— — — — ——— PART ONE— — — — — —
Part 1 - Discussion on Web2, Web3 and Metaverse Social Topics
During the early days of Web2, there’re many social platforms were born, and these social platforms became one of the popular ways for us to keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues. However, with the rise and development of Web3, more and more users are gradually concentrated on the Web3 social platform. So how do Web2 social practitioners think of Web3 social ways？
From the perspective of the network structure of social products, the simpler the network structure is, the easier it is to do a cold start, while the more complex network structure is，it would be difficult to cold start but the ceiling is higher. The network structure can be divided into a single-point-to-single-point linear structure, a point-to-point umbrella structure, and a multi-point-to-multi-point network structure. Social products with a single-point-to-single-point linear structure, such as love couple products, only have a social relationship between two users, and there is no more complex networked social relationship, so this type of product is easier to do cold start, more like tool products; point-to-point social products with an umbrella-like structure, such as the platform Knowledge Planet that links KOLs with fans together, there is a strong relationship between KOLs and fans, but the relationship between fans of different KOLs is relatively weak; more point-to-point For social products with a multi-point mesh structure, such as Facebook and Twitter, the social links between users present a mesh structure.
For the above three types of social network products, the difficulty of cold start increases in turn. Loving Couple social products can run as long as there are a few pairs of users, and social products linking KOL and fans can run as long as there are a few KOLs. It is the most difficult to cold-start social products with a mesh structure. It requires a large number of users to run. Of course, once it runs, the ceiling is extremely high, such as FaceBook, Twitter, WeChat, and Weibo.
In addition, social products can also be classified and analyzed in each quadrant through the dimensions of acquaintance and stranger’s relationships, content and interaction.
Back to the topic of Web2 and Web3 social networking, the current user volume of Web3 is still very small, and the number of monthly active wallets of Metamask is 20 to 30 million. Considering that users will have multiple wallets, we estimate the actual monthly activity of Web3. It may be less than 10 million, and a relatively small social product of Web2 may exceed 10 million monthly users. Therefore, it is actually more difficult to socialize only in the Web3 crowd. The Web3 social products that can be seen at present also reflect this problem. The Web3 social products such as Bitclout and Monaco, which target Facebook and Twitter directly, are basically short-lived even with the incentive method of tokens, because the social network of its network structure. The user volume required by the product is too large, and the current Web3 volume cannot support it; and products such as Mirror and Mask network, which are classified into the Web3 social track, do not have a network structure in Web3, they are tool products, but they are very clever. In the use of Web2 network for dissemination, such as writing a Mirror in web3 and then sharing it on twitter and other Web2 platforms for dissemination and consumption. Showme is a tool for creators to maintain fans. Products with such an umbrella network structure have the possibility of survival in Web3 because the network structure is simple.
Based on the above analysis and thinking, we believe that it is difficult to socialize with the Web3 users. A possible way is to combine web2 and web3 to explore, integrate the web2 and web3 crowds, and combine the respective advantages of web2 and web3, such as web2 The advantages of product experience and the advantages of web3's assets and data inseparability. Through the product, the channel between web2 and web3 is opened, the threshold for web2 users to enter web3 is lowered, and more web2 users can enter the web3 world, and the platform will also benefit in this process.
What are the main ways of socializing in the Metaverse?
