
![july-22-banner.png](/images/blog/july-22-update/july-22-banner.png)

## Partners and integrations
- Launched [Superfluid integration](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/superfluid-unlock)
- Launched on the [Celo network](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/unlock-celo-launch)

## Checkout 
- Changing recipient
- Showing lock image
- Claiming
- Other user experience improvements

## Members page
- Pagination improved
- [Email in airdrop](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/email-airdrop-nft)
- Show total members
- Adding and updating member emails
- QR code sent by email for new keys
- Search members by token id
- Search members by address

## Dashboard
  - Improved support for Sign In With Ethereum
  
## Keychain
- Load all keys grouped by network
- Show metadata on keychain
- Support for [EthPass](https://twitter.com/ethpass/status/1548054634899550208)

## NFT ticketing
  - Improved [NFT ticketing check-in app](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/ethcc5-2022-ticketing)
  
## Other
- Added support for the [Goerli test network](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/goerli)
- Launched an [upcoming community events](https://unlock-protocol.com/upcoming-events) page
- Rinkeby network deprecation

Want to know more and try stuff out? [Join our Unlock community in the Discord](https://discord.com/invite/Ah6ZEJyTDp)!


Release Notes for July 2022. Unlock Protocol releases Superfluid and Celo integrations, NFT ticketing enhancements, support for Goerli, and improvements to the checkout, keychain, and dashboard experiences.

Superfluid and Celo integrations, NFT ticketing enhancements, support for Goerli, and improvements to the checkout, keychain, and dashboard experiences

Unlock Protocol Product Updates for July 2022

<p><img src="/images/blog/july-22-update/july-22-banner.png" alt="july-22-banner.png"></p>
<h2>Partners and integrations</h2>
<ul>
<li>Launched <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/superfluid-unlock">Superfluid integration</a></li>
<li>Launched on the <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/unlock-celo-launch">Celo network</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>Checkout</h2>
<ul>
<li>Changing recipient</li>
<li>Showing lock image</li>
<li>Claiming</li>
<li>Other user experience improvements</li>
</ul>
<h2>Members page</h2>
<ul>
<li>Pagination improved</li>
<li><a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/email-airdrop-nft">Email in airdrop</a></li>
<li>Show total members</li>
<li>Adding and updating member emails</li>
<li>QR code sent by email for new keys</li>
<li>Search members by token id</li>
<li>Search members by address</li>
</ul>
<h2>Dashboard</h2>
<ul>
<li>Improved support for Sign In With Ethereum</li>
</ul>
<h2>Keychain</h2>
<ul>
<li>Load all keys grouped by network</li>
<li>Show metadata on keychain</li>
<li>Support for <a href="https://twitter.com/ethpass/status/1548054634899550208">EthPass</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>NFT ticketing</h2>
<ul>
<li>Improved <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/ethcc5-2022-ticketing">NFT ticketing check-in app</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>Other</h2>
<ul>
<li>Added support for the <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/goerli">Goerli test network</a></li>
<li>Launched an <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/upcoming-events">upcoming community events</a> page</li>
<li>Rinkeby network deprecation</li>
</ul>
<p>Want to know more and try stuff out? <a href="https://discord.com/invite/Ah6ZEJyTDp">Join our Unlock community in the Discord</a>!</p>



After years of loyal service, the Rinkeby test network is about to [retire](https://twitter.com/peter_szilagyi/status/1526065746165567488?s=20&t=DWU3cGfm2GNgCQlIyPIjMQ) and will no longer receive protocol upgrades. We have decided to redeploy our contracts on another testnet: [Goerli](https://goerli.net/).

## Why use a test network?

Testnets (for test networks) are alternative chains that are used exclusively for testing and development. They work exactly the same as the main networks, except their coins can be obtained for free, usually via online [faucets](https://goerli-faucet.mudit.blog/). Testnets allows risk-free experiments, which is great when you are a novice or experimenting at the latest edge of the crypto world. Before spending valuable tokens on costly contract deployments and operations, you better first try things first in an environment close to the "real-word" chains. The Mumbai testnet mimics Polygon, Korvan mimics Optimisim, and Goerli or Rinkeby mimics Ethereum Mainnet - without the costs.

## Why so many testnets?

With test coins being free, there is no economic incentives for miners to secure the test chains and these networks are often left vulnerable. Therefore designing, maintaining and running testnets pertains more to a labor of love of the developer community. Behind their mysterious names, each network has its own set of advantages and flaws. Some are quite unstable, other are stable but slow, some do not support specific Ethereum clients, some have too few active faucets, etc. Picking one always comes with its own set of drawbacks or tradeoffs.

## Why Goerli?

The Goerli (Görli) network is one of the main testing networks for Ethereum. It was created in 2018 during ETHBerlin to try to address the various flaws in existing testnets, by making it: *"both widely usable across all client implementations, and robust enough to guarantee consistent availability and high reliability"* (read the [original statement](https://dev.to/5chdn/the-grli-testnet-proposal---a-call-for-participation-58pf) for more). As today, it has become the most used test network and it's planned to be maintained [long term](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/networks/). 

## Preparing for the Merge 

Like most testnets, Goerli uses a permissioned proof-of-authority consensus mechanism - where only a small number of chosen nodes can validate transactions and create new blocks. As [The Merge](https://ethereum.org/en/upgrades/merge/) is getting closer, Goerli testnet will be merged with the Prater beacon chain and transition to a full proof-of-stake network in the following weeks. The Goerli/Prater merge should happen on [Aug 10, 2022](https://etherworld.co/2022/07/16/goerli-and-prater-testnet-merge/). This will mark the end of the permissioned proof-of-authority phase and anyone will be able to run a validator for Goerli. For the end user, not much will change (hopefully!).

## Unlock Protocol on Goerli

The contracts for Unlock Protocol have been deployed on Goerli and you are able to create test locks from the online dashboard, starting now. The Unlock main contract lives at the address [`0x627118a4fB747016911e5cDA82e2E77C531e8206`](https://goerli.etherscan.io/address/0x627118a4fb747016911e5cda82e2e77c531e8206). You can get Goerli test coins using a [faucet](https://fauceth.komputing.org/?chain=5) - you can also try [that one](https://goerlifaucet.com/). Goerli is an ideal environment to build custom logic for your lock, using for instance [contract hooks](https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/core-protocol/public-lock/hooks#register-a-hook). You can also check all [networks](https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/core-protocol/unlock/networks/) where Unlock has been been deployed. 

Now, time to build!

---

### More info about Goerli

- Chain/Network id: 5
- Native currency: ETH
- Block time: 15 seconds on average
- Status Dashboard: https://stats.goerli.net/
- Explorer https://goerli.etherscan.io/
- Github https://github.com/goerli/testnet
- Website https://www.goerli.net


As Rinkeby is getting deprecated, the Unlock Protocol has now been deployed on the Goerli Ethereum Testnet for novice and developers to experiment.

As Rinkeby is getting deprecated, the Unlock Protocol has now been deployed on the Goerli Ethereum Testnet for novice and developers to experiment

Unlock Now Available on Goerli Ethereum Testnet

<p>After years of loyal service, the Rinkeby test network is about to <a href="https://twitter.com/peter_szilagyi/status/1526065746165567488?s=20&#x26;t=DWU3cGfm2GNgCQlIyPIjMQ">retire</a> and will no longer receive protocol upgrades. We have decided to redeploy our contracts on another testnet: <a href="https://goerli.net/">Goerli</a>.</p>
<h2>Why use a test network?</h2>
<p>Testnets (for test networks) are alternative chains that are used exclusively for testing and development. They work exactly the same as the main networks, except their coins can be obtained for free, usually via online <a href="https://goerli-faucet.mudit.blog/">faucets</a>. Testnets allows risk-free experiments, which is great when you are a novice or experimenting at the latest edge of the crypto world. Before spending valuable tokens on costly contract deployments and operations, you better first try things first in an environment close to the "real-word" chains. The Mumbai testnet mimics Polygon, Korvan mimics Optimisim, and Goerli or Rinkeby mimics Ethereum Mainnet - without the costs.</p>
<h2>Why so many testnets?</h2>
<p>With test coins being free, there is no economic incentives for miners to secure the test chains and these networks are often left vulnerable. Therefore designing, maintaining and running testnets pertains more to a labor of love of the developer community. Behind their mysterious names, each network has its own set of advantages and flaws. Some are quite unstable, other are stable but slow, some do not support specific Ethereum clients, some have too few active faucets, etc. Picking one always comes with its own set of drawbacks or tradeoffs.</p>
<h2>Why Goerli?</h2>
<p>The Goerli (Görli) network is one of the main testing networks for Ethereum. It was created in 2018 during ETHBerlin to try to address the various flaws in existing testnets, by making it: <em>"both widely usable across all client implementations, and robust enough to guarantee consistent availability and high reliability"</em> (read the <a href="https://dev.to/5chdn/the-grli-testnet-proposal---a-call-for-participation-58pf">original statement</a> for more). As today, it has become the most used test network and it's planned to be maintained <a href="https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/networks/">long term</a>.</p>
<h2>Preparing for the Merge</h2>
<p>Like most testnets, Goerli uses a permissioned proof-of-authority consensus mechanism - where only a small number of chosen nodes can validate transactions and create new blocks. As <a href="https://ethereum.org/en/upgrades/merge/">The Merge</a> is getting closer, Goerli testnet will be merged with the Prater beacon chain and transition to a full proof-of-stake network in the following weeks. The Goerli/Prater merge should happen on <a href="https://etherworld.co/2022/07/16/goerli-and-prater-testnet-merge/">Aug 10, 2022</a>. This will mark the end of the permissioned proof-of-authority phase and anyone will be able to run a validator for Goerli. For the end user, not much will change (hopefully!).</p>
<h2>Unlock Protocol on Goerli</h2>
<p>The contracts for Unlock Protocol have been deployed on Goerli and you are able to create test locks from the online dashboard, starting now. The Unlock main contract lives at the address <a href="https://goerli.etherscan.io/address/0x627118a4fb747016911e5cda82e2e77c531e8206"><code>0x627118a4fB747016911e5cDA82e2E77C531e8206</code></a>. You can get Goerli test coins using a <a href="https://fauceth.komputing.org/?chain=5">faucet</a> - you can also try <a href="https://goerlifaucet.com/">that one</a>. Goerli is an ideal environment to build custom logic for your lock, using for instance <a href="https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/core-protocol/public-lock/hooks#register-a-hook">contract hooks</a>. You can also check all <a href="https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/core-protocol/unlock/networks/">networks</a> where Unlock has been been deployed.</p>
<p>Now, time to build!</p>
<hr>
<h3>More info about Goerli</h3>
<ul>
<li>Chain/Network id: 5</li>
<li>Native currency: ETH</li>
<li>Block time: 15 seconds on average</li>
<li>Status Dashboard: https://stats.goerli.net/</li>
<li>Explorer https://goerli.etherscan.io/</li>
<li>Github https://github.com/goerli/testnet</li>
<li>Website https://www.goerli.net</li>
</ul>



Unlock Protocol and [Superfluid](https://www.superfluid.finance) have teamed up to support streaming payments for Unlock membership NFTs! So what does this mean in practice?

