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

Welcome to the February 2022 product updates from Unlock! The team delivered a number of new features this month that connect Unlock even more easily with standards and partners across the web3 ecosystem. This month's new capabilities include:

## Major updates to the Unlock checkout process

- **Bring Your Own NFT** — You can now [token gate anything using any ERC-721 NFT with Unlock Protocol](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/bring-your-own-nft).
- **Sign In With Ethereum** — Unlock’s front-end now provides a “[Sign In With Ethereum](https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/tools/sign-in-with-ethereum)” endpoint that can be used by a third-party application to easily identify a user’s Ethereum address.

## Dashboard updates

- **Support for change of maximum number of keys on dashboard** — Creators can now change the maximum number of keys for their existing locks right from the dashboard.

## Dev tool updates

- **Unlock WebSub support** — The WebSub W3C standard enables publish/subscribe on any kind of HTTP resource. With [WebSub enabled for Unlock](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/websub), applications can subscribe to Unlock changes, be notified when new locks are deployed, and be notified when new keys are created.
- **Plugin hardhat for Unlock** — Powered by [Hardhat](https://www.hardhat.org), we now have [tools to deploy and configure our contracts, submit DAO proposals, upgrade contracts](https://github.com/unlock-protocol/unlock/tree/master/packages/hardhat-plugin), etc.

## Integrations

- **Refactored Cloudflare worker** — We made [improvements to Unlock's CloudFlare worker](https://github.com/unlock-protocol/cloudflare-worker).

Want to know what’s going on with Unlock in real time? [Jump into our Discord](https://discord.unlock-protocol.com/).


Unlock Protocol new features for February 2022, including Bring Your Own NFT, Sign In With Ethereum, and more.

Bring Your Own NFT, Sign In With Ethereum, and more

Unlock Protocol Product Updates for February 2022

<img src="/images/blog/feb-22-update/feb-22-banner.png" alt="feb-22-banner.png">
Welcome to the February 2022 product updates from Unlock! The team delivered a number of new features this month that connect Unlock even more easily with standards and partners across the web3 ecosystem. This month's new capabilities include:
<h2>Major updates to the Unlock checkout process</h2>
<ul>
<li>Bring Your Own NFT — You can now <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/bring-your-own-nft">token gate anything using any ERC-721 NFT with Unlock Protocol</a>.</li>
<li>Sign In With Ethereum — Unlock’s front-end now provides a “<a href="https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/tools/sign-in-with-ethereum">Sign In With Ethereum</a>” endpoint that can be used by a third-party application to easily identify a user’s Ethereum address.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Dashboard updates</h2>
<ul>
<li>Support for change of maximum number of keys on dashboard — Creators can now change the maximum number of keys for their existing locks right from the dashboard.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Dev tool updates</h2>
<ul>
<li>Unlock WebSub support — The WebSub W3C standard enables publish/subscribe on any kind of HTTP resource. With <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/websub">WebSub enabled for Unlock</a>, applications can subscribe to Unlock changes, be notified when new locks are deployed, and be notified when new keys are created.</li>
<li>Plugin hardhat for Unlock — Powered by <a href="https://www.hardhat.org">Hardhat</a>, we now have <a href="https://github.com/unlock-protocol/unlock/tree/master/packages/hardhat-plugin">tools to deploy and configure our contracts, submit DAO proposals, upgrade contracts</a>, etc.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Integrations</h2>
<ul>
<li>Refactored Cloudflare worker — We made <a href="https://github.com/unlock-protocol/cloudflare-worker">improvements to Unlock's CloudFlare worker</a>.</li>
</ul>
Want to know what’s going on with Unlock in real time? <a href="https://discord.unlock-protocol.com/">Jump into our Discord</a>.


As developers integrate the Unlock Protocol in their applications, we are getting many feature requests to add APIs and tools that would make their lives easier.

![Websub](/images/blog/websub.png)

Today, we're excited to announce our [WebSub endpoints](https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/unlock/developers/locksmith/webhooks)!

WebSub is a [W3C protocol](https://www.w3.org/TR/websub/) that provides a common mechanism for communication between publishers of any kind of Web content and their subscribers, based on HTTP **web hooks**.

This is a very powerful mechanism to enable Publish/Subscribe on any kind of HTTP resource! We added this as a way for applications to subscribe to changes in the Unlock: applications can get notified when new locks are deployed or when new keys are created.

Our team used this new API in order to [create a Discord bot](https://github.com/unlock-protocol/websub-discord) that notifies us when a new lock has been deployed or when a new key has been purchased.

We'd love to see how your application ends up using that new capabilities!


WebSub is a W3C protocol that provides a common mechanism for communication between publishers of any kind of Web content and their subscribers, based on HTTP web hooks.

Enabling subscriptions to new locks and new keys!

Websub

As developers integrate the Unlock Protocol in their applications, we are getting many feature requests to add APIs and tools that would make their lives easier.
<img src="/images/blog/websub.png" alt="Websub">
Today, we're excited to announce our <a href="https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/unlock/developers/locksmith/webhooks">WebSub endpoints</a>!
WebSub is a <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/websub/">W3C protocol</a> that provides a common mechanism for communication between publishers of any kind of Web content and their subscribers, based on HTTP web hooks.
This is a very powerful mechanism to enable Publish/Subscribe on any kind of HTTP resource! We added this as a way for applications to subscribe to changes in the Unlock: applications can get notified when new locks are deployed or when new keys are created.
Our team used this new API in order to <a href="https://github.com/unlock-protocol/websub-discord">create a Discord bot</a> that notifies us when a new lock has been deployed or when a new key has been purchased.
We'd love to see how your application ends up using that new capabilities!

![cstreet_unlockblog_1.jpg](/images/blog/ethdenver2022/cstreet_unlockblog_1.jpg)

Last week, over 10,000 web3 builders, artists, creators, and enthusiasts descended upon Denver for the ETHDenver conference, and some of the Unlock crew gathered IRL and met so many of our amazing community members. This was my first ETHDenver event and I was blown away at the energy of the Ethereum community and how many powerful conversations were in the collective discourse dedicated to **solving serious societal issues with technology**, preparing the innovation needed to power our human journey into a more peaceful and just experience and the soft skills of community building.

We kicked off our ETHDenver adventure by throwing a happy hour with our friends at [Mintgate](https://www.mintgate.io). As fate would have it, just as our event was starting, the skies opened up and a big old beautiful snowstorm smacked right into Denver. We were blown away at how many amazing community members braved the weather to join us for drinks and powerful conversations.

![cstreet_unlockblog_010.jpg](/images/blog/ethdenver2022/cstreet_unlockblog_010.jpg)

Every person I spoke with had **an intriguing project, either in motion or in their thought bubble, that involved membership NFTs and token gating.** Seeing and hearing all the possibilities with our protocol in the hands of our community members, and getting to finally meet so many of our locksmiths IRL was a lovely way to kick off the events of the week.

## Beyond Finance

![cstreet_unlockblog_5.jpg](/images/blog/ethdenver2022/cstreet_unlockblog_5.jpg)

Despite the snow and a never-ending stream of long lines, I was able to slip into the Schelling Point event at the very start of my first day at ETHDenver. While the venue itself was chaotic and the speakers were in the midst of that chaos, I was able to attend some talks that truly reinforced my belief in what’s possible with the technology that powers web3.

One talk that resonated was _Policy Proposals for Non Dystopian Crypto Protocols_ by [Nathan Schneider](https://twitter.com/ntnsndr) from the University of Colorado Boulder. Nathan spoke deeply, as deep as one can in 20 minutes, about governance and moving beyond blockchain as just a financial instrument. His slides placed some profound questions and premises into the community right from the start of Schelling Point.

> “Build finance around communities, not speculators”

> “Human Rights Fail-Safes — Like Human Rights Watch with cryptoeconomic teeth”

> “What policies would a decent world run on blockchains need?”

If you are at all interested in governance and the future of decentralized community building, please take a few minutes and [watch Nathan’s presentation.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROnYDEwnY04&list=PLvTrX8LNPbPlryx_S85pZPfH9yD7qcPsg&index=7)

<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/ROnYDEwnY04" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

## Plurality

Another talk that drew me in was [Glen Weyl’s](https://twitter.com/glenweyl) presentation titled _Plurality_. He began by talking about **the notion of public freedom and moments where “the practices of a community have the chance to set a pattern for the whole way that social life works.”** He also placed some highly intellectual premises into the discourse on how we can begin to look at the different sectors of the ecosystem and avoid the mistakes made in past technological movements.

One slide that resonated explored “Ideologies of the Future: Corporate Libertarianism, Synthetic Technocracy & Digital Democracy.” He then spoke of the plurality of funding in relation to communities in the web3 ecosystem and he [published a deeper blog post](https://www.radicalxchange.org/media/blog/political-ideologies-for-the-21st-century/) about this very topic the day before his talk. Take a moment to watch his presentation because there are some profound theories and concepts we should explore as we build technology and web3 communities.

<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/MsMsL5v2-Ls" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

## The Softer Side of Community

![cstreet_unlockblog_4.jpg](/images/blog/ethdenver2022/cstreet_unlockblog_4.jpg)

Community building was a prominent theme for many of the speakers and adapting traditional community-building methodology from web2 for a decentralized community structure like DAOs was a common narrative of ETHDenver. As a community builder, I’m obviously biased to the importance of this topic, and I was inspired to see the speakers talking about **the nuanced soft skills of holding space for community members and fostering positive environments so innovation and collaboration can occur.** I repeatedly heard speakers addressing the health of the community hinging on these often immeasurable, but necessary, soft skills.

The presentation titled _Coordinating Work in Web3 & Beyond_ by [Pooja Shah](https://twitter.com/pooja_eth) had a few particularly excellent slides. The points on the slide titled “Goals for Work Organization in Web3” were particularly interesting and if you watch her presentation, this entire section is worth taking notes and applying to your organization.

> “Massively scalable systems of human cooperation (unprecedented levels of scale)

> That can achieve directed outcomes.

> While preserving freedom, autonomy and self-direction effort.”

