There are many kinds of memberships. Going back to the origins of the internet, newsletters have always been a popular style of membership. Today, we're excited to show you how you can easily use a lock to create your own newsletter membership with Unlock!

# The Defiant

A couple of weeks ago, while at DevCon in Osaka, I was introduced to [Camila](https://twitter.com/camirusso) who publishes one of the most insightful newsletters about the DeFi movement. When I told her about Unlock and the fact that we [tokenize memberships](/blog/tokenizing-memberships/), we quickly agreed that she needed to provide the ability to join her mailing list using crypto.

Today, that's possible! You can [become a member of The Defiant](https://bit.ly/the-defiant) using DAI. If you join quickly, you can become an [OG member](https://etherscan.io/address/0xFA7001A0310B5E69B7b95B72aeBaA66C72E084bf) (limited to 100 members) for 70 DAI. If you miss the OG perk, you can still join her [regular membership](https://etherscan.io/address/0x43154efc9cb33c80833c0dec1e15bb9cfc1275e5) for the next year, at 100 DAI!

Of course, like any other key, The Defiant membership keys are Non Fungible Tokens and your favorite crypto wallet should show them. For example, here's my [OG membership on OpenSea](https://opensea.io/assets/0xFA7001A0310B5E69B7b95B72aeBaA66C72E084bf/1).

# How It Works

First, the creator deploys their own lock on the Ethereum chain. Once you are on the newsletter landing page, you can enter your email address. As you submit, the address is saved inside the metadata of your token.

After this, you can select which of the memberships (if there is more than one) you want to join. Your crypto wallet of choice will let you perform the transaction, including approving the ERC20 token transfer.

After this, the access key will be attached to your account, and you can use Unlock's keychain to view it.

One of the unique characteristics of our approach is that, exactly like [tickets to conferences](/blog/ethcc-tickets/), the email address is in fact stored in the tokens' metadata. This means that the owner of the lock can easily list all of the members email addresses!

# Get your own!

Want to send emails to your own members? Start by creating your own lock. It's a representation of a membership. Pick a currency, a price, a maximum number of members... and deploy it!

Then, things become a little bit more technical, but here is how to collect email addresses from your members:

1. Start with `https://newsletter.unlock-protocol.com/`

2. Add a title by appending `?title=Your Title`

3. Then, add a description like `&description=My Newsletter`

4. Finally, add one or more locks like these: `&locks=<lock-address>`

After this, you can share the URL with anyone who you think should become a member!

Later, once you want to email your users, just click on the `Members` icon on the lock in your dashboard. Once on that page, authenticate using your crypto wallet and you will see a list of members, along with their email addresses.

![Newsletter Members](/images/blog/introducing-newsletter/defiant-members.png)

As you can see the members page includes an export button which lets you download a CSV file. This file can then be imported in your email sending tool of choice!

Unlock lets you easily collect email addresses from members to create your own paid-for mailing list, using Ethereum and Non Fungible Tokens

Newsletters are memberships! Easily start collecting members with their email addresses using Unlock

Newsletters

There are many kinds of memberships. Going back to the origins of the internet, newsletters have always been a popular style of membership. Today, we're excited to show you how you can easily use a lock to create your own newsletter membership with Unlock!
<h1>The Defiant</h1>
A couple of weeks ago, while at DevCon in Osaka, I was introduced to <a href="https://twitter.com/camirusso">Camila</a> who publishes one of the most insightful newsletters about the DeFi movement. When I told her about Unlock and the fact that we <a href="/blog/tokenizing-memberships/">tokenize memberships</a>, we quickly agreed that she needed to provide the ability to join her mailing list using crypto.
Today, that's possible! You can <a href="https://bit.ly/the-defiant">become a member of The Defiant</a> using DAI. If you join quickly, you can become an <a href="https://etherscan.io/address/0xFA7001A0310B5E69B7b95B72aeBaA66C72E084bf">OG member</a> (limited to 100 members) for 70 DAI. If you miss the OG perk, you can still join her <a href="https://etherscan.io/address/0x43154efc9cb33c80833c0dec1e15bb9cfc1275e5">regular membership</a> for the next year, at 100 DAI!
Of course, like any other key, The Defiant membership keys are Non Fungible Tokens and your favorite crypto wallet should show them. For example, here's my <a href="https://opensea.io/assets/0xFA7001A0310B5E69B7b95B72aeBaA66C72E084bf/1">OG membership on OpenSea</a>.
<h1>How It Works</h1>
First, the creator deploys their own lock on the Ethereum chain. Once you are on the newsletter landing page, you can enter your email address. As you submit, the address is saved inside the metadata of your token.
After this, you can select which of the memberships (if there is more than one) you want to join. Your crypto wallet of choice will let you perform the transaction, including approving the ERC20 token transfer.
After this, the access key will be attached to your account, and you can use Unlock's keychain to view it.
One of the unique characteristics of our approach is that, exactly like <a href="/blog/ethcc-tickets/">tickets to conferences</a>, the email address is in fact stored in the tokens' metadata. This means that the owner of the lock can easily list all of the members email addresses!
<h1>Get your own!</h1>
Want to send emails to your own members? Start by creating your own lock. It's a representation of a membership. Pick a currency, a price, a maximum number of members... and deploy it!
Then, things become a little bit more technical, but here is how to collect email addresses from your members:
<ol>
<li>
Start with <code>https://newsletter.unlock-protocol.com/</code>
</li>
<li>
Add a title by appending <code>?title=Your Title</code>
</li>
<li>
Then, add a description like <code>&#x26;description=My Newsletter</code>
</li>
<li>
Finally, add one or more locks like these: <code>&#x26;locks=&#x3C;lock-address></code>
</li>
</ol>
After this, you can share the URL with anyone who you think should become a member!
Later, once you want to email your users, just click on the <code>Members</code> icon on the lock in your dashboard. Once on that page, authenticate using your crypto wallet and you will see a list of members, along with their email addresses.
<img src="/images/blog/introducing-newsletter/defiant-members.png" alt="Newsletter Members">
As you can see the members page includes an export button which lets you download a CSV file. This file can then be imported in your email sending tool of choice!

We are very proud and excited to announce that the [Ethereum Community Conference](https://ethcc.io/) is using Unlock to sell crypto tickets!

The Ethereum Community Conference is the largest annual European Ethereum event focused on technology and community. It is organized by the great Ethereum France 🇫🇷 team and 2020's edition will be held between March 3rd and 5th!

[![Get Ticket](/images/blog/ethcc/ticket.png)](https://ethcc.io/buy-tickets.html)

Like all other locks, the [ETHCC 2020 lock](https://etherscan.io/address/0x7fe9143379a59329afd7d25e52696a6f1db28d36) implements the ERC721 specification, which means that all tickets are Non Fungible Tokens! When we spoke with Marc and Bettina they told us that they needed to be able to collect attendees' information (email...) and we embarked on a crazy idea: storing that information inside of the NFT itself, as metadata!

