TSU - Social Network
Tsu is a social network (very similar to facebook and twitter) that is free to join. Users get paid when other people view ads associated with the content that they created and posted. You do not get paid if you are just viewing content — only if you created and posted it.
Unlike Facebook, which keeps all of the profits from ad revenue, Tsu gives 90% of the advertising revenue back to users — you get 45% and the chain of friends who invited you get the rest.
Unlike Facebook, which keeps all of the profits from ad revenue, Tsu gives 90% of the advertising revenue back to users — you get 45% and the chain of friends who invited you get the rest.
What is the Tsū algorithm to share the advertising revenue?
Tsū’s algorithm automatically tracks, measures, and distributes revenue to the appropriate user and their Family Tree. A total of 90% of revenues are distributed to users. To maintain the platform, Tsū receives 10%.
Let’s take a look at 4 users:
User A invites user B, who invites user C, who invites user D
Tsū’s algorithm automatically tracks, measures, and distributes revenue to the appropriate user and their Family Tree. A total of 90% of revenues are distributed to users. To maintain the platform, Tsū receives 10%.
Let’s take a look at 4 users:
User A invites user B, who invites user C, who invites user D
Total Advertising Revenue
$100 of earned revenue is generated based on the content user D shared (photos, videos, status updates, etc.) Tsū takes 10% of the $100 for platform fees. In this case $10.
Revenue shared with users
90% of earned revenue go to the users. In this case, $90 of the $100 is shared with the users.
How the revenue is shared with the content creator.
David, the original content creator takes 50% of the $90. In this case, $45.
How the revenue is shared with the people who referred the content creator.
Charlotte gets 33.3% (1/3) of the original $90 generated. In this case, $29.70
Brian gets 11.1% (1/3 of 1/3 = 1/9) of the original $90 generated. In this case $9.99
Allison gets 3.70% (1/3 of 1/3 of 1/3 = 1/27) of the original $90 generated. In this case $3.33
The members of David's family tree preceeding Allison receive one-third of the remaining shared revenues (1.9%) until there are none left. This is what we call the rule of infinite thirds
What is the Family Tree and how does it work?
All users on tsū have their own Family Tree, which indicates the number of users they’ve brought to the platform and the overall network growth they’ve provided. When viewing the Family Tree, a user’s network is organized as such:
Children - All of the members you’ve directly invited to join tsū via your shortcode (username).
New Children - The newest members you’ve invited to join tsū via your shortcode (username).
Network - The overall members that stem from your invitations to join tsū. This includes anyone that has joined directly via your member shortcode (username), as well as the users that have joined one or more ‘generations’ away from your member shortcode (username). Please note, members who join directly through your shortcode are qualified as your ‘Children’, and the members your ‘Children’ invite are called your ‘GrandChildren’ and so on.
Friends - Other tsū members that are your friends. (You may or may not have invited them to join tsū).
Followers - The tsū members that Follow you. (You may or may not have invited them to join tsū).
$100 of earned revenue is generated based on the content user D shared (photos, videos, status updates, etc.) Tsū takes 10% of the $100 for platform fees. In this case $10.
Revenue shared with users
90% of earned revenue go to the users. In this case, $90 of the $100 is shared with the users.
How the revenue is shared with the content creator.
David, the original content creator takes 50% of the $90. In this case, $45.
How the revenue is shared with the people who referred the content creator.
Charlotte gets 33.3% (1/3) of the original $90 generated. In this case, $29.70
Brian gets 11.1% (1/3 of 1/3 = 1/9) of the original $90 generated. In this case $9.99
Allison gets 3.70% (1/3 of 1/3 of 1/3 = 1/27) of the original $90 generated. In this case $3.33
The members of David's family tree preceeding Allison receive one-third of the remaining shared revenues (1.9%) until there are none left. This is what we call the rule of infinite thirds
What is the Family Tree and how does it work?
All users on tsū have their own Family Tree, which indicates the number of users they’ve brought to the platform and the overall network growth they’ve provided. When viewing the Family Tree, a user’s network is organized as such:
Children - All of the members you’ve directly invited to join tsū via your shortcode (username).
New Children - The newest members you’ve invited to join tsū via your shortcode (username).
Network - The overall members that stem from your invitations to join tsū. This includes anyone that has joined directly via your member shortcode (username), as well as the users that have joined one or more ‘generations’ away from your member shortcode (username). Please note, members who join directly through your shortcode are qualified as your ‘Children’, and the members your ‘Children’ invite are called your ‘GrandChildren’ and so on.
Friends - Other tsū members that are your friends. (You may or may not have invited them to join tsū).
Followers - The tsū members that Follow you. (You may or may not have invited them to join tsū).
The basic navigation for your account is shown below...
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Some helpful links are listed below...
You many need to be logged in to your account for some of the links to work properly.
You many need to be logged in to your account for some of the links to work properly.
http://www.tsu.co/jamesroguski <<<< CLICK TO JOIN TSU
https://www.tsu.co/hashtag/howtotsu #HowToTsu
Let's 'Face' it. In today's tech landscape, there's no bigger dog on the block thanFacebook. "King Mark" has built an empire so rich and so vast that if he thinks your little startup is going to cause him problems, he simply buys you out for more money than you, or your grandkids, or their grandkids, will ever need. Problem solved.
But, what if you're not for sale? What in the world does King Mark do if you have something really great, that has millions of users around the globe buzzing about its potential as being a "game-changer," and he can't have it? Simple. He blocks you.
Being blocked from Facebook in this day and age is the equivalent of being kicked off AT&T in the mid 70s. Which, if it happened, could create some problems.
What would you do if Facebook banished you tomorrow? How would you let the world know you were being blocked? You can't post it on Facebook. You can't do it on Instagram, either, as Facebook owns that, too. Forget about tweeting it. You're attempt at alerting the world to your plight will be buried in a second by 38,000 Kardashian retweets.
Facebook is the primary source of communication for over 1.5 billion people. So, the simple act of preventing its users from linking to anything having to do with your site will all but ensure your continuing anonymity.
However, if you're the founder of a startup site that currently ranks 11,372nd in popularity in the U.S., you'd think you're good, right? Wrong.
That's exactly what's happening to over 4.5 million users of Tsu.co - a Facebook with a conscience , whose founders believe users should be compensated for the content they create. That's so important, it's worth mentioning twice. Users should be compensated for the content they create.
This content/revenue stream comes from not only your page but from your network of users, i.e., friends you've invited to join and friends they've invited.
Think about all friends you told to join Facebook at the beginning. The posts you've shared, all the pages you've liked, and all the groups you've joined/started since creating your Facebook profile. Now, imagine how much revenue you've generated for Facebook. Now imagine how much you could have generated for yourself. Revenue that, with just a click of a mouse on Tsu, could be shared with the charity of your choice. No personal bank info needed.
I'm not going to get into a detailed explanation of the site's revenue model - there are dozens of pieces on Tsu's founder, Sebastian Sobczak, explaining how simply posting a link on the site can turn into dollars - except to say, think of Tsu as the social media version of Uber - just the business model, not the backlash. The site keeps 10% of ad revenue (which is derived through third party ads, partnerships and sponsors) and shares the other 90% with its users. Pretty neat, huh? That's just the tip of the iceberg.
Tsu's popularity is growing at quite an impressive pace. It registered over 3.5 million users in its first 6 months. Faster than both Facebook and Twitter. If that's not enough, due to its philanthropic mission statement, in just its first year, Tsu was chosen as the Media Partner of the Year by the Make A Wish Foundation.
To put it simply, according to Tsu's FAQ's page:
"Users should be compensated for their likeness, image and content. It's simple and it's the right thing to do."
I know a lot of musicians, artists, photographers, comedians, etc., who would probably agree. In fact, there are folks earning more from posting on Tsu than they do from their music streams.
Other areas where Tsu is taking Facebook on include:
Likes:
On Facebook, if you currently have a million 'likes,' only a fraction of those people can see your posts, as Facebook wants to entice you to "Boost" it by paying for it. Whereas, on Tsu, all your posts are visible to all who like your page.
Groups:
On Tsu, companies like Disney will be able to use their over 50 million followers to generate money for charity, as the site will automatically donate 5% to a charity of the group's choosing. Nothing like that at the moment on Facebook.
Search Bar/Analytics
One thing Facebook has sorely been missing is a search bar to quickly locate a piece you or your friend may have posted, without having to constantly hit the scroll bar. Tsu's platform has this, as well as detailed analytics on how many views your posts have received.
Data Sharing:
It's no secret anymore that Facebook willfully shares your data with every company under the sun. From Comcast to Chase, your browsing habits and web searches are tracked and monitored in perpetuity, which tilts the odds heavily in favor of any Facebook partner you may need to do business with, i.e. bank loans, mortgage rates, etc.
Compensating users for their content? Giving a percentage to charity? All this "crazy talk" is apparently starting to spook Facebook to the point where, over the past few weeks, links to anything mentioning the site, including pics containing only text, have been inexplicably erased from millions of Facebook's user's profiles.
Of course, Facebook is claiming Tsu is violating the terms of their API, a platform to platform sharing agreement, but according to Mr. Sobczak, it's just an excuse to attempt to legally justify the removal and subsequent blocking of the site from Facebook and its users. "If we are violating any type of technical or legal boundaries regarding Facebook's API, which we are not, we would see warnings on our dashboard - which we've never seen -, not to mention, we continue to receive messages that we are in compliance, all while we are being blocked," he says. "We've even been deleted from Facebook Messenger and we don't even integrate with that app."
Facebook isn't discriminating, either. According to Sobczak, they've deleted every mention of Tsu from 50 Cent's Facebook page with 38 million followers, as well as over 7,000 works of art posted by breast cancer survivor A Dog a Day. "These are independent posts shared by Facebook users without using an API and have nothing to do with Tsu," he says.
When I tried linking to Tsu on Facebook, I immediately got a warning saying it was an "unsafe link."
But, what if you're not for sale? What in the world does King Mark do if you have something really great, that has millions of users around the globe buzzing about its potential as being a "game-changer," and he can't have it? Simple. He blocks you.
Being blocked from Facebook in this day and age is the equivalent of being kicked off AT&T in the mid 70s. Which, if it happened, could create some problems.