* Unlock is the open-source web3 protocol for time-based memberships. With Unlock NFTs, brands, creators, and developers can enable membership-based access to content, experiences, online communities, services, and events for any length of time desired — from seconds to weeks, months, or any other duration. A membership provides access to specified resources and experiences until the membership expires.
* Superfluid streams enable real time flows of value between parties, and Superfluid is the building block for real time finance. Superfluid handles value transfer for subscriptions, membership rewards or any other composable stream of value, with continuous settlement.

Enabling an integration between Unlock Protocol and Superfluid is as natural as combining peanut butter and jelly, or chocolate and peanut butter (or whatever delicious food pairing works for you). Now, brands, creators and developers have the flexibility to monetize memberships with real time streams that match the duration of their Unlock-powered memberships. For example, a publisher offering a 30-day membership to their content site can have members pay via a Superfluid stream, with the real time amount of payment matching the time left on their membership.

## How does it work?

With this integration between Unlock and Superfluid, a Superfluid stream looks and acts like any other payment method during the Unlock checkout process from the purchaser’s perspective. An Unlock lock manager configures the Superfluid stream as a payment option, and sets the Superfluid stream as a valid payment method for a membership. At checkout-time, the purchaser follows the same checkout flow as they would with any other payment option such as a cryptocurrency-based payment or a credit card payment.

## Let’s start streaming payments!

Unlock and Superfluid are thrilled to bring this integration to life, and we are looking forward to seeing web3 creative communities use it to monetize their memberships in new ways!

Ready to start streaming payments, and want to get things set up? Fill out [this quick form](https://airtable.com/shrI89xOtwyp3rUm6) and we'll get right back to you to get things going!

If you have any ideas or questions on how to use Superfluid and Unlock together, [drop by our Discord](https://discord.com/invite/Ah6ZEJyTDp) and share your questions or experiences!


Unlock Protocol and Superfluid have teamed up to support streaming payments for Unlock membership NFTs.

Unlock Protocol and Superfluid have teamed up to support streaming payments for Unlock membership NFTs

Unlock Adds Support for Superfluid Streaming Payments

<p>Unlock Protocol and <a href="https://www.superfluid.finance">Superfluid</a> have teamed up to support streaming payments for Unlock membership NFTs! So what does this mean in practice?</p>
<ul>
<li>Unlock is the open-source web3 protocol for time-based memberships. With Unlock NFTs, brands, creators, and developers can enable membership-based access to content, experiences, online communities, services, and events for any length of time desired — from seconds to weeks, months, or any other duration. A membership provides access to specified resources and experiences until the membership expires.</li>
<li>Superfluid streams enable real time flows of value between parties, and Superfluid is the building block for real time finance. Superfluid handles value transfer for subscriptions, membership rewards or any other composable stream of value, with continuous settlement.</li>
</ul>
<p>Enabling an integration between Unlock Protocol and Superfluid is as natural as combining peanut butter and jelly, or chocolate and peanut butter (or whatever delicious food pairing works for you). Now, brands, creators and developers have the flexibility to monetize memberships with real time streams that match the duration of their Unlock-powered memberships. For example, a publisher offering a 30-day membership to their content site can have members pay via a Superfluid stream, with the real time amount of payment matching the time left on their membership.</p>
<h2>How does it work?</h2>
<p>With this integration between Unlock and Superfluid, a Superfluid stream looks and acts like any other payment method during the Unlock checkout process from the purchaser’s perspective. An Unlock lock manager configures the Superfluid stream as a payment option, and sets the Superfluid stream as a valid payment method for a membership. At checkout-time, the purchaser follows the same checkout flow as they would with any other payment option such as a cryptocurrency-based payment or a credit card payment.</p>
<h2>Let’s start streaming payments!</h2>
<p>Unlock and Superfluid are thrilled to bring this integration to life, and we are looking forward to seeing web3 creative communities use it to monetize their memberships in new ways!</p>
<p>Ready to start streaming payments, and want to get things set up? Fill out <a href="https://airtable.com/shrI89xOtwyp3rUm6">this quick form</a> and we'll get right back to you to get things going!</p>
<p>If you have any ideas or questions on how to use Superfluid and Unlock together, <a href="https://discord.com/invite/Ah6ZEJyTDp">drop by our Discord</a> and share your questions or experiences!</p>



Now in its fifth year, the Ethereum Community Conference (EthCC [5]) is the largest annual European Ethereum event focused on technology and community, consisting of three intense days of conferences, networking and learning. 

With over 1800 attendees in 2022, EthCC is the premier European event for the Ethereum community. It is held at the historic Maison de la Mutualité, and EthCC prides itself on a flawless experience for attendees, sponsors, speakers, and all other members of its community.


![maison-de-la-mutau.jpg](/images/blog/ethcc5/maison-de-la-mutau.jpg)

_Image source: [Wikipedia](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maison_de_la_Mutualit%C3%A9#/media/Fichier:DSC_7088-Maison-de-la-Mutau.jpg)_

The first impression of any conference participant is the ticketing and check-in experience. The ticket purchase experience needs to be straightforward, and the check-in process at the venue itself needs to be fast and efficient. Other conferences in the crypto space have been plagued with blocks-long queues for entrance, resulting in hours-long wait times to get into the venue for some attendees. EthCC was committed to living up to its reputation and was committed to having the smoothest check-in experience for all its stakeholders.

As an Ethereum technology conference, EthCC knew they needed to offer their community not only a flawless ticketing process, but a crypto-native ticketing experience as well. Tickets needed to be purchasable either in crypto or in fiat, and needed to be represented by NFTs. 

In 2022, EthCC partnered with Unlock Labs and used Unlock Protocol to create its ticketing experience, based on Unlock’s long track record of providing membership solutions based on blockchain technology.

## A complex ticketing landscape

There were over 1800 individuals registered for EthCC 2022. Not only were there a huge number of attendees, there were also different types of tickets within that group. As opposed to events that have a single “general admission” ticketing tier, EthCC wanted to specialize their ticketing based on attendee type. Tickets for EthCC were segmented into a number of categories based on the role of the attendee. These included:

* General admission
* Sponsors
* Speakers
* Investors
* Students
* Press

Each of these different types of attendees required a different ticket type, which would specialize their experience throughout EthCC.

## Phased ticket sales

Tickets for EthCC were sold through the EthCC website in multiple waves or batches, with each batch containing several dozen to several hundred tickets. When a new wave of tickets went on sale, purchasers would flock to the EthCC website to purchase their tickets. Most batches sold out in just a few minutes.

From the user’s point of view, purchasing a ticket followed a familiar online e-commerce checkout flow. However, for each ticket sale, the front-end simplicity of the checkout experience was backed by a complex bit of choreography between the user’s crypto wallet, the smart contract that issued the tickets, and potentially a credit card gateway (for purchases where tickets were purchased with a credit card). In particular, not only did the payment need to successfully complete, but as soon as the transaction was successfully completed, the smart contract handling the ticketing needed to mint and transfer an NFT ticket into the user’s crypto wallet. This process happened almost instantaneously, and Unlock shielded the user from this complexity.

Also, EthCC had a requirement to make these NFT tickets “non-transferable,” as a mechanism to reduce the probability of ticket scalping or other malicious activity that could result from ticket transfers for this in-demand event. 

Associated with each ticket, EthCC wanted to collect a number of pieces of metadata, including the attendee’s name, the ticket number, the ticket type, the ticket purchase date, as well as other metadata.

## Ticket delivery to attendees

Since the NFT tickets were delivered directly to attendee’s crypto wallets, attendees were in control of their tickets. However, at the venue itself, tickets would need to be quickly checked for validity. Unlock provides a one-click method to render an NFT as a QR code for users with a moderate level of skill and experience.

Even with the mechanisms natively included in Unlock Protocol, EthCC wanted an additional simple, familiar way for attendees to access their tickets: email. To address this need, Unlock Labs developed a process to email a unique QR code ticket to every attendee prior to the event. This QR code represents a link to the NFT and scanning the QR code decodes the ticket metadata, including the ticket type, ticket number, and other identifying information. Using a transactional email system, QR code tickets and check-in instructions were sent to all attendees prior to the event. Attendees would then simply need to show the QR code attached to a familiar email experience to gain entrance to the venue.

![ticket-qr-code.png](/images/blog/ethcc5/ticket-qr-code.png)

## Preparing for check-in at the event

With over 1800 attendees registered for the event, the EthCC and Unlock Labs teams knew the check-in process at the venue itself needed to be simple, seamless, and incredibly efficient. Even a few seconds delay in checking in each attendee could cascade and potentially result in hours of overall delay and inconvenience for attendees waiting in line to check in to the venue. (For example, a back-of-the-envelope calculation of a one minute check-in time per attendee for 1800 attendees would be 1800 minutes, or approximately 30 hours, to check in all attendees. This would be unacceptable, obviously.)

To provide a positive check-in experience for attendees, EthCC wanted to ensure that, even in the case where all attendees showed up at the same time, they wanted the overall wait time for entrance to the venue to be under one hour for all 1800 attendees. To achieve this, the goal was to set up at least ten concurrent check-in stations, as well as a requirement to have a check-in solution through which each attendee could be checked-in in under fifteen seconds, including checking each NFT ticket for validity and ensuring each ticket had not already been checked-in. There was also the goal to give the attendee their conference wristband and hand them their bag full of sponsor swag also within that fifteen second window.

## The check-in mobile app

After exploring several potential approaches, the Unlock Labs team created a web-based check-in application that uses a standard mobile phone camera and a default mobile browser (e.g. Safari, Chrome, Brave, etc.) to scan the QR codes and check EthCC tickets for validity. Since this application is browser-based and can use any standard mobile phone, a cohort of ten EthCC volunteers would be able to use the application on their individual mobile devices to check-in attendees and meet the overall performance goal that was required in order to ensure a pleasant attendee check-in experience at the event. The application was designed to be very straightforward to use, and the volunteers were trained on how to use the application in less than five minutes.

The ticket scanner application developed by Unlock Labs returns one of a number of potential results for every ticket scan. The result of a scan can be:

* The ticket is ok and valid
* The ticket has already been checked in (i.e. someone is trying to recycle a ticket)
* The ticket is not valid (e.g. expired, inauthentic, or some other exception)

![two-phones-min.png](/images/blog/ethcc5/two-phones-min.png)

Attendees who presented tickets that were ok and valid were granted admittance to the venue. If there was an exception thrown during the check-in process, the attendee was referred to a help desk that had an offline list of all valid tickets and their associated attendee name and metadata for issue resolution.

## What happened when the doors opened at EthCC [5]?

Once the doors opened at EthCC, the check-in process went smoothly. Volunteer expediters interacted with each attendee before they got up to the check-in booth to ensure the attendee had their QR code email and directed them to the appropriate check-in station (e.g. sponsor, speaker, general attendee, etc.).

