Top 10 Quality Channels in the Farcaster Ecosystem

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In May, the decentralized social protocol Farcaster announced the completion of a $150 million financing round, led by Paradigm and with participation from a16z crypto, Haun, USV, Variant, and Standard Crypto, valuing the company at $1 billion and earning it unicorn status. On July 2, the protocol’s total revenue surpassed $2 million, with the total number of users exceeding 570,000.

Today, Farcaster is undoubtedly the hottest social protocol in the crypto industry. According to sources, “like most protocols, Farcaster is expected to launch a token, and investors will be eager to capture its fully diluted value.”

Active users on Farcaster (defined as having 10+ likes, 10+ followers, 10+ content posts, and 10-200 interactive contacts) are also potential airdrop recipients. Therefore, maintaining activity in quality channels may significantly enhance future token airdrop prospects.

Farcaster: Each Channel is a “Decentralized World”

On May 18 of this year, Farcaster co-founder Dan Romero stated, “We are decentralizing Farcaster channels. Different channels will operate on-chain and remain independent, similar to user accounts. If you build a community channel, the membership of that community is determined by you, not a centralized platform.

Additionally, the protocol version of channels will give creators flexibility in ownership, governance, and economic systems. We aim to fully decentralize channels by the end of summer, without relying on the Warpcast client.”

It’s evident that Dan, who came from Coinbase, may have been critical of centralized platforms, and thus in his own entrepreneurial project, he strives to avoid the “centralization problem.” Farcaster’s client ecosystem is a rare example of diversity in the social protocol space, including semi-official apps like Warpcast, early ecosystem applications like Supercast and Kiosk, more internationalized apps like Phaver and Firefly App, and even independent developer apps like Recaster.

In Dan’s vision, the “ownership-management-economic system” of channels resembles a “Lego block” assembly, where different components provide the foundation for stable operation and circulation of a channel’s “permissions-content-economic elements,” thus bestowing it with a degree of “anti-fragility.”

Dan Romero’s Vision for Decentralized Channels

Dan also previously responded to user comments expressing a desire for Warpcast to cater to non-English speakers by stating that Warpcast is an American team with no plans for international expansion. The team believes it can create an excellent client for English users but does not have sufficient bandwidth to serve international users well.

Therefore, there is ample imagination space for the growth of the Farcaster protocol and more localized clients. Without further ado, here are CoinDarwin‘s picks for the top 10 quality channels in the Farcaster ecosystem, suitable for “content farming” while also allowing users to establish their “industry reputation” by producing quality content.

1. /base

As a “star project” of the Onchain Summer created by the Base ecosystem, the /base channel is the most active, cohesive, and builder-friendly channel within Farcaster. With the endorsement of industry figures like Base protocol lead Jesse Pollak, Farcaster co-founder Dan, and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, the posting threshold for the /base channel is notably high—users must pay 8.4 USD worth of Wraps (Warpcast platform currency, which can be used for tipping or charges) to “Cast” (post).

Here, you can post about anything related to the Base ecosystem, whether it’s a meme coin project, opinions and suggestions on Base ecosystem development, or a free mint NFT. The Base ecosystem welcomes all builders to participate in its construction. Additionally, the /onchainsummer channel, with around 12,000 followers, is also worth following.

2. /farcaster

As the official channel, /farcaster is one of the earliest channels and is highly tolerant of all content. Here, you can discuss anything about Farcaster, and official personnel, including Dan, will respond and engage with certain posts, often quite amicably.

For instance, a post from yesterday received a positive and sincere response regarding user complaints about Wrapcast, explaining Farcaster’s user import mechanism and offering tips for gaining attention and welcoming users on the platform.

3. /Memes

Memes play a crucial role in attracting and communicating with people, just like on forums like Reddit and 4chan. The /Memes channel is one of the most active channels on Farcaster, where you can share internet memes and even “internet trash images.”

The importance lies not in the number of likes and comments but in the vibe of “online postmodernist carnival” with “internet family.”

4. /degen

Degen is a typical “community meme” project but goes beyond just a meme coin. Established in January this year, the DEGEN token gradually became a unique “circulating currency” within the Farcaster ecosystem.

