Free Bitcoin on Zaps experiment — but what are Zaps?

A Bitcoin advocator based successful Canada has “Zapped” 600 radical a full of 300 Satoshis ($0.09 oregon 0.000003 BTC) each successful a Bitcoin-inspired (BTC) societal media experiment. 

To date, selling enforcement Michael Degroot has doled retired implicit $50 successful Bitcoin to radical astir the globe. He has since been Zapped backmost much than 40 times, receiving much than $6.

Doing an experimentation connected @orangepillapp I’m going to beryllium zapping & connecting with everyone who has their lightning wallet attached. ~700 people, if you aren’t connected determination already here’s my referral code. https://t.co/ADO92uEDqr I’ll beryllium updating this thread portion I zap radical #Bitcoin

— Michael Degroot (@_mikedegroot) July 31, 2023

But what are Zaps, and however is it imaginable to nonstop wealth astir the satellite without an intermediary?

Degroot precocious signed up to the Orange Pill App, a societal media level that connects Bitcoin users from astir the world. The app works likewise to Tinder oregon Meetups.com: the ngo is to connect Bitcoiners successful existent life.

The app precocious integrated Zaps oregon Bitcoin tips, and according to laminitis Matteo Pellegrini, 20% of users person added Zaps to their profiles.

Zaps usage the layer-2 Lightning Network which runs connected apical of Bitcoin. Zaps are typically tiny oregon tiny amounts of Bitcoin, measured successful Satoshis, and they are sent peer-to-peer.

To Zap, users person 2 choices. Create a non-custodial lightning wallet utilizing a lightning node, oregon unfastened a custodial lightning wallet. When users opt for a custodial solution, a 3rd enactment specified arsenic Wallet of Satoshi, Blink oregon CoinCorner manages the Bitcoin. They instrumentality attraction of routing, lightning channels, and liquidity.

Users tin past make a lightning address, known arsenic an LNURL, to person zaps. Think of the LNURL arsenic an email code but for money. By adding this code to profiles connected platforms including Orange Pill App, Geyser Fund oregon Nostr, users tin present person Bitcoin from users each astir the world, instantly and astatine astir nary cost.

Bitcoin tipping, oregon Zapping is mobile-first 

Crucially, determination is seldom a Zapping middleman and it works good with micropayments, specified arsenic Degroot’s 300 Sats payment. Money remitters specified arsenic Paypal, Western Union oregon Wire Transfer complaint a interest to way wealth astir the satellite but are ineffective for micropayments owed to precocious fees.

Zapping removes the request for a middleman, which besides removes a money-making opportunity. Pellegrini explained: “It doesn't outgo america thing erstwhile users Zap each different and we don't, nor shouldn’t, marque immoderate wealth disconnected it.”

Brian Armstrong, the CEO of Coinbase, the United States’ largest crypto exchange, recently confused a Lightning Address–or Zap address–for an email address. It’s just to accidental that Zaps are yet to airy up the mainstream crypto conversation.

Zapathon

Back to Degroot’s Zapathon. The Canadian “Messaged and zapped each azygous idiosyncratic connected the Orange Pill App who has a lightning wallet attached to their profile,” helium disclosed to Cointelegraph.

“I privation to lend to the assemblage much and I thought this was a mode I could lend and I could summation bitcoiners successful my network. A mode to find much signal.”

But portion Degroot expanded his network, gaining hundreds of X (formerly known arsenic Twitter) followers, the generous enactment besides demonstrated the powerfulness of the Lightning Network’s wealth transportation mechanism. Degroot Zapped 300 Sats (less than 10 cents) to idiosyncratic surviving 16,000 km distant successful South Africa, expressing: “It settled successful a 2nd and determination was nary interest for it.”

“I utilized to ain a concern and if idiosyncratic paid america with a recognition paper earlier a play it could instrumentality up to 5 days for those funds to scope our slope account, and outgo ~2.5%.”

Degroot besides Zapped maine (please enactment this was NOT a bribe to constitute this article!). It outgo thing contempt that we are separated by the Atlantic Ocean.

Zapping connected NOSTR

While Orange Pill App, Geyser Fund (a crowdfunding platform) and Stacker News are Zap-arenas, the tipping diagnostic is progressively popularised by Nostr, abbreviated for oregon Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays. In its contiguous form, Nostr is simply a decentralized alternate to centralized societal media platforms specified arsenic Twitter oregon Reddit.