It can be divided into several perspectives. The first is product type, and the other is platform-based Metaverse products, such as Sandbox and Decentraland. This type of product is mainly in the form of 3D virtual scenes, attracting users to participate by 2b/2c and other enterprises to hold online activities, online interactive games, and the exchange of online and offline business behaviors. Most of them play as participants or players. The direct social motivation of participants or players can basically be summarized as obtaining information, obtaining benefits and online transactions. The social connection between each other is relatively weak. Therefore, this type of platform-type product Strictly speaking, it cannot be defined as a "social" product based on solving social needs and achieving social links. In terms of world composition, the creation of such scenes and props and clothing is more dependent on platforms and cooperative brands ( Such as rtfkt, genie), the co-creation capability provided by the platform itself is relatively weak; another type of product form is Roblox, Recroom, including domestic Bud and other game-oriented social gamefi products, and users’ demands in the product are mainly Social networking is achieved through games. Most of the users in this part are young European and American groups in the Gen Z group. These products are mainly based on rich and diverse game scenarios, highly open and free co-creation capabilities and diverse game-play. To attract user’s participation, users can establish connections and interactions with friends or strangers with common interests in the virtual scene through the real-time game itself. In addition, the third type of social products are social products that use VR and wearable devices as terminals, such as the most representative vrchat and Facebook's horizon, Firefox's hubs and NVIDIA's omniverse, which entered the game from the traditional Internet. Due to the latter two products，it is still in a very early stage, so we can take vrchat as an example to analyze the particularity of this type of product first. In addition to providing a more immersive experience, vrchat makes the product itself through the combination of games, subcultures, Internet trends, etc. More with the characteristics of the metaverse, immersion, imagination, visual and somatosensory impact will make the boundaries between virtual and reality more and more blurred, and the user's real social experience will be more realistic, so from this stage, this type of product is more representative of the metaverse form oriented by social behavior. This is our future goal.
— — — — ——— PART TWO— — — — — —
Part 2 - Metaverse Social APP, Introduction of THE PLACE
The Place as a metaverse social app, here’s its background introduction:
Inkeverse has upgraded its brand and entered the metaverse in an all-round way. It has made a variety of product layouts in China, and The Place is the metaverse social product that carries overseas market in Inkeverse. Based on our understanding of web2 and web3 industries, plus our understanding of social products, we decided to make a social product that integrates web2 and web3, which is The Place.
In addition to the company background, according to the current social environment and the background of the current trend of overseas mainstream products. First of all, the outbreak of the epidemic has accelerated the online dependence of ordinary users, and traditional 2D social networking, whether its text, voice, or video, cannot bring more on-the-spot experience brought by offline real social (3D social), and users lack control. The sense of users’ belonging feeling is not strong, and the interactive experience is relatively scattered and fragmented; and 3D has more advantages in solving such problems. 3D social networking restores the focus to people themselves, and users can manipulate "self" to achieve more real-time interactions and experiences. For crowd selection, we will locate the Gen-Z group, and we also see this group as more electronic and online. Whether they learn, work, live, and entertainment, they are more likely to be active online than millennials and baby boomers. They are accustomed to online expression, and the social purpose in this part of the group is not so strong. What they need more is identity and self-realization. Therefore, for the efficiency advantages of 2D social networking, we hope that 3D social networking can bring better expression, engagement, creation and real-time feedback, so that users can immerse themselves in the scenes, characters and atmosphere, which is also our original intention for developing The Place App.
Here’s the roadmap of The Place:
Release The Place beta version in mid-September；
Q4 will release the official version of The Place, expand new scenes, new game-play and new spaces；
23'Q1 will release The Place 2.0, which will convert more scenes and spaces into NFT.
How does HootLabs NFT appear on The Place?
As a social product, the core of The Place is to meet the social needs of users. HootLabs NFT will be given corresponding social assets and social rights in The Place, including but not limited to NFT clothing, proprietary nicknames, special mark, in addition, there will be an independent label space Hoot Space to display all NFT series under HootLabs, and will give the rights and interests of the space to the HootLabs holders. In the medium and long-term planning, according to market conditions and user needs, corresponding space and real estate NFTs will be launched to long-term holders of HootLabs NFTs.
— — — — —— PART THREE— — — — — —
Part 3 - Questions & Answers
Q: Will INKEPASS, Hootbirds and YING's Holders have different ways to play in The Place?