Her talk is relevant for managers and founders working with decentralized ecosystems, such as DAOs, and trying to build or adapt older systems of work organizational structures that will support the unique characteristics of the web3 community.

<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/Web77iQLbfs" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

## Regenerative Culture

I was particularly impressed by a presentation from [Beth McCarthy](https://twitter.com/ontologymachine) called _Building Regenerative Culture_. I loved her talk so much I photographed almost every slide and spoke with her after the presentation. **She touched on the care work of community building and addressing cultural debt in a community.**

Here are my favorite points from her slides:

> “What is care work? It is administrative tasks; emotional labor; listening + holding space; anticipating, mediating + resolving conflict; creating the conditions for growth and connection; understanding your people, their needs, potential, fears and incentives”

> “Cultural Debt: Technical Debt for Human Systems. Cultural debt has wide-ranging ramifications that reverberate through teams and DAOs, and the products, systems, and ecosystems they create burnout, attrition, lack of diversity, poor relationships with the outside world, vulnerabilities, shoddily produced outputs.”

> “Care work is hard to measure or quantify — done right, it is invisible, subsumed or soon forgotten.”

> “Awakening our abundance of cultural surplus requires honoring cultural and care work, and embedding it in our systems, codes of conduct, interactions, mission statements & org charts.”

If you manage, build or have a protocol, project, or business powered by a community, **please take a moment and watch Beth’s presentation.**

<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/ysaIeVbSDCo" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

## Our Collective Narratives

What surprised me most about ETHDenver was the sheer number of speakers placing these same types of questions into our ecosystem’s collective conversations. **While the context varied, many speakers put forth visions that stretched beyond tokenomics and technicalities and touched the humanity on the other side of the technology.** And I was inspired to hear so many of the narratives presented on stage weaving their way through the individual conversations happening at coffeeshop, NFT art parties, community dinners, and while standing in lines. So many lines.

![cstreet_unlockblog_8.jpg](/images/blog/ethdenver2022/cstreet_unlockblog_8.jpg)

I believe these conversations are necessary to avoid repeating the mistakes of web2 as we build out the web3 infrastructure. **We have the opportunity, as both technologists and humans, to ensure that our technology is grounded in equality and justice.** And while I was already hopeful about the trajectory of this technology before my time in Denver, I now harbor even more hope and vision about what is possible because so many passionate and brilliant minds are addressing the issues of our time through such powerful and decentralized technologies.

Unlock recently attended ETHDenver to meet our community IRL, explore the next evolution of the web and place our fingers on the pulse of web3.

Technology created by the web3 community supports our collective human experience as we adapt our communities for a decentralized future

ETHDenver 2022 | Exploring the Evolution of web3

<img src="/images/blog/ethdenver2022/cstreet_unlockblog_1.jpg" alt="cstreet_unlockblog_1.jpg">
Last week, over 10,000 web3 builders, artists, creators, and enthusiasts descended upon Denver for the ETHDenver conference, and some of the Unlock crew gathered IRL and met so many of our amazing community members. This was my first ETHDenver event and I was blown away at the energy of the Ethereum community and how many powerful conversations were in the collective discourse dedicated to solving serious societal issues with technology, preparing the innovation needed to power our human journey into a more peaceful and just experience and the soft skills of community building.
We kicked off our ETHDenver adventure by throwing a happy hour with our friends at <a href="https://www.mintgate.io">Mintgate</a>. As fate would have it, just as our event was starting, the skies opened up and a big old beautiful snowstorm smacked right into Denver. We were blown away at how many amazing community members braved the weather to join us for drinks and powerful conversations.
<img src="/images/blog/ethdenver2022/cstreet_unlockblog_010.jpg" alt="cstreet_unlockblog_010.jpg">
Every person I spoke with had an intriguing project, either in motion or in their thought bubble, that involved membership NFTs and token gating. Seeing and hearing all the possibilities with our protocol in the hands of our community members, and getting to finally meet so many of our locksmiths IRL was a lovely way to kick off the events of the week.
<h2>Beyond Finance</h2>
<img src="/images/blog/ethdenver2022/cstreet_unlockblog_5.jpg" alt="cstreet_unlockblog_5.jpg">
Despite the snow and a never-ending stream of long lines, I was able to slip into the Schelling Point event at the very start of my first day at ETHDenver. While the venue itself was chaotic and the speakers were in the midst of that chaos, I was able to attend some talks that truly reinforced my belief in what’s possible with the technology that powers web3.
One talk that resonated was Policy Proposals for Non Dystopian Crypto Protocols by <a href="https://twitter.com/ntnsndr">Nathan Schneider</a> from the University of Colorado Boulder. Nathan spoke deeply, as deep as one can in 20 minutes, about governance and moving beyond blockchain as just a financial instrument. His slides placed some profound questions and premises into the community right from the start of Schelling Point.
<blockquote>
“Build finance around communities, not speculators”
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
“Human Rights Fail-Safes — Like Human Rights Watch with cryptoeconomic teeth”
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
“What policies would a decent world run on blockchains need?”
</blockquote>
If you are at all interested in governance and the future of decentralized community building, please take a few minutes and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROnYDEwnY04&#x26;list=PLvTrX8LNPbPlryx_S85pZPfH9yD7qcPsg&#x26;index=7">watch Nathan’s presentation.</a>
<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/ROnYDEwnY04" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<h2>Plurality</h2>
Another talk that drew me in was <a href="https://twitter.com/glenweyl">Glen Weyl’s</a> presentation titled Plurality. He began by talking about the notion of public freedom and moments where “the practices of a community have the chance to set a pattern for the whole way that social life works.” He also placed some highly intellectual premises into the discourse on how we can begin to look at the different sectors of the ecosystem and avoid the mistakes made in past technological movements.
One slide that resonated explored “Ideologies of the Future: Corporate Libertarianism, Synthetic Technocracy &#x26; Digital Democracy.” He then spoke of the plurality of funding in relation to communities in the web3 ecosystem and he <a href="https://www.radicalxchange.org/media/blog/political-ideologies-for-the-21st-century/">published a deeper blog post</a> about this very topic the day before his talk. Take a moment to watch his presentation because there are some profound theories and concepts we should explore as we build technology and web3 communities.
<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/MsMsL5v2-Ls" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<h2>The Softer Side of Community</h2>
<img src="/images/blog/ethdenver2022/cstreet_unlockblog_4.jpg" alt="cstreet_unlockblog_4.jpg">
Community building was a prominent theme for many of the speakers and adapting traditional community-building methodology from web2 for a decentralized community structure like DAOs was a common narrative of ETHDenver. As a community builder, I’m obviously biased to the importance of this topic, and I was inspired to see the speakers talking about the nuanced soft skills of holding space for community members and fostering positive environments so innovation and collaboration can occur. I repeatedly heard speakers addressing the health of the community hinging on these often immeasurable, but necessary, soft skills.
The presentation titled Coordinating Work in Web3 &#x26; Beyond by <a href="https://twitter.com/pooja_eth">Pooja Shah</a> had a few particularly excellent slides. The points on the slide titled “Goals for Work Organization in Web3” were particularly interesting and if you watch her presentation, this entire section is worth taking notes and applying to your organization.
<blockquote>
“Massively scalable systems of human cooperation (unprecedented levels of scale)
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
That can achieve directed outcomes.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
While preserving freedom, autonomy and self-direction effort.”
</blockquote>
Her talk is relevant for managers and founders working with decentralized ecosystems, such as DAOs, and trying to build or adapt older systems of work organizational structures that will support the unique characteristics of the web3 community.
<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/Web77iQLbfs" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<h2>Regenerative Culture</h2>
I was particularly impressed by a presentation from <a href="https://twitter.com/ontologymachine">Beth McCarthy</a> called Building Regenerative Culture. I loved her talk so much I photographed almost every slide and spoke with her after the presentation. She touched on the care work of community building and addressing cultural debt in a community.
Here are my favorite points from her slides:
<blockquote>
“What is care work? It is administrative tasks; emotional labor; listening + holding space; anticipating, mediating + resolving conflict; creating the conditions for growth and connection; understanding your people, their needs, potential, fears and incentives”
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
“Cultural Debt: Technical Debt for Human Systems. Cultural debt has wide-ranging ramifications that reverberate through teams and DAOs, and the products, systems, and ecosystems they create burnout, attrition, lack of diversity, poor relationships with the outside world, vulnerabilities, shoddily produced outputs.”
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
“Care work is hard to measure or quantify — done right, it is invisible, subsumed or soon forgotten.”
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
“Awakening our abundance of cultural surplus requires honoring cultural and care work, and embedding it in our systems, codes of conduct, interactions, mission statements &#x26; org charts.”
</blockquote>
If you manage, build or have a protocol, project, or business powered by a community, please take a moment and watch Beth’s presentation.
<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/ysaIeVbSDCo" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<h2>Our Collective Narratives</h2>
What surprised me most about ETHDenver was the sheer number of speakers placing these same types of questions into our ecosystem’s collective conversations. While the context varied, many speakers put forth visions that stretched beyond tokenomics and technicalities and touched the humanity on the other side of the technology. And I was inspired to hear so many of the narratives presented on stage weaving their way through the individual conversations happening at coffeeshop, NFT art parties, community dinners, and while standing in lines. So many lines.
<img src="/images/blog/ethdenver2022/cstreet_unlockblog_8.jpg" alt="cstreet_unlockblog_8.jpg">
I believe these conversations are necessary to avoid repeating the mistakes of web2 as we build out the web3 infrastructure. We have the opportunity, as both technologists and humans, to ensure that our technology is grounded in equality and justice. And while I was already hopeful about the trajectory of this technology before my time in Denver, I now harbor even more hope and vision about what is possible because so many passionate and brilliant minds are addressing the issues of our time through such powerful and decentralized technologies.


