SHARE is a protocol built on blockchain that enables creators to choose the price per stream of their audio or video content, distribute the content directly to consumers, make it accessible on any web application, and receive payments instantly when their content is streamed. SHARE has a wide variety of applications including music, video, and podcasts.
Blockchains allow people around the world to perform financial transactions and keep records of ownership without governments or banks acting as intermediaries. Amongst other things, the SHARE Protocol (SHARE) uses blockchain to enable peer-to-peer, instant, and transparent transactions between creators and consumers. Blockchain also enables data portability, meaning the data that you put on the blockchain is not controlled by any one company––it is truly yours. In general, blockchains are foundational to the next generation of the Web, called Web3.
A digital wallet is your gateway to interacting with applications built for blockchains, commonly called decentralized applications (dApps). You set up a wallet one time and can use it to interact with all of your favorite blockchain-based dApps forever. When you set up your wallet you're essentially creating an anonymous identity for yourself. This identity allows you to pay people, receive payments, and own assets stored on the blockchain.
Today, to create and share content using SHARE, you can use the FORMLESS SHARE Decentralized Application (Formless dApp).
This article overviews the process to install and set up a digital wallet so you can start creating and sharing content.
SHARE is currently on the Polygon and Ethereum networks, so your wallet must be capable of accessing these networks. Ethereum is the preeminent blockchain for digital asset ownership. Ethereum is secure and robust, but it is also relatively expensive to use. One way to think about Ethereum is that it is New York City––a lot of people want to live there, but the cost of living is high. Within New York City there are different regions that have different prices, depending on how close they are to Manhattan. Polygon is a blockchain that is part of the Ethereum ecosystem but is much less expensive, with fees that can be 100X cheaper than Ethereum.
Connecting to Ethereum or Polygon is supported by several wallets, but there are two that we have thoroughly tested, Coinbase Wallet and MetaMask. These are popular, self-custodial Web3 wallets, and we strongly recommend you use one or both of these. Both of these wallets have default access to the Ethereum Mainnet and require a few steps to switch access over to Polygon. If you’re connected to the Formless dApp and attempt to access content that’s on a network that your wallet is not currently connected to, you’ll be given the option to “Switch Networks”. When you select this option you’ll be automatically prompted by your wallet to switch to the other network.
Once you’ve downloaded and installed a wallet on your device you can switch the network over to Polygon by accessing the “Settings” of the wallet. For specifics on setting up each wallet with Polygon visit the following documents.
Testing the smart contract creation process. When you’re learning how to upload content and create a smart contract, please connect your wallet to the Polygon Mumbai Testnet. To do this, follow the same process of accessing “Settings”, but this time locate the “Testnets” header. Under this section, you will find and select “Polygon Mumbai”.
When you set up your wallet there are two key pieces of information that you'll receive. The first is called an address. This address is your identity on the blockchain. It's similar to a phone number, except it can do things like own assets, receive money and sign transactions associated with electronic "smart" contracts. Your address is the same for both the Ethereum and Polygon blockchains. Just like you may share your phone number with someone, sharing your blockchain address is completely safe, and it's the way people will pay you for your products and services on the blockchain.
The second piece of information is called a seed phrase. You can think of a seed phrase as a password that controls everything you own on the blockchain. Anyone who knows your seed phrase can take all of your money. It's similar to the password for your traditional bank account app––you never share it with anyone and keep it in a safe and secure place. But the big difference is that if you lose your seed phrase, there's no bank you can call for assistance. While blockchain enables very powerful applications, it's important to remember that your safety is your own responsibility. You can read more about ways to protect your seed phrase on ledger.com.
Record your wallet address, write down your seed phrase and store it somewhere that is safe and secure.
Digital currencies are often called tokens, and tokens are used to transact on blockchains. Tokens provide a way to exchange value with speed, security, and without any third-party intermediary like a bank. Blockchains like Ethereum and Polygon each have a native token for their blockchains; ETH for Ethereum and MATIC for Polygon. For simplicity, SHARE currently supports these tokens for transactions, though other tokens that can be transferred on these networks may be added in the future. You’ll use these tokens to purchase access to digital content and create your own digital content.
You can obtain tokens by exchanging government-issued money, commonly referred to as fiat currency, for example, the U.S. dollar, for ETH or MATIC. There are a few ways to do this.
Buy directly from your wallet. Several wallets have an option where you can purchase tokens using the wallet through a third-party service. Some of the common service providers are MoonPay, Transak, Wyre, and Coinbase Pay. On the home screen of the Coinbase Wallet or MetaMask Wallet you can select “Buy” to see these services. In all cases, you will need a credit or debit card to buy tokens, and there is a small fee charged by the service to fulfill the transaction.
Buy on a digital currency exchange. Digital currency exchanges such as Coinbase Exchange, Binance, and Kraken are marketplaces where people can buy and sell tokens. If you have an account at one of these services you can buy tokens and then directly send them to your wallet address for a small fee.
Test tokens. When you’re testing out the process of uploading your content and creating a smart contract you should connect to the Polygon Mumbai network. On this network, you can use test tokens called Test MATIC. Test MATIC can be obtained by submitting your wallet address to any number of test faucets that will send Test MATIC directly to your wallet. Here are a few sources where you can obtain Test MATIC: Polygon Faucet and Mumbai Faucet. If you have any problem obtaining Test MATIC please contact us on Discord.
The Formless DSA is accessed through the internet browser of your mobile device or computer.
Go to https://app.formless.xyz in your browser.
Connect to by selecting the “Connect” button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
Select your preferred Wallet. (If you use MetaMask on mobile, and you are directed to The App Store, please clear your browsing data. To do this go to “Settings” on your device, select your browser application, and then clear the browser data.)
Note that we have not yet tested the Formless DSA in all countries. If you're unable to connect from your country, we recommend trying a solution such as NordVPN and routing through the USA.
With your wallet set up and connected, you can now start creating smart contracts for your content and putting them on the blockchain.
Distribute a test song on blockchain by deploying a smart contract
Distribute a test video on blockchain by deploying a smart contract
Want more detail? Visit our SHARE Protocol documentation.
Have questions or need help? Contact us at info@formless.xyz or visit us on Discord.