What would you do if Facebook banished you tomorrow? How would you let the world know you were being blocked? You can't post it on Facebook. You can't do it on Instagram, either, as Facebook owns that, too. Forget about tweeting it. You're attempt at alerting the world to your plight will be buried in a second by 38,000 Kardashian retweets.
Facebook is the primary source of communication for over 1.5 billion people. So, the simple act of preventing its users from linking to anything having to do with your site will all but ensure your continuing anonymity.
However, if you're the founder of a startup site that currently ranks 11,372nd in popularity in the U.S., you'd think you're good, right? Wrong.
That's exactly what's happening to over 4.5 million users of Tsu.co - a Facebook with a conscience , whose founders believe users should be compensated for the content they create. That's so important, it's worth mentioning twice. Users should be compensated for the content they create.
This content/revenue stream comes from not only your page but from your network of users, i.e., friends you've invited to join and friends they've invited.
Think about all friends you told to join Facebook at the beginning. The posts you've shared, all the pages you've liked, and all the groups you've joined/started since creating your Facebook profile. Now, imagine how much revenue you've generated for Facebook. Now imagine how much you could have generated for yourself. Revenue that, with just a click of a mouse on Tsu, could be shared with the charity of your choice. No personal bank info needed.
I'm not going to get into a detailed explanation of the site's revenue model - there are dozens of pieces on Tsu's founder, Sebastian Sobczak, explaining how simply posting a link on the site can turn into dollars - except to say, think of Tsu as the social media version of Uber - just the business model, not the backlash. The site keeps 10% of ad revenue (which is derived through third party ads, partnerships and sponsors) and shares the other 90% with its users. Pretty neat, huh? That's just the tip of the iceberg.
Tsu's popularity is growing at quite an impressive pace. It registered over 3.5 million users in its first 6 months. Faster than both Facebook and Twitter. If that's not enough, due to its philanthropic mission statement, in just its first year, Tsu was chosen as the Media Partner of the Year by the Make A Wish Foundation.
To put it simply, according to Tsu's FAQ's page:
"Users should be compensated for their likeness, image and content. It's simple and it's the right thing to do."
I know a lot of musicians, artists, photographers, comedians, etc., who would probably agree. In fact, there are folks earning more from posting on Tsu than they do from their music streams.
Other areas where Tsu is taking Facebook on include:
Likes:
On Facebook, if you currently have a million 'likes,' only a fraction of those people can see your posts, as Facebook wants to entice you to "Boost" it by paying for it. Whereas, on Tsu, all your posts are visible to all who like your page.
Groups:
On Tsu, companies like Disney will be able to use their over 50 million followers to generate money for charity, as the site will automatically donate 5% to a charity of the group's choosing. Nothing like that at the moment on Facebook.
Search Bar/Analytics
One thing Facebook has sorely been missing is a search bar to quickly locate a piece you or your friend may have posted, without having to constantly hit the scroll bar. Tsu's platform has this, as well as detailed analytics on how many views your posts have received.
Data Sharing:
It's no secret anymore that Facebook willfully shares your data with every company under the sun. From Comcast to Chase, your browsing habits and web searches are tracked and monitored in perpetuity, which tilts the odds heavily in favor of any Facebook partner you may need to do business with, i.e. bank loans, mortgage rates, etc.
Compensating users for their content? Giving a percentage to charity? All this "crazy talk" is apparently starting to spook Facebook to the point where, over the past few weeks, links to anything mentioning the site, including pics containing only text, have been inexplicably erased from millions of Facebook's user's profiles.
Of course, Facebook is claiming Tsu is violating the terms of their API, a platform to platform sharing agreement, but according to Mr. Sobczak, it's just an excuse to attempt to legally justify the removal and subsequent blocking of the site from Facebook and its users. "If we are violating any type of technical or legal boundaries regarding Facebook's API, which we are not, we would see warnings on our dashboard - which we've never seen -, not to mention, we continue to receive messages that we are in compliance, all while we are being blocked," he says. "We've even been deleted from Facebook Messenger and we don't even integrate with that app."
Facebook isn't discriminating, either. According to Sobczak, they've deleted every mention of Tsu from 50 Cent's Facebook page with 38 million followers, as well as over 7,000 works of art posted by breast cancer survivor A Dog a Day. "These are independent posts shared by Facebook users without using an API and have nothing to do with Tsu," he says.
When I tried linking to Tsu on Facebook, I immediately got a warning saying it was an "unsafe link."
Log in to Facebook, create a post, and type in “Tsu.co.” Facebook will censor the link on all its platforms. That means facebook.com, as well as Messenger, Instagram, and the Facebook apps for iOS and Android.
Facebook did something a lot scarier, too. The retroactively censored over a million Facebook posts which mentioned Tsu.co. So those Facebook posts, and associated images, videos, or comments? All deleted by Facebook. Gone.
The word "Tsu," which is a competing social network, is okay. But "Tsu.co," or any links from the domain, are automatically censored.
Facebook is a gigantic censorship-happy bully that wants to kill off competitors, says Tsu. Tsu is a new social network, and so far it's small. Tsu has around 4 million users, Facebook has 1.4 billion and climbing. Unlike Facebook, Tsu promises to share advertising revenue with users. "We're persona non grata," Tsu founder Sebastian Sobczak said. "You can type in all sorts of seedy websites, and you can get to them. But not us. We don't exist."
Could Facebook decide that linking to Twitter, Tumblr, Vine, DeviantArt, Behance, eBay, Etsy, or anything else isn't okay on their platform? Could Facebook blacklist news organizations or political speech that is not in their interests, and censor that material? Could Facebook block content that mentions Black Lives Matter, Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning, Barrett Brown, the names of innocent people the government knows are innocent who are locked up at Guantanamo Bay without trial and without hope of release? Yep. Sure it could.
Facebook did something a lot scarier, too. The retroactively censored over a million Facebook posts which mentioned Tsu.co. So those Facebook posts, and associated images, videos, or comments? All deleted by Facebook. Gone.
The word "Tsu," which is a competing social network, is okay. But "Tsu.co," or any links from the domain, are automatically censored.
Facebook is a gigantic censorship-happy bully that wants to kill off competitors, says Tsu. Tsu is a new social network, and so far it's small. Tsu has around 4 million users, Facebook has 1.4 billion and climbing. Unlike Facebook, Tsu promises to share advertising revenue with users. "We're persona non grata," Tsu founder Sebastian Sobczak said. "You can type in all sorts of seedy websites, and you can get to them. But not us. We don't exist."
Could Facebook decide that linking to Twitter, Tumblr, Vine, DeviantArt, Behance, eBay, Etsy, or anything else isn't okay on their platform? Could Facebook blacklist news organizations or political speech that is not in their interests, and censor that material? Could Facebook block content that mentions Black Lives Matter, Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning, Barrett Brown, the names of innocent people the government knows are innocent who are locked up at Guantanamo Bay without trial and without hope of release? Yep. Sure it could.
There's a new social media platform out there — but Facebook has blocked all mention of it. Try typing the name Tsu.co into Facebook, Messenger or Instagram and you'll find that you can't.
Tsu, a competing social network with about 4.5 million users, launched in 2014 with a new view of social media in mind. On Tsu, users can earn money based on advertising revenue sharing. It's a business model that's not all that different than YouTube.
Nonetheless, on September 25, 2016 Facebook blocked all users from mentioning Tsu.co. Try messaging a friend about tsu.co and you'll get an alert: "The content you're trying to share includes a link that our security systems detected to be unsafe."
Tsu, a competing social network with about 4.5 million users, launched in 2014 with a new view of social media in mind. On Tsu, users can earn money based on advertising revenue sharing. It's a business model that's not all that different than YouTube.
Nonetheless, on September 25, 2016 Facebook blocked all users from mentioning Tsu.co. Try messaging a friend about tsu.co and you'll get an alert: "The content you're trying to share includes a link that our security systems detected to be unsafe."
FACEBOOK
This is the message Facebook users get if they try to post links to Tsu.
This is the message Facebook users get if they try to post links to Tsu.
"You can post PornHub links on Facebook, but not Tsu.co," Tsu founder Sebastian Sobczak told the Daily News. On top of that, Facebook went back and deleted about 10 million posts referencing Tsu.
While some of the posts were cross-posted between Facebook and Tsu, about 80% were native to Facebook. For instance, if a user posted content — like a picture or video — and included links to their other social media accounts, that post has now vanished if one of those profiles was on Tsu.
While some of the posts were cross-posted between Facebook and Tsu, about 80% were native to Facebook. For instance, if a user posted content — like a picture or video — and included links to their other social media accounts, that post has now vanished if one of those profiles was on Tsu.
Sometimes, Sobczak said, even links to media coverage about Tsu get blocked.
"We have the same model that YouTube does," he said. "We want the same rights as YouTube. We have a model that is efficient and dangerous to them."
It may seem like Facebook is just trying to stamp out competing platforms, but the social media giant says that's not the case. According to Facebook, financially incentivized content violates the company's Platform Policy. "We do not allow developers to incentivize content sharing on our platform because it encourages spammy sharing and creates a bad experience for people on Facebook," said Facebook spokesperson Melanie Ensign.
Sobczak sees it a little differently. He thinks it's about squashing the competition. "We have a model that is efficient and dangerous to them," he said.
"We have the same model that YouTube does," he said. "We want the same rights as YouTube. We have a model that is efficient and dangerous to them."
It may seem like Facebook is just trying to stamp out competing platforms, but the social media giant says that's not the case. According to Facebook, financially incentivized content violates the company's Platform Policy. "We do not allow developers to incentivize content sharing on our platform because it encourages spammy sharing and creates a bad experience for people on Facebook," said Facebook spokesperson Melanie Ensign.
Sobczak sees it a little differently. He thinks it's about squashing the competition. "We have a model that is efficient and dangerous to them," he said.
TSU IS A new social network that promises to pay its users for posting content to its site. But if want to share your Tsu profile with your Facebook friends, too bad. Facebook is blocking all mentions of “Tsu.co,” the company’s web address. You can’t share a post to a Facebook feed, leave an Instagram comment or send a Facebook Messenger message containing the URL. Tsu’s CEO claims Facebook went so far as to retroactively remove any mention of the site from its archives.
