Ever seen someone wearing a t-shirt from your favorite band? You probably felt an almost instant sense of camaraderie with this person even though they were a stranger. POAPs, a type of digital badge, can do the same thing.
We feel a connection to people who share similar interests, especially when they express it through clothing, social media, and art. As we spend more time in digital spaces, we can use digital assets to represent who we are, what we are interested in, and what events we’ve attended. We can do this by harnessing the power of POAPs.
A POAP (pronounced poh-ap) isn’t just a funny-sounding word; it’s an acronym that stands for Proof of Attendance Protocol. As the name infers, it provides proof of attending something, like a live or virtual event. POAPs have become digital collectibles because it’s human nature to value remarkable moments, such as concerts or festivals or exclusive virtual events. It’s like a digital badge.
How to Use POAPs
1. Community building
When people are fans of a musical group, genre, or movement, they feel a sense of camaraderie, there’s almost instant rapport. They share similar passions and tastes in something. Having this in common creates a sense of community.
By nature, humans seek community because it is how we survived for millennia. POAPs are a newly emerging token of community with the potential to be accepted as a digital stamp of community membership.
2. Professional development
POAPs are a verifiable, transparent way to prove your participation or attendance in a professional development class, training, or another event.
POAPs can also be used as a barometer of engagement and participation in a community. For example, if you have a certain number of specific POAPs in your wallet, it demonstrates the amount of active participation you’ve engaged in.
3. Collecting memories and moments
We are collectors by nature. Despite the rise in minimalism, people still like collecting stuff. Stamps, coins, badges, stickers, books, and more. This is the reason many still belong to organizations and fan clubs where they collect, exchange, and discuss memorabilia.
Some people consider memorabilia as a token of a precious moment and the item seals the memory in their minds. Whatever the reason, there are still many people who revel in collecting things, physical and now digital.
4. Reward system
POAPs can be used as a reward system. Similar to certificates of attendance, badges, stickers, and other items that represent attendance. An event organizer can give them to attendees as a thank you or positive praise for participating in an event.
Using POAPs as a reward can also incentivize event enrollment and encourage sharing post-event.
5. Raising awareness
Event organizers are always looking for ways to get more exposure and spread the word about their events. POAPs can be used to spread the word about an event, movement, or project.
When people share, for example, on social media, it increases exposure for the project/community and event.
It’s clear there are many benefits and uses for POAPs. Here’s how to make them.
How to Make POAPs
POAPs exist on a layer 2 blockchain and were originally minted on the Ethereum mainnet but now they can be created and distributed on the Ethereum side chain xDAI. Although this all sounds quite technical, creating a POAP isn’t as complicated as it seems.
There are three simple steps to follow:
Design – In this step, you design the image that will represent your POAP. You can use design sites such as Canva.com or software like Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. Here are examples of POAPs for inspiration.
Image specification recommendations for your POAP: 500px X 500px, less than 200kB, PNG/APNG, transparent background, rounded shape.
Creation Drop – Use this feature to create your POAP and launch it. You will need the POAP image you created in the first step.
Share – Once you’ve completed step two, you’ll receive codes you can share with participants for them to retrieve their POAPs.
The Future Is Bright
One of the beautiful things about the developments of blockchain technologies is the possibilities. Many envision POAPs as being so much more than only an attendance badge. For example, imagine a world where POAPs can be used as voting and governance protocols.
Hosting an event or meetup? Have fun with POAPs and make your own. Reward attendees with their very own creative and innovative POAP.
Source NFT Plazas