On average, the check-in process — including ticket scanning and verification, handing the wrist band to the attendee, and giving them their sponsor swag bag — took less than fifteen seconds (and sometimes fewer than seven seconds) per attendee. All the attendees who showed up with valid tickets were checked in using the application in the first hour by the volunteers, and no attendee waited outside the venue for more than a few moments before being directed to a check-in station.

![checkin1-min.png](/images/blog/ethcc5/checkin1-min.png)

_The doors are open_

![checkin2-min.png](/images/blog/ethcc5/checkin2-min.png)

_EthCC volunteers checking-in attendees_

![checkin3-min.png](/images/blog/ethcc5/checkin3-min.png)

_EthCC volunteers scanning a ticket_

![checkin4-min.png](/images/blog/ethcc5/checkin4-min.png)

_Patrick is ready to check in his next attendee_

![checkin5-min.png](/images/blog/ethcc5/checkin5-min.png)

_Wrist band bracelets_

![checkin6-min.png](/images/blog/ethcc5/checkin6-min.png)

_Wrist band color decoder_

<div style="position: relative; overflow: hidden; width: 100%; padding-top: 56.25%;"><iframe style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X8aBLbYbTos" title="Unlock Protocol EthCC Ticketing" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

_The live check-in experience_


## Conclusion: NFT ticketing with Unlock Protocol is ready for events with thousands of attendees

The experience at EthCC has shown that NFT-based ticketing with Unlock Protocol is ready for real-world use. From purchase through check-in, the process and technology work at scale to support large numbers of attendees and support concurrent use by multiple volunteers. 

![ethcc-stairway.png](/images/blog/ethcc5/ethcc-stairway.png)


## Addendum: How to deal with ticket scammers, scalpers, and other bad actors

Like any in-demand event, EthCC attracts actors who aim to exploit systems for their own gain. Through a number of technical architecture decisions and processes, Unlock Protocol makes things difficult for scalpers and for scammers. These features include:

* A strong CAPTCHA at purchase time to deter bot purchases
* Non-transferable NFT tickets to deter aftermarket price inflation
* At-venue ticket verification to ensure tickets are authentic
* A real-time scan for double-use of tickets at check-in


Behind the scenes on how Unlock handled NFT ticketing for the largest European Ethereum event with 1800 attendees.

Behind the scenes on how Unlock handled NFT ticketing for the largest European Ethereum event with 1800 attendees

Ticketing with Unlock Protocol at EthCC 2022

<p>Now in its fifth year, the Ethereum Community Conference (EthCC [5]) is the largest annual European Ethereum event focused on technology and community, consisting of three intense days of conferences, networking and learning.</p>
<p>With over 1800 attendees in 2022, EthCC is the premier European event for the Ethereum community. It is held at the historic Maison de la Mutualité, and EthCC prides itself on a flawless experience for attendees, sponsors, speakers, and all other members of its community.</p>
<p><img src="/images/blog/ethcc5/maison-de-la-mutau.jpg" alt="maison-de-la-mutau.jpg"></p>
<p><em>Image source: <a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maison_de_la_Mutualit%C3%A9#/media/Fichier:DSC_7088-Maison-de-la-Mutau.jpg">Wikipedia</a></em></p>
<p>The first impression of any conference participant is the ticketing and check-in experience. The ticket purchase experience needs to be straightforward, and the check-in process at the venue itself needs to be fast and efficient. Other conferences in the crypto space have been plagued with blocks-long queues for entrance, resulting in hours-long wait times to get into the venue for some attendees. EthCC was committed to living up to its reputation and was committed to having the smoothest check-in experience for all its stakeholders.</p>
<p>As an Ethereum technology conference, EthCC knew they needed to offer their community not only a flawless ticketing process, but a crypto-native ticketing experience as well. Tickets needed to be purchasable either in crypto or in fiat, and needed to be represented by NFTs.</p>
<p>In 2022, EthCC partnered with Unlock Labs and used Unlock Protocol to create its ticketing experience, based on Unlock’s long track record of providing membership solutions based on blockchain technology.</p>
<h2>A complex ticketing landscape</h2>
<p>There were over 1800 individuals registered for EthCC 2022. Not only were there a huge number of attendees, there were also different types of tickets within that group. As opposed to events that have a single “general admission” ticketing tier, EthCC wanted to specialize their ticketing based on attendee type. Tickets for EthCC were segmented into a number of categories based on the role of the attendee. These included:</p>
<ul>
<li>General admission</li>
<li>Sponsors</li>
<li>Speakers</li>
<li>Investors</li>
<li>Students</li>
<li>Press</li>
</ul>
<p>Each of these different types of attendees required a different ticket type, which would specialize their experience throughout EthCC.</p>
<h2>Phased ticket sales</h2>
<p>Tickets for EthCC were sold through the EthCC website in multiple waves or batches, with each batch containing several dozen to several hundred tickets. When a new wave of tickets went on sale, purchasers would flock to the EthCC website to purchase their tickets. Most batches sold out in just a few minutes.</p>
<p>From the user’s point of view, purchasing a ticket followed a familiar online e-commerce checkout flow. However, for each ticket sale, the front-end simplicity of the checkout experience was backed by a complex bit of choreography between the user’s crypto wallet, the smart contract that issued the tickets, and potentially a credit card gateway (for purchases where tickets were purchased with a credit card). In particular, not only did the payment need to successfully complete, but as soon as the transaction was successfully completed, the smart contract handling the ticketing needed to mint and transfer an NFT ticket into the user’s crypto wallet. This process happened almost instantaneously, and Unlock shielded the user from this complexity.</p>
<p>Also, EthCC had a requirement to make these NFT tickets “non-transferable,” as a mechanism to reduce the probability of ticket scalping or other malicious activity that could result from ticket transfers for this in-demand event.</p>
<p>Associated with each ticket, EthCC wanted to collect a number of pieces of metadata, including the attendee’s name, the ticket number, the ticket type, the ticket purchase date, as well as other metadata.</p>
<h2>Ticket delivery to attendees</h2>
<p>Since the NFT tickets were delivered directly to attendee’s crypto wallets, attendees were in control of their tickets. However, at the venue itself, tickets would need to be quickly checked for validity. Unlock provides a one-click method to render an NFT as a QR code for users with a moderate level of skill and experience.</p>
<p>Even with the mechanisms natively included in Unlock Protocol, EthCC wanted an additional simple, familiar way for attendees to access their tickets: email. To address this need, Unlock Labs developed a process to email a unique QR code ticket to every attendee prior to the event. This QR code represents a link to the NFT and scanning the QR code decodes the ticket metadata, including the ticket type, ticket number, and other identifying information. Using a transactional email system, QR code tickets and check-in instructions were sent to all attendees prior to the event. Attendees would then simply need to show the QR code attached to a familiar email experience to gain entrance to the venue.</p>
<p><img src="/images/blog/ethcc5/ticket-qr-code.png" alt="ticket-qr-code.png"></p>
<h2>Preparing for check-in at the event</h2>
<p>With over 1800 attendees registered for the event, the EthCC and Unlock Labs teams knew the check-in process at the venue itself needed to be simple, seamless, and incredibly efficient. Even a few seconds delay in checking in each attendee could cascade and potentially result in hours of overall delay and inconvenience for attendees waiting in line to check in to the venue. (For example, a back-of-the-envelope calculation of a one minute check-in time per attendee for 1800 attendees would be 1800 minutes, or approximately 30 hours, to check in all attendees. This would be unacceptable, obviously.)</p>
<p>To provide a positive check-in experience for attendees, EthCC wanted to ensure that, even in the case where all attendees showed up at the same time, they wanted the overall wait time for entrance to the venue to be under one hour for all 1800 attendees. To achieve this, the goal was to set up at least ten concurrent check-in stations, as well as a requirement to have a check-in solution through which each attendee could be checked-in in under fifteen seconds, including checking each NFT ticket for validity and ensuring each ticket had not already been checked-in. There was also the goal to give the attendee their conference wristband and hand them their bag full of sponsor swag also within that fifteen second window.</p>
<h2>The check-in mobile app</h2>
<p>After exploring several potential approaches, the Unlock Labs team created a web-based check-in application that uses a standard mobile phone camera and a default mobile browser (e.g. Safari, Chrome, Brave, etc.) to scan the QR codes and check EthCC tickets for validity. Since this application is browser-based and can use any standard mobile phone, a cohort of ten EthCC volunteers would be able to use the application on their individual mobile devices to check-in attendees and meet the overall performance goal that was required in order to ensure a pleasant attendee check-in experience at the event. The application was designed to be very straightforward to use, and the volunteers were trained on how to use the application in less than five minutes.</p>
<p>The ticket scanner application developed by Unlock Labs returns one of a number of potential results for every ticket scan. The result of a scan can be:</p>
<ul>
<li>The ticket is ok and valid</li>
<li>The ticket has already been checked in (i.e. someone is trying to recycle a ticket)</li>
<li>The ticket is not valid (e.g. expired, inauthentic, or some other exception)</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="/images/blog/ethcc5/two-phones-min.png" alt="two-phones-min.png"></p>
<p>Attendees who presented tickets that were ok and valid were granted admittance to the venue. If there was an exception thrown during the check-in process, the attendee was referred to a help desk that had an offline list of all valid tickets and their associated attendee name and metadata for issue resolution.</p>
<h2>What happened when the doors opened at EthCC [5]?</h2>
<p>Once the doors opened at EthCC, the check-in process went smoothly. Volunteer expediters interacted with each attendee before they got up to the check-in booth to ensure the attendee had their QR code email and directed them to the appropriate check-in station (e.g. sponsor, speaker, general attendee, etc.).</p>
<p>On average, the check-in process — including ticket scanning and verification, handing the wrist band to the attendee, and giving them their sponsor swag bag — took less than fifteen seconds (and sometimes fewer than seven seconds) per attendee. All the attendees who showed up with valid tickets were checked in using the application in the first hour by the volunteers, and no attendee waited outside the venue for more than a few moments before being directed to a check-in station.</p>
<p><img src="/images/blog/ethcc5/checkin1-min.png" alt="checkin1-min.png"></p>
<p><em>The doors are open</em></p>
<p><img src="/images/blog/ethcc5/checkin2-min.png" alt="checkin2-min.png"></p>
<p><em>EthCC volunteers checking-in attendees</em></p>
<p><img src="/images/blog/ethcc5/checkin3-min.png" alt="checkin3-min.png"></p>
<p><em>EthCC volunteers scanning a ticket</em></p>
<p><img src="/images/blog/ethcc5/checkin4-min.png" alt="checkin4-min.png"></p>
<p><em>Patrick is ready to check in his next attendee</em></p>
<p><img src="/images/blog/ethcc5/checkin5-min.png" alt="checkin5-min.png"></p>
<p><em>Wrist band bracelets</em></p>
<p><img src="/images/blog/ethcc5/checkin6-min.png" alt="checkin6-min.png"></p>
<p><em>Wrist band color decoder</em></p>
<div style="position: relative; overflow: hidden; width: 100%; padding-top: 56.25%;"><iframe style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X8aBLbYbTos" title="Unlock Protocol EthCC Ticketing" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p><em>The live check-in experience</em></p>
<h2>Conclusion: NFT ticketing with Unlock Protocol is ready for events with thousands of attendees</h2>
<p>The experience at EthCC has shown that NFT-based ticketing with Unlock Protocol is ready for real-world use. From purchase through check-in, the process and technology work at scale to support large numbers of attendees and support concurrent use by multiple volunteers.</p>
<p><img src="/images/blog/ethcc5/ethcc-stairway.png" alt="ethcc-stairway.png"></p>
<h2>Addendum: How to deal with ticket scammers, scalpers, and other bad actors</h2>
<p>Like any in-demand event, EthCC attracts actors who aim to exploit systems for their own gain. Through a number of technical architecture decisions and processes, Unlock Protocol makes things difficult for scalpers and for scammers. These features include:</p>
<ul>
<li>A strong CAPTCHA at purchase time to deter bot purchases</li>
<li>Non-transferable NFT tickets to deter aftermarket price inflation</li>
<li>At-venue ticket verification to ensure tickets are authentic</li>
<li>A real-time scan for double-use of tickets at check-in</li>
</ul>



