Why Discord Won't Work For Most NFT Projects Long Term

Building sustainable NFT communities isn’t as easy as it first appears. That’s why I started FanCircles.

Of course,Discord is the default platform for communities of NFT projects but why has it become the default destination for NFT collections? Mostly because it had a way to validate NFT holders’ wallets.

My story begins 5 years ago when I set up FanCircles to provide the entertainment industry with a stand-alone SaaS platform for music artists and TV celebs to own their own data and reach their fans without having to pay Zuckerberg every time.

Over time the organic reach of social media shrank to a point it just wasn’t viable for music artists, especially, to reach their fans. I was told once that to reach the 76 million fans of Taylor Swift the Facebook ads cost was just over $1 million. That is clearly too much. In comparison, Apple has a FB page with around 7 million followers. I know which one can afford ZuckerAds.

So, back to FanCircles; we built a SaaS platform that allowed us to build apps for IOS and Android individually branded for each client we worked with. So, for example, you can download the Boy George app in the app stores, and it’s powered by FanCircles.

My NFT Moment

In December 2021 I bought my first NFT and had a sudden realization that if Discord was the platform of choice, there was a massive problem approaching for the NFT world. Discord was built for gamers, by gamers, and it’s not user-friendly enough for NFT holders to use as their community platform, at least for the coming target market of web2 brands getting into the space.

Imagine a Gucci fan using Discord for the first time and I’m sure you can see the issue.

Then Ozzie Osborne launched his CryptoBatz NFT and everything fell into place.

How was an Ozzie fan going to use Discord and make any sense of it? They weren’t! Their average age is 57. They understand Facebook and Instagram at most.

Of course, the NFT collection sold out, and fans just didn’t use the community they thought they were getting with their NFT. Discord failed them.

For five years our platforms were paid subscription platforms, then this year (2022) we added wallet validation and instantly transformed into a fantastic platform for NFT projects. In fact, we have more NFT projects in five months than music artists in three years. The need is clearly there!

So here are a few reasons the NFT market needs a platform like ours.

FanCircles Is A VIP Alternative To Discord

A FanCircles is a perfect platform to accommodate not only NFT holders but project followers (fans) too. The FanCircles platform has been built for ease of use and to enable both holders and non-holders access to content in a familiar format. There are social walls for both NFT Project owners and mods, there are also community walls for both holders and non-holders. But that’s not all; the platform is designed to fulfil a multitude of media formats from video to audio. Think of FanCircles like Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, YouTube, and Instagram all in one single white-labelled mobile app and web app.

A FanCircles Server Is A Own Branded Community Platform

With FanCircles, you have a community for everyone, with the community at the heart of it. Users can download a branded app under your NFT project name from both Apple and Google app stores as well as use a custom web app at a domain dedicated to a brand.

Use A FanCircles As A Primary NFT Community Platform Or As A First Roadmap Benefit

A FanCircles is a perfect destination for users, and with the VIP experience it gives holders and non-holders, it is the essential roadmap item for every NFT project. Every project is different, so some projects will benefit from using Discord at first whereas other projects can use FanCircles as the primary platform. It all depends on the community.

Know Your Users

A FanCircles platform gives you access to directly communicate with every platform user. On entry, each user goes through a simple signup procedure that also means you don’t have to worry about GDPR or privacy compliance. In fact, you’ll have access to each user, giving the perfect solution to gated merchandise drops, event ticket access, and much more.

Download our deck for more information on the exciting features of our platforms that keep your community safe and secure and in an environment you control.