_As an open-source protocol, we take the tools we’ve built and place them in the hands of creators and developers and hope something beautiful emerges. In the late fall of 2021, Caroline aka [@littlefortunes](https://twitter.com/littlefortunes) joined our Discord with a brilliant idea, a ton of passion, and the determination to find solutions for the project she was building. She took her idea, integrated Unlock, and launched an initial rare NFT collection that sold out in 24 hours. An amazing accomplishment in itself, but what she’s created with her artistic brilliance and perseverance deserves a deeper examination._

![Tales of Elatora](/images/blog/talesofronin/tales-of-ronin-cover-min.jpeg)

## And so begins our story with the Tales of Elatora

Caroline began writing fantasy books at the age of 10. Over the course of several years, she wrote four books, ranging from 100 to 400 pages.

> As a kid, I really, really liked to write. That was my one and only passion. I wanted to become the next JK Rowling. And that's what I always told my parents. And then at some point, you start growing up and you let go of your childhood dreams.

As many artists enter adulthood, they place their artistic dreams on a shelf to enter the adult games of self-sufficiency in an economy that wasn’t built to celebrate and support art. Caroline followed this path and entered adulthood as an entrepreneur. Tapping into her artistic background, she created a successful graphic design firm. But as a true artist, she never released that desire to become a writer.

Enter web3 and the opportunity that NFTs provide for artists like Caroline. **Her vision is bigger than simply creating and selling art NFTs.**

Caroline wanted to create a community project where **participants could collectively write a fantasy novel using NFTs** and her main character, Ronin. Caroline used NFTs as an artistic expression **and** as tokens of community membership, brought this vision to life, and created an entire movement around her artwork.

## Bringing Tales of Elatora to Life

_[Tales of Elatora](https://www.talesofelatora.com/)_ was originally intended as a PFP project with her red panda character creation. While creating the various elements of the project, Caroline launched a daily NFT show where she talks about all things NFTs with her growing community. After just 12 days of running her show, Red Lion News contacted her and offered to sponsor her show. Seeing the potential that the NFT space was already providing, Caroline decided to lean into this new adventure with her show, building her project on the side while also running her graphic design agency.

As she was solidifying the main character's design, Caroline decided to explore crafting the _Tales of Elatora_ story through community. She created the framework of the story itself, the characters, and the initial chapters, and then began selling NFTs with membership tiers that enable collectors to participate in the story creation. Caroline didn’t simply “sell NFTs.” She built a community filled with collaborating storytellers.

_Tales of Elatora_ uses Unlock Protocol to create specialized membership tiers that enable collectors to participate in various aspects of the story creation process. The community itself gathers on Discord, where a token-gated Discord bot gives members access to various parts of the story-building process based on the type of NFT in their wallet.

> We're thinking of different sorts of quests that people can go on **with** their NFT. - @littlefortunes

Community members can vote on the different aspects of the story, such as battles or quests, that are relevant to their participation in the creation process. She even mentions that she hopes the community forms relationships while crafting the story together that reach beyond web3 and into real life.

## Empowering Artists and Creators

One of the most inspiring aspects of the web3 space, and NFTs in particular, is the fact that creators can now resurrect passions and artistic endeavors that were placed on hold when "putting food on the table" outweighed the drive to create art.

And for many creators and artists, the ever-present mantra from parents or society is that "art doesn't pay the bills." We are all painfully aware of the "starving artist narrative" and at some point, most artists and creators internalized this message. NFTs and web3 have shattered this narrative for many creators and created a new realm of possibility. This scenario couldn't be more true for Caroline and we’re so honored that the protocol helped her tap into so much possibility.

Seeing Caroline leverage Unlock to create a beautiful montage of art, storytelling, and community collaboration shows us just how profound specialized web3 tools are when placed in the right hands. Caroline had an amazing idea and began seeking the tools to breathe life into her vision. She came to our Discord, asked some deep questions of our community and our team, and with no prior smart contract experience, she was able to build the technical framework to manifest her artistic vision.

**Our mission at Unlock is to empower more artists and creators to build unique implementations of the protocol** that ultimately help them alter the paths of their lives, their communities, and all of our collective experiences on the web.


In the hands of a visionary artist, Unlock Protocol helped @littlefortunes create a stunning work of art that is also living, breathing fantasy story written in collaboration with the Tales of Elatora NFT collectors.

One artist’s childhood dream comes to life through NFTs as both memberships and art

A Community Unlocks the Tales of Elatora

As an open-source protocol, we take the tools we’ve built and place them in the hands of creators and developers and hope something beautiful emerges. In the late fall of 2021, Caroline aka <a href="https://twitter.com/littlefortunes">@littlefortunes</a> joined our Discord with a brilliant idea, a ton of passion, and the determination to find solutions for the project she was building. She took her idea, integrated Unlock, and launched an initial rare NFT collection that sold out in 24 hours. An amazing accomplishment in itself, but what she’s created with her artistic brilliance and perseverance deserves a deeper examination.
<img src="/images/blog/talesofronin/tales-of-ronin-cover-min.jpeg" alt="Tales of Elatora">
<h2>And so begins our story with the Tales of Elatora</h2>
Caroline began writing fantasy books at the age of 10. Over the course of several years, she wrote four books, ranging from 100 to 400 pages.
<blockquote>
As a kid, I really, really liked to write. That was my one and only passion. I wanted to become the next JK Rowling. And that's what I always told my parents. And then at some point, you start growing up and you let go of your childhood dreams.
</blockquote>
As many artists enter adulthood, they place their artistic dreams on a shelf to enter the adult games of self-sufficiency in an economy that wasn’t built to celebrate and support art. Caroline followed this path and entered adulthood as an entrepreneur. Tapping into her artistic background, she created a successful graphic design firm. But as a true artist, she never released that desire to become a writer.
Enter web3 and the opportunity that NFTs provide for artists like Caroline. Her vision is bigger than simply creating and selling art NFTs.
Caroline wanted to create a community project where participants could collectively write a fantasy novel using NFTs and her main character, Ronin. Caroline used NFTs as an artistic expression and as tokens of community membership, brought this vision to life, and created an entire movement around her artwork.
<h2>Bringing Tales of Elatora to Life</h2>
<a href="https://www.talesofelatora.com/">Tales of Elatora</a> was originally intended as a PFP project with her red panda character creation. While creating the various elements of the project, Caroline launched a daily NFT show where she talks about all things NFTs with her growing community. After just 12 days of running her show, Red Lion News contacted her and offered to sponsor her show. Seeing the potential that the NFT space was already providing, Caroline decided to lean into this new adventure with her show, building her project on the side while also running her graphic design agency.
As she was solidifying the main character's design, Caroline decided to explore crafting the Tales of Elatora story through community. She created the framework of the story itself, the characters, and the initial chapters, and then began selling NFTs with membership tiers that enable collectors to participate in the story creation. Caroline didn’t simply “sell NFTs.” She built a community filled with collaborating storytellers.
Tales of Elatora uses Unlock Protocol to create specialized membership tiers that enable collectors to participate in various aspects of the story creation process. The community itself gathers on Discord, where a token-gated Discord bot gives members access to various parts of the story-building process based on the type of NFT in their wallet.
<blockquote>
We're thinking of different sorts of quests that people can go on with their NFT. - @littlefortunes
</blockquote>
Community members can vote on the different aspects of the story, such as battles or quests, that are relevant to their participation in the creation process. She even mentions that she hopes the community forms relationships while crafting the story together that reach beyond web3 and into real life.
<h2>Empowering Artists and Creators</h2>
One of the most inspiring aspects of the web3 space, and NFTs in particular, is the fact that creators can now resurrect passions and artistic endeavors that were placed on hold when "putting food on the table" outweighed the drive to create art.
And for many creators and artists, the ever-present mantra from parents or society is that "art doesn't pay the bills." We are all painfully aware of the "starving artist narrative" and at some point, most artists and creators internalized this message. NFTs and web3 have shattered this narrative for many creators and created a new realm of possibility. This scenario couldn't be more true for Caroline and we’re so honored that the protocol helped her tap into so much possibility.
Seeing Caroline leverage Unlock to create a beautiful montage of art, storytelling, and community collaboration shows us just how profound specialized web3 tools are when placed in the right hands. Caroline had an amazing idea and began seeking the tools to breathe life into her vision. She came to our Discord, asked some deep questions of our community and our team, and with no prior smart contract experience, she was able to build the technical framework to manifest her artistic vision.
Our mission at Unlock is to empower more artists and creators to build unique implementations of the protocol that ultimately help them alter the paths of their lives, their communities, and all of our collective experiences on the web.


We believe **everyone's online identity should not be tied to a platform**. Users must be able to authenticate using an identity that they fully own and control.

There are two ways to think about physical wallets: as an object that stores bills and coins but also as an object where identity cards, driving licenses and membership cards live. In the web3 space, we focus too much on the wallet as _cash holder_ and not enough on the wallet as _identity holder_, even though, in pratice, the private keys that power them are what enables the cash transfers through transaction signing.

Until now, it was often quite complicated for applications (both web and native) to prompt the user for their wallet address, in order to identify them. As there exists many types of wallets (browser extensions, mobile applications, or even fully "hosted" web apps), it means that asking the user to connect their wallet requires the implementation of multiple API and approaches. Dealing with "injected" objects in the DOM is not trivial and limited to web applications...

Today, we're announcing our own implementation of the [Sign-In With Ethereum](https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/unlock/developers/sign-in-with-ethereum) ([EIP4361](https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-4361)) specification!

![sign-in-ethereum](/images/blog/sign-in-ethereum/sign-in-ethereum.gif)

This is the flow that we implemented in our WordPress plugin and that's already used on websites like [Bakery](https://bakery.fyi/), [The Zedge](https://thezedge.com/all-breeds/) and many others!

We also wanted this flow to be similar to the frequent **OAuth** & **OpenId Connect** flows, so that other applications who only need to _know_ of the user's address do not have to worry about handling web3 providers, will still being able to identity users. For this, we make it trivial for applications to build "authentication" URLs with a **redirect scheme** that allows even native application to easily identify the user's address.

Once the user has signed the message, they are optionally redirected back to the application and the redirect URL includes an additional `code` query string that can be decoded and parsed in order to retrieve all the user's info.