The core of the The Place is aim to create a metaverse social product, which will have multiple social scenes. We would gain some more users into our platform. We hope continue to expand the influence of our entire HootLabs through The Place, including to let more people get to know INKEPASS/Hootbirds/YING NFTs, so as to drive the influence of HootLabs NFT and increase its value. The positioning of INKEPASS is to open the token key for all subsequent web3 projects of Inkeverse, and also to have Freemint or Airdrop rights for all subsequent projects. YING and Hootbirds will be differentiated from INKEPASS. We will align and benchmark the rights and interests of INKEPASS according to the amount of user's holdings, holding time, pledge time and other dimensions. The core purpose is to give more rights to community users who have been with HootLabs for a long time in the current bear market environment.
In the early stage of The Place, we will give HootLabs Holder the rights，Holder can get an unique nickname or some special marks. Holder is equivalent to owning the platform's lifetime membership rights. Other ordinary users do not have this function, and there will also be corresponding Airdrops such as NFT clothing. If the corresponding rights and interests are like real estate and space, we will choose to launch it at the right time according to the situation of the whole market.
Q: Will The Place collaborate with Inkeverse's domestic social products?
At the beginning, we wanted to expand more overseas markets in Europe and the United States. At present, other social products of INKEVERSE such as Jimu and Inke live broadcast have lots
of domestic users. We will try to do some expansion including cooperation. According to our sufficient overseas market’s research and analysis, overseas young people have a deep understanding of the Web3 community, and they are more likely to accept emerging affairs. Therefore, we also hope to attract more European and American Web3 community users to settle in The Place platform.
Q: For The Place App, will birds still have empowerment? Because the bird was airdropped by INKEPAS?
Hootbirds will have empowerment. First of all, Hootbirds also have points to get. Points can be exchanged for Place Coin, and Place Coin can be used to purchase assets in The Place. In addition, Hootbirds will also be reflected in The Place.
Q: Since The Place has no threshold for web2 users, how can the rights and interests of web3 users be guaranteed?
Our consideration in the development of the entire The Place concept is divided into several aspects.
In the first aspect, we would think is it necessary to buy an NFT as its entry threshold? We will not set this threshold in the early stage, because the concept of web2 people playing games is still ‘free to play’ way, unlike web3 industry, which must buy an NFT first then play play the game, this perception is difficult for web2 users to change. Our strategy is to let web2 users come to play first, and then add the NFT threshold to the subsequent behavior of some users and some links. This is also the direction that other excellent project teams are working together to introduce more web2 users into the web3 world more smoothly.
In the second aspect, there are some more complicated operations in web3. For example, you need to register a Metamask wallet, you need to memorize the words, and you need to authorize and spend gas fees when you go to buy something. For web2 users, it also has a relatively high operational threshold and cognitive threshold. In response to this problem, we will do some corresponding processing, such as supporting the web3 users by log in method with Metamask, and we also support web2 users to log in with Snapchat or Apple ID; in addition, we will automatically generate a wallet for the user, In terms of operating experience, it is not much different from the web2 login method. If web2 users need to purchase NFT, we can support payment and purchase in fiat currency, and then carry out the official airdrop, instead of requiring users to authorize and pay gas fee, so as to reduce the operating threshold and cognitive threshold of web2 users .
For some users of web3, especially the rights of NFT Holders, we will give social assets that other web2 users on the platform do not have, including but not limited to NFT clothing, special nicknames and tags, Place Coin, etc.; these holders are similar to have rights of Lifetime membership in The Place. For INKEPASS holders, as well as users who hold and participate in pledges for a long time, we will give more airdrop rights. In addition, we will open the exchange of Place Coin and mall pledge points in the HootLabs mall, which are all guarantees for our holders rights.
Regarding to how to measure the users of long-term holding of HootLabs NFT, we will evaluate it based on the user's holding time, amount of holdings, and whether to participate in staking and other conditions. For example, for long-term holding users, especially INKEPASS holders, holders who participate in staking, and users who have supported us from the beginning, the benefits we give will have more bonuses. We will treat community users fairly, which is the direction of our efforts. We also hope that users can provide us with some more suggestions. We will also conduct communication and open discussions with the community.