![june-22-banner.png](/images/blog/june-22-update/june-22-banner.png)

## New documentation site

- Launched an entirely new docs site at [https://docs.unlock-protocol.com](https://docs.unlock-protocol.com)

## Smart contract optimizations and enhancements

- Moving to error codes instead of string, saves 15% gas
- Refactored tests to remove Truffle and web3.js dependency
- Purchase and GrantKeys return the new token ids
- Added a feature for key granters to extend keys
- Added new OnKeyTransfer hook
- Added LendKey

## NFT ticketing improvements

- Show NFT image on ticket verification page
- Verification page now uses Sign In With Ethereum
- Adding "verifiers" for events who can verify ticket validity and check-in tickets

## Front-end updates

- Redesigned "Sign In With Ethereum" flow
- Members page UI refreshed

## Backend / API server updates
- Support for API to grant keys on lock
- Server side QR code generation
- Ability to send QR codes by email from backend

## Others updates and improvements

- Renamed xDai to Gnosis Chain
- Added Mumbai Polygon network
- Dependency cleanup and Eslint simplification

Want to know more and try stuff out? [Join the Unlock community in the Discord](https://discord.com/invite/Ah6ZEJyTDp)!


Release Notes for June 2022. Unlock Protocol launches a brand new docs site, NFT ticketing enhancements, smart contract optimizations, and various other improvements.

Brand new docs site, NFT ticketing enhancements, smart contract optimizations, and various other improvements

Unlock Protocol Product Updates for June 2022

<p><img src="/images/blog/june-22-update/june-22-banner.png" alt="june-22-banner.png"></p>
<h2>New documentation site</h2>
<ul>
<li>Launched an entirely new docs site at <a href="https://docs.unlock-protocol.com">https://docs.unlock-protocol.com</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>Smart contract optimizations and enhancements</h2>
<ul>
<li>Moving to error codes instead of string, saves 15% gas</li>
<li>Refactored tests to remove Truffle and web3.js dependency</li>
<li>Purchase and GrantKeys return the new token ids</li>
<li>Added a feature for key granters to extend keys</li>
<li>Added new OnKeyTransfer hook</li>
<li>Added LendKey</li>
</ul>
<h2>NFT ticketing improvements</h2>
<ul>
<li>Show NFT image on ticket verification page</li>
<li>Verification page now uses Sign In With Ethereum</li>
<li>Adding "verifiers" for events who can verify ticket validity and check-in tickets</li>
</ul>
<h2>Front-end updates</h2>
<ul>
<li>Redesigned "Sign In With Ethereum" flow</li>
<li>Members page UI refreshed</li>
</ul>
<h2>Backend / API server updates</h2>
<ul>
<li>Support for API to grant keys on lock</li>
<li>Server side QR code generation</li>
<li>Ability to send QR codes by email from backend</li>
</ul>
<h2>Others updates and improvements</h2>
<ul>
<li>Renamed xDai to Gnosis Chain</li>
<li>Added Mumbai Polygon network</li>
<li>Dependency cleanup and Eslint simplification</li>
</ul>
<p>Want to know more and try stuff out? <a href="https://discord.com/invite/Ah6ZEJyTDp">Join the Unlock community in the Discord</a>!</p>



![nyc-cover-image-2022.jpeg](/images/blog/nyc22/nyc-cover-image-2022.jpeg)

Wowsa. What a week in New York City — it seems the entire web3 industry was there in one form or another between June 20th and June 26th. There was so 👏 much 👏 going 👏 on 👏. 

Here are some of the highlights from the events the Unlock Labs squad participated in.

## Collab with Superfluid and Privy around NFT.NYC

If you don’t yet know them, [Superfluid](https://www.superfluid.finance/home) is a token standard to describe programmable, composable and modular cashflows and execute them automatically on chain, while [Privy](https://docs.privy.io/) is a simple API that enables you to manage user data off-chain (e.g. their name, email address or KYC information). Both are great partners to Unlock, and we were thrilled to team up with Superfluid and Privy to co-host a happy hour at Casa Bocado in Manhattan, with stellar conversation, incredible food, and tasty beverages. Big thanks to everyone who came out to connect up with us!

[![nftnyc-tweet1.jpg](/images/blog/nyc22/nftnyc-tweet1.jpg)](https://twitter.com/UnlockProtocol/status/1540321536078389249?s=20&t=Adgq-5dMDayRmtPAwl5ZWQ)


## We experienced ~ vibesIRL ~ with Developer DAO

![vibesIRL-min.png](/images/blog/nyc22/vibesIRL-min.png)

Developer DAO exists to accelerate the education and impact of a new wave of web3 builders. Unlock and Polygon teamed up to help sponsor Developer DAO’s ~ vibesIRL ~ event during blockchain week in New York at Barcade! A great time was had meeting new members of the developer community and reconnecting with old frens. Looking forward to the next one!

[![nftnyc-tweet2.jpg](/images/blog/nyc22/nftnyc-tweet2.jpg)](https://twitter.com/tchowd_/status/1540814568376745993?s=20&t=Adgq-5dMDayRmtPAwl5ZWQ)

[![nftnyc-tweet3.jpg](/images/blog/nyc22/nftnyc-tweet3.jpg)](https://twitter.com/0xPolygonDevs/status/1540895003261681665?s=20&t=Adgq-5dMDayRmtPAwl5ZWQ)

## DAO NYC

![DAONYC-min.png](/images/blog/nyc22/DAONYC-min.png)

[DAO NYC](https://www.dao-nyc.xyz/) was a one-day event halfway through blockchain week, and it has immediately rocketed onto the shortlist of events that Do It Right. From the flawless execution of the event production and logistics to the strong diversity of voices from all across the web3 ecosystem who shared their time and expertise, DAO NYC was a delight. Big ups to the [Tally.xyz](Tally.xyz) crew that pulled it together. The event was SOLD OUT, with over 500 attendees.

Unlock participated in multiple ways: as a sponsor, as the provider of [NFT ticketing](https://unlock-protocol.com/guides/how-to-sell-nft-tickets-for-an-event/) for the event, and Unlock’s CEO and Founder Julien Genestoux participated in a rich conversation discussing on-line credentials on the “Credentials and Data in DAOs” panel.

Plus, the views were amazing.

[![nftnyc-tweet4.jpg](/images/blog/nyc22/nftnyc-tweet4.jpg)](https://twitter.com/ccarfi/status/1539633052686630913?s=20&t=IQYM2Y_wvmZzCQrw28vw-g)

[![nftnyc-tweet5.jpg](/images/blog/nyc22/nftnyc-tweet5.jpg)](https://twitter.com/ccarfi/status/1539629471619219458?s=20&t=IQYM2Y_wvmZzCQrw28vw-g)

In addition to Julien’s panel, DAO NYC’s programming had a wide array of panels that hit on topics that went much deeper than the typical “wen lambo?” web3 conference fare.

Kinjal Shah, Manasi Vora, Medha Kothari, Karima Williams and Gabrielle Micheletti discussed the importance of doing the work to ensure that web3 represents all its participants, and not just the stereotypical tech bro / crypto bro point of view. (Important note: Major kudos to the DAO NYC team for not just having one side panel on this topic at the end of the day in an out-of-the-way conference room, but instead weaving diverse viewpoints into the speaker roster from the get-go across the board. [See for yourself here](https://www.dao-nyc.xyz/#speakers). This is the group to learn from.)

[![nftnyc-tweet6.jpg](/images/blog/nyc22/nftnyc-tweet6.jpg)](https://twitter.com/ccarfi/status/1539623901935828996?s=20&t=IQYM2Y_wvmZzCQrw28vw-g)

[![nftnyc-tweet7.jpg](/images/blog/nyc22/nftnyc-tweet7.jpg)](https://twitter.com/ccarfi/status/1539622330846117892?s=20&t=IQYM2Y_wvmZzCQrw28vw-g)

In working in and building online communities and community strategies throughout my career, I also wanted to note the conversation in the “Communities in web3” panel was all spot-on and another major highlight of the day.

[![nftnyc-tweet8.jpg](/images/blog/nyc22/nftnyc-tweet8.jpg)](https://twitter.com/ccarfi/status/1539616453644673025?s=20&t=IQYM2Y_wvmZzCQrw28vw-g)

Again, hats off to the DAO NYC conference team. Cannot wait for the next one! (The conference organizers have assured us that the videos will be live soon. We’ll post links from the @UnlockProtocol Twitter handle when they do.)

## ETH New York

![ethnewyork.png](/images/blog/nyc22/ethnewyork.png)

The crowning event for the week was ETHGlobal’s ETH New York hackathon. Over 1500 participants showed up for an intense, three-day hackathon building on the core protocols in web3. Unlock, of course, was a sponsor.

At the end of the weekend, and after the final round of judging, three projects and teams stood out and came away with prizes for the most impressive solutions built using Unlock Protocol. They were:

### Granted

![granted.png](/images/blog/nyc22/granted.png)

**Hackathon project website:**

[https://ethglobal.com/showcase/granted-vtxne](https://ethglobal.com/showcase/granted-vtxne)

Granted is a milestone-based granting platform for sponsors and developers to issue and apply for grants. Granted streamlines the grant process by notifying and tracking all the progress on projects being built so that both the developer and sponsor have open, bidirectional communication and provides transparency to both the grant sponsor and the grantee.

For sponsors:

- As a sponsor, I access my token-gated portal via Unlock Protocol and indicate the number of grants I am funding, and outline the expected deliverables, timelines & payout for each funding tranche.
- Once a developer is approved, they are notified via EPNS and streamlined through the first milestone.
- The sponsor is notified whenever the grantee has completed a milestone.
- The sponsor reviews their milestone to ensure deliverables are met. Once approved, funding is sent via Polygon, Optimism or Harmony.
- The next deliverables for the developers are automatically provided, repeating the process until the project is completed.