Previously, it collaborated with Web3 infrastructure Syndicate to launch the Layer 3 network Degen Chain, an excellent example of a “token-incubating chain.” According to official sources, the number of DEGEN token holders exceeded 500,000 within six months of its launch, an impressive feat.

The /degen channel is a mix of various shilling and promotional information, as well as a certain proportion of high-quality alpha information. The channel introduction explicitly states, “This does not constitute investment advice.”

High-quality content in this channel is more likely to receive DEGEN token rewards. It’s worth noting that members of the /mfers channel (with about 17,500 followers) are also highly active here, making it a worthwhile channel for interaction.

5. /ethereum

As a former “Ethereum loyalist,” it’s no surprise that the official Ethereum channel on Farcaster has such a large following.

Compared to the noisy public social media on platforms like X, the niche channels within the Farcaster ecosystem have become one of the few highly active places for industry figures, “OGs,” and well-known founders. The topics discussed are very diverse, making this a great place for those interested in technology or Ethereum ecosystem research to participate.

6. /founders

As a channel where Farcaster co-founder Dan consistently checks in daily to get Streak, the /founders channel gathers many project founders and co-founders.

Even Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has previously posted here, highly praising the work of Farcaster’s two founders. Moreover, Dan and Brian previously hosted an AMA in this channel, making it a good external publicity window.

7. /crypto

Compared to the previous channels, the /crypto channel has fewer followers but is still worth mentioning. Given the increasing industry influence of crypto, the /crypto channel’s management is relatively strict.

The channel introduction explicitly states, “General discussions about cryptocurrencies, from their uses and technology to their culture and philosophy. Garbage posts about prices, charts, gambling, etc., will be hidden or banned. Please review the channel rules.”

8. /fitness

Physical fitness is also an important part of the “niche ecosystem,” attracting nearly 100,000 followers. Additionally, this channel is a common active ground for many bot accounts and “e-beggars” seeking tips, similar to the /food channel (with about 86,000 followers) and the /design channel (with about 178,000 followers).

As Dan mentioned, the recommended channels that new users see when they first log into Warpcast often include this channel and other similar ones to help users “integrate into the Farcaster ecosystem and communication environment.”

9. /nouns

As one of the well-known cultural symbols in the cryptocurrency field, Nouns has a significant following and spread within the Farcaster ecosystem. Despite the less-than-ideal outcome of Nouns DAO, discussions on

Nouns’ decentralized governance structure and the spirit conveyed by Nouns symbols—freedom, openness, optimism, and crypto punk—still have a considerable market. This is why you often see a symbol like 👓 in many landmarks or promotional posters.

10. /Warpcast

As the official client, Warpcast also has its own channel, which looks more like a “customer service forum.”

However, it serves as a feedback channel, aside from direct communication with the two Farcaster co-founders, Dan and V.

Summary of Farcaster: Active User Aggregation is Significant

According to a data report from April this year, Reddit, a well-known internet forum and publicly traded American company founded in 2005, has a total user base of about 500 million, with over 100,000 active subreddits, of which more than 500 subreddits have at least 1 million subscribers. The most popular subreddit, r/funny, has over 55 million subscribers.

In comparison, Farcaster, with a total user base of just 570,000, is like a “newborn” and is still quite immature. Active users are mainly concentrated in a few channels like /base and /farcaster, indicating the ecosystem is in its early stages.

Farcaster Ecosystem is Still in Early Stages

The ecosystem’s internal economic system, supported by Wraps and DEGEN, and the $5 threshold for app downloads also show that Farcaster is not yet fully prepared for large-scale expansion.

Moreover, compared to Web2 users, Web3 users may have a stronger willingness to pay, which is one of the reasons why Farcaster can achieve over $2 million in protocol revenue from tens of thousands of users.

From a horizontal comparison between Reddit and Farcaster, the latter’s development potential could be described as having room for a thousand-fold increase. This is likely why star investors like Paradigm and a16z crypto are willing to place heavy bets on the “next-generation decentralized social track.”

Whether Farcaster can truly become a world-class social application like Reddit, X, or even Facebook and Instagram remains to be seen. Only time will tell.

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