Originally published at: Shhhhh…. What if? - FXland WWW
Here at Functionland we’re betting people will be willing to pay a modest amount of money to free themselves from online subscription services, take control of their personal datao back from Big Tech, and secure their own encrypted, expandable storage space in the web.
We’re so willing to bet on the far-reaching appeal of this kind of solution that we made it our flagship product: Blox, a sophisticated, easy-to-use piece of hardware that can sit on the corner of a table and perform these tasks and more for anyone willing to own one.
Now that we’ve closed a wildly successful IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign for Blox production (+.5M in funding secured from nearly 1K backers), we can say with confidence: We were right! There is real, clear market appetite for what we’re offering.
Progress on Blox – bringing the hardware to market, designing a compelling form factor that makes it an attractive home design element, and so forth – is proceeding apace. So is progress on the Fula Network, the web of operating systems and free apps that run on Blox.
But lately, Team Functionland has been entertaining some…rather “subversive” ideas.
What if…
What if there were another way to grant people access to the advantages and opportunities offered through the Fula Network?
What if we could permit access from a cell phone, or a personal computer? What if we could grant access from almost any device?
What if we could find a way to make the Fula Network available to people who can’t afford to invest in Blox, the network’s dedicated device?
Our philosophy has always been more power-to-the-people than money-to-the-pocket. We recognize that there are many people – for example those living under repressive regimes, or in relative poverty – who have neither the budgets nor the opportunity to buy our Blox.
But they still need the kinds of services we’re offering through the Fula Network. They too have growing, ever-expanding online lives. They too have increasing storage needs. They too would like to be able to access their important data, photos and online services from anywhere they might be, whenever they need them.
Why would we consider any of this subversive? Because it cuts against our core “subscription-free-forever” ethos.
But it will help people.
With that in mind – the opportunity to help people who might not otherwise have access – we are working on a parallel option: a subscription service that lets people utilize the Fula Network through their own preferred devices.
For users like these (who we believe have the potential to become the majority), the Fula Network becomes an alternative to iCloud and Google One. And we’re convinced it will offer considerable advantages, for example:
- Cost savings. It’s easy for Blox owners to increase storage on a Box, for example by adding a couple of storage towers, or plugging in older, unused memory drives. There is also a clear incentive for them to do so, because they earn extra $FULA. But this creates far more storage than the average individual user needs. That extra storage can be “rented” out to subscription users, in turn providing potential Blox owners with added incentive to buy their own Blox.
- No ads, no data harvesting. The Fula Network offers app developers a new business model: they no longer need to pay server costs, and they’re compensated in $FULA per download/update. Remaining open-source is required in order to receive this compensation, so it’s easy to verify that no data is being harvested.
- Frequent, fast and innovative app updates. Because apps are open-source and developers earn $FULA for their updates, ANY developer can propose an innovative update for a popular app. This ensures a level playing field for app development in which only the best rise to the top!
The paradigm shift introduced through the Fula Network rests on three pillars. First, it transforms infrastructure provision into a commodity. Second, it captures the value of infrastructure service in a token ($FULA). Third, it redirects revenue to creators.
Now that we’ve “confessed” some of our more subversive inhouse thinking, we’re turning the mic over to you, our community! What do you think of offering a parallel subscription service to people unwilling or unable to invest in their own Box? Get in touch with us and share your thoughts! All input is welcome, even when it’s a little…subversive! 😉
