Primer: NFT Plazas aspires to be the CoinDesk of NFTs. Join Andrew Steinwold as he interviews Chris, their founder, on his journey in crypto, his values, and how he intends to take NFT Plazas further.
Background
Crypto and NFT OG
Founder of NFT Plazas
Invested in Bitcoin in 2014
Was working as a SEO for a creative agency in UK. The agency was anything but creative
Had to find an outlet for his creativity. Started researching and went down the investment route. Found out about Bitcoin and it consumed him
Started participating in crypto communities and altcoin projects
In 2017, he found NFTs and Decentraland. Went deep into the community. Set up DCL Plazas, a news site that covers Decentraland
Over time, his interest in NFTs and the Metaverse grew, culminating in the rebrand of DCL Plazas to NFT Plazas
His Prediction That NFTs Will Go Parabolic In 2021
💡 In February, he tweeted that NFTs will go parabolic this year. What was his thoughts when he tweeted that?
Felt that NFTs will be going parabolic. Could feel something bubbling in the air
Had to pin it as a tweet
Was also the time when he rebranded his website and made his company official
What Did He See In Bitcoin In 2014?
Was not a techie
Interested in the solutions it was offering as an alternative money
The existing banking system is broken and governments are turning a blind eye to it
His Experience In 2017
Scene changed from "this is amazing tech" to people scamming one another in the ICO craze
Did not want to get involved in the ICO craze
Went to look for something else and found NFTs
What Did He Find Appealing About Decentraland?
Many reasons he found Decentraland appealing:
Can make an investment in it
Use it as an outlet to express his creativity
It's a new world where nobody is in charge
"It's [Decentraland] an experiment and probably in its purest form." - Chris
How Does He Describe Decentraland To Other People?
A social network without a DAO
It offers an unlimited amount of opportunities. People can build their own businesses, host their own art gallery and exhibits, speak to other people, etc.
Offers the opportunity for play-to-earn games to build on top of these worlds
There's a district in Decentraland called WonderZone, where people hang around collecting meteors and opening them up for NFTs
Barriers To Entry To Virtual Worlds
Buying land could cost several thousands
Commissioning a builder to build would cost another several thousands
After the building is completed, people have to figure out how to market that building and bring users to visit it
NFT Plazas are coming up with a new system to address these issues
Another way to reduce the barriers to entry is to build a community and hope that the community becomes self-sustainable and reinvests into the world to create new experiences
The Decentraland Community
Great to see new content creators coming on board
He has become less engaged with the Decentraland community. Does not think it is appropriate for him to comment on the community since he is no longer an active member
His focus has shifted from DCL Plazas to NFT communities
Why Did He Switch Focus To The Broader NFT Space?
Did research and spent time lurking in NFT Discords
Realized that there were groups of individuals who left the NFT space without having seen Decentraland and any other NFT projects
Realized that he needed to catch these people at an earlier stage of their NFT journey
He switched to NFT Plazas to help share the news about NFT projects and how wide-ranging they are
They have a virtual world edge to their brand because that have been their audience from the early days
Will be morphing into hosting events in virtual worlds
NFT Plazas
Introduction
News site that covers all areas of NFTs
Research a bunch of different stories each day
Sometimes, they re-publish a story after a day or two, for people who may have missed them
Trying to be the CoinDesk of NFTs
Readership
Readership tends to follow the macro trend in NFTs
Recently, investment strategies into collectibles and PFPs are their most-read section
Everyday, a whole host of people would reach out to them. Had to turn down many approachers who seemed dodgy
Deciding What To Write About
Listens to the community to see what the buzz is all about at the moment
Tries to fill the gaps with other things that may be of interest to different types of readers
Very difficult to find people to write about NFTs as they would rather be flipping NFTs
Had to bring in people who have a vague interest in crypto, train them up, and get them to train others. Allows them to be as creative as they can be
Content Strategy
Post about 4-5 articles each day
Mostly about new releases, big sales, upcoming auctions, etc.
Also working with brands
Hoping to enter the video space as well
His Favourite NFT Category
Virtual worlds will always have a special place in his heart
In terms of investments, he has a large investment in Zed Run. Believes in Axie Infinity and the play-to-earn space
When other games get to the same point like Axie Infinity, he thinks that the whole industry will experience a hypergrowth stage
Are Play-To-Earn Games Taking Away The Fun Factor From Gaming?
Play-to-earn will give people opportunities where they may otherwise not have them
Have seen what has happened with Axie Infinity in the Philippines where it revolutionized and changed the way things are
Play-to-earn can be one way to reduce inequality in the world for people who could earn more from it than what they do locally
Experience As A Digital Slowmad
Calls himself a digital slowmad
Picks a city and lives there for some time to experience the culture, the food, and the local people
Have lived in both developing and developed nations
Made friends with a motorbike taxi driver. Chris gave him a male and female horse in Zed Run and taught him about MetaMask and NFTs
When NFTs ran up, he sold them and will be coming to the UK to visit Chris
"He made like $8,000 off these two horses which I bred for $130 in total. Now he's got a passport, and he's coming to the UK to visit and it'll be first time out of the country. I guess it was almost two years waiting for him, which is incredible. And now he has this opportunity to teach others. And that's what I'm trying to encourage him to do." - Chris
Where Will NFTs Expand Into?
Thinks that NFTs are pretty much limitless
Thinks that NFTs will expand into the ticketing area (e.g. music gigs and concerts)
Possible for NFTs to be used in the hotel industry where the NFT allows hotel guests to open the door for a set amount of days
His Thoughts On Big Brands/Corporations Entering The NFT Space
It's a natural part of the growth of the NFT sector
Doesn't like it that big corporations come in to extract value from the NFT communities
Doesn't know what advantages big corporations bring with them
Grand 5-10 Year Vision For NFT Plazas
Wants NFT Plazas to be the go-to site for NFTs
Wants NFT Plazas to help businesses connect with one another and leverage each other's skill sets
Hosting events in virtual lands is high up in his priority list
Wants to work with content creators and promote them to their audience
Single Favourite NFT
Own a piece of land that's attached to the Central Plaza in Decentraland
Most Controversial Thought On NFTs
Crypto businesses working in niche areas or NFTs should work together and insist on crypto or NFTs as payment when working with traditional businesses
For example, they could make traditional businesses to pay double if they pay in fiat
This will increase demand for cryptos and NFTs from traditional businesses
Also protects against government intervention since traditional businesses would now have vested interest in cryptos and NFTs
If You Could Improve One Thing In The Space
For everyone to start building and being creative together
Too many copying and subpar projects in the space
Who Is Someone You Look Up To And Why?
Ryan Selkis, the founder of CoinDesk
When he first started out in crypto, he was looking for reliable news sources and found CoinDesk
Respects Ryan for his outspokenness, sticking to his guns, and his quest for change
NFT Ecosystem In 3 Years
Difficult to say what will happen in 3 years
Will reach a point where everyone is going to need to own a NFT in one form or another
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