You can’t even share news stories about Tsu, something Xeni Jardin, who wrote about the situation for Boing Boing, discovered Friday when she couldn’t share the story to her own Facebook feed. On Monday, Tech News Today covered Facebook’s ban on all things Tsu.co, and just like the Boing Boing story, readers soon found themselves unable to share it on Facebook.
On first glance it looks like a conspiracy to keep an upstart social network down. But the situation is far more complicated.
Tsu promises to pay users a percentage of its advertising revenue. But it doesn’t base those payouts merely on the number of times someone views your content. It also offers you a cut of the revenue generated by content posted by people you refer to the site. CEO Sebastian Sobczak says the idea is to pay users for the content they post and reward them for helping build the network.
But this model also means users are incentivized to share links to the site not just to increase page views, but to attract new users. That sounds a lot like multi-level marketing, and it’s not hard to imagine people taking advantage of the system. It’s not surprising then that Facebook might flag the site for spam, especially if the number of people posting spam far outnumbered the legitimate posts.
As of Tuesday evening we still couldn’t share the Boing Boing and Tech News Today stories on Facebook without getting an error, but several other stories about Facebook blocking links to Tsu were allowed, so it’s clear that Facebook isn’t blocking all news coverage of the site. As of Wednesday morning, it’s possible to share the two stories on Facebook again.
Facebook is within its rights to prevent spam, but its scorched-earth policy of retroactively removing posts seems overkill. Either way, the company’s decision underscores the power that Facebook has over what users can or can’t see. Run afoul of Facebook’s spam algorithms, even accidentally, and you can be practically disappeared from the web.
The Question of Ownership
For its part, Facebook says it blocked Tsu because it violated the company’s policies. “We require all websites and apps that integrate with Facebook to follow our Platform Policy,” Facebook spokeswoman Melanie Ensign told WIRED. “We do not allow developers to incentivize content sharing on our platform because it encourages spammy sharing and creates a bad experience for people on Facebook.”
She said she wasn’t aware of errors when sharing Boing Boing and Tech News Daily stories, but said someone probably flagged those links as spam separately from Tsu and the engineering team will look into it.
Facebook, however, has offered to unblock Tsu if the company disables the ability to automatically share posts from Tsu to Facebook. “Our automated systems flagged your app for producing spam on our Platform,” a Facebook engineer wrote in an email to Tsu, which provided it to WIRED. “Our investigation found your app is incentivizing people to share content to both tsu and Facebook concurrently.”
'We would just like to be treated equally and fairly.'
SEBASTIAN SOBCZAK, TSU CEO
“In order to come into compliance with this policy, we ask that you remove your app’s ability to share to Facebook,” the email read. “Let us know when you remove this functionality and we will lift the restriction.”
Sobczak says the company has no plans to remove the app’s ability to post to Facebook. “We would just like to be treated equally and fairly,” he says. “We maintain we do not violate any of their terms and conditions.”
Sobczak argues that the analytics dashboard Facebook offers to developers suggested that Tsu had a lower-than-average spam rate compared to other apps. He also doesn’t understand why getting flagged for spam would prompt the removal of old posts containing links to Tsu. And he argues that Tsu doesn’t actively incentivize users to post to Facebook, because Tsu users are paid only if someone visits their Tsu page. They aren’t paid simply for posting content to Facebook. In that sense, he argues, the service is similar to sites like YouTube, which offer revenue sharing to content creators.
Facebook declined to clarify just how it flagged Tsu for spam; why it blocked all links to Tsu.co instead of simply blocking the app; or why it aruges that Tsu is “incentivizing” sharing but YouTube isn’t. Note, however, that YouTube removed the option to automatically post newly uploaded videos to Facebook in April.
Sobczak says he believes Facebook is blocking links to Tsu because it sees Tsu as a threat to its business model. “Their model is based on taking other people’s content, wrapping ads around it,” he says. “What’s making Facebook worry, it’s not that we’re so big, it’s the growth rate, and the philosophy that there’s a better way to do things, a model where the content owners have complete ownership.”
But the idea that Facebook feels threatened by Tsu seems unlikely. Facebook allows links from many other competitors, including Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest and Ello. It also allows users to post links to social networks that promise to pay users to post, such as Bubblews. And the idea of sharing revenue with users is hardly a revolutionary. The model has been tried as far back as the mid-1990s by companies like the defunct Suite101, but it didn’t stop the rise of sites like Wikipedia, LiveJournal and, eventually, Facebook, which invited users to post content for free. The idea of sharing wealth with users, however great it may be, is probably not keeping Mark Zuckerberg up at night.
Regardless of its reasons, the fact remains that Facebook did prevent people from sharing content that didn’t violate its terms of service, including news stories and non-spam Tsu links posted manually.
Much has been made in recent month’s of Facebook’s increasing control over what we see online. Publishers depend upon Facebook to get their articles seen by their readers, and questions abound about what that’s going to mean for the future of journalism. For example, what will happen if journalists use the company’s Instant Articles program to publish pieces critical of Internet.org or the company’s political lobbying or the Instant Articles program itself? Will publishers that aren’t part of the Instant Articles program still be able to find an audience at all?
This power affects more than just journalists and activists. Facebook also is one of the primary platforms for getting word out about new apps, startups, and businesses of all types. To be banned from the platform could mean doom. That’s an even bigger concern in developing countries where Facebook’s Internet.org acts a sort of gatekeeper for the mobile internet. Although some have proposed regulating Google like a public utility, the Federal Communications Commission’s new network neutrality regulations, which require Internet service providers to treat all traffic equally, will have no bearing on the likes of Google and Facebook, even as they amass more power to control what we see and do on the web.
Tsu will likely get more attention thanks to this snafu than it would have otherwise. If you can read this article, it means something is going right. But it could all go wrong in a hurry if we’re not vigilant.
Try mentioning the social media website Tsu.co on Facebook or Instagram -- or even in a private conversation on Facebook Messenger. It won't work.Facebook (FB, Tech30) is blocking any link to Tsu.co on every platform it owns, including Messenger and Instagram. It even went back and deleted more than 1 million Facebook posts that ever mentioned Tsu.co, making pictures, videos and comments disappear in an instant.
You can type the name "Tsu," but you'll be blocked if you write "Tsu.co" or post any link from the site. Facebook claims Tsu links are spam that are annoying the community. Tsu thinks Facebook is a bully trying to kill off competition.
"We're persona non grata," said Sebastian Sobczak, who founded Tsu. "You can type in all sorts of seedy websites, and you can get to them. But not us. We don't exist."
It's blocked on Facebook Messenger. Note how none of the messages goes through.
You can type the name "Tsu," but you'll be blocked if you write "Tsu.co" or post any link from the site. Facebook claims Tsu links are spam that are annoying the community. Tsu thinks Facebook is a bully trying to kill off competition.
"We're persona non grata," said Sebastian Sobczak, who founded Tsu. "You can type in all sorts of seedy websites, and you can get to them. But not us. We don't exist."
It's blocked on Facebook Messenger. Note how none of the messages goes through.
Tsu is a tiny new social network that claims to share its advertising revenue with its users. Unlike most social media sites, including Facebook, which keep 100% of the profit from the ads displayed on your page, Tsu only keeps 10%. You keep 45%. The chain of friends that invited you to Tsu split the rest.
That means there's a financial incentive to post on Tsu, invite people to Tsu, and direct people to your Tsu page. There's even incentive to send people to the Tsu pages of the folks who you brought into the Tsu network.
Your Facebook feed could easily be flooded with Tsu.co links.
And that's exactly what Facebook has encountered. Tsu users were creating fake accounts to boost their pages. Facebook says its users started reporting Tsu.co links as spam, which Facebook defines as "sending bulk messages, excessively posting links ... and sending friend requests to people you don't know personally."
On September 25, Facebook cut off Tsu.co completely.
Tsu said it had been receiving a decent amount of traffic from Facebook, averaging more than 2,534 visits a day. When that dropped to zero, Tsu appealed to Facebook, arguing that it didn't violate Facebook's terms of service, because it did not pay users to push content to Facebook.
It didn't work.
Facebook says it will unblock Tsu if it changes just one thing: Tsu users shouldn't be able to simultaneously post to Tsu and Facebook.
"We do not allow developers to incentivize content sharing on our platform because it encourages spammy sharing," said Melanie Ensign, a Facebook spokesperson.
CNNMoney spoke to a dozen Tsu users. Most are photographers, models and other artists drawn to what they say is Tsu's more equitable pay-for-content program. Most of them haven't made a dime yet. But they feel this Facebook block is unfair.
Here's what happens when you post any mention of Tsu.co publicly on Facebook:
Claudia Everest is a 47-year-old cancer survivor living in northern England. To pass the time during chemotherapy, she started A Dog A Day, drawing 25 dogs every day and selling her work from home. She's furious that Facebook deleted every post in which she ever mentioned Tsu.co -- 7,500 by her estimate.
"Facebook either completely removed or labeled them as malicious content," she said. "If you take a look at my cartoons I think you will agree that the idea that my work is malicious is laughable."
Carolina Franco, a 28-year-old model in Colombia, thinks Facebook's strategy is an attempt to keep its users from flocking to a competitor.
"Very few people even know about Tsu," she said. "I don't believe that Facebook and Instagram want Tsu to go viral. it would cost them a lot of money."
Tsū (social network)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Tsu (social network))
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the social networking service. For the Japanese aesthetic, see Iki (aesthetics).
Tsū
Type
Private
Founded
July 1, 2013
(2 years ago)
Headquarters
New York City, New York, US
Area served
Worldwide
Founder(s)
Key people
Sebastian Sobczak
(CEO)
Drew Ginsburg
(VP Business Development)
Industry
Internet
Website
www.tsu.co
Written in
Ruby, Redis, and Cassandra
Alexa rank
Global 4,256 (As of 11 November 2015).[1]
Type of site
Social networking service
Available in
English
Current status
Active
Tsū is an online social networking service founded in 2013. Tsū was created by Evacuation Complete, LLC, a Texas corporation, which was founded on February 7, 2008.[2] Founders of Evacuation Complete are Sebastian Sobczak, Drew Ginsburg, and Thibault Boullenger,[3] and the site is headquartered in New York City. Tsū is open to new users via invite.[4]
Like Facebook, after registering to use the site, users may create a personal profile, add other users as friends, exchange messages, post status updates and photos, and receive notifications when others update their profiles.[4] Tsu differentiates itself from competitors by allowing its users to maintain ownership of the content they post.[5]
The inspiration for Tsū came from the story of Ed O'Bannon, the lead plaintiff in O'Bannon v. NCAA, an antitrust class action lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association regarding the association's use of the images of former student athletes for commercial purposes.[6] Its name is said to come from the appreciation of the Japanese aesthetic, although there are crucial differences between the Iki aesthetic and Tsū. The Japanese writing of Tsū is used as the smiley logo.