The platform provides a bird's eye view of all granted projects, categorizing them by the milestones completed, making it easy to keep track of the progress of a grant program.

For grantees:

- The application is stored via IPFS, and the grant applicant is notified once the application is accepted via EPNS. The applicant is presented with a roadmap of all expected deliverables and payouts, along with the first milestone, expected timeline and amount they will be paid once the first tranche is appropriately completed.
- Once an applicant submits a milestone, the sponsor is notified.
- Once reviewed, the applicant is notified, funded via Polygon, Optimism or Harmony and the next expected milestone is released.
- The process is repeated until project is completed.
- If a grantee is working on multiple projects at once, they have an overview of all their projects and progress. Deliverables are also visible for potential sponsors, creating a positive reputation system and increasing the likelihood that future applications will be granted.

### Gard3n

![gard3n.png](/images/blog/nyc22/gard3n.png)

**Hackathon project website:**

[https://ethglobal.com/showcase/gard3n-fez2q](https://ethglobal.com/showcase/gard3n-fez2q)

**Presentation:** 

[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cYX9ARThfF7QvYS3pmd5mhZc0pmCXCY3/view](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cYX9ARThfF7QvYS3pmd5mhZc0pmCXCY3/view)

Gard3n is a public goods social engagement platform built with Lens, Unlock Protocol, and other technologies that rewards creators, and their fans / communities to help cultivate a new form of creating and interacting with shared prosperity at its roots. Gard3n nourishes the relationship between creators and their communities by helping them connect more easily while building shared Gard3ns (micro communities powered by social tokens). Fans are rewarded for their time, dedication, and engagement and are able to receive and stake their social tokens allowing them to unlock exclusive drops, NFTs, perks, and benefits based on the creator. Creators are easily onboarded to web3 with easy to use tokenomic templates to help them get started and are rewarded through the buying, redeeming and trading of their social tokens. Creators can create multimedia content in a user-friendly UI experience. Both are rewarded by feeling valued and supported by the other.

### NFTicket

![nfticket-min.gif](/images/blog/nyc22/nfticket-min.gif)

**Hackathon project website:** [https://ethglobal.com/showcase/nfticket-qwwba](https://ethglobal.com/showcase/nfticket-qwwba)

**Presentation:** [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_Y_vZJCcj4Bwtr_5idFTfVhcmIk6rCx9FTED5-rIuaM/edit#slide=id.g12588221e4c_0_190](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_Y_vZJCcj4Bwtr_5idFTfVhcmIk6rCx9FTED5-rIuaM/edit#slide=id.g12588221e4c_0_190)

NFTicket is a hackathon project for online ticketing. The front end of this project allows a user to log in to their Metamask wallet as well as be able to view NFTs given to them hidden behind an Unlock paywall. There are three smart contracts, one for each section in the stadium. Users have the ability to mint a ticket and pay a stable USD rate in ETH pulled in via a Chainlink price feed. Scripts are then run to deploy the contracts, create (mint) a ticket, create the metadata, and to set the token URI. The metadata includes the section, seat, row, link to the image on IPFS and other important information for the game. This JSON is also uploaded to IPFS. After the game, the user is airdropped an Unlock NFT from the event organizers with a game highlight.

All three of the above were amazing projects, especially when one considers they were conceived, built, and delivered all in under 72 hours — oftentimes by teams where the members had never met each other. Great work, ETHGlobal hackers!

And with that, that’s a wrap. Want to follow up or learn more about any of the above? Hit us up in the Discord! Imma go take a nap…


NFT.NYC, ETHNewYork, DAO NYC and more — and Unlock Protocol was everywhere.

NFT.NYC, ETHNewYork, DAO NYC and more — and Unlock was everywhere

NYC Blockchain Week 2022 Recap with Unlock

<p><img src="/images/blog/nyc22/nyc-cover-image-2022.jpeg" alt="nyc-cover-image-2022.jpeg"></p>
<p>Wowsa. What a week in New York City — it seems the entire web3 industry was there in one form or another between June 20th and June 26th. There was so 👏 much 👏 going 👏 on 👏.</p>
<p>Here are some of the highlights from the events the Unlock Labs squad participated in.</p>
<h2>Collab with Superfluid and Privy around NFT.NYC</h2>
<p>If you don’t yet know them, <a href="https://www.superfluid.finance/home">Superfluid</a> is a token standard to describe programmable, composable and modular cashflows and execute them automatically on chain, while <a href="https://docs.privy.io/">Privy</a> is a simple API that enables you to manage user data off-chain (e.g. their name, email address or KYC information). Both are great partners to Unlock, and we were thrilled to team up with Superfluid and Privy to co-host a happy hour at Casa Bocado in Manhattan, with stellar conversation, incredible food, and tasty beverages. Big thanks to everyone who came out to connect up with us!</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/UnlockProtocol/status/1540321536078389249?s=20&#x26;t=Adgq-5dMDayRmtPAwl5ZWQ"><img src="/images/blog/nyc22/nftnyc-tweet1.jpg" alt="nftnyc-tweet1.jpg"></a></p>
<h2>We experienced ~ vibesIRL ~ with Developer DAO</h2>
<p><img src="/images/blog/nyc22/vibesIRL-min.png" alt="vibesIRL-min.png"></p>
<p>Developer DAO exists to accelerate the education and impact of a new wave of web3 builders. Unlock and Polygon teamed up to help sponsor Developer DAO’s ~ vibesIRL ~ event during blockchain week in New York at Barcade! A great time was had meeting new members of the developer community and reconnecting with old frens. Looking forward to the next one!</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/tchowd_/status/1540814568376745993?s=20&#x26;t=Adgq-5dMDayRmtPAwl5ZWQ"><img src="/images/blog/nyc22/nftnyc-tweet2.jpg" alt="nftnyc-tweet2.jpg"></a></p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/0xPolygonDevs/status/1540895003261681665?s=20&#x26;t=Adgq-5dMDayRmtPAwl5ZWQ"><img src="/images/blog/nyc22/nftnyc-tweet3.jpg" alt="nftnyc-tweet3.jpg"></a></p>
<h2>DAO NYC</h2>
<p><img src="/images/blog/nyc22/DAONYC-min.png" alt="DAONYC-min.png"></p>
<p><a href="https://www.dao-nyc.xyz/">DAO NYC</a> was a one-day event halfway through blockchain week, and it has immediately rocketed onto the shortlist of events that Do It Right. From the flawless execution of the event production and logistics to the strong diversity of voices from all across the web3 ecosystem who shared their time and expertise, DAO NYC was a delight. Big ups to the <a href="Tally.xyz">Tally.xyz</a> crew that pulled it together. The event was SOLD OUT, with over 500 attendees.</p>
<p>Unlock participated in multiple ways: as a sponsor, as the provider of <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/guides/how-to-sell-nft-tickets-for-an-event/">NFT ticketing</a> for the event, and Unlock’s CEO and Founder Julien Genestoux participated in a rich conversation discussing on-line credentials on the “Credentials and Data in DAOs” panel.</p>
<p>Plus, the views were amazing.</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/ccarfi/status/1539633052686630913?s=20&#x26;t=IQYM2Y_wvmZzCQrw28vw-g"><img src="/images/blog/nyc22/nftnyc-tweet4.jpg" alt="nftnyc-tweet4.jpg"></a></p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/ccarfi/status/1539629471619219458?s=20&#x26;t=IQYM2Y_wvmZzCQrw28vw-g"><img src="/images/blog/nyc22/nftnyc-tweet5.jpg" alt="nftnyc-tweet5.jpg"></a></p>
<p>In addition to Julien’s panel, DAO NYC’s programming had a wide array of panels that hit on topics that went much deeper than the typical “wen lambo?” web3 conference fare.</p>
<p>Kinjal Shah, Manasi Vora, Medha Kothari, Karima Williams and Gabrielle Micheletti discussed the importance of doing the work to ensure that web3 represents all its participants, and not just the stereotypical tech bro / crypto bro point of view. (Important note: Major kudos to the DAO NYC team for not just having one side panel on this topic at the end of the day in an out-of-the-way conference room, but instead weaving diverse viewpoints into the speaker roster from the get-go across the board. <a href="https://www.dao-nyc.xyz/#speakers">See for yourself here</a>. This is the group to learn from.)</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/ccarfi/status/1539623901935828996?s=20&#x26;t=IQYM2Y_wvmZzCQrw28vw-g"><img src="/images/blog/nyc22/nftnyc-tweet6.jpg" alt="nftnyc-tweet6.jpg"></a></p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/ccarfi/status/1539622330846117892?s=20&#x26;t=IQYM2Y_wvmZzCQrw28vw-g"><img src="/images/blog/nyc22/nftnyc-tweet7.jpg" alt="nftnyc-tweet7.jpg"></a></p>
<p>In working in and building online communities and community strategies throughout my career, I also wanted to note the conversation in the “Communities in web3” panel was all spot-on and another major highlight of the day.</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/ccarfi/status/1539616453644673025?s=20&#x26;t=IQYM2Y_wvmZzCQrw28vw-g"><img src="/images/blog/nyc22/nftnyc-tweet8.jpg" alt="nftnyc-tweet8.jpg"></a></p>
<p>Again, hats off to the DAO NYC conference team. Cannot wait for the next one! (The conference organizers have assured us that the videos will be live soon. We’ll post links from the @UnlockProtocol Twitter handle when they do.)</p>
<h2>ETH New York</h2>
<p><img src="/images/blog/nyc22/ethnewyork.png" alt="ethnewyork.png"></p>
<p>The crowning event for the week was ETHGlobal’s ETH New York hackathon. Over 1500 participants showed up for an intense, three-day hackathon building on the core protocols in web3. Unlock, of course, was a sponsor.</p>
<p>At the end of the weekend, and after the final round of judging, three projects and teams stood out and came away with prizes for the most impressive solutions built using Unlock Protocol. They were:</p>
<h3>Granted</h3>
<p><img src="/images/blog/nyc22/granted.png" alt="granted.png"></p>
<p><strong>Hackathon project website:</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ethglobal.com/showcase/granted-vtxne">https://ethglobal.com/showcase/granted-vtxne</a></p>
<p>Granted is a milestone-based granting platform for sponsors and developers to issue and apply for grants. Granted streamlines the grant process by notifying and tracking all the progress on projects being built so that both the developer and sponsor have open, bidirectional communication and provides transparency to both the grant sponsor and the grantee.</p>
<p>For sponsors:</p>
<ul>
<li>As a sponsor, I access my token-gated portal via Unlock Protocol and indicate the number of grants I am funding, and outline the expected deliverables, timelines &#x26; payout for each funding tranche.</li>
<li>Once a developer is approved, they are notified via EPNS and streamlined through the first milestone.</li>
<li>The sponsor is notified whenever the grantee has completed a milestone.</li>
<li>The sponsor reviews their milestone to ensure deliverables are met. Once approved, funding is sent via Polygon, Optimism or Harmony.</li>
<li>The next deliverables for the developers are automatically provided, repeating the process until the project is completed.</li>
</ul>
<p>The platform provides a bird's eye view of all granted projects, categorizing them by the milestones completed, making it easy to keep track of the progress of a grant program.</p>
<p>For grantees:</p>
<ul>
<li>The application is stored via IPFS, and the grant applicant is notified once the application is accepted via EPNS. The applicant is presented with a roadmap of all expected deliverables and payouts, along with the first milestone, expected timeline and amount they will be paid once the first tranche is appropriately completed.</li>
<li>Once an applicant submits a milestone, the sponsor is notified.</li>
<li>Once reviewed, the applicant is notified, funded via Polygon, Optimism or Harmony and the next expected milestone is released.</li>
<li>The process is repeated until project is completed.</li>
<li>If a grantee is working on multiple projects at once, they have an overview of all their projects and progress. Deliverables are also visible for potential sponsors, creating a positive reputation system and increasing the likelihood that future applications will be granted.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Gard3n</h3>
<p><img src="/images/blog/nyc22/gard3n.png" alt="gard3n.png"></p>
<p><strong>Hackathon project website:</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ethglobal.com/showcase/gard3n-fez2q">https://ethglobal.com/showcase/gard3n-fez2q</a></p>
<p><strong>Presentation:</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cYX9ARThfF7QvYS3pmd5mhZc0pmCXCY3/view">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cYX9ARThfF7QvYS3pmd5mhZc0pmCXCY3/view</a></p>
<p>Gard3n is a public goods social engagement platform built with Lens, Unlock Protocol, and other technologies that rewards creators, and their fans / communities to help cultivate a new form of creating and interacting with shared prosperity at its roots. Gard3n nourishes the relationship between creators and their communities by helping them connect more easily while building shared Gard3ns (micro communities powered by social tokens). Fans are rewarded for their time, dedication, and engagement and are able to receive and stake their social tokens allowing them to unlock exclusive drops, NFTs, perks, and benefits based on the creator. Creators are easily onboarded to web3 with easy to use tokenomic templates to help them get started and are rewarded through the buying, redeeming and trading of their social tokens. Creators can create multimedia content in a user-friendly UI experience. Both are rewarded by feeling valued and supported by the other.</p>
<h3>NFTicket</h3>
<p><img src="/images/blog/nyc22/nfticket-min.gif" alt="nfticket-min.gif"></p>
<p><strong>Hackathon project website:</strong> <a href="https://ethglobal.com/showcase/nfticket-qwwba">https://ethglobal.com/showcase/nfticket-qwwba</a></p>
<p><strong>Presentation:</strong> <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_Y_vZJCcj4Bwtr_5idFTfVhcmIk6rCx9FTED5-rIuaM/edit#slide=id.g12588221e4c_0_190">https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_Y_vZJCcj4Bwtr_5idFTfVhcmIk6rCx9FTED5-rIuaM/edit#slide=id.g12588221e4c_0_190</a></p>
<p>NFTicket is a hackathon project for online ticketing. The front end of this project allows a user to log in to their Metamask wallet as well as be able to view NFTs given to them hidden behind an Unlock paywall. There are three smart contracts, one for each section in the stadium. Users have the ability to mint a ticket and pay a stable USD rate in ETH pulled in via a Chainlink price feed. Scripts are then run to deploy the contracts, create (mint) a ticket, create the metadata, and to set the token URI. The metadata includes the section, seat, row, link to the image on IPFS and other important information for the game. This JSON is also uploaded to IPFS. After the game, the user is airdropped an Unlock NFT from the event organizers with a game highlight.</p>
<p>All three of the above were amazing projects, especially when one considers they were conceived, built, and delivered all in under 72 hours — oftentimes by teams where the members had never met each other. Great work, ETHGlobal hackers!</p>
<p>And with that, that’s a wrap. Want to follow up or learn more about any of the above? Hit us up in the Discord! Imma go take a nap…</p>



