Logos & Betas & Ads, oh my!

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Newsletter #007
Contents:

• Logo submissions

• PRESS THIS BUTTON

• Closed & open beta

• Can I reserve a username?

• MVP vs MLP

• Phased governance

• Will TAO have ads?

Hey Lovelies,

Logo submissions are open through Tuesday! We’ll compile them into a survey for the first round of voting.

Submit your designs via:
🔹 A new post on the subreddit
🔹 The ongoing megathread

Collectively, it seems like we may want to avoid yin-yang symbolism as it may be too heavy-handed. “TAO Social” is an acronym for Together As One. The synchronistic parallels with the philosophy of Taoism are a happy coincidence, but we’re not looking to go full ancient Daoist sage on people 😜 

That being said, this vote is just for directional input, so create whatever speaks to you. We’re going for loose and creative this round.

You can send in napkin sketches like Katie did (her suggestion is to play around with the shapes of TAO — a square, triangle, and circle):

Play with a rough mock up like Ksenia did here:

Or you can refine it like this super cool GIF/animation exploration from Mafe:

Press this Button!

You know the drill! Tap the ad below and we get a $1-2 kickback from the advertiser. This has helped and continues to help cover our software and legal expenses.

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Closed & Open Beta

At the moment, the build is still on track for a closed — and potentially open — beta in April.

Our legal groundwork is progressing thanks to the exceptional Matt Dearden (who I would recommend without reservation to anyone who ever needs a business attorney; he’s amazing). But Wyoming State is still processing our LLC DAO incorporation. That delay means we can’t file for our DUNS number yet, which is required for App Store submission.

While this might shift the timeline slightly, we’re pushing forward at full speed. If all goes smoothly, closed beta will be invite-only at first, gradually opening up over the following weeks.

Can I Reserve a Username?

Your TAO handle will be the same as your existing handle on Bluesky or any other AT Protocol User Repo service provider. If you already have an account on Bluesky, your username there will automatically carry over to TAO.

As we do not currently have the funds to host our own PDS (Personal Data Server) infrastructure (which can cost between $1.3M to $13M for 30 million users) TAO will rely on existing AT Protocol networks. This means we will not be managing usernames directly.

If you want to secure a specific username, you have two options:

1. Claim your handle on one of the many Bluesky PDS servers (which use the .bsky.social extension).

2. Find an alternative service provider that can host your user repo on their PDS server.

It does not matter which PDS server you choose. Your posts will still be visible across all AT Protocol networks, as posts are relayed across every AT Protocol Relay server.

However, if you specifically want your username to have the ".bsky.social" extension, you will need to sign up for a Bluesky username/login on one of Bluesky's hosted PDS servers.

MVP vs. MLP: Why Timing Matters

There’s an art to the timing of an MVP vs MLP.

A Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is the simplest working version of an app (functional but basic) while a Minimum Lovable Product (MLP) is refined enough that it’s, well, lovable.

Startups used to launch with just an MVP, but today, if a platform feels too unfinished, people leave before it has a chance to grow. That’s why we’re strategically balancing MVP vs. MLP in how we roll out TAO.

• The closed beta will start as an MVP. Functional, but with room to improve.

• We’ll layer in more "lovable" features as we open up to a wider audience.

That said, even in its earliest version, TAO is already on par with (or in many cases surpassing) the other early-stage platforms we’re often compared to. Our core functionality is solid, and as we continue refining it, we’re confident our mission will keep members engaged through the early stages.

A Phased Approach to Governance

One of the most critical aspects of TAO’s success is governance: Ensuring the platform remains autonomous/unfuckwithable and in the hands of the People…without compromising stability or security.

Our tentative timeline to begin introducing the DAO is six months after crowdfunding. However, this will likely be phased to protect the platform from going off the rails.

We have to be extremely mindful in how we implement governance:

🔹 Preventing bad actors from hijacking the system
🔹 Safeguarding against mob rule
🔹 Ensuring the collective has decision-making power without destabilizing the platform

Simply handing over governance too soon would be like feeding a wobble-legged baby deer to wolves. It wouldn’t end well. Before transitioning to the community, TAO needs to be stable, functional, and resilient.

This means taking the time to get it right: Bringing in expertise, testing guardrails, and structuring a system that is truly sustainable. The goal is not just to build a decentralized platform, but to build one that thrives.

Will TAO Have Ads?

The other day I FaceTimed my beautiful mother and she was delighted to demonstrate the viral exercise vibration plates she ordered through TikTok 🤣 Thanks TikTok Shop ads.

Look, most of us do a little digital retail therapy. And ads are one of the best ways to generate revenue on a platform. So before people turn rabid about “AD IS BAD” let’s broaden our thinking for a moment.

Because in the same way that we haven’t seen social media done right, we also haven’t seen advertisement done right. What if ads actually enhanced the user and creator experience?

A lot of startups and rising social media platforms in the space are promising an ad-free platform. But social apps often make that promise in the beginning and then realize they cannot generate enough revenue to sustain the platform (especially if they’re beholden to the for-profit agendas of their investors).

At TAO, we don’t want to make empty promises. We’d prefer to get advertisement right from the jump.

Imagine if:

• You could choose whether or not you receive ads at all

• You could choose what kinds of ads you want to see (e.g., only hyperlocal ads from small businesses, or ads that partner with Creators you trust, or whatever you would feel good about supporting.)

• Creators could decide which of their videos have ads, and what kinds of ads they allow

• Members who opt fully into ads could earn passive income by splitting ad revenue with TAO 😜 (although we’ll need to ensure a-holes can’t set up a farm of accounts to watch ads to pull funds out of the ecosystem.)

The beauty of a system like this is:

1. People aren’t bombarded with things we don’t want or need

2. Businesses don’t waste money trying to sell things we don’t want or need

And while I don’t know of a real-world example of this being executed properly (yet), I’d bet that small and local businesses would fare far better on TAO than on platforms like Meta…where they often have to sink thousands/month into ad spend in order to season the pixel well enough that they break even and/or get a return.

Easy solution: Stop trying to sell people stuff they’re not interested in.

Have more ideas for a user enhancing ad experience? Spitball with us:

In service & solidarity,
Chiara Scuro