Our implementation also includes handling for users who do not have their own crypto wallet installed already, through our [Unlock accounts](https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/unlock/creators/unlock-accounts), which means that it's an easy way to let all users authenticate against your application!

Authentication is one of the core steps for any application that wants to [token-gate](https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/unlock/developers/building-token-gated-applications) content or features. Unlock's implementation of Sign in with Ethereum works all across web3, and works for:

- Web applications
- Native applications
- All types of wallets
- Through [WalletConnect](https://walletconnect.com/)
- And even for users without a wallet

Unlock makes it trivial for all apps to monetize with their own membership!


Sign-In with Ethereum is a new form of authentication that enables users to control their digital identity through their crypto-wallets.

The easiest way to let your users connect to your applications!

Sign-In with Ethereum

We believe everyone's online identity should not be tied to a platform. Users must be able to authenticate using an identity that they fully own and control.
There are two ways to think about physical wallets: as an object that stores bills and coins but also as an object where identity cards, driving licenses and membership cards live. In the web3 space, we focus too much on the wallet as cash holder and not enough on the wallet as identity holder, even though, in pratice, the private keys that power them are what enables the cash transfers through transaction signing.
Until now, it was often quite complicated for applications (both web and native) to prompt the user for their wallet address, in order to identify them. As there exists many types of wallets (browser extensions, mobile applications, or even fully "hosted" web apps), it means that asking the user to connect their wallet requires the implementation of multiple API and approaches. Dealing with "injected" objects in the DOM is not trivial and limited to web applications...
Today, we're announcing our own implementation of the <a href="https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/unlock/developers/sign-in-with-ethereum">Sign-In With Ethereum</a> (<a href="https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-4361">EIP4361</a>) specification!
<img src="/images/blog/sign-in-ethereum/sign-in-ethereum.gif" alt="sign-in-ethereum">
This is the flow that we implemented in our WordPress plugin and that's already used on websites like <a href="https://bakery.fyi/">Bakery</a>, <a href="https://thezedge.com/all-breeds/">The Zedge</a> and many others!
We also wanted this flow to be similar to the frequent OAuth &#x26; OpenId Connect flows, so that other applications who only need to know of the user's address do not have to worry about handling web3 providers, will still being able to identity users. For this, we make it trivial for applications to build "authentication" URLs with a redirect scheme that allows even native application to easily identify the user's address.
Once the user has signed the message, they are optionally redirected back to the application and the redirect URL includes an additional <code>code</code> query string that can be decoded and parsed in order to retrieve all the user's info.
Our implementation also includes handling for users who do not have their own crypto wallet installed already, through our <a href="https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/unlock/creators/unlock-accounts">Unlock accounts</a>, which means that it's an easy way to let all users authenticate against your application!
Authentication is one of the core steps for any application that wants to <a href="https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/unlock/developers/building-token-gated-applications">token-gate</a> content or features. Unlock's implementation of Sign in with Ethereum works all across web3, and works for:
<ul>
<li>Web applications</li>
<li>Native applications</li>
<li>All types of wallets</li>
<li>Through <a href="https://walletconnect.com/">WalletConnect</a></li>
<li>And even for users without a wallet</li>
</ul>
Unlock makes it trivial for all apps to monetize with their own membership!


![Novum](/images/blog/novum-ogimage.png)

Seeing the innovation from the teams integrating Unlock Protocol never ceases to amaze us. What brings us even more joy, if that’s even possible, is to see a team build an amazing integration and then keep making that integration even more stunning. Such is the case with Novum Insights.

Novums Insights, a 2021 grantee for [their Firebase integration](https://github.com/novum-insights/unlock-protocol-firebase/issues), recently announced the completion of a full stack SvelteKit and Unlock Protocol integration! The short version — devs can now build a full stack application from scratch which accepts payments in crypto, allows NFT-based subscriptions, and more. And, now you can use NFTs as proof of subscription!

As they note in their blog post announcing this upgrade;

> The Novum team will be actively maintaining the library and consistently optimizing the user experience. We’ll continue to refine our robust software tool to create something that both the **Unlock** and **Svelte** communities can benefit from. Imagine automated, silent, friction-less, authentication for any website, board or club completely aligned to your subscription or membership level. Perhaps even generating a related QR code on your mobile for access on the move?

Yes, Novum Insights, we can imagine all of that goodness and we’re so excited to see the amazing technology you’ve built! Be sure to [head over to their blog](https://novuminsights.com/post/f0cff3e7-6f0a-4b99-bcef-a5a0b423e10d/) to see how it works and [check out their Github](https://github.com/novum-insights/sveltekit-unlock-firebase) as well!

### Developer Resources

[Novum Insights Announcement](https://novuminsights.com/post/f0cff3e7-6f0a-4b99-bcef-a5a0b423e10d/) (with wallet screenshots of the sign in process)

[Unlock-Protocol + Sveltekit Github from Novum](https://github.com/novum-insights/sveltekit-unlock-firebase)

[Unlock Protocol & Firebase Integration from Novum’s Github](https://github.com/novum-insights/unlock-protocol-firebase)

[Unlock + Firebase Integration blog post with code](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/firebase-integration)


A full stack option to create an NFT-based sign-in experience for your community.

A full stack option to create an NFT-based sign-in experience for your community

Novum Insights Adds an NFT-Based Authentication Experience

<img src="/images/blog/novum-ogimage.png" alt="Novum">
Seeing the innovation from the teams integrating Unlock Protocol never ceases to amaze us. What brings us even more joy, if that’s even possible, is to see a team build an amazing integration and then keep making that integration even more stunning. Such is the case with Novum Insights.
Novums Insights, a 2021 grantee for <a href="https://github.com/novum-insights/unlock-protocol-firebase/issues">their Firebase integration</a>, recently announced the completion of a full stack SvelteKit and Unlock Protocol integration! The short version — devs can now build a full stack application from scratch which accepts payments in crypto, allows NFT-based subscriptions, and more. And, now you can use NFTs as proof of subscription!
As they note in their blog post announcing this upgrade;
<blockquote>
The Novum team will be actively maintaining the library and consistently optimizing the user experience. We’ll continue to refine our robust software tool to create something that both the Unlock and Svelte communities can benefit from. Imagine automated, silent, friction-less, authentication for any website, board or club completely aligned to your subscription or membership level. Perhaps even generating a related QR code on your mobile for access on the move?
</blockquote>
Yes, Novum Insights, we can imagine all of that goodness and we’re so excited to see the amazing technology you’ve built! Be sure to <a href="https://novuminsights.com/post/f0cff3e7-6f0a-4b99-bcef-a5a0b423e10d/">head over to their blog</a> to see how it works and <a href="https://github.com/novum-insights/sveltekit-unlock-firebase">check out their Github</a> as well!
<h3>Developer Resources</h3>
<a href="https://novuminsights.com/post/f0cff3e7-6f0a-4b99-bcef-a5a0b423e10d/">Novum Insights Announcement</a> (with wallet screenshots of the sign in process)
<a href="https://github.com/novum-insights/sveltekit-unlock-firebase">Unlock-Protocol + Sveltekit Github from Novum</a>
<a href="https://github.com/novum-insights/unlock-protocol-firebase">Unlock Protocol &#x26; Firebase Integration from Novum’s Github</a>
<a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/firebase-integration">Unlock + Firebase Integration blog post with code</a>


The Unlock Protocol team has been on a 🚀 ride of BUIDLing as we blast into 2022! First, there is a major new release of the underlying Unlock smart contract — the engine that powers Unlock — as well as a whole smorgasbord of new capabilities that add power and flexibility to the protocol.

Members of the Unlock team — heck, the whole Unlock community — are constantly finding new ways for creators and developers to benefit from building their membership-based projects, solutions and businesses using the open-source Unlock Protocol. Here’s what’s new in January 2022.

## You can now upgrade Unlock smart contracts

When you deploy a lock with Unlock, a new instance of the PublicLock contract (ERC-721) is created with the parameters you defined (name, token, etc). In Solidity, several patterns exist to deploy a contract from another contract. The previous version of Unlock was using a Minimal Proxy (EIP-1167). Instead of deploying the entire contract for each new lock created, a small proxy is deployed just to hold the data and forward calls to a main instance that deals with all the incoming data. That would potentially save a significant amount of gas when deploying a new lock instance.

However, the minimal proxy approach did not allow for upgrades. We wanted all locks to benefit from the latest features available, so we implemented a mechanism to deploy a full proxy from a contract and allow users to upgrade their locks when new features were released.

[Here is a deep dive behind what this means for implementers of Unlock](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/upgradeable-patterns).

## New capabilities for Creators

- [**Airdrop NFT keys directly from the Unlock dashboard**](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/airdrop-nft-memberships) — A lock owner can grant keys directly from the dashboard to their members
- **Non expiring memberships** — Memberships can be set to never expire
- **Increase the number of keys on a lock** — A lock manager can increase the number of keys on a lock even after it was created
- **Offer gas refund from locks** — A lock manager can allocate a “gas refund” to be paid to the person submitting a purchase transaction

## New tools for Developers

- **onValidKey Hook** — Ability to delegate the check about whether an address owns at least 1 valid membership to a 3rd party contract — this can check to see if a key purchaser has, for example, a particular ERC-721 NFT or a particular ERC-20 in their wallet
- **OnTokenUri hook** — A hook to let a lock owner customize the metadata on the NFT that’s fully on chain
- **Key manager on purchase** — When purchase transaction is called, a key manager can be set that could be different from the beneficiary of the membership
- **Try/catch on Unlock** — Locks could technically be “cut out” of Unlock and still work
- **Sign In With Ethereum**: Unlock’s front-end now provides a “Sign In With Ethereum” endpoint that can be used by a 3rd party application to easily identify a user’s Ethereum address

Ok, you’ll be glad you read down this far. This is kind of like the after-credits scene in the MCU movies. But — instead of Nick Fury, you get a look at some of the kick-ass stuff that members of the Unlock community have launched over the past couple of weeks. Check it:

[Croissant](http://twitter.com/croissanteth) has launched BakeryDAO with a thundering Twitter thread...

