Resolving Issues through Community
In an era where individual traits are becoming more distinct, communities are emerging that unite around shared interests and preferences. Based on this, various attempts at community marketing are being made, which can be seen in conjunction with the growing importance of communities in society. The process of resolving problems through communities not only motivates individuals to develop solutions together, but it also addresses the problem of individualism in modern capitalist markets.
These communities are expected to create solutions in areas where the market and government have consistently failed, through the synergy of technology and community. It is said that communities will become a benefactor that reveals the blind spots of modern society and scratches its itchy places.
This article is the second week's article of the 2023 Ethereum.org Writers Cohort.*
Table of Contents
Community Marketing Without Community Marketing
What Did PAK Do Before It Became Famous?
Delving into the Problematic Thinking Based on Tastes
Conclusion and Summary
1. Community Marketing Without Community Marketing
Community problem solving, the way crypto creators move
The crypto industry was one of the most frequent users of the term "community." Recently, many crypto communities have disappeared as a result of the Luna and FTX disasters. Many members, marketers, and community-driven communities disappeared as if they had never existed. At the time of writing this article, I wanted to find something that did not disappear when everything disappeared. A creator who consistently survives regardless of bull and bear markets caught my attention. PAK is the most influential leader in digital art with over 20 years of experience, and he made $91.8 million in profits through the project called, <Merge> on Nifty Gateway in December 2021.
When deciding on this week's topic, I thought PAK's NFT case would provide great insight into organic community marketing. The question I had while analyzing the life of a popular artist on the front lines of the NFT market was simple. What is the essence of community marketing? Through this case analysis, I realized that the essence of community marketing is not marketing, but that communities grow naturally when based on a firm preference.
What creators and marketers need:
Identify the problem of a specific community.
Identify why the problem cannot be solved by the existing market
Connect the problem to the latest technology in the industry to solve it
2. What Does PAK Do Before They Become Famous
Formation of communities based on interests
"Community-driven" is one of the most commonly used phrases in the crypto industry. However, the true meaning of the term has been lost through its overuse. Whenever we use the term "community-driven," we seem to fall into the misconception that community members will somehow voluntarily create secondary creations and community routines, which is almost never the case. In reality, the formation of communities based on shared interests is what happens first. And once the community is formed, it can naturally identify the problems that the community faces.
In 2014, PAK created Archillect. PAK's main goal in creating Archillect was to save time when looking for inspiration or great visual elements. So he curated visual art found on social media. The platform's unique feature was its curation by AI. The platform quickly caught people's attention.
In short, Archillect was like Pinterest curated by AI. PAK's Archillect project, created in 2014, gained quite a bit of popularity from 2016, and in 2019, it recorded an organic monthly reach of about 3 billion, more than six times that of 2016.
PAK's biggest issue after operating Archillect was the original creator issue. Finding and sharing great content and reaching millions of people in a day with the help of social media was surprisingly easy. In contrast to this, it was almost impossible to figure out where it came from.
Through this experience, PAK realized that most people, especially Archillect users, don't care much about the content source.
3. Delving into Problematic Thinking Based on Tastes
Honing Problem-Solving Thinking
While operating the Archillect platform, PAK realized that social media platforms, especially Twitter, created an environment in which individuals and groups with similar interests could naturally form a community. In other words, the community was formed by the users themselves, not by external forces such as the platform. PAK was able to identify the community's problems by closely observing the formed community.
PAK gained a clear understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of social media platforms while operating the Archillect platform. The advantage was that anyone could easily access a high-quality database and enjoy the content. However, PAK also gained a clear understanding of the problems with social media. From the beginning of Archillect, the issue of original authorship was one of PAK's major concerns, and it remains one of the major topics discussed on social media.
Whenever PAK tried to find the original author, most of what Archillect found was a copy of a copy of a specific URL. PAK also tried to share content along with the source and questioned why the source was not included in Archillect's actual posts, but faced the problem of previous platform issues. Technical reasons and user preferences were mixed in the decision.
The primary reasons are the following:
Reason I: Safety
As Archillect is a bot with 500K+ followers that is not verified by humans, including source URLs can share harmful content with all users.
Reason II: Shadowban
Twitter is very bad at processing URL content, so many accounts are banned as spam.
Reason III: Audience Preference
After asking followers several times, most people preferred content without author links (or sources) because links could disturb their timeline.
What happened afterwards
PAK came across the concept of NFT in 2020 while running the Archillect platform. Recognizing the value of blockchain technology used in NFTs to address copyright issues, PAK tokenized digital art such as Cloud Monument Dark as NFTs, solving the problem that had been plaguing the industry for hours.
PAK, a genius crypto creator, was able to build a successful community by deeply delving into the subject matter he was exploring and directly identifying and solving problems in the market. By inserting his own message into blockchain technology and digital art, he was able to fine-tune the community’s probleom solving experience, ultimately realizing that his solid experiences based on his own preferences could solve problems that the existing market could not.
In today's world, where capitalism and individualism prevail, PAK's approach to community marketing offers a refreshing perspective. By prioritizing his personal tastes and values, he was able to create a movement that resonated with like-minded individuals. Rather than relying on traditional marketing methods, he built a community of supporters who shared his passion for exploring the potential of blockchain technology and digital art. Through his community-driven approach, he was able to tackle some of the most pressing issues in the market and offer innovative solutions that were embraced by his followers.
4. Conclusion and Summary
PAK's success is a testament to the power of community marketing when done right. By building a community based on shared values and interests, he was able to create a movement that was capable of achieving great things. His story serves as an inspiration to all those looking to build their own communities and make a positive impact in the world. As we move forward into a new era of technology and innovation, the lessons learned from PAK's journey will undoubtedly prove invaluable to those seeking to make a difference.
Quote
#cryptonative is “medium native,” in a general sense, taking crypto as the medium. When cinema happened, best authors didn’t just become best directors. When video games happened, best directors didn’t just become best developers. So don’t expect best visual artists to become best crypto creators. That’s not how it works.” — Pak,
When you address the fundamental problem with ownership in Web3 and convey your values through your product or work, users will recognize them.
Preview for the Next Article
Next week's topic will be the new industry outlook formed by the combination of AI and NFT. In the next topic, we will explore the innovations brought about by the combination of AI technology and NFT, and delve into how NFT and AI technology can create a new art industry. If you enjoyed this article, please subscribe 🌷
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contact: mingnppaek@gmail.com
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