Tsū has been compared extensively to Ello, a contemporary social network that rejects selling user data as a product; Tsu's approach is to instead embrace the user as a product, and to sell data to advertisers and share the profits with the users as compensation.[7] This approach appears to give the service some of the characteristics of a Multi Level Marketing strategy.
In September 2015, Facebook banned any mention of Tsū from its platforms,[8] saying that Facebook users had been reporting it as spam.[9] Tsū speculated that this move may have been motivated by fear of competition.[9]
References[edit]
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Tsu (social network))
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the social networking service. For the Japanese aesthetic, see Iki (aesthetics).
Tsū
Type
Private
Founded
July 1, 2013
(2 years ago)
Headquarters
New York City, New York, US
Area served
Worldwide
Founder(s)
- Sebastian Sobczak
- Drew Ginsburg
- Thibault Boullenger
Key people
Sebastian Sobczak
(CEO)
Drew Ginsburg
(VP Business Development)
Industry
Internet
Website
www.tsu.co
Written in
Ruby, Redis, and Cassandra
Alexa rank
Global 4,256 (As of 11 November 2015).[1]
Type of site
Social networking service
Available in
English
Current status
Active
Tsū is an online social networking service founded in 2013. Tsū was created by Evacuation Complete, LLC, a Texas corporation, which was founded on February 7, 2008.[2] Founders of Evacuation Complete are Sebastian Sobczak, Drew Ginsburg, and Thibault Boullenger,[3] and the site is headquartered in New York City. Tsū is open to new users via invite.[4]
Like Facebook, after registering to use the site, users may create a personal profile, add other users as friends, exchange messages, post status updates and photos, and receive notifications when others update their profiles.[4] Tsu differentiates itself from competitors by allowing its users to maintain ownership of the content they post.[5]
The inspiration for Tsū came from the story of Ed O'Bannon, the lead plaintiff in O'Bannon v. NCAA, an antitrust class action lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association regarding the association's use of the images of former student athletes for commercial purposes.[6] Its name is said to come from the appreciation of the Japanese aesthetic, although there are crucial differences between the Iki aesthetic and Tsū. The Japanese writing of Tsū is used as the smiley logo.
Tsū has been compared extensively to Ello, a contemporary social network that rejects selling user data as a product; Tsu's approach is to instead embrace the user as a product, and to sell data to advertisers and share the profits with the users as compensation.[7] This approach appears to give the service some of the characteristics of a Multi Level Marketing strategy.
In September 2015, Facebook banned any mention of Tsū from its platforms,[8] saying that Facebook users had been reporting it as spam.[9] Tsū speculated that this move may have been motivated by fear of competition.[9]
References[edit]
- Jump up
^ "Tsu.co Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved November 11, 2015. - Jump up
^ "Evacuation Complete LLC DALLAS, TX Wysk Company Profile". wysk.com. - Jump up
^ "tsū". angel.co. - ^ Jump up to:
a b "tsū". tsu.co. - Jump up
^ "Exclusive: Tsū Launches as First Social & Payment Platform Where Users Own Their Content". Billboard. - Jump up
^ The Social Network That Pays You to Friend, Opinion Pages, The New York Times - Jump up
^ "Ello & Tsu: Are The New Me-Too Social Networks For Marketers?". Marketing Land. October 30, 2014. - Jump up
^ "Facebook is censoring links to competitor social network Tsu and deleting old mentions". Boing Boing. - ^ Jump up to:
a b Jose Pagliery (November 5, 2015). "Facebook won't let you type this". CNNMoney.
Sample email that you might receive if someone invited you to Tsu:
Here are a few helpful tips for success on tsū:
Tsū is not a place to make ‘quick money.’ Tsū is a place where the value you create remains yours.You create value in two ways:
Tsū is not a place to make ‘quick money.’ Tsū is a place where the value you create remains yours.You create value in two ways:
- Posting very good original content
- Bringing others to the platform who do the same (no google images)
This advice usually applies to Facebook and YouTube as well as countless other social media channels. What is really interesting is the contrast you see when you try to apply the average TSU Tips to something like #Reddit where the exact opposite seems to be true. Here check this out.
On Reddit and other social networks
Doesn't this sound like the exact opposite of a TSU tips post?
But you might be thinking that Reddit does not allow you to monetize content. Basically the way it works is you post pictures of cute puppies and kittens until you have around 10k karma then sell the account to advertising agencies who then have people pose as the original poster.
On Reddit and other social networks
- Self promotion is heavily discouraged.
- You are immediately branded a shill for approving of anything you are not officially promoting. (This doesn't even make sense, I call it shill shock)
- You are instead rewarded only for posting other peoples content, often gaining credit without even being required to cite the original author.
- Moderators prevent you from posting anything that might be out of line with the narrative they are meant to post.
- You are punished for having an identity. In fact most Reddit users prefer to remain anonymous but that is a more complex topic.
Doesn't this sound like the exact opposite of a TSU tips post?
But you might be thinking that Reddit does not allow you to monetize content. Basically the way it works is you post pictures of cute puppies and kittens until you have around 10k karma then sell the account to advertising agencies who then have people pose as the original poster.
You can earn money by contributing to the quality of the tsu community. Creating authentic content, sharing with true friends and liking or commenting selectively are great ways to earn your fair share of revenue.
To ensure a safe and authentic community, we prohibit users from earning money through illegitimate means:
To ensure a safe and authentic community, we prohibit users from earning money through illegitimate means:
- Any attempt to game the system or impersonate others
- Spam, such as begging for follows, aggressive hashtagging, posting on strangers' walls
- Inappropriate content, including violent, discriminatory, unlawful, hateful, sexually explicit or pornographic material
Yes. We understand many users are as excited as we are about tsu! While we certainly encourage users to grow their audiences through original content and earnest engagement, we do not allow spamming (e.g., follow me/follow you language, aggressive hashtagging, irrelevant commenting, etc) as a means to gain more followers. To keep tsu an awesome community for authentic engagement, there are some limits to the amount of interaction users can have from their profile.
- 45 Posts per day
- 15 of those 45 posts can be shares (If you don’t share anything, you get 45 posts)
- 50 Pending Friend Requests at any time
- Follow 1000 people (total)
Settings
General
Profile
Social Accounts
Invitations
Privacy
Notifications
FAQ
IMPORTANT NOTIFICATION:tsu.co is a community for authentic engagement. Please treat it respectfully. Users who spam or post inappropriate content will be banned in order to preserve the community.
FAQ
What is tsū?
tsū is a free social network and payment platform that shares up to 90% of revenues with its users.
(tsū is pronounced ‘Sue’)
How is tsū different?
1. Ownership - We believe in real ownership, which only exists when users own the rights to their content and the economics that come with it. Users should be compensated for their likeness, image and content. It’s simple and it’s the right thing to do.
2. Access - We share social revenues with everyone, for any type of content, size of network or level of influence. Using tsū requires nothing more than what you already do on other social media platforms today.
3. Empowerment - Our model is global, scalable, and designed to empower the user. For the first time every user can be a content creator earning royalties in perpetuity.
How does tsū work?
tsū shares social revenues that come from third party ads, sponsorships and partnerships. Once economics are created, tsū receives 10% to maintain the platform. Half of the remaining earned revenue is paid to the user who created the content. The other half of the remaining earned revenue is distributed to the user’s network Family Tree. Users on tsū monetize their content and network in perpetuity, which continues to grow alongside the community.
How do I join tsū?
New members can only join tsū by user invitation (via member shortcodes.) Our invite-only system enables us to track and distribute network value to the users who help tsū grow.
The content I share has value?
Yes, as a user on social media platforms, your content and interactions are valuable. On tsū, you will get paid for your content. Half of your earned revenue is in the form of royalties generated by the content you post. Sharing content on tsū is as simple as any other social platform. Sign up, post your status, photos, or videos to your page, and engage with your friends as little or as often as you’d like.
My network has value?
Yes, your network is also valuable. The other half of your earned revenue on tsū comes from the growth and activity of your personal social network. One third of all users’ content-generated revenue is passed up to the person that directly invited them to join tsū. A third of the remaining shared revenue will then go to the person that invited that user, and so on. The generations of users in your personal network are a part of what we call your Family Tree. To learn more about the algorithm that tsu uses to distribute network value, visit: What is the tsu Algorithm?
What is the tsū Algorithm?
Tsū’s algorithm automatically tracks, measures, and distributes revenue to the appropriate user and their Family Tree. At a high level, 90% of revenues are distributed to users. To maintain the platform, tsū receives 10%. To see how this breaks down, let’s take a look at 4 users, all with varying start dates on tsū:
User A invites user B, who invites user C, who invites user DPart 1
- $100 of earned revenue is generated based on the content user D shared (photos, videos, status updates, etc.)
Part 2
- 90% of earned revenue go to the users. In this case, $90 of the $100 is shared with all the users.
- tsū takes 10% of the $100 for platform fees. In this case $10.
Part 3
- User D, the original content creator takes 50% of the $90. In this case, $45.
- User C gets 33.3% (1/3) of the original $90 generated. In this case, $29.70
- User B gets 11.1% (1/3 of 1/3 = 1/9) of the original $90 generated. In this case $9.99
- User A gets 3.70% (1/3 of 1/3 of 1/3 = 1/27) of the original $90 generated. In this case $3.33
- This is what we call the rule of infinite thirds
CREATE AND PUBLISH CONTENT
CONTENT GUIDELINES
tsu is a community where people come to connect and share their valuable content; stories, feelings, thoughts and ideas. It is our priority to keep tsu a safe place while promoting original content and authentic engagement. To balance the needs of a diverse community, we have created these guidelines to keep in mind when contributing on tsu. tsu upholds freedom of speech to the highest degree possible until it infringes on the rights of others to a safe environment.
