18 Top Thought Leaders Share 2016 Predictions For Tsū

 Why would anyone be concerned enough to want to predict what happens to a small social network with only 4.7 million followers? Shouldn't we be  focusing on the largest in the land? With over 1.6 billion users, surely folks would want to know the future of Facebook, no?

Ironically, there is reason to think otherwise. In lieu of recent events unfolding in the social media space over the last few months, the David-and-Goliath analogy that played out between the smallest and the largest networks has literally and figuratively reshuffled the deck.

In the tech world, when a new business model disrupts another, one doesn’t dismiss it lightly -- particularly when the ‘disrupted’ is feeling threatened. Such was the case when Facebook banned Tsu on September 25, 2015. It began when founder Mark Zuckerberg countered his API share agreement with Tsu and proceeded to remove over 10 million status updates from its platform, that included the ‘Tsu.co’ URL. In addition, all new posts that included that extension were presented with an error message.

Two months of push-back from the media, the founder Sebastian Sobczak, Tsuvians and thought leaders the world over, accompanied by tens of thousands of posts, tweets and status updates, and the only justification given by a Facebook spokesperson’s was that its behavior was all part of a 'miscommunication'?

Seems slightly odd, that a social network the size of Facebook and one built on the premise of an "open & free" network hasn't learned how to communicate properly over the last decade -- don't you think?

The competitive advantage of Tsu is not in its numbers, it's in its potential.

Going back in time for all who remember, Facebook supplanted MySpace over ten years ago, which exceeded them exponentially in user base numbers. But this was not due to the size of either network. It was instead because of its business model. Zuckerberg simply built a better mousetrap. The same holds true for Tsu today ~ whose business model disrupted how advertising dollars could and should be dispersed. In the case of Facebook, the platform absorbs all ad revenues. In the case of Tsu, the platform takes 10-percent only - paying out 90-percent to its users for their creative input.

So What Will 'Future Tsu' Look Like?
It’s for these reasons that it’s important to look at the future of this young upstart. As the leader in the new ‘paying social’ space, they have set a significantly high bar for others to emulate -- where a good number of clones and wanna-be’s have already entered the field.

That’s why today, we thought it would be insightful to tap into Tsu's top thought leaders to learn of their predictions as to what Tsu will bring to the social media table in 2016.

1- Antonio David Carbone @antoniodavid1 - 36,569 followers - 227,159th member

2016 is a big year for Tsu because as humans, it’s a tradition of ours to make a change at the start of each new year. In addition to health and wealth on the personal side … on the social media side of the equation, I feel that monetizing our content will continue to evolve next year.

2- Alexander Daniel @alexdaniel - 33,681 followers - 120,365th member

Tsu is in essence a pioneer in a new era of social media. The name ‘Tsu’ is Japanese for "an aesthetic ideal,” which underscores the point that Tsu is the ideal way to address social media. I can't say I disagree, because Facebook and Twitter have already taken notice of this network. I have accrued a considerable amount of revenue in the past year that wouldn't exist if not for Tsu! Over 4,700,000 users have joined since their initial launch, October 2014, and now with a plethora of A-list celebrities hopping on board, 2016 is going to be a wild ride.

3- Kevin Hinkle @KevinHinkle - 95,240 followers - 8,253rd member

Having survived a blatant attack from Facebook and other sites that fear the vision behind 'the aesthetic ideal', Tsu is primed to shine in 2016.  Known today as a social media alternative, Tsu will be changing the paradigm and becoming more well known as a currency. Think about it, as more vendors accept 'Tsu cash', this will expand exponentially. Bye bye banks!

4- Brent Nicholls @brentnicholls - 4,247 followers - 2,438,275th member

Tsu will continue to grow well into 2016 not only attracting new users, but many inactive users will return as well, as they reach payout thresholds and celebrate  the advantages of Tsu across other platforms. I also believe celebrities will see the value in reaching fans through Tsu and will appreciate receiving royalties for their charities. If Tsu does it right, enforces their T&C, it will become the role model and leader in content-paying sites well into 2016.

5- David Leonhardt @amabaie - 2,826 followers - 33,728th member

Tsu has come a long way from the upstart would-be Facebook killer struggling under the weight of spammers that it was a year ago. It has settled comfortably into an energetic social community that I believe will remain second only to YouTube among user-paying social platforms in 2016.

6- Dexter Roona @DexterRoona - 27,740 followers - 66,818th member

Tsu will continue to grow into the social site that rewards creative minds. Creativity is what is required for Tsu to succeed. The engagement generated by creative posts speaks for its self and will turn Tsu in 2016 into a household name in the social media world.

7- Caleb Wright @CalebWright - 1,592 followers - 68,070th member

One of the biggest surprises of 2014 was the launch of the TSU social network. Tsu literally turned the industry upside down with its paid content model that incentivized its users to generate high quality content and engage on the network! I love the concept and look forward to enhancements to this model unfolding 2016!

8- Donna Stewart @DonnaStewart - 11,262 followers - 2,584,203rd member

2016 will be the game-changer for Tsu. The network has seen steady growth since it's humble beginnings, and now, with the mainstream media spotlight pointed directly at Tsu, I predict growth will increase at a much more rapid pace, where original content creators can showcase their work and earn more than generous revenue as a result.