[![Croissant](https://unlock-protocol.com/images/blog/jan-22-update/1-min.png)](https://twitter.com/CroissantEth/status/1486387648457580546?s=20)

[ETHAnglia](http://twitter.com/ethanglia) is bringing web3 to the East of England...

[![ETHAnglia](https://unlock-protocol.com/images/blog/jan-22-update/2-min.png)](https://twitter.com/ETHAnglia/status/1484517935796400128?s=20)

[WPOptimizers](http://twitter.com/YoRaulGonzalez) 🇪🇸 has created a membership site for optimizing WordPress, the open-source content management system that powers 43% of the web...

[![WPOptimizers](https://unlock-protocol.com/images/blog/jan-22-update/3-min.png)](https://twitter.com/YoRaulGonzalez/status/1483756404947181571?s=20)

[The Willow Tree](http://twitter.com/twtdao) has launched their membership for bridging web3 and rave culture (and their site design is off the charts)...

[![TWT](https://unlock-protocol.com/images/blog/jan-22-update/4-min.png)](https://twitter.com/twtdao/status/1485996222003433477?s=20)

[CDAA](http://twitter.com/plannerdao) is one of the first projects we have seen using utility NFTs as the basis for industry certification and on-chain credentials for digital asset advisors...amazing...

[![CDAA](https://unlock-protocol.com/images/blog/jan-22-update/5-min.png)](https://twitter.com/PlannerDAO/status/1480991827209641988?s=20)

Want to know what’s going on with Unlock in real time? [Jump into our Discord](https://discord.unlock-protocol.com/). #protip


Unlock's January 2022 release adds upgradable contracts, NFT airdrop support, and over a dozen other new capabilities for creators and developers.

Upgradable contracts, new capabilities for creators and developers

Unlock Protocol Product Updates for January 2022

The Unlock Protocol team has been on a 🚀 ride of BUIDLing as we blast into 2022! First, there is a major new release of the underlying Unlock smart contract — the engine that powers Unlock — as well as a whole smorgasbord of new capabilities that add power and flexibility to the protocol.
Members of the Unlock team — heck, the whole Unlock community — are constantly finding new ways for creators and developers to benefit from building their membership-based projects, solutions and businesses using the open-source Unlock Protocol. Here’s what’s new in January 2022.
<h2>You can now upgrade Unlock smart contracts</h2>
When you deploy a lock with Unlock, a new instance of the PublicLock contract (ERC-721) is created with the parameters you defined (name, token, etc). In Solidity, several patterns exist to deploy a contract from another contract. The previous version of Unlock was using a Minimal Proxy (EIP-1167). Instead of deploying the entire contract for each new lock created, a small proxy is deployed just to hold the data and forward calls to a main instance that deals with all the incoming data. That would potentially save a significant amount of gas when deploying a new lock instance.
However, the minimal proxy approach did not allow for upgrades. We wanted all locks to benefit from the latest features available, so we implemented a mechanism to deploy a full proxy from a contract and allow users to upgrade their locks when new features were released.
<a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/upgradeable-patterns">Here is a deep dive behind what this means for implementers of Unlock</a>.
<h2>New capabilities for Creators</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/airdrop-nft-memberships">Airdrop NFT keys directly from the Unlock dashboard</a> — A lock owner can grant keys directly from the dashboard to their members</li>
<li>Non expiring memberships — Memberships can be set to never expire</li>
<li>Increase the number of keys on a lock — A lock manager can increase the number of keys on a lock even after it was created</li>
<li>Offer gas refund from locks — A lock manager can allocate a “gas refund” to be paid to the person submitting a purchase transaction</li>
</ul>
<h2>New tools for Developers</h2>
<ul>
<li>onValidKey Hook — Ability to delegate the check about whether an address owns at least 1 valid membership to a 3rd party contract — this can check to see if a key purchaser has, for example, a particular ERC-721 NFT or a particular ERC-20 in their wallet</li>
<li>OnTokenUri hook — A hook to let a lock owner customize the metadata on the NFT that’s fully on chain</li>
<li>Key manager on purchase — When purchase transaction is called, a key manager can be set that could be different from the beneficiary of the membership</li>
<li>Try/catch on Unlock — Locks could technically be “cut out” of Unlock and still work</li>
<li>Sign In With Ethereum: Unlock’s front-end now provides a “Sign In With Ethereum” endpoint that can be used by a 3rd party application to easily identify a user’s Ethereum address</li>
</ul>
Ok, you’ll be glad you read down this far. This is kind of like the after-credits scene in the MCU movies. But — instead of Nick Fury, you get a look at some of the kick-ass stuff that members of the Unlock community have launched over the past couple of weeks. Check it:
<a href="http://twitter.com/croissanteth">Croissant</a> has launched BakeryDAO with a thundering Twitter thread...
<a href="https://twitter.com/CroissantEth/status/1486387648457580546?s=20"><img src="https://unlock-protocol.com/images/blog/jan-22-update/1-min.png" alt="Croissant"></a>
<a href="http://twitter.com/ethanglia">ETHAnglia</a> is bringing web3 to the East of England...
<a href="https://twitter.com/ETHAnglia/status/1484517935796400128?s=20"><img src="https://unlock-protocol.com/images/blog/jan-22-update/2-min.png" alt="ETHAnglia"></a>
<a href="http://twitter.com/YoRaulGonzalez">WPOptimizers</a> 🇪🇸 has created a membership site for optimizing WordPress, the open-source content management system that powers 43% of the web...
<a href="https://twitter.com/YoRaulGonzalez/status/1483756404947181571?s=20"><img src="https://unlock-protocol.com/images/blog/jan-22-update/3-min.png" alt="WPOptimizers"></a>
<a href="http://twitter.com/twtdao">The Willow Tree</a> has launched their membership for bridging web3 and rave culture (and their site design is off the charts)...
<a href="https://twitter.com/twtdao/status/1485996222003433477?s=20"><img src="https://unlock-protocol.com/images/blog/jan-22-update/4-min.png" alt="TWT"></a>
<a href="http://twitter.com/plannerdao">CDAA</a> is one of the first projects we have seen using utility NFTs as the basis for industry certification and on-chain credentials for digital asset advisors...amazing...
<a href="https://twitter.com/PlannerDAO/status/1480991827209641988?s=20"><img src="https://unlock-protocol.com/images/blog/jan-22-update/5-min.png" alt="CDAA"></a>
Want to know what’s going on with Unlock in real time? <a href="https://discord.unlock-protocol.com/">Jump into our Discord</a>. #protip


Whenever we get the call to step into the ETHGlobal Hackathons, our team gets almost giddy at the possibilities. Of course, we have our visions for deploying Unlock in ALL the places, but we love to see the innovation and creativity that flows from the hackers participating in these events. Such collaborations from a decentralized viewpoint really do show what’s possible with this ground-breaking technology.

As a sponsor for the NFTHack 2022, we were able to participate in the judging of these projects and saw all the big visions of these innovators, and were truly inspired. Below are the winners and top projects that deployed the protocol to power their creations. Be sure to visit their showcase pages, linked in each description, and see how the project was made. Many of the projects also have links to their Github so you can get a deeper look at the tech behind their work.

## First Prize Winner— NFTpay

NFTpay allows you to create blockchain-hosted invoices that are hosted for free using IPFS and can be fulfilled with crypto or credit card payments. Receipts are auto-hosted as NFTs with no chance of losing an attachment or document showing the time and receipt of purchase. Receipt and time of purchase are forever retained on the Ethereum blockchain.

The team used Unlock to create an Ethereum-based paywall where a user chooses an Ethereum wallet as the checkout method of choice. [Visit this link if you’d like to learn more](https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/nftpay) about the project and see the team’s amazing demo!

[![NFTPay thumbnail](/images/blog/nfthack-jan22/nftpay-min.png)](https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/nftpay)

## Second Prize Winner— NFTResy

NFTResy is a ticketing dapp that allows customers to select and reserve seats for restaurants, concerts, gatherings, and even Metaverse events. The end goal of the NFTResy team is to simply make ticketing easier by using NFTs powered by Unlock. We love that goal!

Since the tickets are built as NFTs, they can also be re-sold on platforms like OpenSea and exchanged for some other ticket NFTs. This is very common in fine-dining experiences, as you can exchange one reservation for a reservation at another restaurant that is equally as rare to get. The team created a demo that showcases this restaurant ticketing experience.

NFTResy aims to develop in 2 different ways: real-life, and Metaverse. [Please visit this link to see the demo](https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/nftresy) and learn more about the ultimate vision of the team.

[![NFTResy thumbnail](/images/blog/nfthack-jan22/nftresy-min.png)](https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/nftresy)

## Joint Prize Winner (with [Livepeer](https://livepeer.com/))— Got It

Got It is an NFT-based ecosystem to help broadcasters better engage with their audiences. Got It is a censorship-resistant video live streaming service with membership-only access options powered by Livepeer, IPFS, and Unlock.

Be sure to [head over to the Got It team’s showcase page](https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/got-it) to watch their demo and to better understand and support their big vision for reshaping sectors of the media industry!

[![Got It thumbnail](/images/blog/nfthack-jan22/gotit-min.png)](https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/got-it)

## **LetterLoops Unlocked!**

LetterLoops is a quiz game that uses dialectic graph networks to re-imagine human vocabulary in a different way. LetterLoops has a thriving community of players and a separate instance where users can pay to get access to the game and that revenue is paid back to users based on performance.

[Be sure to check out their project page](https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/letterloops-unlocked-) and notice how they used Unlock and Swordy Bot to power their game access.

## Graffiti Mint

A dapp to digitize and mint street art from IRL graffiti events. Graffiti Mint helps to digitize, mint, and monetize graffiti events. It integrates ERC1155 NFTs for 4-tier season passes for event supporters and ERC721 contracts to mint street art made in graffiti events at city parks as NFTs.

[Head over to their showcase page](https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/graffiti-mint) and take a few minutes to see this creative project in action!

## Exclusive EveNFT

Dapp created for events like wedding websites where guests can mint party gifts after the event on Polygon. Exclusive EveNFT is working to create a decentralized event website that could serve as membership and allow the host to send gifts to participants after the event.

