From: thepipeline_xyz
Overview
Community building strategies are crucial for the success of any project, especially in rapidly evolving spaces like Web3 gaming. These strategies focus on fostering trust, communication, and shared engagement among users and stakeholders [00:37:43].
Importance of Community
Community is described as “everything” for platforms like Layer One blockchains and for games, where everyone who plays is part of the community and desires to play with each other [00:37:50]. Strong network effects and shared excitement about a project significantly contribute to its overall success [00:38:02]. For games, players are more likely to spend money if their friends and community are also playing and the game is competitive and fun [00:27:16].
Core Strategies for Community Building
Open Communication and Accessibility
- Direct Access to Leadership: A key advantage in Web3 is the ability for users to be in direct contact with founders or CEOs, often just “two degrees, a lot of times one degree away” [00:38:24].
- Active Presence Across Platforms: Teams should be consistently available on platforms like Telegram, Discord, and responsive to DMs on Twitter [00:38:39].
- Regular Updates and Engagement Sessions: For Wagmi Games, “Wagmi Wednesdays” are held every week at 8 PM Eastern for an hour, regardless of whether there’s news, to chat with the community and show continued commitment [00:38:50]. These sessions are recorded and re-uploaded to YouTube to ensure continuous communication [00:39:41].
- Transparency: Being “doxed” (not anonymous) and consistently communicative on a weekly basis are crucial steps beyond mere transparency [00:39:27].
Building Trust
- Demonstrate Dedication: Consistently showing up, even during quiet periods like a bear market, helps establish a line of communication and assures the community of the project’s longevity [00:39:10].
- Authenticity and Relatability: Project leaders should interact as real people, “one of the guys,” as this authenticity cannot be faked and builds stronger connections [00:45:08]. This contrasts with older models where being “unobtainable” was seen as cool [00:45:26].
- Deliver on Product: Trust is built by delivering on promises and products, which is particularly challenging in Web3 where “rugs” (scams) are a concern [00:06:41].
Engagement Strategies
- Gamified Interactions: For game projects, strategies include conducting giveaways of in-game assets (NFTs) during streams and encouraging players to friend and trade with each other [00:15:29].
- Community Support: Allowing players to trade items they obtain, like in traditional collectible card games (e.g., Pokémon, Magic the Gathering), fosters engagement beyond just buying/selling [00:15:10].
- Collaborative Play: Shared experiences, such as playing video games and talking smack, strengthen bonds among friends and community members, similar to sports teams [00:08:43].
- Cross-Platform/Cross-Chain Interoperability: Enabling players on different platforms (e.g., PlayStation, Xbox, Mobile) or different blockchains to play and trade together removes friction and expands the player base [00:35:46]. This fosters a seamless user experience, avoiding “console wars” or chain fragmentation [00:36:36].
Personal Approach to Community Building
Scott Herman’s experience building his YouTube fitness channel, Scott Herman Fitness, to over 3 million subscribers provides a strong example of community building through direct interaction [00:40:13]:
- One-on-One Engagement: He built the channel “one subscriber at a time,” responding to every comment on his videos for 8-9 hours a day, including follow-up replies [00:40:18].
- Responsiveness: His business and network grew from being actively present in his DMs and engaging in conversations [00:42:19].
- Genuine Interest: A key piece of advice is to ask questions about other people, showing interest in them first, which then encourages them to show interest in you [00:48:35].
- Organic Connections: Business opportunities often flow more casually and organically when one takes time to genuinely get to know people [00:49:05].
Unique Aspects in Web3 Gaming
- Community Building in Crypto Projects often begins with an NFT sale or token, but a game-first approach is crucial for long-term success [00:41:44].
- Integrating Web3 elements like NFTs discreetly, where players initially perceive them as regular in-game items, and later educate them on ownership, can overcome initial resistance from traditional gamers [00:24:09].
- The established trust from a creator’s past work (e.g., Scott Herman’s fitness channel) can significantly benefit a new venture in Web3, as users already have a “level of trust that’s been established” [00:06:33]. This is valuable in a space where finding trustworthy teams is difficult [00:06:41].
- A key challenge in community building in crypto is overcoming the initial negative perception of NFTs, particularly among traditional gamers [00:22:12].
- Community building in Web3 environments also needs to consider the user experience for mass adoption, such as simplifying wallet creation and cross-device access [00:30:30].