Did you know that you can mint your own NFTs here on Hive? It's true... but I have questions: which platforms offer this feature, what is the best option and what are the possible use cases for minting your own NFTs in the first place?
So I set out to answer these questions, or at least a few of them. I started with the basics: by making a list of the different platforms that offer NFT minting, then getting verified as a creator.
(I create these with my own likeness and BITMOJI.)
The only platform I've used until now was #MemeHive-- as a small project for @forkyishere and the PUBS COMMUNITY-- so I was already verified there.
That left a few more easily accessible options for now... and the one that I think is worth the wait. So let's just jump in and find out where and how to get started.
(My NFT on MEMEHIVE, created using CANVA PRO.)
Meet the Hive-Based NFT Options!
Not all the tribe and community platforms offer them, so it's not a foregone conclusion... and then each of the available platforms will have their own unique audience, as well as different price points.
And another thing to note is that each of the tribe outposts' NFT marketplaces will use their own #Hive-Engine tokens as the respective sale currencies. So this factor alone might help some Hivians make their decision, as they place certain values on tokens they hold and transact with frequently.
While taking these things into account as much as possible, my goal is to give a very brief outline of the WHERE, the WHY and the HOW MUCH. Simple.
MemeHive
We'll start here because I've already used it and talked about it. It should go without saying that MEMEHIVE is a tribe focused on comedy and memes. It is light and fluffy... and everybody likes to laugh, so it has built up a pretty decent following.
Verification is easy enough, and minting will cost you 600 MEME tokens for the first edition and 100 MEME for each additional one. If you tokenized 5 editions in total, it would cost you 1000 MEME tokens-- which converts to around 0.6 SWAP.HIVE on LeoDex right now.
So I would say that it is a good option for funny stuff. The traffic in the MEME NFT marketplace isn't great, but I think it's a matter of production and promotion. Be creative and be funny... the audience is there!
CineTV
Everyone knows about the CINETV tribe by now... it's all about movies and TV! So I would lean in this direction if your NFTs will be anywhere in those categories. The platform became an immediate hit because of its universal appeal and its persistent engagement!
Traffic here in the NFT marketplace isn't much better than MemeHive... but, again, I think it's really about getting the tokenization ball rolling. A lot of Hivians don't even know about tribe NFTs yet.
I actually haven't been whitelisted to create NFTs on CineTV yet, so I can't tell you what the cost is... but I don't imagine it will be more than MemeHive, which is the most expensive among the tribe outposts. I will write a follow-up post when I learn more.
PALnet
Peace, abundance and liberty! That's the tagline of the PALNET outpost and COMMUNITY... so it's one of the more general tribes that is suitable for almost any kind of content.
And it is the cheapest option for minting NFTs, by a long shot! It will cost you 6 PAL tokens for the first tokenized edition and 1 PAL for each additional one. So five NFTs would cost 10 PAL tokens, which converts to around 0.0034 SWAP.HIVE right now. (So... like, less than peanuts. 🙄)
HiveList
The HIVELIST website is intended to be a big classifieds-style marketplace where Hivians can sell things, market services and other related activities. It's challenging to actually achieve this effect when the feed is populated by anything with the #LIST post tag... but that's common, and it will hopefully be smoothed out in the future.
That being said, I'm not sure what the specific use case is for HiveList NFTs in terms of market interest. Maybe someone can enlighten me.
I can tell you that they are affordable! Not quite as cheap as PALnet NFTs, but they are a clear second place: the first tokenized edition will cost you 20 LIST tokens, and then 2 LIST for each additional one. So five minted NFTs would cost 28 LIST tokens, which converts to around 0.089 SWAP.HIVE right now.
That concludes the list of immediately accessible #NFT platforms here on Hive-- namely, the tribe outposts that have chosen to add this feature to their platforms.
But there are two more that I will mention briefly before moving on.
Lensy and DLux (?)
LENSY is a platform which allows photographers to tokenize and sell their original images. A great concept, but it needs more adoption to get the activity levels up. I really hope this happens!
I applied to be whitelisted on Lensy, so I will include more details in a follow-up post. There is a very specific use case here, so I feel like it is a strong growth candidate.
DLUX-- Decentralized Limitless User eXperiences-- "allows anybody with a Hive account to post WebApps as dApps for free, with Hive and DLUX rewards". That is a quote from the HIVE PROJECTS PAGE... and I have to admit that I don't entirely understand what that means. And I didn't see a way of being whitelisted for NFT creation, so I may need to dig a bit deeper.
There is one last obvious option that I will touch on in a moment... but some of you might be wondering what the actual NFT-minting process is like. There are a few fields to fill out, and it will look exactly the same on all of the tribe outposts that I just talked about.
Check out the screenshot below to see everything for yourself. Notice that you can tokenize an audio, image or video file... but the fields won't change much. It's not that complicated, but it's good to know what to expect.
I mentioned that there is one more option for minting your #NFTs here on Hive, so let's get past the ado and just roll out the red carpet...
The NFT Showroom!
Most Hivians who have some experience with NFTs here on Hive will only know about the NFT SHOWROOM... it is the premier platform for buying and selling tokenized art here in the ecosystem. The original gangster!
And I certainly don't mean to discourage anyone from using the Showroom as their NFT-minting solution... quite the opposite, in fact! I have my own little art collection over there, and I plan to get verified there as a creator some time soon.
The only reason I put THE NFT SHOWROOM into its own category-- and imply that it is not quite as "accessible" as the tribe outposts-- is that they take their artist verification a bit more seriously. I want to get a few more NFTs under my belt and fill out my portfolio before I approach them (and I suggest the same to you).
It is the most expensive option as well, so you do pay to be in the big leagues. It costs 3.33 SWAP.HIVE for the first tokenized edition, and then 0.33 SWAP.HIVE for each additional one. Nothing ridiculous, but still much more expensive than the other platforms-- and worth noting.
You're paying a small premium for the legitimacy and popularity of the @nftshowroom brand... it makes sense, and I dare say it's worth it. If you feel ready, definitely CHECK THEM OUT.
Interesting fact: the NFT Showroom is actually brought to us by the same team that is behind the PALnet tribe! Pretty darn cool, eh? (I didn't know that until I read THIS POST.)
That's All, Folks... But Why?
That is every single Hive-based platform offering NFT creation that I could find! Seriously... I didn't think there were so many. It's good though.
And it should prompt us to figure out WHY WE NEED NFTS... you know what I mean? I've mentioned some common-sense things like art and photography-- and we have some great NFT-powered games-- but are there really good use cases for NFT-minting that are less obvious?
(IMAGE C/O MARKUS WINKLER ON UNSPLASH.)
One idea is community giveaways! That's what I've been planning to do with the one remaining edition of the PUBS COMMUNITY graphic I created (the one I included in this post)... I misfired a little while back, but I'll think of something to spark engagement and reward a creative community member. :)
I have an interesting idea for a project I'm working on too, but I want to hear your answers first! What are some good uses for the NFTs we mint? Tell me what you plan to do with the NFTs you create, or what you've already done... which platform(s) are you using, and why? Let me know in the comments.
Stay Tuned for Part 2!
This post has already dragged on WAY longer than I expected (and there are still a few gaps to fill in) so I need to revisit this topic shortly. I look forward to it! :)
I'll talk a bit about my own project plans too, so maybe that will help get the creative juices flowing for anyone wanting to get involved. You know what they say: IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME.
(I'm pretty sure THEY say that. 😏)