It all started with the XRP Tip Bot.

The XRP Tip Bot

If you're new to 'CT' or 'Crypto-Twitter' as we call it, you may not understand how addictive online tipping can be. The banner image that I used, years ago, for an article about the Tip Bot, showed an amusement park ride captured on a slow exposure ... a mesmerizing collection of bright lights.

Fun At An Amusement Park

Like an amusement park, the XRP Tip Bot thrived on instant gratification, social interaction, and fun ... lots of fun.

How It Worked

It started with a small number of accounts that were established through a Web 2.0 interface (web site) that Wietse Wind created. There, their user name had to perfectly match their Twitter account name. XRPL Labs then constructed bots that would constantly check for new messages from that account. Whenever those bots saw a new Twitter post with 'XRP Tip Bot' in it, they would attempt to transfer some XRP in the (sending) account to the person being tipped.

What if the tipped person didn't have an XRP Tip Bot account?

If the bots couldn't find an account in the XRP Tip Bot database that matched the Twitter recipient, they would create a Tip Bot account automatically for the person, and store the XRP for when they decided to log in and claim it.

The person being tipped didn't have to do anything to receive XRP!

Wietse Wind noted this as the Tip Bot's greatest strength:

"... you could send it to someone without that person having to register and sign up first, without custody, where it could not only be a gift, some gratitude, but also a driver towards new participation, growing the circle..."

This approach worked not only for Twitter, but also for Reddit and Discord.

Discontinued 'For Reasons'

The XRP Tip Bot system worked well, but it depended on accessing the industrial-strength APIs that Twitter provided. To use those APIs, private companies needed to pay Twitter.

And prices began to increase.

After realizing that the API cost was beginning to quickly climb out of his ability to pay, Wietse Wind had to shut it down. And later, it was recognized that this system may actually invite scrutiny from regulators, despite merely replicating real-world tipping.

Idea For Vouchers

Attempting to recreate at least some of the magic that was part of the XRP Tip Bot, the team thought about the strengths of the original idea, and used it as a basis for their new project.

"The biggest success of the Tip Bot was the fact that by tipping someone, one had an incentive to start participating. One could be tipped without having signed up yet. The vouchers are similar in the sense that they are waiting for the recipient to be claimed whenever. But then even better, without custody..."

Checks The Boxes

The new idea for vouchers ... a link that could be shared with anybody ... with XAH awaiting them at the other end ... seemed to meet some of the original criteria for the XRP Tip Bot, and would also showcase the power of hooks; the new smart contract capability for Xahau.

Vouchers Implemented

Months after the network was created, the voucher system - and its corresponding xApp - went live, and XAH fans began to share the native token on 'X'.

Voucher xApp In The Xaman Wallet

There may even be cases where the vouchers have been used in other contexts; the link works, regardless of whether it's shared on 'X' (Twitter), Reddit, or Discord.

Finer Points

There is no recreating the original version of the XRP Tip Bot, but its successor allows the sharing of XAH without worrying about custody, and only requires the claimer to invoke the hook located on the Voucher account.

The Voucher system is great for sharing XAH with 'anybody', and in the case of specific people, the sender must be aware that anybody that sees the link will be able to claim the XAH.

Anybody's XAH

Perhaps the biggest disappointment is that 'anybody' can claim the XAH. With the XRP Tip Bot, only the recipient of the tip was able to claim the XRP.

However, instead of looking at this as a 'limitation', we can also think of it as a new capability. Sharing XAH with anybody on a first-come, first-serve basis is something that we could not previously do with the XRP Tip Bot.

Dollar Limits

The current hook contains limitations on the amount of the native token that can be given in one voucher. That limitation is 500 XAH. At present prices, this is equivalent to about ~ $20 dollars.

These limitations can be changed by the owner of the account where the hook is installed. The hook code is open-source on Github here: github.com/technotip/Voucher

And, if anybody else wants to recreate their own voucher system, they can easily port the code to a new hook and install one for themselves.

Example Usage

If you want to try out vouchers, here are the steps:

• Open your Xaman wallet & change the network to 'Xahau'
• Open the 'xApps' tab & activate the 'Voucher' app
• Choose an amount & create the voucher
• Choose 'share'
• On 'X' (Twitter), share the link

Voucher Shared On 'X' (Twitter)

WARNING: Once you've shared the link, anybody can claim that XAH.

Other Usage Ideas

In addition to sharing the voucher on 'X' (Twitter), you can share the voucher in any other context that you can imagine.

The only caveat is that once the link is known by the other party, they can claim that XAH. So if you're trying to send a specific person some XAH, for example, it may be better to share the voucher link via email or direct message; this way you can be sure that only they have access to the link.

Instant transfers: One of the original coders on the project, @Satish_nl, enthusiastically pointed out that, little known to most users, you can actually click the voucher in the Xaman xApp and then see a QR code. This would, in theory, allow for an instant, phone-to-phone transfer of XAH if the other person scans the QR code.

Something useful I learned as I researched for this article!

Vouchers Have Just Started

Now that it's been a year, we can look back and see some early adopters leveraging the app to send XAH to others. Here are the statistics:

XAH Voucher Statistics

For me, the shocking part is the 'unclaimed' portion of the vouchers ... which means somewhere out there are QR codes and URLs that could lead (anybody) to free XAH.

And keep in mind that this is only one potential implementation of vouchers; there are no limits to the combination of technology that could replicate this function.

Xahau vouchers are just beginning.

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Sources

Photo by unsplash.com/@enginakyurt. image: https://unsplash.com/photos/a-large-ferris-wheel-at-night-K6jdJ3EzOqk?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText

https://xrptipbot.com/about

https://hooks.services/voucher

https://xahau.xrplwin.com/@xrplwin/vouchers

Q&A with @Satish_nl

Q&A with @WietseWind