Arborist Calls: Let's Livestream To X

I propose we start livestreaming the biweekly Arborist calls on the @zcash X account. These calls provide key updates on core engineering efforts that cover important topics like ZSAs, FROST, the NSM, and other upcoming feature development and protocol upgrades. However, despite their significance, live attendance is typically around 20 people, and YouTube recordings rarely surpass 150 views. If we want to better communicate what’s happening with Zcash, we should be doing more to broadcast these discussions.

Livestreaming on X would increase engagement and visibility, bringing in people who may not closely follow Zcash but are interested in what’s being built. It also reinforces the credibility of the project, showing that, despite eight years of bear market price action, Zcash remains a vibrant ecosystem with a passionate engineering community driving meaningful innovation. Beyond that, it helps with transparency, accountability, and content creation.

The recent NEAR announcement received 90,000 views on X. Leveraging the same platform for Arborist calls could significantly expand awareness of ongoing development work. Most importantly, it demonstrates that we’re committed to building in public to ensure the broader community has direct insight into the progress and direction of Zcash development. It may also help bring new engineering teams and fresh ideas into the ecosystem.

If anyone has feedback or objections, please let me know. If there are no major concerns, I’ll coordinate with @decentralistdan and @vito to start livestreaming the Arborist calls, beginning with the next one on February 20.

cc: @pili @Dodger @joshs @daira @nuttycom @conradoplg @squirrel

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Huge thumbs up! Also think using Jitsu vs zoom is a win, worked well today for the Librustzcash Crate Class.

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If you want my honest opinion: I do not endorse doing anything to increase our involvement with Twitter/X. It’s owned by someone who does not respect the rule of law and is hell bent on dismantling democratic institutions, using Twitter/X as part of that project.

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I appreciate the honest take! From my perspective, I am looking at this from an “increasing visibility” stance because we want to bring new folks in. I also sympathize with your sentiment however as I havent been happy with the whole

:bird: => X transition.

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i get your viewpoint - even when i dont agree with it.

imo using a platform for Zcash visibility doesn’t necessarily mean we’re endorsing it or encouraging others to use it.

also many ppl who use it can still be involved in many privacy projects (from my experience).

recently Near intents integrating Zcash swaps we got great feedback on twitter from their community and not using it would make us lose a lot of people who would like to know more or get involved in Zcash.

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tbh I don’t think it’s very valuable to livestream these conversations to X.

Devs need to be able to speak freely and if any core devs feel uncomfortable due to X streaming it degrades the quality and openness of the call. It’s already available to the public

also, i don’t think people on twitter really care about deep technical discussions. it’s more shiny features, token farming, and the occasional research paper

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I think the problem goes beyond Elon Musk. The actual political system is simply failing because the tyranny of the majority is becoming unbearable and no longer acceptable for populations that are more diverse, informed and less uniform than they used to be. And it’s true for many countries, not just the US.

But back to the point, yes X is the place where you can get more exposure for now (hopefully a successful decentralized version of it will emerge soon)

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Evidence? I see this as a low hanging fruit idea to try. Since, as you say its public already, lets amplify. Zcash to the world.

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it’s not the medium for hosting technical development discussions with 10+ people

twitter livestream is best for podcast style interviews and clickbait stuff. the OP in this thread referenced a marketing announcement to justify hosting protocol dev coordination calls on x

it doesn’t make sense

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Having folks watch how Zcash dev work happens makes a lot of sense. I guess we can disagree, but the goal is to bring new folks in, not keep it hidden in the shadows.

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i guess this can be also true. yeah. people prefer simpler content than devs talking ZK stuff.

which doesnt mean some ZK devs wouldnt be interested who otherwise might not see it.
but id say make a poll along the devs and let them decide, since its them who need to feel comfortable with it. i can see it feel more pressure a bit.

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I want to +1 the sentiment about the potentially chilling effect that broadcasting on the platform could have among those who want to participate in these technical calls. In an attempt to cast the net wider, would we be forcing some of the engineers in our community to choose between privacy and participation?