If you decide to purchase your ticket using crypto (you should!), their website will prompt you for your full name, email and phone number. If you submit that information, your web3 browser of choice will prompt you to sign it: it is then saved in a way that only the lock owner (the EthCC team) will be able to read.

After that, you will receive the NFT by approving the DAI transfer, and the make the actual purchase.

Once the purchase transaction is final, like any other token, the token has its own metadata (image, name, description... ). Here is the metadata for [my ticket to EthCC](https://locksmith.unlock-protocol.com/api/key/0x7fe9143379a59329afd7d25e52696a6f1db28d36/1):

```
{
 "name": "Unlock Key",
 "description": "A Key to an Unlock lock. Unlock is a protocol for memberships. https://unlock-protocol.com/",
 "image": "http://locksmith.unlock-protocol.com/lock/0x7FE9143379a59329AfD7D25E52696A6F1Db28D36/icon",
 "attributes": [
 {
 "trait_type": "Expiration",
 "value": 1603993566,
 "display_type": "date"
 }
 ],
 "userMetadata": {}
}
```

As you can see, there is a field called `userMetadata`. By default, unless the call is authenticated, it is left empty... because this data is not public! However, if the metadata was retrieved by the EthCC team, then it would show the information I saved during the key purchase.

![Attendee List](/images/blog/ethcc/attendee-list.png)

Thanks to this feature, the EthCC team can easily list all attendees and their information, by just listing the key owners and their respective metadata. They can also export that list as CSV ;)

Additionally, when I check in with a QR code on March 3rd, the EthCC team will be able to instantly see all of the metadata linked to my ticket!

After [EthWaterloo](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/ethwaterloo-tickets/), we're more and more excited about being able to provide our ticketing solution to more and more Ethereum events around the world. We believe that with our support for credit card purchases and the ability to collect attendee information, Unlock's tickets are now comparable to non-crypto based solutions, yet, decentralized!

The largest annual European Ethereum event focused on technology and community is using Unlock for its tickets!

Conference Tickets are short term memberships!

EthCC Tickets

We are very proud and excited to announce that the <a href="https://ethcc.io/">Ethereum Community Conference</a> is using Unlock to sell crypto tickets!
The Ethereum Community Conference is the largest annual European Ethereum event focused on technology and community. It is organized by the great Ethereum France 🇫🇷 team and 2020's edition will be held between March 3rd and 5th!
<a href="https://ethcc.io/buy-tickets.html"><img src="/images/blog/ethcc/ticket.png" alt="Get Ticket"></a>
Like all other locks, the <a href="https://etherscan.io/address/0x7fe9143379a59329afd7d25e52696a6f1db28d36">ETHCC 2020 lock</a> implements the ERC721 specification, which means that all tickets are Non Fungible Tokens! When we spoke with Marc and Bettina they told us that they needed to be able to collect attendees' information (email...) and we embarked on a crazy idea: storing that information inside of the NFT itself, as metadata!
If you decide to purchase your ticket using crypto (you should!), their website will prompt you for your full name, email and phone number. If you submit that information, your web3 browser of choice will prompt you to sign it: it is then saved in a way that only the lock owner (the EthCC team) will be able to read.
After that, you will receive the NFT by approving the DAI transfer, and the make the actual purchase.
Once the purchase transaction is final, like any other token, the token has its own metadata (image, name, description... ). Here is the metadata for <a href="https://locksmith.unlock-protocol.com/api/key/0x7fe9143379a59329afd7d25e52696a6f1db28d36/1">my ticket to EthCC</a>:
<pre><code>{
 "name": "Unlock Key",
 "description": "A Key to an Unlock lock. Unlock is a protocol for memberships. https://unlock-protocol.com/",
 "image": "http://locksmith.unlock-protocol.com/lock/0x7FE9143379a59329AfD7D25E52696A6F1Db28D36/icon",
 "attributes": [
 {
 "trait_type": "Expiration",
 "value": 1603993566,
 "display_type": "date"
 }
 ],
 "userMetadata": {}
}
</code></pre>
As you can see, there is a field called <code>userMetadata</code>. By default, unless the call is authenticated, it is left empty... because this data is not public! However, if the metadata was retrieved by the EthCC team, then it would show the information I saved during the key purchase.
<img src="/images/blog/ethcc/attendee-list.png" alt="Attendee List">
Thanks to this feature, the EthCC team can easily list all attendees and their information, by just listing the key owners and their respective metadata. They can also export that list as CSV ;)
Additionally, when I check in with a QR code on March 3rd, the EthCC team will be able to instantly see all of the metadata linked to my ticket!
After <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/ethwaterloo-tickets/">EthWaterloo</a>, we're more and more excited about being able to provide our ticketing solution to more and more Ethereum events around the world. We believe that with our support for credit card purchases and the ability to collect attendee information, Unlock's tickets are now comparable to non-crypto based solutions, yet, decentralized!


Documentation is important as it allows thoughts and ideas to scale outside of its original context.
Being an open source project with hopes that people will find value in our work; we recoginze the amount of impact having compentent documenation can having towards helping other to reach their goals.

As a starting point, we have begun by outlining the quickest way to get started with the project, and some highlevel info about the project's components.

We have also made a commitment to the following documentation strategy:

1. End-user facing features require documentation to be considered shippable.
2. Components intended to be used or extended by developers require documentation to be considered shippable.

While it is a work in progress, you can find our current documentation [here](https://docs.unlock-protocol.com).


Helping people get started with Unlock.

Shipping Documentation

Documentation is important as it allows thoughts and ideas to scale outside of its original context.
Being an open source project with hopes that people will find value in our work; we recoginze the amount of impact having compentent documenation can having towards helping other to reach their goals.
As a starting point, we have begun by outlining the quickest way to get started with the project, and some highlevel info about the project's components.
We have also made a commitment to the following documentation strategy:
<ol>
<li>End-user facing features require documentation to be considered shippable.</li>
<li>Components intended to be used or extended by developers require documentation to be considered shippable.</li>
</ol>
While it is a work in progress, you can find our current documentation <a href="https://docs.unlock-protocol.com">here</a>.

The Unlock team spent the week-end in Waterloo, Canada [hacking on Ethereum](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/ethwaterloo-tickets/).

I worked on building a "member wall", which is just a way to show the list of members for any given lock, as an image.

# What does it really do?

It's a very simple application which generates a large SVG image which lists all members of a key. For example, here is the list of [participants to the EthWaterloo hackathon](https://member-wall.unlock-protocol.com/api/members?locks=0xb0ad425ca5792dd4c4af9177c636e5b0e6c317bf&maxHeight=300), or the list of people who supported Evan Van Ness' [Week In Ethereum anniversary edition](https://member-wall.unlock-protocol.com/api/members?locks=0x79C91241eFf1F119CDf743730f6e6fB2aF7Fb279&maxHeight=300)!

