The days of ads as an unavoidable evil are over.

It’s too good but it’s actually true!

This week’s update includes platform updates, how we’ve survived several DDoS attacks, a new website and the browser extension beta.

Video platform improvements suggested by the community.

You asked for it, we listened. The volume slider now will instantly affect the sound on slide, while before the volume was adjusted on mouse release.

On Monday 12th the following updates will go live on the platform:

Watching a playlist will show at the top the current index of the video playing and the total number of videos in that playlist.

For live streamers we made streaming keys access faster with a show/hide broadcast key button.

The profile appearance will improved. No more stretched wallpaper on your profile page. We recommend minimum image size of 1780x280px, anyway you can use the editor buttons to center, zoom and fit the background.

Every social media platform is unique and your audiences differ greatly. Early next week we will add the option to link directly to your social profiles such as Twitch, Soundcloud, VK and our blockchain friends at Musicoin.

Lastly, as always we have made backend fixes and optimizations.

We survived some major DDoS attacks

Last week we’ve experienced multiple sustained DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks, causing the platform to be inaccessible. We’ve since taken many steps to expand and mitigate against future incidents.

These were not small attacks, and we are actually in some ways grateful for this opportunity to stress-test our services well before reaching mainstream adoption. So whoever they were, thank you for making us stronger!

The home of all BitTube apps and software products now online at BitTubeApp.com

The secret to happiness is freedom, and the secret to freedom is passion. This passion allows us to think outside the box and deliver these products.

— Saber Maram, Founder & CEO, BitTube

Many great ideas sounded odd in the beginning, from Airbnb’s ‘give your home to strangers’ to Uber’s ‘ride in somebody’s car’. We are no different.

BitTube AirTime is rewarding you simply because you surf the Internet, allowing you to generate revenue for publishers without ads or paywalls. With AirTime, we aim to become the biggest perpetual airdrop machine on the Internet, creating a mass-adopted payment ecosystem. Featuring easy to use tools for transactions, donations and monetizing publishers’ content.

Check out our freshly minted website at BitTubeApp.com. To learn more about how AirTime works, visit our Knowledge Base (work in progress).

BitTube AirTime browser extension in beta

Your time and attention are a limited resource. They have inherent economic value regardless of ads. Ads insert contradictory design elements to websites. Where traditionally the revenue relies on distracting you away from the publishers themselves, instead, AirTime allows you to spend your undivided attention — and monetizes both sides. It is a mutually beneficial, ad-free, win-win situation.

That’s why we developed the browser extension. Integrated at the root of the browsing experience, like books, the browser is a window to the world (and it shouldn’t be polluted by ads).

Apply for the AirTime extension beta here.

One of the most exciting features is that it works silently on the background. There are multiple tasks performed by the extension from removing ads to inserting donate buttons on the major social platforms. The best one is that, while using the extensions, it automatically generates a wallet address on first visit for any website or social profile. In that way we respect all publishers, personalities and even retailers. Claiming the funds generated by the visitors is an integrated functionality in the extension. We are also working on a module that publishers could integrate on their domain, such that guest visitors (most of whom of course won’t have the extension installed) are also allowed to generate some AirTime. More information on this will follow in the next few weeks.

That’s all for now. Give us your feedback and join the discussion. Have a great weekend!

Your BitTube team