If you are ready to take a dive into the crazed and varied world of the non-fungible token, you aren’t alone. This phenomenon has taken the world by storm, offering a unique investment, collecting, and artistic option for users all over the globe.
If you are just starting out in this adventure, it can be tough to find a good “home” that you can peruse, buy, sell, trade, and understand NFTs. These communities are scattered throughout the world wide web, so finding the one that fits your needs can be tricky.
Let’s break down some of the steps that help in finding a great NFT community.
Table of Contents
What Do You Want from Your NFT Community?
A great place to start is with a look at your own needs and hopes. Everyone’s uses of the NFT are unique. Deciding what you want to do with your NFTs, why you want to collect them, and what types of projects interest you is the best starting point.
Once you have a clearer idea of what your own wants are, you can help to tailor your search. There are plenty of reasons to view, buy, trade, or use NFTs. Some NFTs are unique tokens for in-game use. Others are badges to show accomplishments. Some are pieces of art, in and of themselves. Others are meant to be used such as those that can serve as a profile picture or a musical recording.
By determining first what your goals are, you can find a space that makes sense for you. Depending on those answers, you can narrow down your search results and find NFT projects that make sense for your unique wants.
Questions To Ask Yourself
When just starting out in the space, you will want to determine what you want NFTs to do for you. Why you are interested in the unique tokens, what kind of NFTs interest you and your long-term purpose for owning them will help determine what makes sense for your NFT community desires.
To help you understand your needs, it is ideal to ask yourself some key questions. Some ideal questions to analyze include:
- What NFTs interest you?
- Why do you want to purchase NFTs?
- Are you a gamer? Artist? Musician? Investor?
- Do you hope to make money with your NFTs?
- Will be trading and dealing in the collections frequently? Or do you plan to hold onto them long-term?
- What budget do you have in mind?
By having a clearer picture of these questions, you will start to develop a picture of your own unique needs.
The NFT World
Once you have an idea of your wants, and what you hope to get out of an NFT collecting experience, it is ideal to understand the NFT and what it precisely is, how it is used, and what it means to purchase one.
NFT: A Non-Fungible Token
Let’s first take a look at WHAT an NFT even is. Before you purchase something, it is wise to have a deeper understanding of what it is, and exactly, what you are paying for or investing in long-term.
NFTs are known as non-fungible tokens. But what is an NFT? And how is it used in investing and collecting? Being an NFT means that it is non-fungible, first and foremost. It means that it is a unique piece, one that cannot be replicated or replaced with an equal. A token, much like that you’ve likely physically held in an arcade setting, is simply the representation of that item.
In today’s marketplace, the NFT is most often digital art. Some web spaces are working with the technology to truly allow the token to stand for anything from pieces of actual real estate to the car in your driveway, to allow for balanced and fair trading of commodities.
In most marketplaces and exchanges, that commodity, however, is most often digital art. NFTs have the luxury of encompassing a vast assortment of art. From .mp3 and .mp4 files to .jpg or .gifs, the art’s actual form can consist of any number of file types.
Any artist can use the platform to make pieces for sale or trade. The value of the pieces varies by factors such as rarity, the number of the pieces on the market, the artist, style, and other determinations made, sometimes at random, by the ecosystem surrounding the NFT.
Entering the NFT space is something users should do with a bit of caution. No matter the advice you receive, diving into an NFT project or investment can come with a massive amount of volatility. Values for such files are constantly on the move.
If your aim is a financial windfall, it is important to note that there are many steps investors must take, from legal ramifications to tax and fees, it is important to be informed when making such an investment.
The NFT Project Marketplace
This may be the most common and familiar part of the phrase to break down: the marketplace. Commonly used throughout history as the word to describe a place where people gather to do business, or exchange goods and services, the same definition applies to the online world of NFTs.
In the case of NFTs, the marketplace is the space or platform on which users can come together to buy, sell, create, trade, and collect NFTs. Participating members on the site will accept the terms of the marketplace’s rules and regulations. This is what makes up the “communities” you are seeking to become a part of.
Depending again on your needs and long-term goals with NFTs, these communities can vary greatly.
A Unique Source of Revenue
One pillar that the NFT communities at large aim to accomplish is that its existence creates a unique revenue source. There are few ways that an artist can sell their wares globally at all. And, given the technologies involved, it is often the case in the past that such a piece of art, especially, would easily be stolen, copied, or “borrowed.”
Without many rules or regulations online, the world wide web can be a Wild West of crazy behavior. It is hard to control a global population. Thankfully, technology offered an answer to this problem by way of creating NFTs.
NFTs allow, thanks to blockchain technology (more on that in a moment), an artist to prove their work. With immutable blocks, the true ownership is easily established and verified. There can be only one true owner, and these pieces cannot be copied.