The great thing about using images is that they can be embedded on almost any webpage. For example, below is the list of all members to our lock and that image is dynamically refreshed when new members are added!

<object data="https://member-wall.unlock-protocol.com/api/members?network=137&locks=0xb77030a7e47a5eb942a4748000125e70be598632&maxHeight=300" type="image/svg+xml"/>

Each of the members is clickable and will link to the corresponding page on [Etherscan](https://etherscan.io/)!

# How does it work?

Member Wall is a serverless application running a [NextJS](https://nextjs.org/) application on [Zeit](https://zeit.co/)'s infrastructure.

For each query, the application gets the list of members for one or more locks, by using [the Unlock Graph Protocol sub-graph](https://thegraph.com/explorer/subgraph/unlock-protocol/unlock).

From there, we use [React](https://reactjs.org/) to generate a SVG image. This image is made of individual SVG images for each icon which reproduce [MetaMask](https://metamask.io/)'s Jazzicons.

The wall's size is "fixed" but can be customized and the size of each member is based on the number of members. Here's the list of our blog's members on a 30px height!

![Members](https://member-wall.unlock-protocol.com/api/members?network=137&locks=0xb77030a7e47a5eb942a4748000125e70be598632&maxHeight=30)

Of couse, this is all [completely open source](https://github.com/unlock-protocol/member-wall), so you could easily run that on your own server, or maybe even host it on IPFS?

# Embedding!

One of the benfits of decoupling the membership from the platform itself means that this can actually be embedded on any website. For example, we added this list of members to [our Github page](https://github.com/unlock-protocol/unlock/), so that everyone who makes a donation is instantly shown on the README, as soon as the transaction gets mined!

Where would you embed your members wall?

Showing a list of members has never been easier!

Member Wall

The Unlock team spent the week-end in Waterloo, Canada <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/ethwaterloo-tickets/">hacking on Ethereum</a>.
I worked on building a "member wall", which is just a way to show the list of members for any given lock, as an image.
<h1>What does it really do?</h1>
It's a very simple application which generates a large SVG image which lists all members of a key. For example, here is the list of <a href="https://member-wall.unlock-protocol.com/api/members?locks=0xb0ad425ca5792dd4c4af9177c636e5b0e6c317bf&#x26;maxHeight=300">participants to the EthWaterloo hackathon</a>, or the list of people who supported Evan Van Ness' <a href="https://member-wall.unlock-protocol.com/api/members?locks=0x79C91241eFf1F119CDf743730f6e6fB2aF7Fb279&#x26;maxHeight=300">Week In Ethereum anniversary edition</a>!
The great thing about using images is that they can be embedded on almost any webpage. For example, below is the list of all members to our lock and that image is dynamically refreshed when new members are added!
<object data="https://member-wall.unlock-protocol.com/api/members?network=137&locks=0xb77030a7e47a5eb942a4748000125e70be598632&maxHeight=300" type="image/svg+xml"/>
Each of the members is clickable and will link to the corresponding page on <a href="https://etherscan.io/">Etherscan</a>!
<h1>How does it work?</h1>
Member Wall is a serverless application running a <a href="https://nextjs.org/">NextJS</a> application on <a href="https://zeit.co/">Zeit</a>'s infrastructure.
For each query, the application gets the list of members for one or more locks, by using <a href="https://thegraph.com/explorer/subgraph/unlock-protocol/unlock">the Unlock Graph Protocol sub-graph</a>.
From there, we use <a href="https://reactjs.org/">React</a> to generate a SVG image. This image is made of individual SVG images for each icon which reproduce <a href="https://metamask.io/">MetaMask</a>'s Jazzicons.
The wall's size is "fixed" but can be customized and the size of each member is based on the number of members. Here's the list of our blog's members on a 30px height!
<img src="https://member-wall.unlock-protocol.com/api/members?network=137&#x26;locks=0xb77030a7e47a5eb942a4748000125e70be598632&#x26;maxHeight=30" alt="Members">
Of couse, this is all <a href="https://github.com/unlock-protocol/member-wall">completely open source</a>, so you could easily run that on your own server, or maybe even host it on IPFS?
<h1>Embedding!</h1>
One of the benfits of decoupling the membership from the platform itself means that this can actually be embedded on any website. For example, we added this list of members to <a href="https://github.com/unlock-protocol/unlock/">our Github page</a>, so that everyone who makes a donation is instantly shown on the README, as soon as the transaction gets mined!
Where would you embed your members wall?


![Eject Unlock Account](/images/blog/ejecting-account/ejecting.jpg)

A couple of weeks ago, we introduced the [Unlock User Accounts](/blog/unlock-user-accounts). These accounts behave exactly like any other web account, with an email and password. Yet, under the hood, they're actually powerful Ethereum wallets with a private key which can be used to send transactions, receive funds, or interact directly with any smart contract.

In the Ethereum world, an account is identified by a pair of cryptographic keys. The public key, also known as the user's address, is a way to **identify** someone, while the private key is used to **authenticate** that user. The cryptographic keys are "self-sovereign" which means that they do not require any 3rd party to be created, or to be used, unlike a regular account on a web applications, which requires this web application to exist. This is a very powerful mechanism which guarantees a permissionless usage.

Unfortunately, this comes with a set of disadvantages. First: these keys are nearly impossible to remember, or even read and type! Their permissionlessness aspect also means that if someone forgets (or loses) them, no-one can help them... and they may be locked out of their account forever. Since the web was not built with such a system at its core, our muscle memory is not built around these concepts, which means that they're intimidating and foreign, but also require the use of tools that we're not familiar with, such as crypto wallets or browser extensions.

Our user accounts are built as a convenience layer wrapped around Ethereum accounts. Users can create an account with just an email and password, like we're all used to, but they can also take over the internal Ethereum account when they're ready to level up. We call that process "ejecting"!

## How to eject your Unlock account

Head over to [your settings page](https://app.unlock-protocol.com/settings/). The relevant section is the last one. It's important to read the warnings as is a one way street: there is no going back. Once an account has been ejected, it's deleted from Unlock's servers and cannot be recovered anymore.

If you're ready, follow the instruction and download your private key. It's encrypted using your Unlock account password. If you kept that password secret, the file itself is fairly harmless, but don't lose it!

Next, you need to install a web3 wallet. The most popular is [MetaMask](https://metamask.io/) and it works on Firefox or Chrome as well as on mobile devices. We'll take this one as an example, but you could also use [MyCrypto](https://mycrypto.com/) or several other ones.

