While I've been drawing the Blergs, I've been thinking a lot about what else that I could potentially offer with them (other than the art, that is).
The common theme across projects is community, community, community. No PFP project seems to succeed without it, though it's very hard to define just what that means.
Is it an active Discord?
Is that an artist who's regularly making updates?
Is that a dedicated, full-time team who promises a roadmap?
Is that a ton of sales, a high floor, a smattering of WGMIs, GMs, and reactions?
Is it something else?
I'm very hesitant to promise any kind of roadmap for a project like this. It just kind of happened, it may not work, and promising a roadmap (from the product designer inside of me) seems like a crazy idea for something so nascent.
So rather than promising a roadmap, I'm thinking of promising an idea that resonates with me.
It's a very rudimentary concept at this point, so bear with me.
I don't want Blergs to be yet another Discord, yet another community, yet another place to have notifications from and nothing more. Conversations about the project are helpful, conversations about a floor or sales are informative, but what is the reason that this exists?
What is the unique value that I, Tom, the Blergmeister (oh that's going in my Twitter bio), can give to you all for minting, holding, or just being here?
I can't be the expert of web3, I'm not even in the conversation for greatest art, but I can help provide a place to point to those who are.
Blergs are based off of other PFPs or projects that have been influential to my discovery of web3. Many of the traits I'm making will be references to those collections, projects, and communities that I've discovered. So that's the value I can offer. I can point people to those places and collect the best examples for the community.
So to start, Blergs will be a project that points to other communities, articles, tools, and services. For now, it's a Discord. If it works, it may turn into more than that.
A place that helps people discover what this whole web3 thing is, and maybe a place that could serve as a repository for information helpful for new members. Something that doesn't feel like you have to be tuned in 24/7/365 to get value from. Discord communities index strongly towards high engagement, which is fine, but also I don't like the addictive tendencies and the small windows of time with FOMO that make us make big decisions. I want to collect those tidbits and share them with the Blergs members so they can be consumed at a more manageable pace.
Maybe a simple way of putting it would be that it to be a curated gateway. Links, definitions of terms, exciting projects, places to go to learn, helpful people to follow, projects that are novel or distinctive, etc. I want to find a way to incentivize people to share knowledge in a way that isn't a giant feed with information overload. I want Blergs to help others join in and make this new paradigm together.
For now, it's a fun PFP project, and I think the art is looking good. But next? Next would take support and help from the people who join.
If you want to learn, then this hopefully is the right place.
If you want to share, then this is hopefully the right place.
I'll share what I know, but the first thing I can share is that you all know a heck of a lot more than me.
Let's learn together.
-Tomjohn