本次AMA将有三部分内容：
第一部分：HootLabs社区用户问题回顾
第二部分：元宇宙社交APP THE PLACE详情介绍
第三部分：自由问答
第一部分 - Web2，Web3和元宇宙社交类话题讨论
1.早期的Web2期间，诞生了很多社交平台，这些社交平台成为我们与朋友、家人和同事紧密联系的方式之一。但随着Web3的兴起发展，也有越来越多的用户，逐渐集中在Web3社交平台上。 那么Web2社交从业者如何看待Web3的社交？
从社交产品的网络结构这个视角来看，网络结构越简单的社交产品越容易做冷启动，网络结构越复杂的产品冷启动难但天花板更高。网络结构可以分为单点对单点的线状结构、点对面的伞状结构、以及多点对多点的网状结构。单点对单点线状结构的社交产品，比如情侣打卡产品，只在两个用户之间存在社交关系，并不存在更复杂的网状的社交关系，所以这类产品比较容易做冷启动，更偏工具类产品；点对面伞状结构的社交产品，比如链接KOL和粉丝的平台知识星球，在KOL和粉丝之间存在强关系，但不同KOL的粉丝之间的关系比较弱；多点对多点网状结构的社交产品，比如Facebook、Twitter这类，用户与用户之间的社交链接呈现出网状的结构。
以上3种网络类型的社交产品，冷启动的难度是依次提高的，情侣类社交产品只要有几对用户就可以跑起来，链接KOL和粉丝的社交产品只要有几个KOL在就能跑起来，网状结构的社交产品冷启是最难的，需要很大的用户体量才能跑起来，当然一旦跑起来之后天花板是极高的，像Facebook、Twitter、微信、微博。
除此之外，社交产品也可以通过熟人陌生人关系、内容和互动等维度做各个象限的归类和分析，因为时间关系我们不再做过多的展开。
再回到Web2和Web3社交的话题，Web3当前的用户体量还非常小，Metamask两三千万的月活钱包数量，考虑到用户会拥有多个钱包的情况，我们预估Web3实际的月活可能不到一千万，而且Web2的一款比较小的社交产品都可能超过一千万的月活。所以只在Web3这个人群里做社交其实是比较难的。目前能看到的Web3社交产品也反应了这个问题，Bitclout、Monaco这种直接对标Facebook、Twitter的Web3社交产品，即使带了token的激励方式但基本上都是昙花一现，因为网状结构的社交产品需要的用户体量太大当前Web3体量无法支撑；而Mirror、Mask network这种被归类到Web3社交赛道的产品，在Web3里并不存在网络结构，它们属于工具类产品只是很巧妙的在利用Web2的网络做传播，比如在Web3里写一篇Mirror然后分享到Twitter等Web2平台上传播和消费。Showme是针对创作者维护粉丝的工具，这类伞状网络结构的产品在Web3是有存活的可能性的，因为网络结构相对简单。
基于以上的分析和思考，我们认为单独针对Web3人群做社交是很难的，一个可能的方式是结合Web2和Web3来做探索，融合Web2和Web3人群，并结合Web2和Web3各自的优势，比如Web2的产品体验优势以及Web3的资产和数据互通优势。 通过产品打通Web2与Web3的通道，降低Web2用户进入Web3的门槛，让更多Web2用户进入到Web3世界，结合Web3用户NFT持有情况自动做人群分类和归类来提高社交效率，与此同时平台在这个过程中也会受益。
2.目前元宇宙社交主要有哪些的玩法？
可以分几个角度来说，首先是产品类型，一类是平台型元宇宙产品，比如Sandbox、Decentraland。