Once you've installed MetaMask, choose a password to secure the extension. After this, click on the circle which represents your address. In the menu, select _Import Account_. Select the JSON file, and type your Unlock account's password. Submit the form and you'll be done!

![Metamask Menu](/images/blog/ejecting-account/import.jpg)

At Unlock, we deeply believe that each web user should _own and manage_ their account in a decentralized way. We understand that this is a significant change from what we've been used to on the web, which is why we're providing user accounts, however, our hope is that every Unlock user eventually ejects!


Unlock accounts are regular Ethereum accounts. You can easily take it over and use it with your own web3 wallet!

Graduating with grace!

Ejecting an Unlock Account

<img src="/images/blog/ejecting-account/ejecting.jpg" alt="Eject Unlock Account">
A couple of weeks ago, we introduced the <a href="/blog/unlock-user-accounts">Unlock User Accounts</a>. These accounts behave exactly like any other web account, with an email and password. Yet, under the hood, they're actually powerful Ethereum wallets with a private key which can be used to send transactions, receive funds, or interact directly with any smart contract.
In the Ethereum world, an account is identified by a pair of cryptographic keys. The public key, also known as the user's address, is a way to identify someone, while the private key is used to authenticate that user. The cryptographic keys are "self-sovereign" which means that they do not require any 3rd party to be created, or to be used, unlike a regular account on a web applications, which requires this web application to exist. This is a very powerful mechanism which guarantees a permissionless usage.
Unfortunately, this comes with a set of disadvantages. First: these keys are nearly impossible to remember, or even read and type! Their permissionlessness aspect also means that if someone forgets (or loses) them, no-one can help them... and they may be locked out of their account forever. Since the web was not built with such a system at its core, our muscle memory is not built around these concepts, which means that they're intimidating and foreign, but also require the use of tools that we're not familiar with, such as crypto wallets or browser extensions.
Our user accounts are built as a convenience layer wrapped around Ethereum accounts. Users can create an account with just an email and password, like we're all used to, but they can also take over the internal Ethereum account when they're ready to level up. We call that process "ejecting"!
<h2>How to eject your Unlock account</h2>
Head over to <a href="https://app.unlock-protocol.com/settings/">your settings page</a>. The relevant section is the last one. It's important to read the warnings as is a one way street: there is no going back. Once an account has been ejected, it's deleted from Unlock's servers and cannot be recovered anymore.
If you're ready, follow the instruction and download your private key. It's encrypted using your Unlock account password. If you kept that password secret, the file itself is fairly harmless, but don't lose it!
Next, you need to install a web3 wallet. The most popular is <a href="https://metamask.io/">MetaMask</a> and it works on Firefox or Chrome as well as on mobile devices. We'll take this one as an example, but you could also use <a href="https://mycrypto.com/">MyCrypto</a> or several other ones.
Once you've installed MetaMask, choose a password to secure the extension. After this, click on the circle which represents your address. In the menu, select Import Account. Select the JSON file, and type your Unlock account's password. Submit the form and you'll be done!
<img src="/images/blog/ejecting-account/import.jpg" alt="Metamask Menu">
At Unlock, we deeply believe that each web user should own and manage their account in a decentralized way. We understand that this is a significant change from what we've been used to on the web, which is why we're providing user accounts, however, our hope is that every Unlock user eventually ejects!

![Ideas to hack on](/images/blog/hackathon-ideas/hero.jpg)

We’re going to be at ETHWaterloo over the first November weekend and we thought it would be fun to give participants some inspiration into what they could do with Unlock. Obviously we’re open to all ideas and we’d love to hear about them – the ones below feel free to steal, borrow, change or just be inspired about what's possible. If you need any design help, to mockup complex flow, icons, logos or have UX challenges feel free to find me (Sascha) – I’m happy to help.

- **Play with the Pros** 
 If you’re a pro gamer you have lots of fans that want to access to the game that you’re in. Working with Fortnite’s Custom Matchmaking capabilities create a way that will only allow fans who have bought a key join the game that you’re in.

- **GitHub Supporters** 
 Automatically create an images of everyones profile pic/name/etc that is a supporter (and has a key) to show on Github README pages! [More on that here](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/unlock-donations/).

- **Ad Free Podcast** 
 Create a tool that lets members and key owners listen to podcasts without the ads by defining start and duration points of the ad in the audio file (and omitting it for members). Non-members can still listen but get the ads.

- **Lock Leaderboard** 
 List locks with the most keys sold, most revenue, newest, etc. Could this be done thru Graph Protocol queries? Could become a great way to discover new content.

- **Lock Bundling Idea** 
 Lock bundling is a powerful tool to give key holders access to multiple publications or content types. Creating a permissionless multi publication revenue distribution would be very powerful. Or a simple way for creators to use each others locks so that members of one publication can get access to another publication.

- **Member Share** 
 Find a way to allow members to share one article thats behind a lock/paywall with a non-member.

- **Member Only Chat** 
 Create an [app for rocket.chat](https://rocket.chat/docs/developer-guides/developing-apps/#what-is-a-rocketchat-app) (or telegram, slack, discord) that only allows paying members access to the chat or specific rooms. This could also be a bot that checks whether someone owns a key in a channel/room/group before allowing them to post or attend.

- **Gaming Prize Pools** 
 Locks are created for each gaming event, with users staking ETH, DAI, etc. to get a key in order to join the game. The winner of the game gets all the funds on the lock.

- **WordPress** 
 Extend the functionality of our [WordPress plugin](https://github.com/unlock-protocol/unlock-wordpress-plugin,). More on [our blog](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/wordpress-plugin/) and in the [GitHub repo](https://wordpress.org/plugins/unlock-protocol/).

- **Video Subscription** 
 Create a way to lock individual videos or playlists from youtube or vimeo. Videos could play a preview of a few seconds or only start after unlocking.

- **Shopify Discounts** 
 Give people who have keys to a certain lock access to discounts in your shop.

- **Early Access** 
 A service that lets members get early access to certain perks, like limited edition sneakers or concert tickets. For example fans could have a key for first dibs or ETHWaterloo participants get to buy tickets first for the next hackathon.

We've put together a bunch of ideas for cool and fun projects that could be hacked on. Take the ideas, run with them, be inspired or do something completely different.

Fun and useful ideas using the Unlock protocol.