Spamming: tsu.co is a community for authentic engagement. While we certainly encourage users to grow their audiences through original content and earnest engagement, we do not allow spamming (e.g., follow me/follow you language, aggressive hashtagging or mentioning, irrelevant commenting, etc) as a means to gain more followers or views on posts.
Graphic Content: tsu is a place where people exchange ideas and experiences. Sometimes these contain graphic language or imagery as a means of raising awareness and to condemn it. Graphic content that is shared for sadistic effect is not welcome on tsu. We ask that you be mindful of your audience when posting and warn potential viewers of offensive or graphic content.
Harassment: tsu does not permit the direct abuse of private individuals. Harassment can be unwelcome and repeated messaging, threats, attacks or any other behavior on tsu carried out in a manner likely to cause annoyance, alarm, or a reasonable fear of physical injury.
Hate Speech: Any content that incites violence or promotes prejudice or hatred toward a protected group is not permitted. We invite you to challenge the status quo as it pertains to ideas and practices. Criticism of a nation, policy, or belief system is generally acceptable, however, speech or imagery that encourages violence or discrimination against a protected group is not tolerated.
Protected groups include but are not limited to: race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity
Identity and Privacy: tsu is a place for users to build and monetize their online social network and identity. An account may be of an individual, a business, or a charity. Authenticity is essential. Impersonating a business, organization, or another person is prohibited. Users should keep their account login credentials private. Do not provide your username and password to anyone or any site other than tsu.co.
Intellectual Property: tsu promotes and rewards original content creators. Violating copyright law by posting someone else’s content without their permission is against the tsu terms and illegal. Some of the highest quality and most engaging content is your own. Whether it’s a photo of your dog wearing sunglasses, your favorite spot in town, or your grandpa’s 80th birthday; your friends and followers are here to get to know you. If you have a camera-phone, you’re a creator! We hope you will be inspired to show us what you can do.
We take content ownership very seriously at tsu. Please be sure that you have the right to share content with respect to copyrights, trademarks and other legal rights before doing so.
Nudity: Pornographic or sexually explicit content is not allowed on tsu. While we strive to respect the sharing of personal content, we do impose and enforce limitations on nudity. You should find the degree to which this content is allowed consistent with other platforms.
Self-Harm: tsu removes any content that refers positively to self-harm, including but not limited to self-mutilation, use of hard drugs, or eating disorders.
Violent Content: The safety of the community is priority No. 1. Coordinating acts of real-world violence and/or making real threats is strictly prohibited. Inciting or lauding acts that result in physical or financial threats is not allowed. tsu does not allow the presence of organizations with records of violent criminal or terrorist activities on our site. Any content found in violation of our terms of service will be removed. In cases where we believe there to be a legitimate risk of physical abuse or threat to public safety, law enforcement may be notified.
Reporting Activity: We ask users to help us maintain a safe and inviting community by reporting posts and users who break the rules. If you believe something violates our terms, tell us about it. You can click “more” and “Report” on any post to bring it to our attention. Our team will review and take appropriate action. Also, you can email us at support@tsu.co to provide more detail.
I got an error, "Something in your post is not allowed…"
To prevent spam, certain types of web links and phrases are not allowed in a post. Below are some examples of posts that would cause this error.
Contest Guidelines
How do I complete my profile info?
To complete your profile information, click on your profile picture on the upper right and choose Settings.
Once you are in the Settings screen, you will be able to fill out fields pertaining to your general settings, profile, social accounts, invitations, finding friends, privacy and notifications.
How do I publish content?
Every user can publish their content (photos, text, links, emoticons, etc.) by pressing the create button in the upper portion of your screen. To post a video, copy and paste the embed URL into the content creation box.
Press ‘Post’ to publish. Select the icons of your favorite social accounts to share your content to those platforms.
How do I share a weblink?
Copy the link you want to share, select the preview picture for the link using the arrow buttons and press ‘Post’ to publish.
Who can see my content, and how do I manage content visibility?
When posting content to tsū, you have the option of two visibility settings. ‘Public’ means that your Friends and Followers can both view your post. ‘Friends Only’ restricts visibility from Followers. You can select your preference to the left of the ‘Post’ button. We do not yet have ‘Private’ or ‘Restricted’ options to control content visibility to Friends.
For more privacy options, go to your Settings Page.
What are hashtags and how do I use them?
A hashtag (#) is a symbol that can be added as a prefix to any word when commenting or posting. The ‘#’ symbol ensures that whatever characters follow it are letter-for-letter inserted into a searchable database sorted by the exact lettering following the hashtag. Hashtags are commonly used to indicate key categories related to a post (e.g. #NewYorkCity), when a user wants to contribute to a trending subject (e.g. #Equality), or when users want to share their content related to a specific event or happening (e.g. #MetGala).
tsū displays the top trending hashtags in the upper right corner of a the ‘Feed’. Users can also search for specific topics of interest by entering hashtagged terms in the Search tool found on the upper left side of the navigation bar.
How do I delete content?
When using a computer: On the bottom of any post, click ‘More’ and then press ‘Remove’ to delete a post.
On mobile apps: Content can be removed by clicking on the vertical three dots located at the bottom right of the post. A menu appears and you can press ‘Delete Post’ to delete the post.
You can’t delete content posted by other people unless it’s posted directly to your profile page.
How do I increase my content’s visibility?
Quality content through social networks always generate strong engagement while helping you discover and be discovered by the community. Tsū’s community is made up of all different types of people ranging from artists, chefs, photographers to college sport fans. With quality content, hashtags also help your content to be discovered. Keep the hashtags relevant to the content you share.
Focus on quality content. Quality content is always fresh, unique and provides some value back to the community. We’ve seen this through memes, photos, videos and even status updates. Complete your profile, share some content, and be ready to engage with the community as they share interact with you.
How do I search for content?
On the upper left of the navigation pane, there is a little magnifying glass icon and an empty space representing the area in which you can request to search for a user by first or last name, by profile name or one can search for hashtags. The following screen shots are examples of how to use search on the web (which autopopulates the search bar when you type) and the mobile apps (which requires a user to type and press enter prior to the search query).
Are there limits to how much I can post on tsu?
Yes. We understand many users are as excited as we are about tsu! While we certainly encourage users to grow their audiences through original content and earnest engagement, we do not allow spamming (e.g., follow me/follow you language, aggressive hashtagging, irrelevant commenting, etc) as a means to gain more followers. To keep tsu an awesome community for authentic engagement, there are some limits to the amount of interaction users can have from their profile.
CONTENT GUIDELINES
tsu is a community where people come to connect and share their valuable content; stories, feelings, thoughts and ideas. It is our priority to keep tsu a safe place while promoting original content and authentic engagement. To balance the needs of a diverse community, we have created these guidelines to keep in mind when contributing on tsu. tsu upholds freedom of speech to the highest degree possible until it infringes on the rights of others to a safe environment.
Spamming: tsu.co is a community for authentic engagement. While we certainly encourage users to grow their audiences through original content and earnest engagement, we do not allow spamming (e.g., follow me/follow you language, aggressive hashtagging or mentioning, irrelevant commenting, etc) as a means to gain more followers or views on posts.
Graphic Content: tsu is a place where people exchange ideas and experiences. Sometimes these contain graphic language or imagery as a means of raising awareness and to condemn it. Graphic content that is shared for sadistic effect is not welcome on tsu. We ask that you be mindful of your audience when posting and warn potential viewers of offensive or graphic content.
Harassment: tsu does not permit the direct abuse of private individuals. Harassment can be unwelcome and repeated messaging, threats, attacks or any other behavior on tsu carried out in a manner likely to cause annoyance, alarm, or a reasonable fear of physical injury.
Hate Speech: Any content that incites violence or promotes prejudice or hatred toward a protected group is not permitted. We invite you to challenge the status quo as it pertains to ideas and practices. Criticism of a nation, policy, or belief system is generally acceptable, however, speech or imagery that encourages violence or discrimination against a protected group is not tolerated.
Protected groups include but are not limited to: race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity
Identity and Privacy: tsu is a place for users to build and monetize their online social network and identity. An account may be of an individual, a business, or a charity. Authenticity is essential. Impersonating a business, organization, or another person is prohibited. Users should keep their account login credentials private. Do not provide your username and password to anyone or any site other than tsu.co.
Intellectual Property: tsu promotes and rewards original content creators. Violating copyright law by posting someone else’s content without their permission is against the tsu terms and illegal. Some of the highest quality and most engaging content is your own. Whether it’s a photo of your dog wearing sunglasses, your favorite spot in town, or your grandpa’s 80th birthday; your friends and followers are here to get to know you. If you have a camera-phone, you’re a creator! We hope you will be inspired to show us what you can do.
We take content ownership very seriously at tsu. Please be sure that you have the right to share content with respect to copyrights, trademarks and other legal rights before doing so.
Nudity: Pornographic or sexually explicit content is not allowed on tsu. While we strive to respect the sharing of personal content, we do impose and enforce limitations on nudity. You should find the degree to which this content is allowed consistent with other platforms.
Self-Harm: tsu removes any content that refers positively to self-harm, including but not limited to self-mutilation, use of hard drugs, or eating disorders.
Violent Content: The safety of the community is priority No. 1. Coordinating acts of real-world violence and/or making real threats is strictly prohibited. Inciting or lauding acts that result in physical or financial threats is not allowed. tsu does not allow the presence of organizations with records of violent criminal or terrorist activities on our site. Any content found in violation of our terms of service will be removed. In cases where we believe there to be a legitimate risk of physical abuse or threat to public safety, law enforcement may be notified.
Reporting Activity: We ask users to help us maintain a safe and inviting community by reporting posts and users who break the rules. If you believe something violates our terms, tell us about it. You can click “more” and “Report” on any post to bring it to our attention. Our team will review and take appropriate action. Also, you can email us at support@tsu.co to provide more detail.
I got an error, "Something in your post is not allowed…"
To prevent spam, certain types of web links and phrases are not allowed in a post. Below are some examples of posts that would cause this error.
- "Come join me here and make money from home: earnbig$.biz/johndoe"
- "Earn money online paid-advertisements.com"
- "Follow4Follow”
Contest Guidelines
- No pay-to-enter contests (lottery or otherwise)
- No requirement to like/share/view/tag other users
How do I complete my profile info?
