NFT for Newbies – Part 2

There is no NFT school – not yet. Twitter, where I learned most of what I know about NFTs, is the next closest thing. This is where the NFT community lives, 24/7 and worldwide. If you are ready to join, or at least learn more about NFTs, here are some pointers to help you understand how Twitter is used in the NFT world.

When you join, you will want to start following NFT topics and other users who are in the NFT community. Simply search the word NFTs and follow. Twitter will suggest more people and topics to follow, and you should heed those suggestions. Try to follow at least 50 people or more right away so you have an active feed. Following more people will also allow you to see and join “spaces” they may be hosting or be in.

At the top of your home Twitter feed, you will see spaces. These are live audio chat rooms that anyone can join. A host creates a space and invites speakers up to the stage. Usually there is a topic in the space description. There is a wide range of topics being discussed, but most should be related to NFTs since that is what you are following. You can join the audience and listen in on the discussions.

A shill space: People are invited to shill or pitch their NFT project or pieces they are selling. Usually there is a time limit, around 2 or 3 minutes. The speaker usually says a little about themselves and the project they are working on. They tell people where to find their NFTs via a “pinned tweet” posted on the spaces bulletin. At this point, the other listeners in the space can browse the speaker’s profile, click on their links, check out their NFTs and even purchase them. I’ve been in many spaces where someone sells their NFTs as they are shilling them. Think of selling a piece of art while mingling with your audience at an art show.

Learning spaces: Some spaces are created as educational, knowledge sharing rooms. People are invited to speak to the community and help newer users to understand and navigate the NFT world. The audience is encouraged to ask questions or share their knowledge and experiences. These are a great resource for learning but may be hard to find. Some of these spaces are weekly or daily, you’ll want to write down the schedule for these.

Chill spaces: Some spaces are very relaxed and don’t have a set topic. People play music, talk about their art, or just hang out.

Promotion and Mint Parties: NFT projects or artists may host a space to promote their project, announce their collection release, give away NFTs or build their community. I was in a space with Snoop Dogg while he was launching his music NFTs. They were playing music, telling jokes, and it was a countdown to the drop. Another time I was in a space with Cheech and Chong as they were promoting their NFT project “My Homies in Dreamland”. People were encouraged to join and ask questions.

Besides learning and enjoying the discussions in spaces, you may also pick up a few followers. I’ve been in many spaces and got a notification of a follow, and it’s someone in the space. While listening, you can be browsing other people’s profiles, looking at their art, reading their description, or clicking on follow.

If at first you’re not getting many followers, don’t be discouraged. It’s a very slow process to build followers and you need to learn what tweets work better than others. Tweets with no hashtags or art probably won’t get any action. Try posting a video of a work in progress, a collection of finished pieces, or when you’re ready, your first NFT. Remember to use hashtags like #NFTart #NFTcommunity when tweeting.

Twitter was not made for NFTs, but it has been widely accepted by the NFT and crypto community. A new feature of twitter is that it allows you to use an NFT as your profile picture. You must own the NFT and sync your wallet with Twitter. Once you do this, your profile picture will now have a hexagon frame instead of a circle. It’s a cool feature that lets you officially show you own the NFT.

After just a few days of following people, your feed should be full of NFT art. You will see what other artists are working on, what they are selling, what collectors are buying and everything in between. Learn, take your time, better do this right and enjoy this phenomenon that is NFT. And don’t forget to follow me on Twitter! @thorpart.