A new beta app named Tippin now allows you send small bitcoin tips over lightning on Twitter. See Tippin.me
Announced Saturday, the Tippin app released a new Chrome Extension available to Google browser users for sending bitcoin payments over Twitter via the Lightning Network, which aims to make bitcoin transactions feasible at a large scale.
The idea behind Tippin is to create a new way to earn or receive tips on social media for content (either ta tweet, a comment or like ).
Sergio Abril, creator and engineer at Tippin remarks:
In my opinion, Tippin is going to be incredibly popular with lightning network; it’s the first time we can send small amounts almost at no cost, and we can do it incredibly fast.
He further explains “Tippin started as a personal side project a couple of months ago, so i could understand lightning network a bitmore, and of course help push adoption, but it’s starting to get big” Abril said.
How it Works
Users need to have a valid Twitter account, next download and install the Tippin chrome extension which will link up with the twitter account to receive tips. Once the extension is installed, a little lightning bolt symbol pops up beside the other native ‘like’ and ‘retweet’ buttons on the Twitter page. This now allows Twitter users to proceed to make Bitcoin transactions.
Abril also details his ideas for expanding the app in the future, such as making Tippin available on other social media platforms, support for other cryptocurrencies and launching non-custodial options for the app which is currently custodial based. Tippin hopes to capitalize on crypto twitter’s popularity and influence to drive user growth.
It is worthy of note that in 2016, a similar Bitcoin app – ChangeTip was once a popular way to send BTC payments over social media, though it died out around November 2016, following an acqui-hire of its development team by accommodations startup Airbnb.
In all, the new Tippin app indicates there exist lots of room for development and introduction of new technologies to the emerging Bitcoin/cryptocurrency ecosystem. Also, Lightning Network though still in its early stages looks set to be the future of instantaneous and cheap Bitcoin/crypto transactions.
What are your thoughts on this interesting app? Do you foresee the development of more common BTC transaction media? Share your thoughts in the comments.