To complete your profile information, click on your profile picture on the upper right and choose Settings.
Once you are in the Settings screen, you will be able to fill out fields pertaining to your general settings, profile, social accounts, invitations, finding friends, privacy and notifications.
How do I publish content?
Every user can publish their content (photos, text, links, emoticons, etc.) by pressing the create button in the upper portion of your screen. To post a video, copy and paste the embed URL into the content creation box.
Press ‘Post’ to publish. Select the icons of your favorite social accounts to share your content to those platforms.
How do I share a weblink?
Copy the link you want to share, select the preview picture for the link using the arrow buttons and press ‘Post’ to publish.
Who can see my content, and how do I manage content visibility?
When posting content to tsū, you have the option of two visibility settings. ‘Public’ means that your Friends and Followers can both view your post. ‘Friends Only’ restricts visibility from Followers. You can select your preference to the left of the ‘Post’ button. We do not yet have ‘Private’ or ‘Restricted’ options to control content visibility to Friends.
For more privacy options, go to your Settings Page.
What are hashtags and how do I use them?
A hashtag (#) is a symbol that can be added as a prefix to any word when commenting or posting. The ‘#’ symbol ensures that whatever characters follow it are letter-for-letter inserted into a searchable database sorted by the exact lettering following the hashtag. Hashtags are commonly used to indicate key categories related to a post (e.g. #NewYorkCity), when a user wants to contribute to a trending subject (e.g. #Equality), or when users want to share their content related to a specific event or happening (e.g. #MetGala).
tsū displays the top trending hashtags in the upper right corner of a the ‘Feed’. Users can also search for specific topics of interest by entering hashtagged terms in the Search tool found on the upper left side of the navigation bar.
How do I delete content?
When using a computer: On the bottom of any post, click ‘More’ and then press ‘Remove’ to delete a post.
On mobile apps: Content can be removed by clicking on the vertical three dots located at the bottom right of the post. A menu appears and you can press ‘Delete Post’ to delete the post.
You can’t delete content posted by other people unless it’s posted directly to your profile page.
How do I increase my content’s visibility?
Quality content through social networks always generate strong engagement while helping you discover and be discovered by the community. Tsū’s community is made up of all different types of people ranging from artists, chefs, photographers to college sport fans. With quality content, hashtags also help your content to be discovered. Keep the hashtags relevant to the content you share.
Focus on quality content. Quality content is always fresh, unique and provides some value back to the community. We’ve seen this through memes, photos, videos and even status updates. Complete your profile, share some content, and be ready to engage with the community as they share interact with you.
How do I search for content?
On the upper left of the navigation pane, there is a little magnifying glass icon and an empty space representing the area in which you can request to search for a user by first or last name, by profile name or one can search for hashtags. The following screen shots are examples of how to use search on the web (which autopopulates the search bar when you type) and the mobile apps (which requires a user to type and press enter prior to the search query).
Are there limits to how much I can post on tsu?
Yes. We understand many users are as excited as we are about tsu! While we certainly encourage users to grow their audiences through original content and earnest engagement, we do not allow spamming (e.g., follow me/follow you language, aggressive hashtagging, irrelevant commenting, etc) as a means to gain more followers. To keep tsu an awesome community for authentic engagement, there are some limits to the amount of interaction users can have from their profile.
- 45 Posts per day
- 15 of those 45 posts can be shares (If you don’t share anything, you get 45 posts)
- 50 Pending Friend Requests at any time
- Follow 1000 people (total)
SOCIALIZE AND GROW YOUR NETWORK
How do I grow my network?
Our platform is built for a community that values quality content over quantity. While we understand and appreciate enthusiasm for growing an account following on tsu.co, users should never have to ask for a follower. Authentic relationships are built upon genuine interest and trust, and the same is true for engagement on tsū. People will follow out of interest, not obligation. We encourage users to grow their audiences through original content and earnest engagement. We do not allow spamming as a means to gain more followers.
Users who spam have a negative impact on the community. We will take the required actions to reinforce a positive user experience, which includes banning users who spam.
What is the difference between Friends and Followers?
Friends
If you are friends with a user, then each of you automatically follow each other, and you will share both levels of content in your feeds (‘Public’ and ‘Friends Only’ posts). We do not yet have ‘Private’ or ‘Restricted’ options to control content visibility to Friends. We suggest only befriending people you actually know or want to know. Trust us on this one!
Followers
If you follow a user, you can see their ‘Public’ posts. Users you follow will not see your ‘Public’ posts unless they choose to follow you. Likewise you can have Followers that you choose not to Follow.
How do I control who sees my posts?
‘Public’ means that your content will be visible to both Friends and Followers.
‘Friends Only’ means that your content will not be visible to Followers.
By default all posts are ‘Public’, unless the ‘Friends Only’ setting is specified. You can select ‘Friends Only’ in the menu to the left of the ‘Post’ button. This setting can also be changed after the post has been made.
If you wish to hide certain biographical information about yourself, go to your Settings Page. To learn more about privacy within tsū, visit Privacy Settings.
How do I add another member as my Friend?
To Friend a user, go to their Profile Page and click on the ‘Add Friend’ icon on the right of their cover photo. A friend request will be sent to the user. They must respond to your request before you will be able to mutually see each others’ posts. If they approve your Friend request, you will see the ‘Friend’ box checked on their cover photo.
How do I remove a Friend?
To remove a Friend, go to their Profile Page and click on the ’Friend’ icon on the right of their cover photo. This action will remove them and you should see that the check mark next to the Friend icon disappears.
How do I Follow another member on tsū?
You can follow another tsū user by going to their Profile Page and then by clicking the Follow button on their cover photo.
I don’t want others to add me as their Friend
Users have the option to display the ‘Add Friend’ button on their profile. Go to Settings, Privacy, and uncheck the box next to the option ‘Receive friend request’.
How do I mention/tag a user when I post content?
When posting content or commenting on any others’ content, you can use the ‘@’ symbol before a users’ profile name to mention them (tagging them), which will associate them with the post or comment. When you start typing an “@name” a suggestion box will load with other user’s names to ensure the right user is mentioned. Note: Mass-mentioning users can be considered spamming others via notifications and gaming the system via drawing views inauthentically.
How do I send private messages to other users?
On the main page of your feed, options are listed on the upper left-hand side. Select ‘Messages’ to send an individual user a private message (you must know their name or profile name to send the message). You can also share photos in a private message.
What is the Family Tree and how does it work?
Half of a user’s earned revenue comes from the growth and activity of their personal network. All users on tsū have their own Family Tree, which indicates the number of users they’ve brought to the platform and the overall network growth they’ve provided. When viewing the Family Tree, a user’s network is organized as such:
Friends - The tsū members that are your friends. (You may or may not have invited them to join tsū).
Children - All of the members you’ve directly invited to join tsū via your shortcode.
New Children - The newest members you’ve invited to join tsū via your shortcode.
Network - The overall members that stem from your invitations to join tsū. This includes anyone that has joined directly via your member shortcode, as well as the users that have joined one or more ‘generations’ away from your member shortcode. Please note, members who join directly through your shortcode are qualified as your ‘Children’, and the members your ‘Children’ invite are called your ‘GrandChildren’ and so on.
Followers - The tsū members that Follow you. (You may or may not have invited them to join tsū).
For more information about your network value, please visit: What is the tsu Algorithm?
What is a short code?
A short code is your profile page URL. The format of this url will always betsu.co/yourUsername.
This URL is also your unique invite link. Share this invite link with people you want to share your content with. As they join, they become part of your family tree. This link not only tracks who you invite, who they invited and who they invited, but the link also tracks how the revenues are earned and shared through your family tree.
What happens if I invite someone to tsū using my short code?
When someone clicks on your short code URL, they are invited to sign-up for tsū. Once a new user sign-up, they automatically follow your account and will see your updates through their news feed. Behind the scenes, that member also becomes part of your family tree. Any shared revenues that the invitee earns becomes shared revenue with you, the inviter. You can invite new members via email or SMS through the website and the app.
How do I connect another social network to my Tsu account?
To simultaneously post to your Facebook or Twitter accounts, or to quickly invite contacts from your network on another platform, you may want to connect your other screen names to your tsu profile. To do that, log into tsu and click on your name in the top right corner. Select “Settings” from the drop down. In the top right, you will see “Social Accounts” under “Settings”. Click on the account you would like to link; Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and follow the prompts. Note: Connecting Instagram allows you to find friends that are on both platforms. You cannot yet post automatically to Instagram.
Can I create multiple accounts?
You may have more than one profile. Profiles do not need to be of an individual. Additional accounts can be any of the following provided the account does not violate our terms.
How do I become a verified charity on tsu?
Please send copies of your IRS Form 990 and your 501(c)(3) status letter to support@tsu.co along with your tsu profile url.
How do I block another user?
You can block a user by visiting the user’s profile page, clicking on the three dots button on the bottom right of the user’s cover photo and choosing "Block."
How do I grow my network?
Our platform is built for a community that values quality content over quantity. While we understand and appreciate enthusiasm for growing an account following on tsu.co, users should never have to ask for a follower. Authentic relationships are built upon genuine interest and trust, and the same is true for engagement on tsū. People will follow out of interest, not obligation. We encourage users to grow their audiences through original content and earnest engagement. We do not allow spamming as a means to gain more followers.
Users who spam have a negative impact on the community. We will take the required actions to reinforce a positive user experience, which includes banning users who spam.
What is the difference between Friends and Followers?
Friends
If you are friends with a user, then each of you automatically follow each other, and you will share both levels of content in your feeds (‘Public’ and ‘Friends Only’ posts). We do not yet have ‘Private’ or ‘Restricted’ options to control content visibility to Friends. We suggest only befriending people you actually know or want to know. Trust us on this one!
Followers
If you follow a user, you can see their ‘Public’ posts. Users you follow will not see your ‘Public’ posts unless they choose to follow you. Likewise you can have Followers that you choose not to Follow.
How do I control who sees my posts?
‘Public’ means that your content will be visible to both Friends and Followers.
‘Friends Only’ means that your content will not be visible to Followers.
By default all posts are ‘Public’, unless the ‘Friends Only’ setting is specified. You can select ‘Friends Only’ in the menu to the left of the ‘Post’ button. This setting can also be changed after the post has been made.