Learn more about the project and [their big vision at this link.](https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/exclusive-evenft)

## Member Only Event

Member Only Event is a dapp that allows group members to access online events and join discussions. The team aims to build a decentralized application that can interact with a membership NFT contract, and implement members' only access to exclusive content and events.

Learn more about the project’s ultimate vision and [see their demo at this link.](https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/member-only-event)

## Real Meta Key

Real Meta Key enables users to support public goods and crypto brands through stream payments and get NFT as rewards. The special NFT can be used to collect additional rewards such as activation codes and is powered by Unlock.

The project details, including how it was built, [can be found on their showcase page.](https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/real-meta-key)

## TrueNFT

TrueNFT is a marketplace to mint NFTs with AI-enabled counterfeit NFT detection capability across networks and membership functionalities. Considering the high degree of duplicate and unauthentic NFTs generated in this space, TrueNFT is integrated with the "AI-enabled counterfeit NFT detection" API from NFTPort which utilizes the Google deep learning capabilities to ensure duplicate NFTs are checked during minting.

[Head over to their showcase page](https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/truenft) to see how the project was built and watch the demo.

## Excited for all the 2022 Hackathons!

Hackathons are one of our favorite ways to support the web3 community building the next generation of internet technology but also a chance to see the diversity and creativity of what’s possible with Unlock.

We say a giant THANK YOU to all of the winners and every single team that deployed Unlock to bring their vision to life. Please don’t forget that we offer grants for selected projects for Unlock integrations and our grant committee meets monthly, [so get your application in today!](https://share.hsforms.com/1gAdLgNOESNCWJ9bJxCUAMwbvg22?__hstc=157293157.511609ec6aad35f0d2471241abee4698.1639357465325.1642374234181.1642435770388.31&__hssc=157293157.1.1642435770388&__hsfp=3380286660)

We’re so grateful to ETHGlobal for your continued support of the web3 space and for allowing us to participate in these amazing hackathons! We look forward to seeing these projects evolve and for all the amazing hackathons for 2022!


ETHGlobal’s latest hackathon, NFTHack 2022, brought forward some fabulous opportunities for teams to deploy Unlock Protocol — and win prizes!

Hacking NFTs using Unlock at the latest ETHGlobal Hackathon

NFTHack 2022 Teams Tap Into Unlock

Whenever we get the call to step into the ETHGlobal Hackathons, our team gets almost giddy at the possibilities. Of course, we have our visions for deploying Unlock in ALL the places, but we love to see the innovation and creativity that flows from the hackers participating in these events. Such collaborations from a decentralized viewpoint really do show what’s possible with this ground-breaking technology.
As a sponsor for the NFTHack 2022, we were able to participate in the judging of these projects and saw all the big visions of these innovators, and were truly inspired. Below are the winners and top projects that deployed the protocol to power their creations. Be sure to visit their showcase pages, linked in each description, and see how the project was made. Many of the projects also have links to their Github so you can get a deeper look at the tech behind their work.
<h2>First Prize Winner— NFTpay</h2>
NFTpay allows you to create blockchain-hosted invoices that are hosted for free using IPFS and can be fulfilled with crypto or credit card payments. Receipts are auto-hosted as NFTs with no chance of losing an attachment or document showing the time and receipt of purchase. Receipt and time of purchase are forever retained on the Ethereum blockchain.
The team used Unlock to create an Ethereum-based paywall where a user chooses an Ethereum wallet as the checkout method of choice. <a href="https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/nftpay">Visit this link if you’d like to learn more</a> about the project and see the team’s amazing demo!
<a href="https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/nftpay"><img src="/images/blog/nfthack-jan22/nftpay-min.png" alt="NFTPay thumbnail"></a>
<h2>Second Prize Winner— NFTResy</h2>
NFTResy is a ticketing dapp that allows customers to select and reserve seats for restaurants, concerts, gatherings, and even Metaverse events. The end goal of the NFTResy team is to simply make ticketing easier by using NFTs powered by Unlock. We love that goal!
Since the tickets are built as NFTs, they can also be re-sold on platforms like OpenSea and exchanged for some other ticket NFTs. This is very common in fine-dining experiences, as you can exchange one reservation for a reservation at another restaurant that is equally as rare to get. The team created a demo that showcases this restaurant ticketing experience.
NFTResy aims to develop in 2 different ways: real-life, and Metaverse. <a href="https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/nftresy">Please visit this link to see the demo</a> and learn more about the ultimate vision of the team.
<a href="https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/nftresy"><img src="/images/blog/nfthack-jan22/nftresy-min.png" alt="NFTResy thumbnail"></a>
<h2>Joint Prize Winner (with <a href="https://livepeer.com/">Livepeer</a>)— Got It</h2>
Got It is an NFT-based ecosystem to help broadcasters better engage with their audiences. Got It is a censorship-resistant video live streaming service with membership-only access options powered by Livepeer, IPFS, and Unlock.
Be sure to <a href="https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/got-it">head over to the Got It team’s showcase page</a> to watch their demo and to better understand and support their big vision for reshaping sectors of the media industry!
<a href="https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/got-it"><img src="/images/blog/nfthack-jan22/gotit-min.png" alt="Got It thumbnail"></a>
<h2>LetterLoops Unlocked!</h2>
LetterLoops is a quiz game that uses dialectic graph networks to re-imagine human vocabulary in a different way. LetterLoops has a thriving community of players and a separate instance where users can pay to get access to the game and that revenue is paid back to users based on performance.
<a href="https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/letterloops-unlocked-">Be sure to check out their project page</a> and notice how they used Unlock and Swordy Bot to power their game access.
<h2>Graffiti Mint</h2>
A dapp to digitize and mint street art from IRL graffiti events. Graffiti Mint helps to digitize, mint, and monetize graffiti events. It integrates ERC1155 NFTs for 4-tier season passes for event supporters and ERC721 contracts to mint street art made in graffiti events at city parks as NFTs.
<a href="https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/graffiti-mint">Head over to their showcase page</a> and take a few minutes to see this creative project in action!
<h2>Exclusive EveNFT</h2>
Dapp created for events like wedding websites where guests can mint party gifts after the event on Polygon. Exclusive EveNFT is working to create a decentralized event website that could serve as membership and allow the host to send gifts to participants after the event.
Learn more about the project and <a href="https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/exclusive-evenft">their big vision at this link.</a>
<h2>Member Only Event</h2>
Member Only Event is a dapp that allows group members to access online events and join discussions. The team aims to build a decentralized application that can interact with a membership NFT contract, and implement members' only access to exclusive content and events.
Learn more about the project’s ultimate vision and <a href="https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/member-only-event">see their demo at this link.</a>
<h2>Real Meta Key</h2>
Real Meta Key enables users to support public goods and crypto brands through stream payments and get NFT as rewards. The special NFT can be used to collect additional rewards such as activation codes and is powered by Unlock.
The project details, including how it was built, <a href="https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/real-meta-key">can be found on their showcase page.</a>
<h2>TrueNFT</h2>
TrueNFT is a marketplace to mint NFTs with AI-enabled counterfeit NFT detection capability across networks and membership functionalities. Considering the high degree of duplicate and unauthentic NFTs generated in this space, TrueNFT is integrated with the "AI-enabled counterfeit NFT detection" API from NFTPort which utilizes the Google deep learning capabilities to ensure duplicate NFTs are checked during minting.
<a href="https://showcase.ethglobal.com/nfthack2022/truenft">Head over to their showcase page</a> to see how the project was built and watch the demo.
<h2>Excited for all the 2022 Hackathons!</h2>
Hackathons are one of our favorite ways to support the web3 community building the next generation of internet technology but also a chance to see the diversity and creativity of what’s possible with Unlock.
We say a giant THANK YOU to all of the winners and every single team that deployed Unlock to bring their vision to life. Please don’t forget that we offer grants for selected projects for Unlock integrations and our grant committee meets monthly, <a href="https://share.hsforms.com/1gAdLgNOESNCWJ9bJxCUAMwbvg22?__hstc=157293157.511609ec6aad35f0d2471241abee4698.1639357465325.1642374234181.1642435770388.31&#x26;__hssc=157293157.1.1642435770388&#x26;__hsfp=3380286660">so get your application in today!</a>
We’re so grateful to ETHGlobal for your continued support of the web3 space and for allowing us to participate in these amazing hackathons! We look forward to seeing these projects evolve and for all the amazing hackathons for 2022!


Creators can easily deploy their membership contracts (called Locks) using the Unlock dashboard. Each Lock has different membership terms: membership price, number of members, duration of the membership (yes, the NFT does expire!)... etc.

Memberships can then be purchased directly by the fans. This happens by calling the `purchase` function on the Lock contract. In practice, this function can actually be called with another recipient's address, in order for them to receive the NFT (instead of the buyer).

However, in a lot of cases, creators may want to "give away" or **airdrop NFT memberships** for free to some of their users. Here are examples of why this is useful:

- This is how our [credit card](/blog/credit-card-nft) flow works: the NFT is paid "off chain" via a credit card transaction, and _granted_ on chain (technically, no on-chain payment happens).
- Someone might want to give a "limited time" trial. For example, my [personal blog](https://ouvre-boite.com) has a membership of its own, where NFTs expire after 1 year, but where anyone who [follows me on Twitter](https://twitter.com/julien51) [can claim a 30 minute](https://claim-ouvre-boite-membership.herokuapp.com/) trial!
- Finally, some communities and memberships cannot be purchased, but only be granted. That is the case for the [PlannerDAO certifications](https://twitter.com/PlannerDAO/status/1479097169747529735).

# How to airdrop NFT memberships

## Using the Dashboard

We have created a comprehensive guide to [airdropping NFTs](https://unlock-protocol.com/guides/how-to-airdrop-memberships/) using Unlock Protocol using the Dashboard.