Additionally, this technology allows for artists to not only earn funds on the initial sale of the piece but also on subsequent sales. Because the tech allows for the tracking of all transactions, an artist can continue to collect a commission or percentage of the sale, even on subsequent sales of the pieces.
Blockchain Technology
To better understand what an NFT is or how they exist from a technology standpoint, it is wise to break down the blockchain that fuels the industry and makes its features possible.
The blockchain is a distributed ledger of sorts. It operates on a peer-to-peer network, meaning devices that can span the globe and be located in various places at once. By copying this ledger, which lists and tracks the transactions of an entire network or a single NFT, the data is kept more secure.
The tech itself is made up of batches of data, collected in spaces called “blocks.” They are chronologically linked in a series or “chain” so that the information can maintain its organization and clarity.
Once data is locked into a block on the chain it is immutable. It cannot be changed by any person for any reason. This keeps the data secure, as well, as no authority has the power to alter it. This chain becomes nearly impossible to hack or disrupt.
The operation of the blockchain allows for a few key features, that in turn make the NFT itself possible. Let’s take a look at how those features work to ensure the safety, validity, and security of your purchase.
A Move From Central Authority
One of the key components of the blockchain and thusly NFT communities is that it is a distributed power. The peers along the network have the power to store, verify, and secure the data.
There is no central authority in the blockchain. Instead of centralized servers, there are many devices linked containing copies of the information.
One True Owner
The tech also allows for the ownership of a digital file to be clear and accurate, not to mention secure. NFTs would not be possible without this ability, as users could easily steal, copy, or use such files in unauthorized ways.
However, the blockchain makes the ownership immutable and verifiable. No one can change the facts. Owners can easily prove they own the one, true NFT file, and if anyone else is using even copies of that original piece, they can take steps to request a cease and desist (use).
A Unique Experience
Another fun part of the NFT community is that these experiences can all be unique and different, depending on the uses, users, and interactions. No two NFTs are the same, which means each owner will have a unique piece.
Additionally, the digital aspects of the pieces mean there can be a fun creative process, which allows for features such as rarity, collectability, and uniqueness to drive the values of an NFT. You can have a collection of 10,000 ape faces, but each will be completely different. The frequency that an individual accessory appears can alter the rarity drastically, which also means the values will vary greatly, too.
NFT Projects: The Risk vs. Reward
It is important to note when exploring the NFT community that if you are hearing a buzz about the financial windfall these pieces can bring, use caution.
The NFT marketplace is a varied space. It can wildly change in values from one moment to another. Crypto community members will tell you that values are never a guarantee. Those joining in on an NFT project should proceed carefully.
While there are many successful NFT projects out there, just like the crypto community, there are major risks. Within even the same NFT collection, one piece can, for example, be valued at millions of dollars, while another is worth pennies.
The marketplace is a volatile space, and no one can tell you that all things NFT may ever stabilize. It is not to say that many communities have a goal of creating a sustainable ecosystem with the NFT. But if you are entering the space with the sole purpose of making money, be careful with your endeavor. It is a risky digital world, and the transformation process continues to be rapid and without warning.
Never invest more than you can afford to lose. All the advice in the world, from the NFT artist himself, to millions of community members and their own experiences, can prepare you for the high highs and low lows of the NFT marketplace.
Where To Find an NFT Community
Once you have a clear vision of your goals, coupled with a solid understanding of what NFTs are and how they work, you can begin your search for an NFT project that fits your needs. You can find a vibrant community behind many popular NFT collections. The NFT world is full of them. To find the one that fits your hopes, let’s take a look at some of these options.
Twitter Spaces
Social media serves many purposes for many people. Twitter can be one such space to search for the perfect NFT communities to fit your needs. NFT holders, NFT developers, and those seeking to become NFT collectors can all gather in spaces such as Twitter.
Twitter happens to have shaped up to be an excellent source of information on NFTs. Some call Twitter a “king and the place where NFTs live.”
It is one of the best places to learn about upcoming projects, discover NFT communities, and keep up to date with particular projects. Finding projects on Twitter is really easy for individual researchers, and it is also the place where you can market your own NFTs and collectibles, should you choose to join the NFT artists yourself.
Discord Communities
If you aren’t familiar with Discord, you should become so. It is another great medium to use for discovering new and upcoming NFT creators. If you are seeking a community in general, the Discord community can be fun, educational, and interesting.
A discord group can be made up of acquaintances or just a gathering space for those with similar interests. You can tune into any public Discord channel and listen in on the hot tips. Alternatively, you can create your own, new Discord group to find the answers you seek.