I also think that the additional revenue users are earning from ‘Tsu Groups’ will scale significantly. Tsu already pays users for their page content, but now they can earn even more from their group activity. So, while Facebook may remain the network for those who crave popularity and attention, Tsu will be seen as the people's social network. Tsu is the People's Choice

9- Steven Connor @SteveConnor - 39,411 followers - 341,615th member

I predict that Tsu will continue to lead the way for content paying sites in 2016. With that said, the staff at Tsu will treat us with more upgrades, features and technology as they did this 1st year. Rumors of video sounds very promising.

10- Rex Dow @RexDow - 37,645 followers - 28,676th member

In 2015, Tsu passed YouTube as #1 in number of monetization partners in social media. The challenge now is to communicate Tsu’s revolutionary ideas and near critical mass. If enough of us get the word out, 2016 could yield a tipping point where Tsu makes a bigger “dent” in the social media universe.

11- Joshua McDonald @JoshuaMcDonaldCo - 13,115 followers - 184,676th member

This first year has been very successful for Tsu as a Social Network. In comparison to other platforms, it has experienced quick growth in numbers following its launch. It took Facebook ten months to reach one million users. It took Twitter two years to reach the same number. It took Tsu just one month to reach one million users. What we have witnessed here is special, and with all of the buzz surrounding our platform this year, I believe Tsu will see an even better second year as a 'social network.' Well, actually I know it will.

12- Eileen Brown @EileenB - 11,113 followers - 28,337th member

Tsu will mature during 2016. It will automate many back-end processes - like its payment system - and improve technology to help new members. It will introduce a streamlined UI - teaching new users how to use the platform and engage in communities. In 2016, Tsu will really make its mark in social.

13- Uwe Lang @UweLang - 15,461 followers - 55,179th members

As someone working in the (digital) marketing field, I am glad to see users joining but also remaining. There are a lot interesting ones, not sure if all will stay but the concept will for sure. Even Facebook recognized this as we saw recently in the news and online. It all started with Tsu which is in my opinion the leader in content-paying sites. In 2016, they have realistic potential to lead the way for real social communities moving forward.

14- Michael Callahan @miketrainer14 - 25,712 followers - 356th members

The social media landscape is changing. The large incumbents are doing everything to create platforms that never want you to leave. Everything except giving a piece of the economics back to the everyday content provider. Tsu.co is capturing a network of users that believe in ownership and know their content has value by doing just that, allowing users to share in the revenue. It is my prediction that Tsu will continue to lead the way for all content providers to be rewarded monetarily for their creativity and efforts in a massive way.

15- Jon Dunn @jondunn - 27,121 followers - 43,183rd member

Obviously Tsu has revolutionized how many of us think about social by rewarding content CREATORS in 2015. I think very early on in 2016, Tsu's focus will be on content, where CONSUMERS will be able to discover content that is more accessible (on and off the platform). This may create a self-improving iterative mechanism where content creators can more easily be discovered by the people who want to view it, and therefore capture it's value.

16- Jerry Williams @IamVC_Viral_Change_Clothing - 5,009 followers - 68,555th member

TSU's advantage to succeed: When I offer up my own authentic message and support others' unique passions, then I am rewarded for creating a encouraging community. Organically TSU pulls the best out of us through a truly uplifting, charitable, and sharing community...get this message out clearly... and, we will all win in 2016 and beyond.

17- C Bret Campbell @jedibret - 2,290 followers - 135,127th member

Having made a huge impact on Social Media in general during it's first year, I believe TSU has the potential to shake up the entire Net. In the next year, I expect to see more focused campaigns for charities, a strengthening of TSU groups and major changes to the peer payments system. More and more people are already adopting TSU Peer payments as a way of doing "business." We are already seeing this happening, especially with crafters and digital service providers. The possibilities are endless.

18- Damion  Black @Producers - 10,503 follower - 1,208,136th member

By 2016, TSU will have attracted in excess of 25 million users. Major movie studios, and musicians will embrace it. The compensation of content creators and retention of rights will become a focal point of Social Media. And the ‘by-gone days’ of giving all your rights away for the simple use of a social network are over. 

Final Thoughts for the New Year

So there you have it -- from of the most active Tsuvians that are not only a creative lot, but are continuously looking for new ways to make this ecosystem bigger and better than it is today. And hats off to the founder, Sebastian Sobczak and his staff for listening to and addressing the recommendations of its users. I personally must extend my gratitude for his team truly engaging with its user-base and allowing us to not only engage, but to become a sounding-board for what’s working and what might need to be tweaked.

If you like what you hear, feel free to join the network by using any of the shortcodes links of the 18 savvy folks listed above. You can also follow the Top 100 Active Tsu Members here.

As one additional personal observation, I see 2016 being the year that Tsu’s monetization schema evolves into a full-blown payment platform offering features and services that prompts eCommerce, bill paying and donations to charities outside of the ecosystem.

Think of PayPal on steroids, as Tsu fills the void of offering up the best of both worlds -- a commercial exchange and a rich and engergized social community. Like the Uber and AirBNB models, its this shared economy paradigm, which will propel the growth of this network and others that follow its path -- into 2016 and beyond.

Feel free to follow my daily insights, campaigns and charity drives here.