[![Airdrop](/images/blog/airdrop-nft-memberships/airdrop-guide-image.png)](https://unlock-protocol.com/guides/how-to-airdrop-memberships/)

## Using code

Of course, granting keys is possible through code! The `grantKeys` function on the lock can be called by any _lock manager_ or _key granter_ ([read more about the roles](https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/core-protocol/Public%20Lock/access-control)). In order to reduce risks, we recommend using a dedicated `key granter` in your application so that if that account (or contract) was compromised, the attacker could "only" grant new keys (which could be cancelled by a lock manager too...).

Then, on your code you would call the `grantKeys` function](https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/core-protocol/smart-contracts-api/IPublicLockV10#grantkeys). This function can in fact be called to grant multiple keys to multiple users at once. There is a practical limit based on the block-size of each chain. You would call this function with 3 arrays of the same size:

1. the recipients
2. the expiration timestamps
3. the key managers

---

Airdropping memberships is a very important part of the Unlock protocol because it enables not only multiples types of memberships, but also new ways of rewarding or incentivizing community members!

**Updated:** 9 January 2023


Creators have multiple options to airdrop memberships to their fans so they can become members and receive the NFT in their wallets

How to easily grant access to token-gated communities

Airdrop for NFT Memberships

Creators can easily deploy their membership contracts (called Locks) using the Unlock dashboard. Each Lock has different membership terms: membership price, number of members, duration of the membership (yes, the NFT does expire!)... etc.
Memberships can then be purchased directly by the fans. This happens by calling the <code>purchase</code> function on the Lock contract. In practice, this function can actually be called with another recipient's address, in order for them to receive the NFT (instead of the buyer).
However, in a lot of cases, creators may want to "give away" or airdrop NFT memberships for free to some of their users. Here are examples of why this is useful:
<ul>
<li>This is how our <a href="/blog/credit-card-nft">credit card</a> flow works: the NFT is paid "off chain" via a credit card transaction, and granted on chain (technically, no on-chain payment happens).</li>
<li>Someone might want to give a "limited time" trial. For example, my <a href="https://ouvre-boite.com">personal blog</a> has a membership of its own, where NFTs expire after 1 year, but where anyone who <a href="https://twitter.com/julien51">follows me on Twitter</a> <a href="https://claim-ouvre-boite-membership.herokuapp.com/">can claim a 30 minute</a> trial!</li>
<li>Finally, some communities and memberships cannot be purchased, but only be granted. That is the case for the <a href="https://twitter.com/PlannerDAO/status/1479097169747529735">PlannerDAO certifications</a>.</li>
</ul>
<h1>How to airdrop NFT memberships</h1>
<h2>Using the Dashboard</h2>
We have created a comprehensive guide to <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/guides/how-to-airdrop-memberships/">airdropping NFTs</a> using Unlock Protocol using the Dashboard.
<a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/guides/how-to-airdrop-memberships/"><img src="/images/blog/airdrop-nft-memberships/airdrop-guide-image.png" alt="Airdrop"></a>
<h2>Using code</h2>
Of course, granting keys is possible through code! The <code>grantKeys</code> function on the lock can be called by any lock manager or key granter (<a href="https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/core-protocol/Public%20Lock/access-control">read more about the roles</a>). In order to reduce risks, we recommend using a dedicated <code>key granter</code> in your application so that if that account (or contract) was compromised, the attacker could "only" grant new keys (which could be cancelled by a lock manager too...).
Then, on your code you would call the <code>grantKeys</code> function](https://docs.unlock-protocol.com/core-protocol/smart-contracts-api/IPublicLockV10#grantkeys). This function can in fact be called to grant multiple keys to multiple users at once. There is a practical limit based on the block-size of each chain. You would call this function with 3 arrays of the same size:
<ol>
<li>the recipients</li>
<li>the expiration timestamps</li>
<li>the key managers</li>
</ol>
<hr>
Airdropping memberships is a very important part of the Unlock protocol because it enables not only multiples types of memberships, but also new ways of rewarding or incentivizing community members!
Updated: 9 January 2023


Looking back at everything that happened this year, 2021 will be remembered as the year Unlock Protocol really started to take off. This is a testament to our growing community, and if you’re reading this, it means you are part of it. Thank you!

Back in the global uncertainty of January 2021, it was difficult to predict exactly where we might land come December, or that everything would happen according to plan over the course of the year.

That said, key parts of our vision were clear. We wanted to continue on our mission to...

- Build an open protocol that is decentralized and permissionless
- Give the power back to creators, letting them design experiences to engage their members, on their own terms.

The fundamental item on our roadmap was also clear: we wanted to make Unlock Protocol more accessible to wider communities.

Here’s what happened in 2021.

**Winter-Spring 2021: Deliver improvements to help avoid high gas fees**

Back in March, we wrote [“Over the last few months, it became clear that purchasing memberships would often not be economically viable with gas fees costing up to $10 per transaction.”](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/xdai) Well, these were the good old times, right?

While gas fees have gone through the roof ever since, we wanted to lead the way when it comes to offering alternatives to our community.

So we started exploring “layer 2” options starting with xDAI support, which we released in March.

Our path did not stop there; we now support 5 networks: in addition to the Ethereum mainnet, we currently support xDAI, Polygon, Binance Smart Chain, and the layer 2 roll-up Optimism.

![five network logos](/images/blog/unlock-2021-review/5-network-logos.png)

And to make these network options easily available to both developers and end users early on, we released a [multichain paywall](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/multichain-support). It allows developers to choose which networks they want to make available while letting end users pick the one to use for payment. This is a way for the paywall application to connect to several locks at once, on different chains.

**Spring 2021: Provide more places for our community to come together**

Our next step was to set the building blocks of our community. We wanted to offer more places for developers, creators, and Unlock fans to connect and discuss their use of the protocol and their ideas to make it better.

We naturally opened the [Unlock Protocol Discord server](https://discord.unlock-protocol.com/). It’s now a gathering place for over 1,650 members (have you joined us yet?).

Joining our Discord is a special experience, as one gets to “unlock” the server to access the different channels. How? By grabbing a free NFT-membership through the Unlock checkout! And we’re proud to say that it was built by one of our community members: Patrick Gallagher. The bot powering this experience — [Swordy Bot](https://swordybot.com/) — allows any community to design membership experiences and token gate their Discord server.

![swordy bot](/images/blog/unlock-2021-review/swordybot.png)

In addition to the Discord server, we opened up [unlock.community](http://unlock.community) — our Discourse forum. This was built by another community member: Camille Besse. Similar to our Discord experience, members can “unlock” access to specific categories in the forum by getting a free membership using their crypto wallet. Want to add a lock to your Discourse forum? Read [Camille’s tutorial](https://unlock.community/t/unlock-discourse-plugin/64).

One of the most exciting capabilities of the Unlock Protocol is that community membership natively works cross-platform. By using the same lock across our Discord server and our Discourse forum, new Unlock members get access to both.

Unlock can power memberships that your community can use across all your platforms, everywhere on the web.

**Summer: Credit card support and a funding announcement**

While the Unlock checkout allows users to authenticate and purchase NFT memberships using their crypto wallet, we didn’t want people who don’t use crypto to be left out.

In July, we released credit card support, powered by Stripe, through which community members can [buy NFT memberships with their credit card](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/credit-card-nft). This means developers and creators can extend NFT memberships to users who don’t yet have a crypto wallet.

![credit card](/images/blog/unlock-2021-review/creditcard.png)

July was also when the EthCC Paris conference finally took place, after being postponed in 2020. [Did you know participants who purchased their EthCC ticket with a crypto wallet used Unlock](https://twitter.com/ethcc/status/1233397647794483200)? Other conferences like [Liscon](https://liscon.org/!) also use Unlock to sell NFT tickets and manage attendees, with endless capabilities to design various levels of membership experiences (via crypto or fiat, thanks to our credit card support).

Last but not least, we ended summer announcing a $4 million investment round from Betaworks, Cygni Labs, GMG Ventures (parent company of The Guardian), and Metacartel Ventures China, along with participation from early investors

**Fall: Airdrop, governance, and retroactive funding**

This fall was transformative for Unlock. Like any other protocol, we believe the protocol should belong to its community of users and adopters.

With this in mind, [we launched the Unlock DAO](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/unlock-dao) to give control and power to the developers, creators and users of Unlock Protocol. Anyone who has used Unlock Protocol, even only once, can earn governance tokens, as well as contribute and vote on proposals in order to collectively govern the protocol and its treasury.

In December, we went one step further with a **retro-active airdrop** to reward our earliest adopters. Anyone who has contributed to Unlock before September 1st 2021 is eligible to receive some UDT (if you haven't claimed your tokens yet, there is still time — head to [https://airdrop.unlock-protocol.com/](https://airdrop.unlock-protocol.com/?utm_campaign=Newsletters&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_aOsk5hRt7WI_GcRLSN-EpFLhEfoVNux99uCbPl8hF5Mo7zPEyE0F6fzNaJIdKmHSBgtFM)).

But more importantly, in order to claim their tokens, we're inviting airdrop recipients to delegate them to the address of their choice. Why? Our goal is to make sure that all new tokens claimed are accounted for when it comes to governance, while ensuring active participation in the Unlock DAO.

In December, we also released an all-new update to our [Unlock Protocol WordPress plugin](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/unlock-protocol-wordpress-plugin), bringing web3 to the 43% of the web that uses WordPress.

![wordpress](/images/blog/unlock-2021-review/wordpress.jpeg)

Last but not least, to reward the most active implementers and community members of Unlock, we have launched our first monthly retroactive funding campaign in December 2021.

We wanted the process to be decentralized and open. Here is how it works: Unlock is allocating 100 UDT each month to the community, and we’re letting the community nominate individuals they feel had the biggest impact on the protocol in the previous month, and therefore vote for who should get a share of the 100 UDT.

In our first retroactive campaign, [the community chose to reward 7 of its members](https://unlock.community/t/retroactive-funding-november-2021/199/11) via quadratic voting on Snapshot.

**Throughout the year: What makes us the most excited? The 35+ Grantees building with Unlock**

Aside from all the milestones described above, one of our most exciting projects of 2021 was certainly the launch of the [Unlock Token Grant Program](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/token-grant-program)!