这类型的产品主要是以3D虚拟场景的形式，通过吸引2b/2c等企业举办办线上活动、在线互动游戏、线上和线下商业行为互通等方式吸引用户来参与，用户在这种形态里更多是扮演参与者或者玩家，对于参与者或玩家直接的社交动机基本可以总结为获取信息、获取福利以及在线交易，彼此之间的社交连接行为相对较弱，因此这类型的平台型产品严格意义上说不能定义为以解决社交需求和达成社交链接为准的“社交型”产品，在世界构成上，这类的场景搭建和道具、服装的创建更多依赖平台以及合作的品牌方（比如rtfkt，genie），平台本身提供的共创能力相对较弱；另外一类的产品形态是以roblox，recroom包括国内的bud等游戏导向为主的社交游戏型产品，用户在产品内的诉求主要是通过游戏的方式实现社交，这部分的用户大部分是以Z时代的欧美年轻群体为主，而这类产品主要是通过丰富多元的游戏场景，高度开放自由的共创能力和多样的游戏玩法吸引用户参与，用户可以与好友或者共同兴趣的陌生人在虚拟场景内通过实时游戏本身建立连接和互动。另外第三类的社交产品是以VR和可穿戴设备作为终端的社交产品，比如最具代表性的vrchat和从传统互联网入局的Facebook的horizon、火狐的hubs以及英伟达的omniverse，由于后面两个产品目前还处于非常早期的阶段，因此我们可以先拿vrchat举例来分析这类产品的特殊性，除了提供更具沉浸感体验之外，vrchat通过与游戏、亚文化、网络潮流等的结合使产品本身更具有元宇宙的特点，沉浸、想象力、视觉和体感冲击等会让虚拟和现实的界限越来越模糊，而用户的真实社交体验会更逼真，因此从这个阶段来说，这类型的产品更能代表以社交行为导向的元宇宙形态。这也是我们未来的目标。
第二部分 - 元宇宙社交APP，THE PLACE介绍
The Place作为一款元宇宙社交 app，背景介绍如下：
Inkeverse进行品牌升级，全面进军元宇宙，国内做了多款产品的布局，而The Place是承载Inkeverse在海外的元宇宙社交产品。结合上面我们对web2和web3的理解，以及对社交产品的理解，我们决定做一款融合web2和web3 的社交产品，也就是The Place。
除了公司背景外，根据如今的社会环境和当前海外主流产品走势的背景。首先疫情的爆发加速了普通用户的线上依赖，而传统的社交2D社交无论是文字、语音、视频都无法带来更多线下真实社交（3D社交）带来的临场体验，用户缺少可控性，对于身份所属感不强，以及互动体验相对分散和割裂；而3D在解决此类问题上更具有优势。3D社交把重心还原到人本身上，用户可以操控“自己”达成更多实时的互动和体验。对于人群选择，我们会定位到Gen-Z这个群体也是看中这部分群体本身就是更电子化，更线上化，无论是学习工作生活娱乐方式来说，比起千禧和婴儿潮来说他们更习惯于线上表达，而这部分群里的社交目的性也没有那么强烈，他们更需要的是身份认同和自我实现，因此而对于2D社交的效率优势来说，我们更希望3D社交能带来更好的表达、参与、创造和实时反馈，让用户能够沉浸到场景、人物和氛围中来，这一点也是我们做The Place的初衷。
关于The Place的未来发展规划，以下是其Roadmap展示：
9月中旬发布The Place Beta版；
Q4发布The Place正式版，扩展新场景、新玩法和新空间；
23’Q1发布The Place 2.0版，将更多场景和空间进行NFT化
HootLabs NFT如何出现在The Place？
The Place作为一款社交产品，核心是解决用户的社交需求，HootLabs厂牌下发行的NFT，在The Place里面分别会赋予相应的社交资产和社交权益，包括但不限于NFT服饰、专有昵称、特殊标记，此外会有独立的厂牌空间Hoot Space，来展示Hoot Labs旗下的所有NFT系列，并且将把空间的权益和利益给到Hoot Labs社区Holders。中长期的规划，会根据市场情况以及用户需求，推出相应的空间和地产NFT，给到Hoot Labs NFT的长期持有者。
第三部分 - 自由问答
Q: INKEPASS, Hootbirds和YING的Holder们在The Place里会有不同的玩法吗？
