the many reasons the middle-class stay on the left side is because it's considered safe since you think you're in the driver's seat. It's also easier to just get hired and start working somewhere as opposed to being in charge of others and handling business logistics. Both owning a business and becoming an investor involve high levels of risk which many aren't willing to take.

The following graphics by Robert Kiyosaki fundamentally changed the way that I think about money forever. Once I understood this concept, I vowed to do whatever I could to attain assets, not liabilities. Notice the differences in cash flow between the poor, middle class, and rich on these income statements.

Source

As you can see, poor and middle class people both have a salary, but the difference lies in the fact that the middle class possesses liabilities such as a mortgage, cars, credit cards, and student loans, whereas the poor do not. In many instances, this puts the middle class in even more trouble than the poor class, therefore perpetuating the rat race.

The rich don't rely on a salary from a job and instead allow their assets such as real estate, stocks, bonds, and intellectual property fund their lifestyles in the form of rental income, dividends, interest, and royalties. Liabilities aren't necessarily bad as long as they aren't keeping you stuck or even worse, driving you into deeper debt.

Remember, assets are the things that put money into your pocket, whereas liabilities pull money out of your pocket.

The solution

A job is a short-term solution to a long-term problem. - Robert Kiyosaki

Let's admit... none of us want to stay in the rat race for long. None of us really want to put our days on autopilot and eek our way through life just to get by. I believe that many people want to be free. Free to make their own choices on their own schedules without being tied down to the time clock.

So what is the solution to escaping the rat race? I want to start by saying I am not a licensed financial adviser and this is for entertainment purposes only. The answer lies in assets. Assets are the key to escaping the rat race. The diagram above highlights the difference between the poor, middle class, and wealthy. Wealthy people attain assets, poor and middle class do not.

Now that you know the solution to living with freedom of choice,

it's important to take it a step further and decide which vehicle(s) will take you there. Many options exist as mentioned above such as real estate, book publishing, stocks, bonds, gold, even digital assets such as Bitcoin and XRP. It's important to be creative and think outside the box of the traditional 9-5 route.

The key lies in making money work for you instead of you working for money.

Whichever asset class you choose to pursue, research as much as you can before diving in. Find out if that is the path you'd enjoy and could travel down long-term. Talk to others who have the results that you want and ask for their advice or even for their mentorship. Better to learn from other's mistakes than to make them yourself.

Conclusion

To end this article, I'd like to leave you thinking about the quote from the very beginning...

If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die. – Warren Buffett

I have read this quote in the past, but reading it recently really struck a cord within my soul, inspiring me to create this article. Let that quote marinate within your soul for a moment and reflect on what it truly means. Do you want to work for the rest of your life trapped on the rat race treadmill with no hope of change? Or, do you want to live with the option and the freedom to CHOOSE how your days play out?

Is it risky? Yes, but so is working as an employee with zero control for the entirety of your one and only life. If you find yourself on the left side of the quadrant, that's OK. Start making baby steps towards the right side as you consider alternate means of income. The internet has leveled the playing field where you can start a side-gig that could potentially turn into something you do full-time.

**PS: The donut in the header image is not edible by any means. Please go buy a real one and enjoy it with a hot cup of black coffee ☕️ ☕️ ☕️

Wow, the 10th edition of CBC member highlights. I'm humbled and honored to be involved with such a great group of folks who publish their work on Coil.com. Each week continues to get better as support and encouragement flows freely between members on a daily basis. The CBC is the perfect environment for any and all creators to flourish because they feel both loved and appreciated.

In this edition of CBC Member Highlights, 2 members will be highlighted who have demonstrated regular participation in the club while also providing honest and genuine support to the rest of the group. The club's foundation is built upon members who truly care for others and have a heart to serve one another.

Not only have these highlighted members participated in the club, but they also produce blog content on a regular basis which is an important aspect of CBC involvement. We encourage publishing works to Coil.com to help grow the platform, and also to allow each blogger to unleash their creative genius.

Let's find out who is being recognized in today's edition. Drum roll please...

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Michele Lancia aka Stefano

Stefano is a great asset to the CBC, as he demonstrates a heart for others while also creating helpful articles on a regular basis. Stefano just keeps showing up which is half the battle in any aspect of life in general. He is a kind and caring person who likes to have fun and joke around.

Stefano's level of excitement and emotion for the Coil ecosystem is quite contagious. Recently he has been publishing posts on both XRP all-time highs, as well as a deeper, more personal series centered around the question “Who am I?”. Keep up the great work, Stefano! Exciting times are upon us.

Next up...

☕️ ☕️ ☕️

Niels

Niels has really been stepping up his game lately in the content arena. His articles have gone from good to great as he carefully constructs each one to not only contain quality content, but also to look visually appealing. Niels is another member who keeps showing up and spends time being supportive of other creators.

Currently he has been working on posts that have a combination of photos, text, and video as seen in his most recent addition, Don't Play with Firecrackers, featured on the home page of Coil.com. Keep up the good work, Niels. We enjoy having you as a member of the CBC and look forward to witnessing your progress on Coil.

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Thank you for joining us here in edition 10 of the CBC member highlights. If you would like to be considered for one of the next editions, please continue blogging regularly and participating in the CBC. Active members always benefit the most from the club as they give and receive proper support.