Established Channels
One already established good community on the Discord app is the OpenSea Discord. There, any user can hop on to discuss or read more about the marketplace and its particular offerings. From how to use OpenSea, to where to find the best community members, you can use Discord anytime to talk openly about your questions. As one of the largest NFT marketplace exchanges, the OpenSea platform has much to offer such communities. Having a Discord server and access to other NFT communities means yet other options for those seeking their “home.”
Another robust channel is Cryptoadz Discord. Many join Cryptoadz Discord to discover everything from new and upcoming NFTs to the buzz on the hottest new crypto. Virtual space users are likely familiar with Discord already, as a space used often for video game communications.
Another unique space is the VeeFriends Discord, which offers NFT enthusiasts a space to form their own community and talk about any projects that may interest them. Calling itself (in the channel’s own description) an “NFT project around meaningful intellectual property and an extraordinary community,” VeeFriends has a varied community where you can learn about a wide variety of communities and projects in the virtual world.
Open Communication
Users are able to communicate with one another, through reading boards, posting comments, and even live chat with other site members. Membership to Discord is free, and those in the crypto world use the space often to discuss successful projects and exciting, new communities.
There is no fee to participate in Discord, however, once you join the space, you will soon learn that there can often be a negative user. Discord, like any corner of the world wide web, has its fair share of evil-doers. From attempting to launch viruses or malware to disrupting otherwise peaceful gatherings of like-minded people, the world is full of naysayers, and it should be noted to use caution regarding the language, advice, and negative energy on the Discord server.
Yes, you can find a wonderful group or create a team to work with on various ventures, but you will also find rough language, spaces created for disruption, and those that access the space simply to wreak havoc.
The Discord community is a great option for access to many benefits. Just be aware that some users are not there to focus on the positive! Parents, especially, should use caution in allowing younger users to enter the Discord community or become members of a Discord server.
Much like the rest of the web, it is wise to enter such communities with those you know, are familiar or comfortable with, or can trust. The Discord community can have the same, untrustworthy folks as the “real world.”
YouTube: Stay Tuned
It is likely you’ve used the application known as YouTube for a variety of reasons. From a unique news channel and How To videos to entertainment galore, there are countless videos on this worldwide sharing space. With no charge to access these features, plenty of people have used YouTube to become famous, join a unique group, or team up with other members or artists to create content.
Thankfully, another helpful use of the space is to find robust NFT communities. Discord, nor Twitter, doesn’t have a corner market in the space, created to allow like-minded users to come together. NFTs are no different than any other topic in the world. You can find plenty of content and NFT communities with their own YouTube channels, videos, and informative research tools.
From finding new artists, to discovering events and informational resources, YouTube has much to offer those seeking to find and join the perfect NFT community.
I mean, really, is there anything it can’t do? If you have narrowed down your searching parameters and are trying to research any upcoming NFT project, Google is your friend. Able to search the aforementioned tools for you, you can save a lot of time understanding the various communities by doing some legwork of your own.
This tool can help you to outline how long the community has been online, how many members it has, how often they post or share information, the values and variety of NFT project collections, events they may offer, and how one would join the community.
Google allows users to understand these uniquely created spaces, and weigh the pros and cons of each, before deciding on which communities to join.
FLOLiO
Created to keep you informed, this very space, FLOLiO, was designed to offer advice, research, and resources to help you make informed choices. From which communities to join, to how much an NFT is worth in today’s market, this robust space is, itself, a great way to explore NFT communities.
From Bored Ape Yacht Club to the meme project you haven’t yet thought up, our space is dedicated to providing members with informative research and information.
An Ever-Changing Landscape
Whatever worlds you have found to join, whatever communities you have created, there is one thing that remains constant in the NFT space: Change. The markets may be volatile and members may come and go, but the world created to offer artists a unique platform on which to do business, create, and be recognized by buyers, other artists, and specialized communities, is always changing.
Members will come and go. Platforms will change. The world’s own events will alter the future of what the NFT communities will look like, how they operate, and what they offer. The technology is also always improving allowing members to interact in a community no matter what their interests.
Stay Informed
Each and every day, there is a new project, a new NFT server, and a new community on the edge of launching a new project. The only way to stay informed of the next best thing is to stay on top of the subject.
Being informed of an upcoming project can only happen if you have tuned into the resources, members, and communities that provide well-researched, educated, and data-filled information. The next project hasn’t even been created, but if you stay focused on the subject areas that interest you, you can find members of like-minded NFT communities to help you in this venture.
Your Best Resource
The best way to stay abreast of upcoming changes to this varied and wild world of NFTs is to find trusted sources that keep you up to date. FLOLiO has a community already established for you, filled with informative and helpful resources.
With one location for all things crypto, NFT, and blockchain, the NFT communities of tomorrow will soon be discussed here. Keep an eye on FLOLiO and its ever-growing database of insightful articles, tools, and data to help you to make informed decisions about your investments, collections, and entertainment in the online world.