We're incredibly excited to be part of [Gitcoin's GR 14](https://gitcoin.co/grants/)! Gitcoin is a DAO that funds project in the web3 space using Quadratic Funding. They are doing grant rounds every quarter and we're glad to join projects like Celo, ENS, Protocol Labs, Polygon and Mask in this process!

![Gitcoin's GR 14](/images/blog/gitcoin-round-14.jpg)

Unlock Labs will match up to $25,000 in UDT tokens for projects that get funding from their own communities. Did you have an idea to build a project that uses Unlock? Summer is a good time to get started and you should start by creating a Grant on Gitcoin!

<blockquote>Interested in applying for a Gitcoin Grant? Check out <a href=https://unlock-protocol.com/guides/gitcoin-grants/>The Unofficial Guide to Gitcoin Grants</a>, which provides an introduction to the Gitcoin Grants program and tips for first-time applicants.</blockquote>

Here are a few ideas of projects that we would love the community to build, but of course, feel free to bring your own ideas too.

### IoT x Unlock for Physical Spaces

Are you obsessed with IoT and making different components work together? Create a wireless key (NFT) & physical lock system! Most modern phones have NFC, which can be used to transmit information. With their phone, holders of NFTs could sync with a physical lock that’s a viable mechanism for unlocking. For example, we know of a a co-working space that uses [Brivo](https://www.brivo.com/products/open-api-platform/) and could be interested in using Unlock!

### Extension for Squarespace

Millions of websites have been created on the Squarespace platform. How would a web3 extension for Squarespace work for creators? This extension would let the creator easily lock elements or full pages on their Squarespace and would be made available in the [Squarespace Extension](https://www.squarespace.com/extensions/home) library.

### Plugin for Ghost

[Ghost](https://ghost.org/) is a non-profit organization building open source technology for journalism. Ghost enables creators to turn their audience into a business through their low-code platform. How would you integrate Ghost and the Unlock Protocol to enable creators to deploy locks and sell memberships as NFTs?

### Create a token-gated live streaming platform

Using [Livepeer](https://livepeer.org/), you could create a livestreaming plaform where streamers can lock access to the stream and viewers need to own an Unlock based membership in order to view the stream!

### Webflow Integration

Webflow enables creators to build custom websites in a visual canvas with no code. No one has built an integration allowing creators to token-gate access and sell memberships through the platform...until now! How would your Webflow integration with Unlock work?

### Metaverse Integrations

The Sandbox, NFTWorlds, Otherside and many other virtual worlds are fostering ecosystems allowing players to build, own, and monetize their gaming experiences. A past grantee integrated Unlock + Decentraland to create a members-only space people can charge access to. What virtual world will you Unlock next?

### Existing projects

Of course, this does not have to be a completely project. You can also apply for a grant for an existing project: for example, you can also help us improve [Headline](https://viaheadline.xyz/), or the [Wordpress plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/unlock-protocol/), or any other existing tool and integration!

# Getting started

Head over to Gitcoin and [create a Grant](https://gitcoin.co/grants/new). Fill in the requested details and select the tags that best align with your project (make sure to select the “Unlock Protocol” tag to be considered for this Ecosystem Round. Grants can have multiple tags, so please select all that apply and provide reasoning. Grants need to be approved (to be on the Gitcoin platform) and your tag of “Unlock Protocol” may be removed if you do not meet the criteria above.


Unlock Labs will match up to $25,000 in UDT tokens for projects that get funding from their own communities.

Earn UDT as part of Gitcoin's round of public funding!

Gitcoin Grants

<p>We're incredibly excited to be part of <a href="https://gitcoin.co/grants/">Gitcoin's GR 14</a>! Gitcoin is a DAO that funds project in the web3 space using Quadratic Funding. They are doing grant rounds every quarter and we're glad to join projects like Celo, ENS, Protocol Labs, Polygon and Mask in this process!</p>
<p><img src="/images/blog/gitcoin-round-14.jpg" alt="Gitcoin&#x27;s GR 14"></p>
<p>Unlock Labs will match up to $25,000 in UDT tokens for projects that get funding from their own communities. Did you have an idea to build a project that uses Unlock? Summer is a good time to get started and you should start by creating a Grant on Gitcoin!</p>
<blockquote>Interested in applying for a Gitcoin Grant? Check out <a href=https://unlock-protocol.com/guides/gitcoin-grants/>The Unofficial Guide to Gitcoin Grants</a>, which provides an introduction to the Gitcoin Grants program and tips for first-time applicants.</blockquote>
<p>Here are a few ideas of projects that we would love the community to build, but of course, feel free to bring your own ideas too.</p>
<h3>IoT x Unlock for Physical Spaces</h3>
<p>Are you obsessed with IoT and making different components work together? Create a wireless key (NFT) &#x26; physical lock system! Most modern phones have NFC, which can be used to transmit information. With their phone, holders of NFTs could sync with a physical lock that’s a viable mechanism for unlocking. For example, we know of a a co-working space that uses <a href="https://www.brivo.com/products/open-api-platform/">Brivo</a> and could be interested in using Unlock!</p>
<h3>Extension for Squarespace</h3>
<p>Millions of websites have been created on the Squarespace platform. How would a web3 extension for Squarespace work for creators? This extension would let the creator easily lock elements or full pages on their Squarespace and would be made available in the <a href="https://www.squarespace.com/extensions/home">Squarespace Extension</a> library.</p>
<h3>Plugin for Ghost</h3>
<p><a href="https://ghost.org/">Ghost</a> is a non-profit organization building open source technology for journalism. Ghost enables creators to turn their audience into a business through their low-code platform. How would you integrate Ghost and the Unlock Protocol to enable creators to deploy locks and sell memberships as NFTs?</p>
<h3>Create a token-gated live streaming platform</h3>
<p>Using <a href="https://livepeer.org/">Livepeer</a>, you could create a livestreaming plaform where streamers can lock access to the stream and viewers need to own an Unlock based membership in order to view the stream!</p>
<h3>Webflow Integration</h3>
<p>Webflow enables creators to build custom websites in a visual canvas with no code. No one has built an integration allowing creators to token-gate access and sell memberships through the platform...until now! How would your Webflow integration with Unlock work?</p>
<h3>Metaverse Integrations</h3>
<p>The Sandbox, NFTWorlds, Otherside and many other virtual worlds are fostering ecosystems allowing players to build, own, and monetize their gaming experiences. A past grantee integrated Unlock + Decentraland to create a members-only space people can charge access to. What virtual world will you Unlock next?</p>
<h3>Existing projects</h3>
<p>Of course, this does not have to be a completely project. You can also apply for a grant for an existing project: for example, you can also help us improve <a href="https://viaheadline.xyz/">Headline</a>, or the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/unlock-protocol/">Wordpress plugin</a>, or any other existing tool and integration!</p>
<h1>Getting started</h1>
<p>Head over to Gitcoin and <a href="https://gitcoin.co/grants/new">create a Grant</a>. Fill in the requested details and select the tags that best align with your project (make sure to select the “Unlock Protocol” tag to be considered for this Ecosystem Round. Grants can have multiple tags, so please select all that apply and provide reasoning. Grants need to be approved (to be on the Gitcoin platform) and your tag of “Unlock Protocol” may be removed if you do not meet the criteria above.</p>



Let’s start with the basics… Unlock’s retro-active funding is a mechanism through which Unlock Labs (the core team) allocates tokens to the community to share ownership of the DAO. These tokens are allocated by Unlock Labs, but **we do not choose who receives them**. The existing community of token holders decides who receives them.

