NFT collectible communities
Author’s note: This article is based on one of my most popular Youtube videos published in August. The numbers you see and comments made in the below post may already have changed as the NFT world moves fast, however there is still a lot of relevant points below!
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/O_1cg_sBqtg
You may have thought NFTs were just about collecting art, but it’s actually so much more than that.
There are NFT collectible communities popping up like crazy right now.
People can collect club tokens that double as their membership to exclusive clubs with member exclusive perks.
I believe this is the new frontier for community clubs!
Let’s look through some of the top NFT collectible communities (based on DAPP radar rankings in August 2021), how they manage their own communities and compare them with each other.
Each will be given a Community Coach score based on the following criteria experience for new members:
1. Do they feel overwhelmed or are they provided with a great onboarding experience?
2. Access to resources: Is it easy to find information?
3. How are the channels organised and how many channels are there?
4. Engagement levels: my observation on whether members are reacting to announcements and other posts.
5. Any downsides to the community that give members a negative experience will detract points..
Here are the Top 10 NFT Communities (DAPP Radar, August 2021)
Cryptopunks
Created by: Larvalabs
Website: https://larvalabs.com/
What is it:
10,000 unique collectible characters with proof of ownership stored on the Ethereum blockchain. Originally created in 2017, they are the first NFT on Ethereum and part of the inspiration for the ERC-721 standard.
Community platform used:
Discord
Number of channels: 8. There’s an overview & projects channel (where new members would start to get information)
Number of members: around 10k to 17k
New members would go to the overview and projects channel
Overall observation:
PROS:
Tone is simple yet informative. Bots installed for twitter (“cross community communication”) and announcing sales. Provides updates such as news, videos and podcasts. FAQ is very helpful for all new members of NFT. Also to note, the discord talks about “competitor” NFTs such as Animetas, so you get real insight into the market and what people think of different NFTs. Looks are pretty basic and has a 90s vibe to it.
CONS:
No personal welcome, no overall mission shared by developers, no categorisation of conversations. Lacks personality or brand given its punk image. Transactional, general channel has random keywords used to join the channel which seems odd and just creates unnecessary noise. Only 1 moderator on the server that I can see but they were not active.
Could also do with member matching….No fun emojis are used. This project relies on the fact it was the “first NFT” project around collectibles, rather than a “strong community vibe”.
Community Coach Score: 4 out of 10
Axie Infinity
Created by: SKY Mavis PTE. Ltd.
Website: https://axieinfinity.com/
What is it:
A Pokémon-inspired universe where anyone can earn tokens through skilled gameplay and contributions to the ecosystem. Players can battle, collect, raise, and build a land-based kingdom for their pets.
Community platform used:
Discord
Number of members:
556K members (and growing!)
Number of channels: 10 IN THE OFFICIAL SECTION with 40 additional channels for town hall, international channels and more.
Overall observation:
PROS:
Strong branding via the website and discord. Signing up for new members is not complicated and house rules are in place. Shared white paper and FAQs – the community resources are extensive. Also has a newbie chat channel which is a nice touch.
CONS:
Too many channels. There’s just way too much going on in the discord that it almost feels hard to navigate as a newbie.
Community Coach Score: 7 out of 10
Art Blocks
Created by: Erick Calderon
What is it?
Art Blocks is a first of its kind platform focused on programmable on demand generative content. Content is stored immutably on the Ethereum Blockchain. You pick a style that you like, pay for the work, and a randomly generated version of the content is created by an algorithm and sent to your Ethereum account. The resulting piece might be a static image, 3D model, or an interactive experience. Each output is different and there are endless possibilities for the types of content that can be created on the platform.
Community platform used:
Discord
Number of members: 9.8K members
Number of channels: About SEVENTY. New members must be verified before joining. No channel specific for “getting started” but they do have a rules-info channel.