Unlock Hackathon Ideas

<img src="/images/blog/hackathon-ideas/hero.jpg" alt="Ideas to hack on">
We’re going to be at ETHWaterloo over the first November weekend and we thought it would be fun to give participants some inspiration into what they could do with Unlock. Obviously we’re open to all ideas and we’d love to hear about them – the ones below feel free to steal, borrow, change or just be inspired about what's possible. If you need any design help, to mockup complex flow, icons, logos or have UX challenges feel free to find me (Sascha) – I’m happy to help.
<ul>
<li>
Play with the Pros 
If you’re a pro gamer you have lots of fans that want to access to the game that you’re in. Working with Fortnite’s Custom Matchmaking capabilities create a way that will only allow fans who have bought a key join the game that you’re in.
</li>
<li>
GitHub Supporters 
Automatically create an images of everyones profile pic/name/etc that is a supporter (and has a key) to show on Github README pages! <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/unlock-donations/">More on that here</a>.
</li>
<li>
Ad Free Podcast 
Create a tool that lets members and key owners listen to podcasts without the ads by defining start and duration points of the ad in the audio file (and omitting it for members). Non-members can still listen but get the ads.
</li>
<li>
Lock Leaderboard 
List locks with the most keys sold, most revenue, newest, etc. Could this be done thru Graph Protocol queries? Could become a great way to discover new content.
</li>
<li>
Lock Bundling Idea 
Lock bundling is a powerful tool to give key holders access to multiple publications or content types. Creating a permissionless multi publication revenue distribution would be very powerful. Or a simple way for creators to use each others locks so that members of one publication can get access to another publication.
</li>
<li>
Member Share 
Find a way to allow members to share one article thats behind a lock/paywall with a non-member.
</li>
<li>
Member Only Chat 
Create an <a href="https://rocket.chat/docs/developer-guides/developing-apps/#what-is-a-rocketchat-app">app for rocket.chat</a> (or telegram, slack, discord) that only allows paying members access to the chat or specific rooms. This could also be a bot that checks whether someone owns a key in a channel/room/group before allowing them to post or attend.
</li>
<li>
Gaming Prize Pools 
Locks are created for each gaming event, with users staking ETH, DAI, etc. to get a key in order to join the game. The winner of the game gets all the funds on the lock.
</li>
<li>
WordPress 
Extend the functionality of our <a href="https://github.com/unlock-protocol/unlock-wordpress-plugin,">WordPress plugin</a>. More on <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/wordpress-plugin/">our blog</a> and in the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/unlock-protocol/">GitHub repo</a>.
</li>
<li>
Video Subscription 
Create a way to lock individual videos or playlists from youtube or vimeo. Videos could play a preview of a few seconds or only start after unlocking.
</li>
<li>
Shopify Discounts 
Give people who have keys to a certain lock access to discounts in your shop.
</li>
<li>
Early Access 
A service that lets members get early access to certain perks, like limited edition sneakers or concert tickets. For example fans could have a key for first dibs or ETHWaterloo participants get to buy tickets first for the next hackathon.
</li>
</ul>

Smart contract developers can integrate with Unlock Protocol on-chain, allowing you to monetize features by selling Keys.

Let’s clear up a little terminology first. ‘Unlock Protocol’ allows you to create ‘Locks’ for specific content or features. Users can then purchase a ‘Key’ to gain access to that content. Keys may expire, allowing you to offer a monthly subscription option, and they are NFTs enabling a second hand market if you choose. We’re adding new features all the time.


	<img src="/images/blog/unlocking-smart-contracts/code.jpeg" width="400px" alt="Smart contracts">


From your smart contract, you simply call `getHasValidKey` on the Lock to see if the user should gain access.

A simple example is unlocking a paid-only feature in your contract. Let me show you how…

```
pragma solidity ^0.5.0;

import 'hardlydifficult-ethereum-contracts/contracts/interfaces/IPublicLock.sol';

contract PaidOnlyFeature
{
 IPublicLock public lock;

 constructor(IPublicLock _lockAddress) public
 {
 lock = _lockAddress;
 }

 function paidOnlyFeature() public
 {
 require(lock.getHasValidKey(msg.sender), 'Purchase a key first!');
 // ...and then implement your feature as normal
 }

 // You can also have free features of course
}
```

Pretty straight forward, right? Let’s step through it.

First we need to install an NPM package with this command:

```
npm i hardlydifficult-ethereum-contracts
```

Now we can review the code...

```
import 'hardlydifficult-ethereum-contracts/contracts/interfaces/IPublicLock.sol';
```

Importing the interface allows us to make calls to the Lock contract, given its address.

```
IPublicLock public lock;
```

To gain access, users must purchase a key to the Lock for this content. This stores the address for the Lock contract. By using `IPublicLock` instead of `address` we simplify making calls within the contract. `public` allows end-users to read the Lock’s address, confirming they are purchasing the correct Key.

```
constructor(IPublicLock _lockAddress) public
{
 lock = _lockAddress;
}
```

We have to set the address for the Lock to use at some point. If you know it when this contract is deployed you can simply assign it in the constructor. However you might also consider a privileged call instead, allowing you to update the Lock in the future if needed. Here’s an example of a [MutableLock](https://github.com/unlock-protocol/unlock/blob/master/smart-contract-extensions/contracts/unlock-examples/MutableLock.sol).

```
require(lock.getHasValidKey(msg.sender), 'Purchase a key first!');
```

`getHasValidKey` checks if the given address owns a valid (unexpired) key and returns true or false. We place this in a `require` statement so that the entire transaction fails if they do not. If you prefer, this could be moved to a `modifier` instead. Alternatively you could use an `if` condition instead to modify behavior for Key owners somehow (we have a few ideas about that below).

That’s the contract implementation! The hardest part can be testing though. We need a way to run your contract locally, and to make calls with and without owning a Key. For this we have a script to get you started:

```javascript
const { protocols } = require('hardlydifficult-ethereum-contracts')
const PaidOnlyFeature = artifacts.require('PaidOnlyFeature')

contract('PaidOnlyFeature', (accounts) => {
 let lock
 let featureContract
 const keyOwner = accounts[3]

 beforeEach(async () => {
 lock = await protocols.unlock.createTestLock(
 web3,
 accounts[9], // Unlock Protocol owner
 accounts[1], // Lock owner
 {
 keyPrice: web3.utils.toWei('0.01', 'ether'),
 }
 )

 featureContract = await PaidOnlyFeature.new(lock.address)

 await lock.purchaseFor(keyOwner, {
 from: keyOwner,
 value: await lock.keyPrice(),
 })
 })

 it('Key owner can call the function', async () => {
 await featureContract.paidOnlyFeature({
 from: keyOwner,
 })
 })
})
```

This line does all the heavy lifting for you:

```javascript
lock = await protocols.unlock.createTestLock(
 web3,
 accounts[9], // Unlock Protocol owner
 accounts[1], // Lock owner
 {
 keyPrice: web3.utils.toWei('0.01', 'ether'),
 }
)
```

It deploys the Unlock Protocol, creates a Lock to use for testing, and returns a contract instance for interacting with the Lock… as shown with the `purchaseFor` line. With this you can now test as you normally would.

