Mirror's introduction of Writing NFTs marked a significant shift in how we approach user experience for content creators in the blockchain space. We were keen to ensure the publishing process was streamlined and accessible to as many creators as possible. To achieve this, we devised a system that removed the need for creators to submit a transaction to generate their NFTs. Instead, we required them to provide a signature of the NFT parameters. When the first NFT was bought, the collector would deploy and collect the token in a single transaction.

OpenSea just rolled out their attempted solution to the creator royalty problem. Their solution is what they call the Operator Filter Registry. The registry lets creators specify which address should not be allowed to transfer tokens on behalf of users. Bluntly, this solution creates a blacklist of marketplaces that token owners\* cannot use to trade their tokens. From a collector’s perspective, there’s a chance that when you buy an NFT, your ownership will be limited.

As a builder in the crypto/web3 space, sometimes it feels like you’re building against the current because there are strong ideological components to what we build.

One of the concepts thrown around in web3 is “token-gating” content. Like many things in web3, it seems to be taken for granted that it is a good idea, but I’m not sure I agree. Token-gating when it comes to content doesn’t seem functionally different than having a paywall. This post is a few of my thoughts on the topic through the lens of writing on the internet.

A typical problem with NFT sales is bad actors quickly buy up many editions with the intention to resell them at a markup price. We saw this with the CryptoNewYorkers drop.