Overall observation:
PROS:
Branding is FUN. They have a rules info channel which is a super helpful channel for new members. They have a community wiki where you can see all the useful links. Customized emojis on the server. The team is not afraid to point out parts to be improved on. Positive steps are taken towards improving the community.
CONS:
Too many channels that could be better organised. A channel for each featured artist seems too much, only super fans for each artist would join and there’s not a great way to explore and find new art/ be inspired. No explanation for each channel which can lead to confusion if you’re a newbie.
Community Coach Score: 6 out of 10
Bored Ape Yacht Club
Created by: Yuga Labs
Website: https://boredapeyachtclub.com/#/
What is it:
Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) is a collection of 10,000 Bored Ape NFTs—unique digital collectibles living on the Ethereum blockchain. Bored Ape doubles as a member’s Yacht Club membership card, providing access to members-only benefits, such as the bathroom, member exclusive merch drops, member exclusive treasure hunts, mutant “breeding” and much more.
Community platform used:
Discord
Number of members: 13,469 members
Number of channels: Less than 30
Community overall observation:
PROS:
Welcome channel (generic) is stylish and simple. Branding is on point. General channel has a banana emoji which goes with their brand and there are nice touches throughout. Club notices are well organized and clearly laid out. Clear rules and FAQs. Structure has personality as well, I like the structure of their moderating team and community – they have assigned a club bouncer, club drunk, club bartender. Community engagement is STRONG in this club.
CONS:
General channel is just like a meme/gif channel, not much engagement. Some channels are unclear and lack definition which can be confusing to new members. You can’t differentiate “verified ape holders” vs. those who are just in the public discord, not so much engagement from the community.
Community Coach Score 7 out of 10 (for the discord server, although I’d give it higher points for their overall community)
Vee friends
Created by: Gary Vaynerchuck
Website: https://veefriends.com/
What is it:
A Gary Vaynerchuk NFT project around meaningful intellectual property and an extraordinary community. The main ambition of this project is to create a meaningful and intellectual property and create an extraordinary community. All tokens are a three-year admission token to VeeCon, an annual super-conference.
Community platform used:
Discord
Number of members: 165K members
Number of channels: About 25. Intro channel is nicely done and well arranged.
Community overall observation:
PROS:
Great organisation of the community. Has a system for helpful resources, FAQ, rules and announcements. A LOT of work has gone into educating their members and it shows. Admins are clearly experienced, switched on and highly responsive to members in the community.
CONS:
Compared to other projects this one felt a Little cumbersome to get started on discord (just a few extra steps required to get verified). Getting access to Veecon is a good member perk, but very little information about this so far. Would be helpful to understand the different categories of Vee Friends, how they have created different distinctions for members based on their animal type. The server also lacked a way for community members to send their feedback, ideas etc for VeeFriends. There is no roadmap in the community.
Community Coach Score: 6.5 out of 10 but with LOTS of potential to grow here
Cool Cats
Created by: Evan Luza and Company
Website: https://www.coolcatsnft.com/
What is it:
Cool Cats are a collection of 9,999 (from over 300,000 combinations!) randomly generated and stylistically curated NFTs that exist on the Ethereum Blockchain. Cool Cat holders can participate in exclusive events such as NFT claims, raffles, community giveaways, and more. Remember, all cats are cool — but some are cooler than others.
Community platform used:
Discord
Number of members: 6.6k members
Number of channels: About 25. No prompts for new members, but the welcome channel is organised.
Community overall observation:
PROS:
Awesome that they host town halls regularly on Twitter Spaces. Announcements are super transparent, they promptly address concerns by community members. Shared their purpose with the community openly. House rules are on point. They have an origins channel to see the history to document their progress over time. They also have a suggestions channel for community members to provide feedback.
CONS:
Needs to organize their channels better. Plus they have cat flex and adopted cats – what’s the difference? Some of the channels could be consolidated.
