Some thoughts after using Arena for a week, and comparing it to Abstract, as I see them as similar products.
Streaming
Winner: Arena
The streaming product is the closest web3 product to Twitch I've ever seen and features like tipping party are fantastic.
Variety:
Winner: Abstract
In terms of external/internal products, there's simple "more to do" on Abstract that exceeds my (personal) quality scale. While Arena feels more like Twitter with extra features, Abstract feels more like an app store.
Defi:
Winner: Arena
With more time, and a bigger ecosystem built on the underlying chain, there's simply far more options for parking your funds and watching your pot grow here.
Social:
Winner: Arena
There's very little network effect built in Abstract right now. "Following" doesn't really accomplish much.
Degeneracy:
Winner: Abstract
I'm considering degeneracy a bad thing here, and feel that Arena indexes very high on trenchers and memecoin tradoooors who care much more about coin price than product. Which I think long-term is very harmful to an ecosystem.
Consumer friendlyness:
Winner: Abstract
Related to the above point, but also the nature of how users sign up and use apps. Arena is a bit more catered to the web3 expert user than an everyday consumer.
Overall technical design:
Winner: Arena
Despite a few hangups here and there when loading sections on Arena, the fact that a live audio and video feature works nearly flawlessly on a platform like this is reallllly impressive.
Overall winner:
TBD - time will tell.
Thanks again to folks like
@CryptoKaleo and Jason Desimone for hand-holding me while I try things out.