The goal of the program is to enable developers and creators to make Unlock more accessible to wider communities. Grantees are selected every month by a decentralized Grant Committee composed of Unlock advisors, investors and past grantees. Grantees are awarded UDT tokens after their project is launched and shared publicly.

To date, five cohorts of Grantees have already been selected, making it a total of 37 Grantees building with Unlock! A small sample of the projects includes:

- A [Decentraland integration](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/decentraland) that allows anyone to create unique in-world NFT memberships.
- A [Firebase integration](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/firebase-integration) that brings the power of Unlock to developers building Google apps.
- [An embed of the Unlock checkout in Mintgate](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/mintgate) (the low code token gated content platform) which allows creators to easily gate access to videos and other content while their fans can simply purchase access in crypto or fiat.

![decentraland](/images/blog/unlock-2021-review/decentraland.png)

We’re amazed at seeing our community of Grantees create game-changing use cases for Unlock, creating documentation or helping extend the reach of the protocol. [Want to see what Grantees are building? Head over to the Unlock Showcase](https://www.unlockshowcase.com/). Created by Cohort 1 Grantee Kalidou Diagne, the showcase features a gallery of all projects built using Unlock Protocol.

We’re always on the lookout for new Grant applications. Want to join our token grant Program? [You can submit your project here](https://share.hsforms.com/1gAdLgNOESNCWJ9bJxCUAMwbvg22).

**2022: We’re so glad we’re on this journey with you**

2022 is around the corner and we want to open it up to you.

Where should we go next? What can we improve? How can we help you?

Write to us at hello@unlock-protocol.com and let’s get in touch.


2021 was a transformative year for Unlock Protocol with a new community DAO, support across multiple networks, $4M in new funding, and more.

A new DAO, new network support, new funding, and more

Unlock Protocol Year in Review 2021

Looking back at everything that happened this year, 2021 will be remembered as the year Unlock Protocol really started to take off. This is a testament to our growing community, and if you’re reading this, it means you are part of it. Thank you!
Back in the global uncertainty of January 2021, it was difficult to predict exactly where we might land come December, or that everything would happen according to plan over the course of the year.
That said, key parts of our vision were clear. We wanted to continue on our mission to...
<ul>
<li>Build an open protocol that is decentralized and permissionless</li>
<li>Give the power back to creators, letting them design experiences to engage their members, on their own terms.</li>
</ul>
The fundamental item on our roadmap was also clear: we wanted to make Unlock Protocol more accessible to wider communities.
Here’s what happened in 2021.
Winter-Spring 2021: Deliver improvements to help avoid high gas fees
Back in March, we wrote <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/xdai">“Over the last few months, it became clear that purchasing memberships would often not be economically viable with gas fees costing up to $10 per transaction.”</a> Well, these were the good old times, right?
While gas fees have gone through the roof ever since, we wanted to lead the way when it comes to offering alternatives to our community.
So we started exploring “layer 2” options starting with xDAI support, which we released in March.
Our path did not stop there; we now support 5 networks: in addition to the Ethereum mainnet, we currently support xDAI, Polygon, Binance Smart Chain, and the layer 2 roll-up Optimism.
<img src="/images/blog/unlock-2021-review/5-network-logos.png" alt="five network logos">
And to make these network options easily available to both developers and end users early on, we released a <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/multichain-support">multichain paywall</a>. It allows developers to choose which networks they want to make available while letting end users pick the one to use for payment. This is a way for the paywall application to connect to several locks at once, on different chains.
Spring 2021: Provide more places for our community to come together
Our next step was to set the building blocks of our community. We wanted to offer more places for developers, creators, and Unlock fans to connect and discuss their use of the protocol and their ideas to make it better.
We naturally opened the <a href="https://discord.unlock-protocol.com/">Unlock Protocol Discord server</a>. It’s now a gathering place for over 1,650 members (have you joined us yet?).
Joining our Discord is a special experience, as one gets to “unlock” the server to access the different channels. How? By grabbing a free NFT-membership through the Unlock checkout! And we’re proud to say that it was built by one of our community members: Patrick Gallagher. The bot powering this experience — <a href="https://swordybot.com/">Swordy Bot</a> — allows any community to design membership experiences and token gate their Discord server.
<img src="/images/blog/unlock-2021-review/swordybot.png" alt="swordy bot">
In addition to the Discord server, we opened up <a href="http://unlock.community">unlock.community</a> — our Discourse forum. This was built by another community member: Camille Besse. Similar to our Discord experience, members can “unlock” access to specific categories in the forum by getting a free membership using their crypto wallet. Want to add a lock to your Discourse forum? Read <a href="https://unlock.community/t/unlock-discourse-plugin/64">Camille’s tutorial</a>.
One of the most exciting capabilities of the Unlock Protocol is that community membership natively works cross-platform. By using the same lock across our Discord server and our Discourse forum, new Unlock members get access to both.
Unlock can power memberships that your community can use across all your platforms, everywhere on the web.
Summer: Credit card support and a funding announcement
While the Unlock checkout allows users to authenticate and purchase NFT memberships using their crypto wallet, we didn’t want people who don’t use crypto to be left out.
In July, we released credit card support, powered by Stripe, through which community members can <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/credit-card-nft">buy NFT memberships with their credit card</a>. This means developers and creators can extend NFT memberships to users who don’t yet have a crypto wallet.
<img src="/images/blog/unlock-2021-review/creditcard.png" alt="credit card">
July was also when the EthCC Paris conference finally took place, after being postponed in 2020. <a href="https://twitter.com/ethcc/status/1233397647794483200">Did you know participants who purchased their EthCC ticket with a crypto wallet used Unlock</a>? Other conferences like <a href="https://liscon.org/!">Liscon</a> also use Unlock to sell NFT tickets and manage attendees, with endless capabilities to design various levels of membership experiences (via crypto or fiat, thanks to our credit card support).
Last but not least, we ended summer announcing a $4 million investment round from Betaworks, Cygni Labs, GMG Ventures (parent company of The Guardian), and Metacartel Ventures China, along with participation from early investors
Fall: Airdrop, governance, and retroactive funding
This fall was transformative for Unlock. Like any other protocol, we believe the protocol should belong to its community of users and adopters.
With this in mind, <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/unlock-dao">we launched the Unlock DAO</a> to give control and power to the developers, creators and users of Unlock Protocol. Anyone who has used Unlock Protocol, even only once, can earn governance tokens, as well as contribute and vote on proposals in order to collectively govern the protocol and its treasury.
In December, we went one step further with a retro-active airdrop to reward our earliest adopters. Anyone who has contributed to Unlock before September 1st 2021 is eligible to receive some UDT (if you haven't claimed your tokens yet, there is still time — head to <a href="https://airdrop.unlock-protocol.com/?utm_campaign=Newsletters&#x26;utm_source=hs_email&#x26;utm_medium=email&#x26;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_aOsk5hRt7WI_GcRLSN-EpFLhEfoVNux99uCbPl8hF5Mo7zPEyE0F6fzNaJIdKmHSBgtFM">https://airdrop.unlock-protocol.com/</a>).
But more importantly, in order to claim their tokens, we're inviting airdrop recipients to delegate them to the address of their choice. Why? Our goal is to make sure that all new tokens claimed are accounted for when it comes to governance, while ensuring active participation in the Unlock DAO.
In December, we also released an all-new update to our <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/unlock-protocol-wordpress-plugin">Unlock Protocol WordPress plugin</a>, bringing web3 to the 43% of the web that uses WordPress.
<img src="/images/blog/unlock-2021-review/wordpress.jpeg" alt="wordpress">
Last but not least, to reward the most active implementers and community members of Unlock, we have launched our first monthly retroactive funding campaign in December 2021.
We wanted the process to be decentralized and open. Here is how it works: Unlock is allocating 100 UDT each month to the community, and we’re letting the community nominate individuals they feel had the biggest impact on the protocol in the previous month, and therefore vote for who should get a share of the 100 UDT.
In our first retroactive campaign, <a href="https://unlock.community/t/retroactive-funding-november-2021/199/11">the community chose to reward 7 of its members</a> via quadratic voting on Snapshot.
Throughout the year: What makes us the most excited? The 35+ Grantees building with Unlock
Aside from all the milestones described above, one of our most exciting projects of 2021 was certainly the launch of the <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/token-grant-program">Unlock Token Grant Program</a>!
The goal of the program is to enable developers and creators to make Unlock more accessible to wider communities. Grantees are selected every month by a decentralized Grant Committee composed of Unlock advisors, investors and past grantees. Grantees are awarded UDT tokens after their project is launched and shared publicly.
To date, five cohorts of Grantees have already been selected, making it a total of 37 Grantees building with Unlock! A small sample of the projects includes:
<ul>
<li>A <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/decentraland">Decentraland integration</a> that allows anyone to create unique in-world NFT memberships.</li>
<li>A <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/firebase-integration">Firebase integration</a> that brings the power of Unlock to developers building Google apps.</li>
<li><a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/mintgate">An embed of the Unlock checkout in Mintgate</a> (the low code token gated content platform) which allows creators to easily gate access to videos and other content while their fans can simply purchase access in crypto or fiat.</li>
</ul>
<img src="/images/blog/unlock-2021-review/decentraland.png" alt="decentraland">
We’re amazed at seeing our community of Grantees create game-changing use cases for Unlock, creating documentation or helping extend the reach of the protocol. <a href="https://www.unlockshowcase.com/">Want to see what Grantees are building? Head over to the Unlock Showcase</a>. Created by Cohort 1 Grantee Kalidou Diagne, the showcase features a gallery of all projects built using Unlock Protocol.
We’re always on the lookout for new Grant applications. Want to join our token grant Program? <a href="https://share.hsforms.com/1gAdLgNOESNCWJ9bJxCUAMwbvg22">You can submit your project here</a>.
2022: We’re so glad we’re on this journey with you
2022 is around the corner and we want to open it up to you.
Where should we go next? What can we improve? How can we help you?
Write to us at hello@unlock-protocol.com and let’s get in touch.