If you want to step it up a notch here are a few mays you might monetize your contracts with Unlock:

- Unlock a discount on future transactions (or maybe make it free for key owners).
- Unlock usage limits, such as defaulting to a free trial which enables 1 tx per day per account. Key owners unlock unlimited calls.
- Unlock better odds, e.g. when rolling a DnD die key owners get +2 bonus on the roll.

Here's a few [example-contracts](https://github.com/unlock-protocol/unlock/tree/master/smart-contract-extensions/contracts/unlock-examples) with both contracts and sample tests to help you get started.

Want to do this for your smart contract? Get in touch we’d love to help you set it up: hello@unlock-protocol.com

Unlock value-added features directly in your smart contract. Trivial to implement with endless opportunities. We show you how and discuss some reasons why this might be interesting to you.

Integrating Unlock-Protocol into your Smart Contracts

Unlocking Smart Contracts

Smart contract developers can integrate with Unlock Protocol on-chain, allowing you to monetize features by selling Keys.
Let’s clear up a little terminology first. ‘Unlock Protocol’ allows you to create ‘Locks’ for specific content or features. Users can then purchase a ‘Key’ to gain access to that content. Keys may expire, allowing you to offer a monthly subscription option, and they are NFTs enabling a second hand market if you choose. We’re adding new features all the time.

	<img src="/images/blog/unlocking-smart-contracts/code.jpeg" width="400px" alt="Smart contracts">

From your smart contract, you simply call <code>getHasValidKey</code> on the Lock to see if the user should gain access.
A simple example is unlocking a paid-only feature in your contract. Let me show you how…
<pre><code>pragma solidity ^0.5.0;

import 'hardlydifficult-ethereum-contracts/contracts/interfaces/IPublicLock.sol';

contract PaidOnlyFeature
{
 IPublicLock public lock;

 constructor(IPublicLock _lockAddress) public
 {
 lock = _lockAddress;
 }

 function paidOnlyFeature() public
 {
 require(lock.getHasValidKey(msg.sender), 'Purchase a key first!');
 // ...and then implement your feature as normal
 }

 // You can also have free features of course
}
</code></pre>
Pretty straight forward, right? Let’s step through it.
First we need to install an NPM package with this command:
<pre><code>npm i hardlydifficult-ethereum-contracts
</code></pre>
Now we can review the code...
<pre><code>import 'hardlydifficult-ethereum-contracts/contracts/interfaces/IPublicLock.sol';
</code></pre>
Importing the interface allows us to make calls to the Lock contract, given its address.
<pre><code>IPublicLock public lock;
</code></pre>
To gain access, users must purchase a key to the Lock for this content. This stores the address for the Lock contract. By using <code>IPublicLock</code> instead of <code>address</code> we simplify making calls within the contract. <code>public</code> allows end-users to read the Lock’s address, confirming they are purchasing the correct Key.
<pre><code>constructor(IPublicLock _lockAddress) public
{
 lock = _lockAddress;
}
</code></pre>
We have to set the address for the Lock to use at some point. If you know it when this contract is deployed you can simply assign it in the constructor. However you might also consider a privileged call instead, allowing you to update the Lock in the future if needed. Here’s an example of a <a href="https://github.com/unlock-protocol/unlock/blob/master/smart-contract-extensions/contracts/unlock-examples/MutableLock.sol">MutableLock</a>.
<pre><code>require(lock.getHasValidKey(msg.sender), 'Purchase a key first!');
</code></pre>
<code>getHasValidKey</code> checks if the given address owns a valid (unexpired) key and returns true or false. We place this in a <code>require</code> statement so that the entire transaction fails if they do not. If you prefer, this could be moved to a <code>modifier</code> instead. Alternatively you could use an <code>if</code> condition instead to modify behavior for Key owners somehow (we have a few ideas about that below).
That’s the contract implementation! The hardest part can be testing though. We need a way to run your contract locally, and to make calls with and without owning a Key. For this we have a script to get you started:
<pre><code class="language-javascript">const { protocols } = require('hardlydifficult-ethereum-contracts')
const PaidOnlyFeature = artifacts.require('PaidOnlyFeature')

contract('PaidOnlyFeature', (accounts) => {
 let lock
 let featureContract
 const keyOwner = accounts[3]

 beforeEach(async () => {
 lock = await protocols.unlock.createTestLock(
 web3,
 accounts[9], // Unlock Protocol owner
 accounts[1], // Lock owner
 {
 keyPrice: web3.utils.toWei('0.01', 'ether'),
 }
 )

 featureContract = await PaidOnlyFeature.new(lock.address)

 await lock.purchaseFor(keyOwner, {
 from: keyOwner,
 value: await lock.keyPrice(),
 })
 })

 it('Key owner can call the function', async () => {
 await featureContract.paidOnlyFeature({
 from: keyOwner,
 })
 })
})
</code></pre>
This line does all the heavy lifting for you:
<pre><code class="language-javascript">lock = await protocols.unlock.createTestLock(
 web3,
 accounts[9], // Unlock Protocol owner
 accounts[1], // Lock owner
 {
 keyPrice: web3.utils.toWei('0.01', 'ether'),
 }
)
</code></pre>
It deploys the Unlock Protocol, creates a Lock to use for testing, and returns a contract instance for interacting with the Lock… as shown with the <code>purchaseFor</code> line. With this you can now test as you normally would.
If you want to step it up a notch here are a few mays you might monetize your contracts with Unlock:
<ul>
<li>Unlock a discount on future transactions (or maybe make it free for key owners).</li>
<li>Unlock usage limits, such as defaulting to a free trial which enables 1 tx per day per account. Key owners unlock unlimited calls.</li>
<li>Unlock better odds, e.g. when rolling a DnD die key owners get +2 bonus on the roll.</li>
</ul>
Here's a few <a href="https://github.com/unlock-protocol/unlock/tree/master/smart-contract-extensions/contracts/unlock-examples">example-contracts</a> with both contracts and sample tests to help you get started.
Want to do this for your smart contract? Get in touch we’d love to help you set it up: hello@unlock-protocol.com


In the Ethereum ecosystem, accounts are identified by addresses. These addresses are public keys which all start with `0x` followed by 42 hexadecimal 'digits'. It's a great unique identifier for machines, but, for most people, it is impossible to read, remember, recognize or even just type!

Wallets provide tools like copy and paste, or QR codes to simplify the process of sharing an address. They also often add the ability to record an "alias" for addresses which should make it easier to identify previously recorded addresses.

Another approach is to use the [Ethereum Name Service](https://ens.domains/). This system, akin to the Domain Name System, lets people register names for their addresses, on chain. This allows other application and people to identify these addresses and show a human-friendly name instead of the long hexadecimal string.

At Unlock, we registered the `unlock-protocol.eth` name!

Our Dashboard shows addresses in several places: to tell the user their current address (useful for people with multiple addresses), to show creators the addresses of their locks, as well as to list the key owners.