![Retroactive funding](/images/blog/retro-retroactive-funding.png)

## What is Unlock’s Retro-active funding?

- On the first of every month, anyone is invited to submit candidates. These candidates are expected to have contributed _something (anything!)_ that the community would deem valuable in the previous month.
- One week later, applications are closed and each existing token holder is now prompted to vote for the candidates that they think contributed the most in the previous month. [Votes are quadratic](https://docs.snapshot.org/proposals/voting-types#quadratic-voting), which means that each voter’s balance counts, but the number of voters also matters: if a candidates gets 1 vote weighed with 100 tokens, they’re not going to earn as much as a candidate with 2 voters, each weighing 50 tokens.
- Voting is closed after 1 week. At that point, the Unlock Labs team will allocate tokens based on the vote’s results. Any candidate that received at least 1% of the quadratic votes will receive their share of votes in UDT tokens.

For now, Unlock Labs allocates 100 UDT every month.

## Results after 6 months

We went thru 6 rounds of retro-active funding: [november](https://unlock.community/t/retroactive-funding-november-2021/199/24), [december](https://unlock.community/t/december-2021s-retroactive-funding-recipients/236/2), [january](https://unlock.community/t/retroactive-funding-january-2022/240/10), [february](https://unlock.community/t/retroactive-funding-february-2022/260/19), [march](https://unlock.community/t/retroactive-funding-march-2022/285/9), [april](https://unlock.community/t/retroactive-funding-april-2022/294/8) (may will start today!).

We have allocated a total of 600 UDT to the community. A total of 10 of our community members have received UDT through our retro-active funding:

- David received a total of 394.98 UDT. These were mostly allocated for his payment of a YouTube video to promote the UDT tokens. He was a candidate every month and received 65% of all tokens allocated!
- Muhammad received 88.17 UDT and was a candidate for the last 5 rounds! The community appreciated his promotion work on Twitter
- Carlo received 35.14 UDT for his design work and memes that were promoted on Twitter!
- Ramit received 30.97 UDT in November and December
- Caroline received 22.12 UDT in January and February

The last 5 addresses received less than 10 UDT.

You can find all of the [results in that spreadsheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xFtDmXX3NHxafIL9H8oc2VR1t9GyV50IUM0_yEGM_Ew/edit?usp=sharing).

The voting turnout has been fairly low, given that there are currently nearly 4,478 token holders and each of these could vote without spending gas! Each month, there are between 20 and 40 voters. Given that the votes are quadratic, if a candidate was to get even 10 more voters for them, they would earn a significant amount of the tokens!

## Next Steps

Unlock Labs will continue funding the community and distributing ownership of the protocol to its contributors! However, we would love to see more turnout and of course more applications. Of course, we will want to reward community members who are consistently voting as well…

In the meantime, here are a few ideas worth exploring if you are interested in earning some of the governance tokens:

- Moderation/help on the Discord server…
- Meme, retweets, reshares on social media: Twitter, Reddit, Medium, LinkedIn… etc
- Bug fixes
- Documentation
- Translation
- Tutorials
- Promotional videos
- Outreach and business development
- … and of course, _anything that the community would deem valuable_!

We are considering increasing the number of tokens allocated, especially with increased engagement. For example, if we could get 100 voters on each of the next 3 rounds, Unlock labs could increase the number of allocated tokens to be 200 per round!


Our retro-active funding experiment is 6 months old. It is time to do a little “retro” to think about next steps and how we can improve it!

Doing a retro about our retro-active funding effort!

Retro Retro-active funding

<p>Let’s start with the basics… Unlock’s retro-active funding is a mechanism through which Unlock Labs (the core team) allocates tokens to the community to share ownership of the DAO. These tokens are allocated by Unlock Labs, but <strong>we do not choose who receives them</strong>. The existing community of token holders decides who receives them.</p>
<p><img src="/images/blog/retro-retroactive-funding.png" alt="Retroactive funding"></p>
<h2>What is Unlock’s Retro-active funding?</h2>
<ul>
<li>On the first of every month, anyone is invited to submit candidates. These candidates are expected to have contributed <em>something (anything!)</em> that the community would deem valuable in the previous month.</li>
<li>One week later, applications are closed and each existing token holder is now prompted to vote for the candidates that they think contributed the most in the previous month. <a href="https://docs.snapshot.org/proposals/voting-types#quadratic-voting">Votes are quadratic</a>, which means that each voter’s balance counts, but the number of voters also matters: if a candidates gets 1 vote weighed with 100 tokens, they’re not going to earn as much as a candidate with 2 voters, each weighing 50 tokens.</li>
<li>Voting is closed after 1 week. At that point, the Unlock Labs team will allocate tokens based on the vote’s results. Any candidate that received at least 1% of the quadratic votes will receive their share of votes in UDT tokens.</li>
</ul>
<p>For now, Unlock Labs allocates 100 UDT every month.</p>
<h2>Results after 6 months</h2>
<p>We went thru 6 rounds of retro-active funding: <a href="https://unlock.community/t/retroactive-funding-november-2021/199/24">november</a>, <a href="https://unlock.community/t/december-2021s-retroactive-funding-recipients/236/2">december</a>, <a href="https://unlock.community/t/retroactive-funding-january-2022/240/10">january</a>, <a href="https://unlock.community/t/retroactive-funding-february-2022/260/19">february</a>, <a href="https://unlock.community/t/retroactive-funding-march-2022/285/9">march</a>, <a href="https://unlock.community/t/retroactive-funding-april-2022/294/8">april</a> (may will start today!).</p>
<p>We have allocated a total of 600 UDT to the community. A total of 10 of our community members have received UDT through our retro-active funding:</p>
<ul>
<li>David received a total of 394.98 UDT. These were mostly allocated for his payment of a YouTube video to promote the UDT tokens. He was a candidate every month and received 65% of all tokens allocated!</li>
<li>Muhammad received 88.17 UDT and was a candidate for the last 5 rounds! The community appreciated his promotion work on Twitter</li>
<li>Carlo received 35.14 UDT for his design work and memes that were promoted on Twitter!</li>
<li>Ramit received 30.97 UDT in November and December</li>
<li>Caroline received 22.12 UDT in January and February</li>
</ul>
<p>The last 5 addresses received less than 10 UDT.</p>
<p>You can find all of the <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xFtDmXX3NHxafIL9H8oc2VR1t9GyV50IUM0_yEGM_Ew/edit?usp=sharing">results in that spreadsheet</a>.</p>
<p>The voting turnout has been fairly low, given that there are currently nearly 4,478 token holders and each of these could vote without spending gas! Each month, there are between 20 and 40 voters. Given that the votes are quadratic, if a candidate was to get even 10 more voters for them, they would earn a significant amount of the tokens!</p>
<h2>Next Steps</h2>
<p>Unlock Labs will continue funding the community and distributing ownership of the protocol to its contributors! However, we would love to see more turnout and of course more applications. Of course, we will want to reward community members who are consistently voting as well…</p>
<p>In the meantime, here are a few ideas worth exploring if you are interested in earning some of the governance tokens:</p>
<ul>
<li>Moderation/help on the Discord server…</li>
<li>Meme, retweets, reshares on social media: Twitter, Reddit, Medium, LinkedIn… etc</li>
<li>Bug fixes</li>
<li>Documentation</li>
<li>Translation</li>
<li>Tutorials</li>
<li>Promotional videos</li>
<li>Outreach and business development</li>
<li>… and of course, <em>anything that the community would deem valuable</em>!</li>
</ul>
<p>We are considering increasing the number of tokens allocated, especially with increased engagement. For example, if we could get 100 voters on each of the next 3 rounds, Unlock labs could increase the number of allocated tokens to be 200 per round!</p>



![may-22-banner.png](/images/blog/may-22-update/may-22-banner.png)

## Recurring memberships & subscriptions are live

- **Blog post** — [Subscription NFTs blog post and full announcement](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/recurring-subscription-nft)
- **Twitter Space** — [Subscription NFTs Twitter Space with the Unlock team and community](https://youtu.be/3JlvZ9xTODs)

## Expanded "Bring Your Own NFT" capabilities

- **Bring Your Own ERC-1155** — [Added ERC-1155 support to Bring Your Own NFT](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/bring-your-own-nft)
- **Bring Your Own ERC-20** — [Added ERC-20 support to Bring Your Own NFT](https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/Tutorials/using-an-existing-nft-contract)

## Credit card handling improvements

- **Improved collection handling** — Refactored credit card handling to only collect charges on successfully submitted blockchain transactions
- **Improved duplicate charge avoidance** — Refactored credit card handling on front-end to reuse payment intent object (reduce risk of duplicate charge if user tries to purchase again/refresh page)
- **Improved gas calculation** —Improved gas calculation for credit card purchases

## Checkout and Dashboard improvements

- **Incognito mode fix** — Fixed incognito mode for Paywall and Dashboard applications
- **Multiple recipients in checkout flow** — Support for multiple recipients in checkout UI
- **CAPTCHA in checkout flow** — Support for CAPTCHA in checkout
- **Background visual improvements** — Fixed transparent background on paywall checkout modal

## Other improvements

- **Improved Subgraph handling** — Updated Subgraph to handle upgraded locks (between v10 and v11)

Want to know more and try stuff out? [Join the Unlock community in the Discord](https://discord.com/invite/Ah6ZEJyTDp)!


Release Notes for May 2022. Unlock Protocol introduces recurring subscription NFTs, expanded Bring Your Own NFT capabilities, credit card improvements, and more.