Community Coach Score: 6.5 out of 10
Punks Comic
Created by: Pixel Vault and Chris Wahl
Website: https://punkscomic.com/
What is it:
You can earn characters from one of the most groundbreaking projects in the NFT space. Literally a comic about a group of CryptoPunks. It’s really a comic creating shared ownership by the community, and building the punks brand. Certain members will have VIP perks like a stake in the success of the project whether that be the comic, artists other works or merchandise cuts.
Number of members: 6K
Number of channels: 8! No channel for new members
Community overall observation:
PROS:
Community led project where they have created a shared ownership system for its members. The Punks platform is also open to collaborating with other communities.
CONS:
At the time of reviewing, there was low energy noted in this community. The actual concept is solid, but no execution of collecting thoughts from the community on how the project will progress in future. Also their FAQ’s channel mainly just sends people back to the website FAQs, it should be more comprehensive.
Community Coach Score: 4 out of 10 – need to see their vision align more with their community (AUTHOR’s EDIT: over time it seems they have shared more about the mission and members have become a LOT more engaged).
CyberKongz
Created by: Unknown
Website: https://www.cyberkongz.com/
What is it:
CyberKongz are unique and randomly generated 2d or 3d gorilla avatars for the Metaverses. Some characters appear normal while others look weird.
Community platform used:
Discord
Number of members: 3K members
Number of channels: 19 channels
Community overall observation:
PROS:
Branding is one of the strongest in this community. Rules are simple so it’s easy to read. They have quick start guides for new members. The Council of Kongz, which are made up of members of the community, makes decisions together with the rest. Indicates this is a COMMUNITY LED project.
CONS:
No community feedback channel. Roadmap is available on their website but wasn’t explained on the server.
Community Coach Score: 8 out of 10, branding is on point and done so well
Lucky Maneki
Created by: Unknown
Website: https://luckymaneki.com/
What is it:
Lucky Maneki collectibles project is a brainchild of a fully decentralized team of artists, copywriters, blockchain developers and NFT enthusiasts. Supporting the decentralisation concept, this project is meant to be the first step for our small team into building a truly decentralized autonomous organisation with thousands of members while striving to deliver one of the most entertaining and engaging NFT collectibles experiences.
Community platform used:
Telegram and Discord
Number of members: 4.6K members
Number of channels: around 40
Community overall observation:
PROS:
Decentralized system. Entertaining and yet engaging. They have a suggestions channel, help channel and the read me channel.
CONS:
The concepts explained on their website could be translated better in the community. Where is the Lucky Bank for example, and what initiatives have been proposed/voted on before? These answers were hard to find in their community. Some channels are redundant and could be consolidated. Needs more work in branding.
Community Coach Score: 5.5 out of 10
Animetas
Created By: Gustavo Viselner and cyberh49
Website: https://www.animetas.io/
What is it:
A collection of 10101 unique 1/1 NFTs that are generative and live on the Ethereum Blockchain. You can join exclusive community events and challenges and can have access to future Animetas-themed arcade world.
Community platform used:
Discord
Number of members: 3K members
Number of channels: about 27. There is an FAQ and server rules.
Community overall observation:
PROS:
There are a lot of channels BUT this community is SUPER high in engagement levels. Good vibez channel helps members get through any annoying challenges like gas wars (transaction fees) members have said flooding the chat with positivity helps them a lot.
They build hype in the community really well. Sneak peaks channel shows new characters, artist actively engage in the community. Community playlist created via the animas music channel. Fan art is awesome. They allow community voting. Animetas follow other animas, taking the community from discord to twitter and other platforms is great for strengthening relationships between members. Branding is very strong here too with moderators being labelled as “animods”.
CONS: The welcome channel and experience could be better. Perhaps have animetas police bot send out a friendly message. They could do with a community resource section too as the FAQ’s don’t answer enough questions.
Community Coach Score: 8.5 out of 10
You can watch my FULL Youtube video with all my comments (video at the top of this post).
great 10 NFT collection communities compared. Thank you for sharing