If you wish to hide certain biographical information about yourself, go to your Settings Page. To learn more about privacy within tsū, visit Privacy Settings.
How do I add another member as my Friend?
To Friend a user, go to their Profile Page and click on the ‘Add Friend’ icon on the right of their cover photo. A friend request will be sent to the user. They must respond to your request before you will be able to mutually see each others’ posts. If they approve your Friend request, you will see the ‘Friend’ box checked on their cover photo.
How do I remove a Friend?
To remove a Friend, go to their Profile Page and click on the ’Friend’ icon on the right of their cover photo. This action will remove them and you should see that the check mark next to the Friend icon disappears.
How do I Follow another member on tsū?
You can follow another tsū user by going to their Profile Page and then by clicking the Follow button on their cover photo.
I don’t want others to add me as their Friend
Users have the option to display the ‘Add Friend’ button on their profile. Go to Settings, Privacy, and uncheck the box next to the option ‘Receive friend request’.
How do I mention/tag a user when I post content?
When posting content or commenting on any others’ content, you can use the ‘@’ symbol before a users’ profile name to mention them (tagging them), which will associate them with the post or comment. When you start typing an “@name” a suggestion box will load with other user’s names to ensure the right user is mentioned. Note: Mass-mentioning users can be considered spamming others via notifications and gaming the system via drawing views inauthentically.
How do I send private messages to other users?
On the main page of your feed, options are listed on the upper left-hand side. Select ‘Messages’ to send an individual user a private message (you must know their name or profile name to send the message). You can also share photos in a private message.
What is the Family Tree and how does it work?
Half of a user’s earned revenue comes from the growth and activity of their personal network. All users on tsū have their own Family Tree, which indicates the number of users they’ve brought to the platform and the overall network growth they’ve provided. When viewing the Family Tree, a user’s network is organized as such:
Friends - The tsū members that are your friends. (You may or may not have invited them to join tsū).
Children - All of the members you’ve directly invited to join tsū via your shortcode.
New Children - The newest members you’ve invited to join tsū via your shortcode.
Network - The overall members that stem from your invitations to join tsū. This includes anyone that has joined directly via your member shortcode, as well as the users that have joined one or more ‘generations’ away from your member shortcode. Please note, members who join directly through your shortcode are qualified as your ‘Children’, and the members your ‘Children’ invite are called your ‘GrandChildren’ and so on.
Followers - The tsū members that Follow you. (You may or may not have invited them to join tsū).
For more information about your network value, please visit: What is the tsu Algorithm?
What is a short code?
A short code is your profile page URL. The format of this url will always betsu.co/yourUsername.
This URL is also your unique invite link. Share this invite link with people you want to share your content with. As they join, they become part of your family tree. This link not only tracks who you invite, who they invited and who they invited, but the link also tracks how the revenues are earned and shared through your family tree.
What happens if I invite someone to tsū using my short code?
When someone clicks on your short code URL, they are invited to sign-up for tsū. Once a new user sign-up, they automatically follow your account and will see your updates through their news feed. Behind the scenes, that member also becomes part of your family tree. Any shared revenues that the invitee earns becomes shared revenue with you, the inviter. You can invite new members via email or SMS through the website and the app.
How do I connect another social network to my Tsu account?
To simultaneously post to your Facebook or Twitter accounts, or to quickly invite contacts from your network on another platform, you may want to connect your other screen names to your tsu profile. To do that, log into tsu and click on your name in the top right corner. Select “Settings” from the drop down. In the top right, you will see “Social Accounts” under “Settings”. Click on the account you would like to link; Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and follow the prompts. Note: Connecting Instagram allows you to find friends that are on both platforms. You cannot yet post automatically to Instagram.
Can I create multiple accounts?
You may have more than one profile. Profiles do not need to be of an individual. Additional accounts can be any of the following provided the account does not violate our terms.
- Special interest topic (like “Cute puppies” or “Cool Tech Gadgets”)
- Non-profit organization or business (provided it is owned by you)
How do I become a verified charity on tsu?
Please send copies of your IRS Form 990 and your 501(c)(3) status letter to support@tsu.co along with your tsu profile url.
How do I block another user?
You can block a user by visiting the user’s profile page, clicking on the three dots button on the bottom right of the user’s cover photo and choosing "Block."
MANAGE MY ELECTRONIC WALLET
What can I do with my tsū electronic wallet?
Users have the ability to transfer funds from their bank to other friends, charities or members. Users can also receive a check for their earned revenue once their bank reaches $100.
How do I redeem my earnings?
Select bank on the left side of the navigation bar, click “redeem your money” and complete the redemption request. tsū will perform some validation checks before mailing a check to the user. A user must have a minimum of $100 in their tsū bank in order to request a check.
How do I add money to my tsū electronic account?
tsū never asks users for their banking or credit card information for using its social networking or payments features. All of the monetary value that accrues to the user is based on the relevance of their content and the size of your network. The only way to add money is to earn revenue by sharing quality content or having friends transfer funds To your tsū bank.
How do I send money to a friend on tsū, and is it free?
To the right under every friend’s cover photo, there is a “Transfer Funds” button. Press this button, input the amount you want to transfer, then press “donate.” The amount of transferable funds cannot exceed the amount of money in the sender’s tsū bank. tsū charges a flat 3% transaction fee for any peer-to-peer and merchant services transaction.
Can I change my username?
Yes. A user can change their username by going to their profile picture in the upper right, which will take the user to their Settings page.
In settings, select ‘General’ and update information as needed.
Tip: Choose a simple name or use the same name you are known by on other social platforms (it’s easier for your audience).
How can I manage my notifications?
Go to the upper right section of the site, click on your profile photo, select Settings and then go to Notifications and then you can manage all the notifications you receive.
How do I change my password?
Go to the upper right section of the site, click on your profile photo, select Settings and then go to General and then you can change your password.
How do I delete my account?
We're sorry to see you go! You can delete your tsu account by clicking here. This action is permanent: deleted accounts cannot be restored and the funds in your wallet will be distributed back to the community.
What can I do with my tsū electronic wallet?
Users have the ability to transfer funds from their bank to other friends, charities or members. Users can also receive a check for their earned revenue once their bank reaches $100.
How do I redeem my earnings?
Select bank on the left side of the navigation bar, click “redeem your money” and complete the redemption request. tsū will perform some validation checks before mailing a check to the user. A user must have a minimum of $100 in their tsū bank in order to request a check.
How do I add money to my tsū electronic account?
tsū never asks users for their banking or credit card information for using its social networking or payments features. All of the monetary value that accrues to the user is based on the relevance of their content and the size of your network. The only way to add money is to earn revenue by sharing quality content or having friends transfer funds To your tsū bank.
How do I send money to a friend on tsū, and is it free?
To the right under every friend’s cover photo, there is a “Transfer Funds” button. Press this button, input the amount you want to transfer, then press “donate.” The amount of transferable funds cannot exceed the amount of money in the sender’s tsū bank. tsū charges a flat 3% transaction fee for any peer-to-peer and merchant services transaction.
Can I change my username?
Yes. A user can change their username by going to their profile picture in the upper right, which will take the user to their Settings page.
In settings, select ‘General’ and update information as needed.
Tip: Choose a simple name or use the same name you are known by on other social platforms (it’s easier for your audience).
How can I manage my notifications?
Go to the upper right section of the site, click on your profile photo, select Settings and then go to Notifications and then you can manage all the notifications you receive.
How do I change my password?
Go to the upper right section of the site, click on your profile photo, select Settings and then go to General and then you can change your password.
How do I delete my account?
We're sorry to see you go! You can delete your tsu account by clicking here. This action is permanent: deleted accounts cannot be restored and the funds in your wallet will be distributed back to the community.
CONTACT
How can I contact the support team?
For general questions, please submit a ticket hereFor advertising inquiries, email advertise@tsu.co
For press inquiries, email press@tsu.co
What if I have been banned?
Users who post inappropriate material have negative impact on the community. We take the required actions to reinforce a positive user experience, including banning the user and deleting the user's content.
How can I contact the support team?
For general questions, please submit a ticket hereFor advertising inquiries, email advertise@tsu.co
For press inquiries, email press@tsu.co
What if I have been banned?
Users who post inappropriate material have negative impact on the community. We take the required actions to reinforce a positive user experience, including banning the user and deleting the user's content.
BANK
Monetization Service and Electronic Wallet Terms
These terms are effective as of September 14th, 2014
This page contains rules specific to the Monetization Service and the electronic wallet. The tsū Terms of Use apply as well. The words "Content", "Network", "post", and "Service" have the same meaning here as they do in the tsū Terms of Use.
The Monetization Service and electronic wallet are available to eligible users who opt in using their account settings on the tsū Service. The electronic wallet holds a balance of money received from the Monetization Service or from other sources we approve. Electronic wallet holders may be able to transfer some or all of this money to each other. The Monetization Service provides an opportunity to earn money in connection with certain activities that take place on or in connection with the Service, such as posting Content that generates ad revenue, or inviting another user who posts Content that generates ad revenue. The electronic wallet feature sometimes is referred to as the tsū bank.
General provisions
The Monetization Service uses a proprietary algorithm to track, allocate and distribute ad revenue generated by you and your Network (sometimes referred to as “royalties”). Your "Network" is defined as any eligible user who has joined directly via your member shortcode, as well as eligible users who joined through those users’ shortcodes, and so on. As such, your electronic wallet may receive periodic credits that are directly related to your usage of the Service. Evacuation Complete may never disclose the algorithm used to calculate such payment or how you can optimize your usage of the Service.
We reserve the right to change and improve the features, functionality and internal workings of the Monetization Service and electronic wallet at any time and at our sole discretion. This includes adding, modifying or removing specific features and functionality. This right extends to modifications to our algorithms, royalty engines and user adoption trees, which may adversely affect you. For example, we may change the published or unpublished aspects of the algorithm at any time, including but not limited to changes relating to (i) what types of activity on the Service generate royalties or other revenue, (ii) how revenue for distribution is calculated, and (iii) how money is allocated among the relevant parties. You agree to any and all methods of royalty calculations or algorithms distributing said revenue that Evacuation Complete has or will have in the future.
