Vitalik sent you a wizz – This Tuesday, the Etherscan team introduced Blockscan Chat. Could this wallet-to-wallet messaging be the beginning of a plausible answer to the communication failures of Web3?
Unlocking a new type of exchange
Etherscan is an on-chain data mining, search, API and analysis platform dedicated to the Ethereum network (ETH). By offering a simple and instant messaging, it’s not only about asset exchange anymore.
First of all, with the integration of the sacrosanct Sign in with Ethereum, an essential element of a dApp worthy of the name, Blockscan doesn’t mess around. Moreover, the Etherscan team took care to incorporate the Ethereum Name Service (ENS).
Recipients with an Ethereum address will receive a notification via the block explorer. However, don’t panic! It will not be made public.
However, you may be wondering why you should take advantage of the Ethereum blockchain to send messages instead of your phone or any other available application?
The answer is illustrated by 3 capabilities:
- Keeping control of one’s data;
- Use censorship-resistant platforms;
- Communicate without fear of surveillance.
In reality, that’s not quite what’s going on here. Besides, the homepage is quite explicit about it:
“Remember, we’re off-chain! Blockscan Chat (built by Etherscan) is run on our servers, so messages are not sent on a blockchain. There is also no guarantee that the recipient will see or respond to your message.”
Simply put, Blockscan lacks the benefits of decentralization.
Current failures in Web 3.0 communication
“I had the same issue, but it was resolved immediately after I wrote to Metamask instant support. I think you should write to them too.”
Jollyce Myrick
A sentence that is all too familiar to everyone!
Overloaded Discord messages, spam, scams: this is the daily routine of the average user.
In a personal writing, I suggested some ways of improvement:
- Contract-to-wallet to receive verified announcements of a project;
- Wallet-to-wallet in order to reach the specific owner of an NFT;
- Wallet sign-in with the intention of offering access to a community that is inaccessible without holding a particular token.
Blockscan has hit the nail on the head. By opting for a wallet-to-wallet system, it would allow bidders to send messages directly to asset owners. In short, the platform could well become an alternative to traditional NFT marketplaces.
For him, some projects are trying to develop a wallet-to-wallet messaging, but the hardest part is always getting the network to take off. The advantage of Etherscan is its inherent traffic, especially from the target audience.
It is through this vision that the competition with NFT markets, such as OpenSea, takes root. If one sees an NFT that one likes, why not just send a message directly to its owner? The discussion could lead to an agreement, and by abrogating oneself from that third party, fees could be avoided.
At the same time, some users are concerned about the spam garbage can the platform could become. However, the creators have been far-sighted. Messaging offers us 2 precautions:
- The traditional blocking;
- An anti-spam mode.
In the second case, only new conversations with a user with whom you have already interacted via a transaction on Ethereum are allowed.
We can still worry about the emergence of a pay-to-scam model. Recently, we witnessed the disarray of naive owners who had their BAYC stolen. Wouldn’t this deployment that links the wagons between communication and the Web3 be another way to bring the wolf into the fold?
