Build Something

The internet made a few people rich.
We’re trying something different.

  • One prompt.
  • One thing worth keeping.
  • One vote.

Every night, News From The Jon reveals what the community chose.

Enter Free Watch The Ceremony
An art installation: a room papered floor to ceiling in handwriting, with a small boat at its center

What we’re trying

What was worth keeping?

Most platforms reward attention. Build Something rewards recognition.

Most platforms help you build an audience. Build Something helps you build an archive.

Most platforms ask what happened today. We ask what was worth keeping.

The daily protocol

Create. Vote. Reveal. Archive.

Today’s prompt: “Something you couldn’t replace.”

Create

Add one thing worth keeping.

Vote

Artifacts are judged before contributors are recognized.

Reveal

Every night, News From The Jon announces the winner.

Archive

Your contribution becomes part of your permanent archive.

Add Today’s Entry
The Chicago skyline at night

The spectacle pays for the preservation.

Our daily ceremony extracts attention from the old internet to fund something worth keeping.

The nightly ceremony

Five minutes. Every day.

  • Yesterday’s winner.
  • The funniest jokes.
  • A parody ad.
  • A bizarre weather report.
  • And a game hidden throughout the episode.

The ceremony happens once each day. You know it will happen. You never know exactly when.

When NFTJ goes live, the race begins.

The spectacle pays for the preservation.

News From The Jon Promo
The First Episode: Obama Inauguration, 2009
Interview Format: The Prototype

Visit Totally Joking →

The stakes

Some prizes change your life. Some ask you to change someone else’s.

Win. Keep half. Direct half.

The story isn’t only who won. It’s who they chose.

An empty shoreline at dawn, the lake meeting a wide open sky

Fairness

Artifacts are judged before contributors are recognized.

No names. No followers. No popularity.

The work stands alone.

Economics

Most platforms extract value. Build Something circulates it.

After operating expenses, advertising revenue returns to the community.

Transparency is part of the product.

Founding membership

Become a founding member.

The first members enter free. Later, membership is intended to be $1/month.

Already in? Play today’s prompt and add to the archive →