We're proud to announce that we now fully support the Ethereum Name Service! For every address displayed in the UI, if a reverse look up resolves to an existing ENS domain, we will show the ENS domain as you can see on the screenshot below!

![Dashboard Lock](/images/blog/ethereum-name-service/ens-enabled.png)

If you have not done so already, think about [registering your own ENS domain today](https://app.ens.domains/)!


Humans are not equiped to make sense of Ethereum addresses, the Ethereum Name Service makes it easy to recognize, remember and type addresses, in a fully decentralized way!

We added support for Ethereum Name Service in the Unlock Dashboard

Ethereum Name Service Support

In the Ethereum ecosystem, accounts are identified by addresses. These addresses are public keys which all start with <code>0x</code> followed by 42 hexadecimal 'digits'. It's a great unique identifier for machines, but, for most people, it is impossible to read, remember, recognize or even just type!
Wallets provide tools like copy and paste, or QR codes to simplify the process of sharing an address. They also often add the ability to record an "alias" for addresses which should make it easier to identify previously recorded addresses.
Another approach is to use the <a href="https://ens.domains/">Ethereum Name Service</a>. This system, akin to the Domain Name System, lets people register names for their addresses, on chain. This allows other application and people to identify these addresses and show a human-friendly name instead of the long hexadecimal string.
At Unlock, we registered the <code>unlock-protocol.eth</code> name!
Our Dashboard shows addresses in several places: to tell the user their current address (useful for people with multiple addresses), to show creators the addresses of their locks, as well as to list the key owners.
We're proud to announce that we now fully support the Ethereum Name Service! For every address displayed in the UI, if a reverse look up resolves to an existing ENS domain, we will show the ENS domain as you can see on the screenshot below!
<img src="/images/blog/ethereum-name-service/ens-enabled.png" alt="Dashboard Lock">
If you have not done so already, think about <a href="https://app.ens.domains/">registering your own ENS domain today</a>!


The web needs a [new business model](https://medium.com/unlock-protocol/its-time-to-unlock-the-web-b98e9b94add1) — one which doesn’t erode people’s privacy or centralize control into the hands of a few powerful entities.

Luckily, the web is resilient, reliable, and really, really good at lots of things. Here’s one example: it’s great at creating communities.

Today we’re all members of dozens of communities online, from the obvious ones like our own social circles or neighborhood groups, to the less obvious ones like the people we follow and the apps we use. For example, I read [Macbidouille](https://macbidouille.com) in my [feed reader](https://feedbin.com/) and use [Medium](https://medium.com/) on my phone as I commute: I’m an implicit member of those communities, even if I don’t wear a badge that says so.

I’m even the creator of a few communities too. Admittedly they are small, but they are communities nonetheless. There are the people who follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/julien51), for example, or the readers of [my blog](https://ouvre-boite.com), or those who watch [our work on Github](https://github.com/unlock-protocol/unlock/).

At Unlock, we want to help your participation in those communities — your memberships — mean something. We want to give you more control over them.

> At Unlock, we want to help memberships materialize.

![locks](/images/blog/tokenized-memberships.jpg)

# What does that really mean?

Today a lot of these memberships are locked inside proprietary databases: my Medium membership, my Twitter graph, or the Github stars on our repository.

In some cases, the membership is portable—my RSS feed reader allows me to export these subscriptions to another reader, for example. But often the membership is abstract or invisible: there is no easy way to represent “people reading my blog.” It’s very hard to turn these memberships into something anyone can see, let alone use.

And that’s what it means to make them materialize.

> We think that Unlock can make these memberships real. It can turn them into something reusable, programmable, and monetizable.

# Membership as a token

How do you manage that? Well, you could build a service that keeps track in a huge database. That’s kind of what we have today across many of the large social media services. But it would have problems—it does have problems. There is a single point of failure, it’s not interoperable by default, and whoever manages it can arbitrarily change how it works. It’s not very web-like, and it’s not acceptable.

Fortunately it doesn’t need to work that way any more. We now have fully permission-less, distributed, and unstoppable databases: blockchains. The most famous one, Bitcoin, provides a secure ledger for its own currency. But there are many others out there too, storing data—what we call tokens—for everything from money, like [DAI](https://makerdao.com/en/dai/), to gaming items like [CryptoKitties](https://www.cryptokitties.co/). (These are what we call [Non Fungible Tokens](https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/non-fungible-tokens-betaworks/).)

> We think tokens can be used to represent memberships.

# What happens then?

Once a membership is a token, you can do lots of interesting things with it. For example, the fact that I’m a paying member of Medium could be re-used by another application to grant me access to some kind of exclusive preview. Medium doesn’t need to give permission for that to happen.

If you push that a bit further, when several creators put the same lock on their work, they have created a bundle: a single key can unlock content or features in a lot of different places, and they can then split revenues in any way they want.

The keys themselves can have multiple purposes: the fact that you follow Unlock’s Github account could mean you automatically get invited to our launch party. And, if it’s a token, it doesn’t matter whether Github decides to suddenly remove its ⭐️ feature: tokens mean you would still be a member of our loyal developer community.

You could also use these tokens to transfer memberships to somebody else, or even to burn the membership itself.

# It’s not (just) about the money

Memberships are powerful things. They can be about social status, showing support, or just belonging. And they can include financial elements too. Many people proudly show their love for a brand by showing the logos on their clothes, their cars, their laptop. Non-profits realized a long time ago that getting somebody to wear a colored ribbon 🎗 was sometimes as powerful as getting a donation from them. And sports teams are already experts at monetizing their relationships with members by selling hats, jerseys, and gear with the club colors.

Because Unlock is underpinned with the Ethereum blockchain, it means that payment is already built into the infrastructure: the currencies, the wallets, and the exchanges already exist to make it easy for members to purchase or sell their memberships.

Monetizing through Membership is a much better alternative than monetizing through attention. By becoming a paid member, the consumer makes an explicit choice about what kind of community they want to be part of, what kind of work they want to promote, rather than being passively pulled away from things that matter.


What if there was a new way to interact with the communities you are part of?