Zaps sent connected Nostr implicit the past 6 months. Source: Stats.Nostr.Band

Nostr is simply a protocol that comes to beingness by integrating with clients specified arsenic Damus (for iPhone), oregon Snort (for desktop). Nostr precocious reached 4 cardinal users portion hundreds of thousands of dollars worthy of Bitcoin has been zapped crossed the world. Curiously, the “like” fastener does beryllium connected Nostr platforms, but Zaps are sometimes favored implicit likes.

Why are radical giving retired escaped wealth connected the Internet?

Zapping is simply a Bitcoiner behaviour that, astatine archetypal glance, doesn’t marque a batch of sense. Why springiness retired Bitcoin to strangers connected the internet, knowing that Bitcoin is simply a scarce asset? There are lone 21 cardinal Bitcoin, oregon 21 quadrillion Sats and it’s highly improbable that much volition beryllium mined.

Jeff Booth, laminitis of Ego Death Capital told Cointelegraph: “So for radical successful Bitcoin and connected Nostr, that system is emerging, and it’s truly early.”

“For radical that aren’t successful that world, they wouldn’t spot what we’re talking about. If you’re measuring from the existing system, you don’t cognize what we’re talking about.”

I asked Nostr users wherefore they sent Sats. The responses were light-hearted, amusive and moving. BitcoinSandy a Nostrich (a Nostr user), explained that “It is simply a truly bully feeling sending instant worth to idiosyncratic likeminded who values freedom.”

Manlikeweks explained that Nostr’s borderless and censorship-resistant properties are awesome, peculiarly “As a idiosyncratic based successful Tanzania and being funded worldwide without immoderate restrictions.”

Zapping besides taps into the inclination of Value for Value oregon creator compensation. Digital creators tin monetize contented directly, without the request for a middleman.

BitcoinBarry explained however it works successful practice: “I often effort to springiness answers wherever I tin and americium rewarded to springiness amended than suboptimal answers too.” I.e - if you station utile contented connected Nostr, you whitethorn beryllium rewarded with a bountiful Zap — overmuch similar you would extremity a waiter successful a edifice for fantabulous service.

Nostrich JoeLibertarian spelled it out: “Sats talk louder than likes.” You tin similar a station connected Nostr, oregon you tin nonstop the station Sats to genuinely explicit restitution and gratitude.

Nostr-ings attached?

Nostr is not without hiccups. Apple recently delisted Damus from the App Store owed to the Bitcoin tipping feature. Apple said Zaps interruption outgo policies: “If they [users] are connected to oregon associated with receiving integer content, they indispensable usage in-app acquisition successful accordance with line 3.1.1.”

Nonetheless, Nostr is simply a protocol, not a centralized service. Clients akin to Damus person since popped up connected the Apple App Store, specified arsenic Plebstr.

Regarding Orange Pill App, Pellegrini explained to Cointelegraph that determination is nary hazard of being de-platformed by Apple. Why? Pellegrini explains, “We gave Tim Cook [Apple CEO] a escaped Orange Pill App membership!”

“Joking aside, there's nary provender connected the app truthful the zapping is via profiles, that are not classified arsenic contented dissimilar notes / tweets.”

Apple tin proceed its crusade of Nostr platforms wherever contented tin beryllium easy monetized, but arsenic a fashionable Nostr-Creator Walker points out, Nostr is“A freedom-loving hydra.” If you region 1 Nostr-playground others volition popular up:

— Walker⚡️ (@WalkerAmerica) February 2, 2023

Meanwhile, Degroot’s quest continues. He hopes to Zap each idiosyncratic connected Orange Pill App, buoyed by the enthusiasm he’s met with from chap users:

“My Favorite effect was ‘Thank you for sending maine those sats I person ne'er been zapped earlier you made my day!’”

He concluded the experimentation connected August 7, telling the Zap-curious to "DO IT". 

I sent ~600 zaps for a full of 180,000 sats and was zapped backmost ~40 times with galore radical telling maine they would wage it forward. Had 1 idiosyncratic nonstop maine backmost 50x what I sent them & different 80x to enactment the cause. If you person the accidental to zap idiosyncratic for the archetypal clip DO IT⚡️

— Michael Degroot (@_mikedegroot) August 7, 2023

Ultimately, Degroot regularly zapped profiles who received their first-ever Sats. Pellegrini summed it up sweetly: “After all, who doesn't similar immoderate saccharine sweet sats?”