If your electronic wallet balance is above the threshold we specify for withdrawal, you may request a withdrawal. We reserve the right to change this threshold. Prior to any payment being made to you, and at any time, Evacuation Complete reserves the right to audit your or related parties’ usage of the Service or the origin of the funds, including by using a third party to verify the validity of any user account or related information. You agree to assist us and you consent to our accessing any information we deem necessary to determine the validity of your account, your account balance, and your request for withdrawal. The value in the your electronic wallet is not yours until (i) while the value exceeds the applicable threshold, you request a withdrawal, you deactivate the Monetization Service and electronic wallet, or you or we close your account on the Service, (ii) you provide us with any information and documentation we require, including valid instructions for making a payment to you, and (iii) your account, the relevant value, and the withdrawal pass our validity and compliance checks and audits.
At any time, we may remove from your electronic wallet (or block from entering your electronic wallet) any money that we conclude is the result of a violation of these Terms of Service. For example, if you or a person in your Network posts Content that we later conclude violates a third party’s rights under copyright law, we may deduct from your electronic wallet any ad revenue attributable to that Content that we deposited into your electronic wallet. Other examples include money that is the result of (a) spam, invalid impressions or invalid clicks on ads generated by any person, automated program or similar method, (b) clicks solicited or impressions generated by payment of money, false representation, or requests for end users to click on ads or take other actions; (c) ads served to end users whose browsers have JavaScript disabled. We may temporarily suspend a payment into your wallet while we investigate whether to block it. If we issue a deduction to your wallet after we have paid you from your wallet, this may result in a negative wallet balance, and you agree to promptly pay us the negative balance.
We may restrict or change the acceptable methods for receiving money from your electronic wallet. For example, in some countries, we may choose to issue these payments only by a third-party service such as PayPal. In any case, you are responsible for any and all charges assessed by your bank or payment provider resulting from the use of the Service.
We reserve the right to impose withdrawal limits, such as limiting withdrawals to $1,000 per day. We reserve the right to transfer custody of the funds and management of any aspect of the Monetization Service or electronic wallet to a third party.
Taxes
To the maximum extent permitted by law, you are responsible for any applicable taxes associated with income you generate via the Service, other than taxes based on our net income, and all payments from us to you in relation to the Service will be treated as inclusive of tax (when applicable) and will not be adjusted.
To comply with tax law and other legal requirements, Evacuation Complete reserves the right to disclose revenue information or other data to tax authorities and other governmental entities as we deem appropriate. We may send you tax forms or other documents for you to review, complete and/or file. The filing of relevant tax documents is the sole responsibility of you, and you agree to comply with any filing requirements. You agree to absolve Evacuation Complete of responsibility for any tax or filing fees you may incur (for example, you being charged a penalty for failing to file the tax forms in a timely manner).
Confidentiality
You agree not to disclose click-through and cost-per-impression rates or other statistics relating to Content performance as pertaining to the Service.
Deactivation of Monetization Service and Electronic Wallet
You may deactivate the Monetization Service and electronic wallet any time by (a) requesting deactivation of the Monetization Service under your account settings, or (b) requesting deletion of your Service account as described in the Terms of Use. The Monetization Service and electronic wallet also will be deactivated if we close or terminate your account. If the Monetization Service and electronic wallet are deactivated and the balance (after any deductions we make pursuant to the General Provisions above) equals or exceeds the applicable threshold, we will pay you that balance within approximately 90 days after the end of the calendar year in which you deactivate the Monetization Service, subject to the General Provisions above. You will not have any claim to a balance that is below the applicable threshold.
Changes to the Monetization Service and Electronic Wallet Terms
Evacuation Complete may amend these Monetization Service and Electronic Wallet Terms at any time and at Evacuation Complete’s sole discretion, by posting the updated version on tsu.co (such as via link to it in the footer). Unless you reject the update as described below, you will be deemed to accept the changes and they will take effect at the earlier of:
If you follow the process above to reject the update, then the update will not take effect between us and you. However, if you later opt in to the Monetization Service and electronic wallet, or accept the update in some other manner, you will be subject to the relevant version of the Monetization Service and Electronic Wallet Terms in effect at that time, including its update process.
If you do not follow the process above to reject the update, then it will apply on a going-forward basis as of the date and time it takes effect.
Monetization Service and Electronic Wallet Terms
These terms are effective as of September 14th, 2014
This page contains rules specific to the Monetization Service and the electronic wallet. The tsū Terms of Use apply as well. The words "Content", "Network", "post", and "Service" have the same meaning here as they do in the tsū Terms of Use.
The Monetization Service and electronic wallet are available to eligible users who opt in using their account settings on the tsū Service. The electronic wallet holds a balance of money received from the Monetization Service or from other sources we approve. Electronic wallet holders may be able to transfer some or all of this money to each other. The Monetization Service provides an opportunity to earn money in connection with certain activities that take place on or in connection with the Service, such as posting Content that generates ad revenue, or inviting another user who posts Content that generates ad revenue. The electronic wallet feature sometimes is referred to as the tsū bank.
General provisions
The Monetization Service uses a proprietary algorithm to track, allocate and distribute ad revenue generated by you and your Network (sometimes referred to as “royalties”). Your "Network" is defined as any eligible user who has joined directly via your member shortcode, as well as eligible users who joined through those users’ shortcodes, and so on. As such, your electronic wallet may receive periodic credits that are directly related to your usage of the Service. Evacuation Complete may never disclose the algorithm used to calculate such payment or how you can optimize your usage of the Service.
We reserve the right to change and improve the features, functionality and internal workings of the Monetization Service and electronic wallet at any time and at our sole discretion. This includes adding, modifying or removing specific features and functionality. This right extends to modifications to our algorithms, royalty engines and user adoption trees, which may adversely affect you. For example, we may change the published or unpublished aspects of the algorithm at any time, including but not limited to changes relating to (i) what types of activity on the Service generate royalties or other revenue, (ii) how revenue for distribution is calculated, and (iii) how money is allocated among the relevant parties. You agree to any and all methods of royalty calculations or algorithms distributing said revenue that Evacuation Complete has or will have in the future.
If your electronic wallet balance is above the threshold we specify for withdrawal, you may request a withdrawal. We reserve the right to change this threshold. Prior to any payment being made to you, and at any time, Evacuation Complete reserves the right to audit your or related parties’ usage of the Service or the origin of the funds, including by using a third party to verify the validity of any user account or related information. You agree to assist us and you consent to our accessing any information we deem necessary to determine the validity of your account, your account balance, and your request for withdrawal. The value in the your electronic wallet is not yours until (i) while the value exceeds the applicable threshold, you request a withdrawal, you deactivate the Monetization Service and electronic wallet, or you or we close your account on the Service, (ii) you provide us with any information and documentation we require, including valid instructions for making a payment to you, and (iii) your account, the relevant value, and the withdrawal pass our validity and compliance checks and audits.
At any time, we may remove from your electronic wallet (or block from entering your electronic wallet) any money that we conclude is the result of a violation of these Terms of Service. For example, if you or a person in your Network posts Content that we later conclude violates a third party’s rights under copyright law, we may deduct from your electronic wallet any ad revenue attributable to that Content that we deposited into your electronic wallet. Other examples include money that is the result of (a) spam, invalid impressions or invalid clicks on ads generated by any person, automated program or similar method, (b) clicks solicited or impressions generated by payment of money, false representation, or requests for end users to click on ads or take other actions; (c) ads served to end users whose browsers have JavaScript disabled. We may temporarily suspend a payment into your wallet while we investigate whether to block it. If we issue a deduction to your wallet after we have paid you from your wallet, this may result in a negative wallet balance, and you agree to promptly pay us the negative balance.
We may restrict or change the acceptable methods for receiving money from your electronic wallet. For example, in some countries, we may choose to issue these payments only by a third-party service such as PayPal. In any case, you are responsible for any and all charges assessed by your bank or payment provider resulting from the use of the Service.
We reserve the right to impose withdrawal limits, such as limiting withdrawals to $1,000 per day. We reserve the right to transfer custody of the funds and management of any aspect of the Monetization Service or electronic wallet to a third party.
Taxes
To the maximum extent permitted by law, you are responsible for any applicable taxes associated with income you generate via the Service, other than taxes based on our net income, and all payments from us to you in relation to the Service will be treated as inclusive of tax (when applicable) and will not be adjusted.
To comply with tax law and other legal requirements, Evacuation Complete reserves the right to disclose revenue information or other data to tax authorities and other governmental entities as we deem appropriate. We may send you tax forms or other documents for you to review, complete and/or file. The filing of relevant tax documents is the sole responsibility of you, and you agree to comply with any filing requirements. You agree to absolve Evacuation Complete of responsibility for any tax or filing fees you may incur (for example, you being charged a penalty for failing to file the tax forms in a timely manner).
Confidentiality
You agree not to disclose click-through and cost-per-impression rates or other statistics relating to Content performance as pertaining to the Service.
Deactivation of Monetization Service and Electronic Wallet
You may deactivate the Monetization Service and electronic wallet any time by (a) requesting deactivation of the Monetization Service under your account settings, or (b) requesting deletion of your Service account as described in the Terms of Use. The Monetization Service and electronic wallet also will be deactivated if we close or terminate your account. If the Monetization Service and electronic wallet are deactivated and the balance (after any deductions we make pursuant to the General Provisions above) equals or exceeds the applicable threshold, we will pay you that balance within approximately 90 days after the end of the calendar year in which you deactivate the Monetization Service, subject to the General Provisions above. You will not have any claim to a balance that is below the applicable threshold.
Changes to the Monetization Service and Electronic Wallet Terms
Evacuation Complete may amend these Monetization Service and Electronic Wallet Terms at any time and at Evacuation Complete’s sole discretion, by posting the updated version on tsu.co (such as via link to it in the footer). Unless you reject the update as described below, you will be deemed to accept the changes and they will take effect at the earlier of:
- 12:00 p.m. Eastern time on the 10th day after posting to tsu.co; or
- your acceptance of them via a click-through process or some other method that we specify.
If you follow the process above to reject the update, then the update will not take effect between us and you. However, if you later opt in to the Monetization Service and electronic wallet, or accept the update in some other manner, you will be subject to the relevant version of the Monetization Service and Electronic Wallet Terms in effect at that time, including its update process.
If you do not follow the process above to reject the update, then it will apply on a going-forward basis as of the date and time it takes effect.