This is X’s privacy policy. Some information worth highlighting includes:

Re: broadcasts:

“Usage information: We collect information about your activity on X, including: …broadcasts you’ve participated in (including your viewing history, listening, commenting, speaking, and reacting).”

Re: biometric data:

“Biometric Information. Based on your consent, we may collect and use your biometric information for safety, security, and identification purposes.”

Re: the g*overnment demanding info
This is the first thing that comes to mind for me when you combine usage and biometrics, addressed here:

“3.3 When required by law, to prevent harm, or in the public interest. We may preserve, use, share, or disclose your information if we believe that it is reasonably necessary to: comply with a law, regulation, legal process, or g*vernmental request…”

For additional context, this is an AI-generated comparison of privacy policies across Zoom (where calls are recorded), YouTube (where the calls are currently made available), and X.

Feature YouTube X (Twitter) Zoom
Data Collection Scope Collects account info, viewing history, and uploaded content for service enhancement and legal compliance. Collects extensive data, including public posts, device info, IP addresses, and biometric data. Collects meeting-related data (e.g., video, audio, chat) and telemetry data for service delivery.
Broadcast Privacy Options Public, Unlisted, or Private streams allow granular control. Public by default; limited private options through account settings. Host-controlled settings: meetings can be public or restricted to specific participants.
Content Ownership Users retain ownership but grant YouTube a license to host/distribute their content. Public content is broadly licensed to X for various uses, including AI training. Customer owns meeting content; Zoom requires limited rights for service provision.
AI and Data Usage Does not use user content for AI training without explicit consent. Public posts can be used to train AI models without additional consent. Initially allowed AI training with user consent; later clarified no use of customer content for AI without opt-in.
Privacy Notifications Users are informed about visibility settings before streaming. General account-level settings; no specific broadcast notifications. Provides in-meeting notifications about who can access or share meeting content.

A question I can’t determine the answer to is if a call (this one or others) are recorded on Zoom >>then stored on YT >>and shared on X - - is the data leak more, less or the same?

If we do decide to broadcast the calls on X, providing ample opportunity for participants to either consent or drop off before the broadcast begins is important.

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Zcash Brazil runs a simulcast in discord as well. When Bluesky gets streaming, we’ll pipe it there too.

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Good question. What I imagine is they use jitsu/zoom and somone else rebroadcast this live on X, I’m note sure its less private than just posting after words?

i dont think it has much to do with privacy in bigger scale as being on these calls are either way publicly posted later.

its more imo if they want certain audiences to see it live and being able to share while its live. i can see there being doubts for twitter in that case.

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Is there a way to Livestream to multiple platforms simultaneously? Say if it’s primarily the YouTube stream and gets replayed/simul to other places like Discord/X/wherever?

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Zcash Brazil will launch on 3 or 4 platforms simultaneously through Streamyard, plus our Calls on Discord as usual. We are currently creating the visuals, branding, and identity for this online initiative. While it is a paid service, it has the potential to reach a new audience, plus help us to update the whole community.

We have already begun the configuration process, trying Free2z as can be seen here:

  1. Free2z repo

  2. Platform

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Yes, this is the important distinction - live participation.

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I participate in a lot of X spaces. I agree with @januszgrze that it’s not a great venue for technical discussions or “cross-team standups,” which is what Arborist calls essentially are.

It is, however, an amazing place to reach end users and to connect with other communities. It’s a great place for Q&A.

I suggest that Arborist calls remain where they are, on a medium that supports video and screen sharing.

I’m all about us simulcasting to an X Space at the same time however, with Q&A at the end of the official Arborist call. Perhaps hosted by different people, or a few people from the Arborist call volunteer to hop onto the Space for 30min for less-technical Q&A after Arborist.

I largely share Daira’s thoughts regarding X. It’s unfortunately the main town square for our industry. The only alternate with traction in our industry is Nostr, which can be a great place for interacting with Bitcoiners. Nostr unfortunately has no alternative to Spaces at this time.

Regarding privacy concerns: Arborist participants should have no presumption of privacy. These calls are posted publicly, currently to YouTube.

Regarding simulcasting: yes it is possible with tools like Restream.

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This.

Hard pass on naziland twitter

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