整个The Place我们的核心还是想打造一款元宇宙社交产品，里面会有丰富的社交场景。会拉更多的一些用户进到我们这个平台里。希望通过这款产品不断的去扩大我们整个HootLabs包括INKEPASS/Hootbirds/YING的影响力，从而带动HootLabs NFT的影响力和提高其价值。INKEPASS的定位是开启Inkeverse后续所有的web3项目的通证钥匙，同时也是具备后续所有项目的Freemint或者空投权益。YING和Hootbirds会和INKEPASS有所区分，我们会根据用户的持有数量、持有时间、质押时间等多个维度的持有情况，来拉齐和对标INKEPASS的权益。核心目的是，在当前这个熊市环境下，把更多的权益给到和Hoot Labs长期走下去的社区用户。
前期在The Place我们会给到HootLabs Holder的权益是Holder享有专有的昵称或者一些特殊的标记，Holder相当于拥有了平台的终身会员权益，其他普通用户不具备此功能，同时也会有相应的NFT服饰等空投。相应的权益像地产和空间的话我们会根据整个市场的情况然后选择在合适的时机去推出。
Q: The Place会和映宇宙的国内社交产品深度合作吗？
我们初期更多地想拓展欧美海外市场，目前映宇宙的其他社交产品如积目，映客直播的用户大多国内居多，我们会尝试去做一些拓展包括合作。根据我们充分的海外市场调研分析，海外年轻人对Web3社区了解颇深，他们更容易接受新兴的事务，所以我们也希望拉动一波欧美Web3社区用户入驻到The Place平台内。
Q: 针对The Place, 鸟还会有赋能吗？因为鸟是INKEPASS空投的？
Hootbirds会有赋能，首先是Hootbirds也是有积分的,积分是能够兑换Place Coin, Place Coin可以去购置The Place内的资产。另外Hootbirds也会在The Place有所体现。
Q: The Place既然对web2用户没有门槛，那web3的用户权益怎么保证？
我们在整个The Place理念设计上的考虑，分为几个方面。
第一个方面，它的准入门槛是不是必须得需要买一个NFT？我们前期不会设置这个门槛，因为web2人群玩游戏的理念还是free to play，不像web3一样必须先买一个NFT然后再在play，这个认知对于web2用户来说是很难改变的。我们的策略是让web2用户先进来玩儿，然后在后续的一些用户的行为过程以及一些环节里面再加上NFT门槛。这也是当前其他比较优秀的项目团队在共同努力的方向，把更多的web2用户更平滑的引入到web3世界。
第二个方面，web3里有一些比较复杂的操作，比如说需要注册一个钱包，需要记助记词，当你去买东西还需要去授权和花Gas费。对于web2用户来说它也是有比较高的一个操作门槛以及认知门槛的。针对这个问题我们会做了一些相应的处理，比如支持Metamask这种web3的登陆方式，同时我们也支持用户用web2登录方式比如Snapchat或者苹果ID；此外，我们会自动帮用户生成一个钱包，对用户的操作体验来说，它和web2登录方式是没有太多的区别。如果web2用户需要购置NFT，我们可以支持用法币的方式去支付和购买，然后再进行官方的空投，而不是让用户必须去授权和交gas fee，这样来降低web2用户的操作门槛和认知门槛。
对于web3的一些用户尤其是NFT Holder的权益，我们会给予平台里其他web2用户没有的社交资产，包括但不限于NFT服饰、特殊昵称和标记、Place Coin等等；这批Holders类似于平台内的终身会员。针对INKEPASS用户，以及长期持有和参与质押的用户，我们会给予更多的空投权益。此外，我们在HootLabs商城会打通Place Coin和商城质押积分的兑换，这些都是提供给我们Holders权益的保证。
关于怎样去衡量长期持有HootLabs NFT，我们会根据用户的持有时间、持有数量、以及是否参与质押等多个条件组合去评估。比如说长期持有的尤其INKEPASS的用户，和参与质押的用户，以及从初期就支持我们的用户来说，我们给到的权益是会有更多的加成。我们会对社区用户做到一个公平的对待，这是我们努力的方向，也希望用户多能给我们提供一些丰富的建议，我们也会和社区做持续沟通和开放的讨论。