Recurring subscriptions, expanded Bring Your Own NFT capabilities, credit card improvements, and more

Unlock Protocol Product Updates for May 2022

<p><img src="/images/blog/may-22-update/may-22-banner.png" alt="may-22-banner.png"></p>
<h2>Recurring memberships &#x26; subscriptions are live</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Blog post</strong> — <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/recurring-subscription-nft">Subscription NFTs blog post and full announcement</a></li>
<li><strong>Twitter Space</strong> — <a href="https://youtu.be/3JlvZ9xTODs">Subscription NFTs Twitter Space with the Unlock team and community</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>Expanded "Bring Your Own NFT" capabilities</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Bring Your Own ERC-1155</strong> — <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/bring-your-own-nft">Added ERC-1155 support to Bring Your Own NFT</a></li>
<li><strong>Bring Your Own ERC-20</strong> — <a href="https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/Tutorials/using-an-existing-nft-contract">Added ERC-20 support to Bring Your Own NFT</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>Credit card handling improvements</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Improved collection handling</strong> — Refactored credit card handling to only collect charges on successfully submitted blockchain transactions</li>
<li><strong>Improved duplicate charge avoidance</strong> — Refactored credit card handling on front-end to reuse payment intent object (reduce risk of duplicate charge if user tries to purchase again/refresh page)</li>
<li><strong>Improved gas calculation</strong> —Improved gas calculation for credit card purchases</li>
</ul>
<h2>Checkout and Dashboard improvements</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Incognito mode fix</strong> — Fixed incognito mode for Paywall and Dashboard applications</li>
<li><strong>Multiple recipients in checkout flow</strong> — Support for multiple recipients in checkout UI</li>
<li><strong>CAPTCHA in checkout flow</strong> — Support for CAPTCHA in checkout</li>
<li><strong>Background visual improvements</strong> — Fixed transparent background on paywall checkout modal</li>
</ul>
<h2>Other improvements</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Improved Subgraph handling</strong> — Updated Subgraph to handle upgraded locks (between v10 and v11)</li>
</ul>
<p>Want to know more and try stuff out? <a href="https://discord.com/invite/Ah6ZEJyTDp">Join the Unlock community in the Discord</a>!</p>



![recurring-blog-header.png](/images/blog/subscriptions/recurring-blog-header.png)

Traditionally, using NFTs for memberships was a yes-or-no proposition: If someone held the NFT for a project, they had access to the project’s perks or community for as long as they held the NFT — potentially forever. 

From a creator standpoint, this is ok, but not great. Every NFT sold was, in effect, giving “lifetime access” to those who held the NFT. 

Unlock changed all this in 2019 by innovating **membership NFTs** that take into account the concept of time and that have an expiration date. Using Unlock, a creator can issue an NFT that grants membership for a week, a month, a year, or any other length of time. 

When the NFT expires, it’s just like when the gym membership card in your old-school wallet expires. The card is still in your wallet, but anyone looking at it can instantly tell it’s expired and out of date.

Hundreds of creators, developers, brands, and projects have built on top of Unlock since we launched to manage member access to content, conversations, credentials, and ticketed events for their communities. And in listening to those building their projects and businesses on top of the open-source Unlock Protocol, there was one particular need we heard time and time again: can Unlock do NFT-based *recurring* subscriptions and memberships that don’t need to be manually renewed?

The answer is “yes.”

## Unlock Protocol launches Web3 recurring subscriptions

Today, Unlock is excited to announce that we’ve created the first-ever mechanism for [recurring subscriptions using membership NFTs](https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/unlock/creators/recurring-memberships). This groundbreaking upgrade to the community-governed Unlock Protocol paves the way to replace legacy subscription systems that use centralized payment processors with a decentralized Web3 model.

From news to music to streaming, there are many great reasons why subscriptions have become a fundamental business model. Subscriptions are predictable, time-bound, and convenient for both the creator and the purchaser. But having a handful of Big Tech platforms acting as middlemen and locking in creators and their audiences is far from ideal. 

Now, creators using Unlock have full control to flexibly monetize or provide access to their content in the ways that best suit them and their communities. 

Furthermore, creators, fans, developers, and supporters all have the opportunity to [earn governance tokens in the Unlock Protocol itself every time someone uses Unlock](https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/unlock/governance/frequently-asked-questions).

## How does it work?

Unlock's approach to recurring billing through NFTs uses a novel smart contract design that is the first in the industry, bringing the recurring revenue model into a decentralized web3 world. Functionally, a user begins a subscription by agreeing to a smart contract transaction that recurs each month (or at whatever interval the subscription is billed), and the user’s membership NFT maintains its validity as long as the payment occurs each time.

![unlock-subscription-dashboard.png](/images/blog/subscriptions/unlock-subscription-dashboard.png)
*Example lock in Unlock Dashboard with recurring subscriptions enabled. This publication’s subscription is 30 XDAI ($30) per month. Subscription duration, price, renewal terms, and currency are all configurable by creators.*

Critically, by building in this manner, the relationship between the creator and the subscriber is *direct*. There isn’t a platform determining what type of content is allowed or disallowed, there is no opaque algorithm to decide what content is surfaced or submerged, and there is no payment platform between the parties that can withhold payments from a creator based on an arbitrary policy change.

For too long, perverse attention economics have both shaped and dictated the content we consume and the way we connect online. Unlock invites and enables an alternative to the eyeballs-at-any-cost business model, so we can all read, listen to, watch, and experience what’s actually interesting to us, not just what grabs our attention the most by its shocking or outrageous nature. Creators using Unlock don’t have to conform to producing clickbait that algorithms are likely to promote, and audiences can enjoy content that’s curated by those creators on their own terms.

### Availability

* Unlock Protocol’s recurring subscription membership NFTs are available today.
* Recurring memberships can be enabled for locks using v10 of the protocol.
* Locks using v9 can be upgraded to v10.

### Launch event

* We will be holding a [Twitter Space launch event on May 25th](https://twitter.com/unlockprotocol/).

### Documentation and demo

* Community & Support: [Join the Unlock Discord](https://discord.com/invite/Ah6ZEJyTDp)

* Developer documentation: [Recurring Memberships](https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/unlock/creators/recurring-memberships)

* Try it out on a test network: [Try out Unlock's recurring subscriptions](https://discord.com/channels/462280183425138719/974763163214032968/974765424384299058)


### Further resources

* Interview: [NFTs for Memberships: The Future of Business](https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/using-nfts-for-memberships-the-future-of-business/)

* Article: [Coindesk: NFTs are Better Paywalls](https://www.coindesk.com/layer2/paymentsweek/2022/04/28/nft-subscriptions-are-better-paywalls/)

* Videos: [NFT Membership videos](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFpwtvsk_naOwR_w-vKXw-Q)


Unlock Protocol launches recurring subscriptions using NFTs, bringing a sustainable subscription business model to the decentralized web3 world.

A sustainable business model for Web3 creators

Unlock Protocol Launches Web3 Recurring Subscriptions

<p><img src="/images/blog/subscriptions/recurring-blog-header.png" alt="recurring-blog-header.png"></p>
<p>Traditionally, using NFTs for memberships was a yes-or-no proposition: If someone held the NFT for a project, they had access to the project’s perks or community for as long as they held the NFT — potentially forever.</p>
<p>From a creator standpoint, this is ok, but not great. Every NFT sold was, in effect, giving “lifetime access” to those who held the NFT.</p>
<p>Unlock changed all this in 2019 by innovating <strong>membership NFTs</strong> that take into account the concept of time and that have an expiration date. Using Unlock, a creator can issue an NFT that grants membership for a week, a month, a year, or any other length of time.</p>
<p>When the NFT expires, it’s just like when the gym membership card in your old-school wallet expires. The card is still in your wallet, but anyone looking at it can instantly tell it’s expired and out of date.</p>
<p>Hundreds of creators, developers, brands, and projects have built on top of Unlock since we launched to manage member access to content, conversations, credentials, and ticketed events for their communities. And in listening to those building their projects and businesses on top of the open-source Unlock Protocol, there was one particular need we heard time and time again: can Unlock do NFT-based <em>recurring</em> subscriptions and memberships that don’t need to be manually renewed?</p>
<p>The answer is “yes.”</p>
<h2>Unlock Protocol launches Web3 recurring subscriptions</h2>
<p>Today, Unlock is excited to announce that we’ve created the first-ever mechanism for <a href="https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/unlock/creators/recurring-memberships">recurring subscriptions using membership NFTs</a>. This groundbreaking upgrade to the community-governed Unlock Protocol paves the way to replace legacy subscription systems that use centralized payment processors with a decentralized Web3 model.</p>
<p>From news to music to streaming, there are many great reasons why subscriptions have become a fundamental business model. Subscriptions are predictable, time-bound, and convenient for both the creator and the purchaser. But having a handful of Big Tech platforms acting as middlemen and locking in creators and their audiences is far from ideal.</p>
<p>Now, creators using Unlock have full control to flexibly monetize or provide access to their content in the ways that best suit them and their communities.</p>
<p>Furthermore, creators, fans, developers, and supporters all have the opportunity to <a href="https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/unlock/governance/frequently-asked-questions">earn governance tokens in the Unlock Protocol itself every time someone uses Unlock</a>.</p>
<h2>How does it work?</h2>
<p>Unlock's approach to recurring billing through NFTs uses a novel smart contract design that is the first in the industry, bringing the recurring revenue model into a decentralized web3 world. Functionally, a user begins a subscription by agreeing to a smart contract transaction that recurs each month (or at whatever interval the subscription is billed), and the user’s membership NFT maintains its validity as long as the payment occurs each time.</p>
<p><img src="/images/blog/subscriptions/unlock-subscription-dashboard.png" alt="unlock-subscription-dashboard.png">
<em>Example lock in Unlock Dashboard with recurring subscriptions enabled. This publication’s subscription is 30 XDAI ($30) per month. Subscription duration, price, renewal terms, and currency are all configurable by creators.</em></p>
<p>Critically, by building in this manner, the relationship between the creator and the subscriber is <em>direct</em>. There isn’t a platform determining what type of content is allowed or disallowed, there is no opaque algorithm to decide what content is surfaced or submerged, and there is no payment platform between the parties that can withhold payments from a creator based on an arbitrary policy change.</p>
<p>For too long, perverse attention economics have both shaped and dictated the content we consume and the way we connect online. Unlock invites and enables an alternative to the eyeballs-at-any-cost business model, so we can all read, listen to, watch, and experience what’s actually interesting to us, not just what grabs our attention the most by its shocking or outrageous nature. Creators using Unlock don’t have to conform to producing clickbait that algorithms are likely to promote, and audiences can enjoy content that’s curated by those creators on their own terms.</p>
<h3>Availability</h3>
<ul>
<li>Unlock Protocol’s recurring subscription membership NFTs are available today.</li>
<li>Recurring memberships can be enabled for locks using v10 of the protocol.</li>
<li>Locks using v9 can be upgraded to v10.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Launch event</h3>
<ul>
<li>We will be holding a <a href="https://twitter.com/unlockprotocol/">Twitter Space launch event on May 25th</a>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Documentation and demo</h3>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Community &#x26; Support: <a href="https://discord.com/invite/Ah6ZEJyTDp">Join the Unlock Discord</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Developer documentation: <a href="https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/unlock/creators/recurring-memberships">Recurring Memberships</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Try it out on a test network: <a href="https://discord.com/channels/462280183425138719/974763163214032968/974765424384299058">Try out Unlock's recurring subscriptions</a></p>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Further resources</h3>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Interview: <a href="https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/using-nfts-for-memberships-the-future-of-business/">NFTs for Memberships: The Future of Business</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Article: <a href="https://www.coindesk.com/layer2/paymentsweek/2022/04/28/nft-subscriptions-are-better-paywalls/">Coindesk: NFTs are Better Paywalls</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Videos: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFpwtvsk_naOwR_w-vKXw-Q">NFT Membership videos</a></p>
</li>
</ul>