Tokenizing Memberships

The web needs a <a href="https://medium.com/unlock-protocol/its-time-to-unlock-the-web-b98e9b94add1">new business model</a> — one which doesn’t erode people’s privacy or centralize control into the hands of a few powerful entities.
Luckily, the web is resilient, reliable, and really, really good at lots of things. Here’s one example: it’s great at creating communities.
Today we’re all members of dozens of communities online, from the obvious ones like our own social circles or neighborhood groups, to the less obvious ones like the people we follow and the apps we use. For example, I read <a href="https://macbidouille.com">Macbidouille</a> in my <a href="https://feedbin.com/">feed reader</a> and use <a href="https://medium.com/">Medium</a> on my phone as I commute: I’m an implicit member of those communities, even if I don’t wear a badge that says so.
I’m even the creator of a few communities too. Admittedly they are small, but they are communities nonetheless. There are the people who follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/julien51">Twitter</a>, for example, or the readers of <a href="https://ouvre-boite.com">my blog</a>, or those who watch <a href="https://github.com/unlock-protocol/unlock/">our work on Github</a>.
At Unlock, we want to help your participation in those communities — your memberships — mean something. We want to give you more control over them.
<blockquote>
At Unlock, we want to help memberships materialize.
</blockquote>
<img src="/images/blog/tokenized-memberships.jpg" alt="locks">
<h1>What does that really mean?</h1>
Today a lot of these memberships are locked inside proprietary databases: my Medium membership, my Twitter graph, or the Github stars on our repository.
In some cases, the membership is portable—my RSS feed reader allows me to export these subscriptions to another reader, for example. But often the membership is abstract or invisible: there is no easy way to represent “people reading my blog.” It’s very hard to turn these memberships into something anyone can see, let alone use.
And that’s what it means to make them materialize.
<blockquote>
We think that Unlock can make these memberships real. It can turn them into something reusable, programmable, and monetizable.
</blockquote>
<h1>Membership as a token</h1>
How do you manage that? Well, you could build a service that keeps track in a huge database. That’s kind of what we have today across many of the large social media services. But it would have problems—it does have problems. There is a single point of failure, it’s not interoperable by default, and whoever manages it can arbitrarily change how it works. It’s not very web-like, and it’s not acceptable.
Fortunately it doesn’t need to work that way any more. We now have fully permission-less, distributed, and unstoppable databases: blockchains. The most famous one, Bitcoin, provides a secure ledger for its own currency. But there are many others out there too, storing data—what we call tokens—for everything from money, like <a href="https://makerdao.com/en/dai/">DAI</a>, to gaming items like <a href="https://www.cryptokitties.co/">CryptoKitties</a>. (These are what we call <a href="https://unlock-protocol.com/blog/non-fungible-tokens-betaworks/">Non Fungible Tokens</a>.)
<blockquote>
We think tokens can be used to represent memberships.
</blockquote>
<h1>What happens then?</h1>
Once a membership is a token, you can do lots of interesting things with it. For example, the fact that I’m a paying member of Medium could be re-used by another application to grant me access to some kind of exclusive preview. Medium doesn’t need to give permission for that to happen.
If you push that a bit further, when several creators put the same lock on their work, they have created a bundle: a single key can unlock content or features in a lot of different places, and they can then split revenues in any way they want.
The keys themselves can have multiple purposes: the fact that you follow Unlock’s Github account could mean you automatically get invited to our launch party. And, if it’s a token, it doesn’t matter whether Github decides to suddenly remove its ⭐️ feature: tokens mean you would still be a member of our loyal developer community.
You could also use these tokens to transfer memberships to somebody else, or even to burn the membership itself.
<h1>It’s not (just) about the money</h1>
Memberships are powerful things. They can be about social status, showing support, or just belonging. And they can include financial elements too. Many people proudly show their love for a brand by showing the logos on their clothes, their cars, their laptop. Non-profits realized a long time ago that getting somebody to wear a colored ribbon 🎗 was sometimes as powerful as getting a donation from them. And sports teams are already experts at monetizing their relationships with members by selling hats, jerseys, and gear with the club colors.
Because Unlock is underpinned with the Ethereum blockchain, it means that payment is already built into the infrastructure: the currencies, the wallets, and the exchanges already exist to make it easy for members to purchase or sell their memberships.
Monetizing through Membership is a much better alternative than monetizing through attention. By becoming a paid member, the consumer makes an explicit choice about what kind of community they want to be part of, what kind of work they want to promote, rather than being passively pulled away from things that matter.


In the blockchain world, one of the most potent distribution mechanisms is called **an airdrop**. It is a way for token creators to send their tokens to a large set of people, without requiring these recipients to perform transactions and pay fees themselves. Unfortunately it is often used as a vector for spam even though it is a very useful tool to bootstrap a fairly wide adoption.

At Unlock, [we believe](/blog/mission-vision/) that all creators should make a sustainable living from their work, while respecting the time, privacy and health of their community... and spam does not really fit in this vision!

Additionally, when talking with creators, they often mention that they want to give away some access keys to their most loyal fans or others members of their community as a way to thank them for their contributions. Of course, our smart contract already includes a `purchaseFor` method which anyone can invoke in order to purchase a new key and assign it to someone else. In the Ethereum world, this is akin to a "meta transaction", a transaction whose beneficiary is not its sender.

Unfortunately, this function, `purchaseFor` requires the purchaser to know the recipient's Ethereum address in advance which is not always practical. Luckily, the team at [LinkDrop](https://linkdrop.io/) found a very good way to solve this: they created a system which lets anyone _create links_ with attached keys. The first user who clicks on a link can then claim a unique key for it. This way, someone who wants to give away keys to a lock can easily do so by creating droplinks which they would then send to users by email, social networking, or even for promotional events.

For which lock would you want to generate links? You can easily [use Linkdrop's tutorial](https://github.com/LinkdropHQ/linkdrop-unlock)!


Linkdrop provides a simple mechanism which lets anyone create links to "claim" keys for free!

Linkdrop: granting keys through links!

In the blockchain world, one of the most potent distribution mechanisms is called an airdrop. It is a way for token creators to send their tokens to a large set of people, without requiring these recipients to perform transactions and pay fees themselves. Unfortunately it is often used as a vector for spam even though it is a very useful tool to bootstrap a fairly wide adoption.
At Unlock, <a href="/blog/mission-vision/">we believe</a> that all creators should make a sustainable living from their work, while respecting the time, privacy and health of their community... and spam does not really fit in this vision!
Additionally, when talking with creators, they often mention that they want to give away some access keys to their most loyal fans or others members of their community as a way to thank them for their contributions. Of course, our smart contract already includes a <code>purchaseFor</code> method which anyone can invoke in order to purchase a new key and assign it to someone else. In the Ethereum world, this is akin to a "meta transaction", a transaction whose beneficiary is not its sender.
Unfortunately, this function, <code>purchaseFor</code> requires the purchaser to know the recipient's Ethereum address in advance which is not always practical. Luckily, the team at <a href="https://linkdrop.io/">LinkDrop</a> found a very good way to solve this: they created a system which lets anyone create links with attached keys. The first user who clicks on a link can then claim a unique key for it. This way, someone who wants to give away keys to a lock can easily do so by creating droplinks which they would then send to users by email, social networking, or even for promotional events.
For which lock would you want to generate links? You can easily <a href="https://github.com/LinkdropHQ/linkdrop-unlock">use Linkdrop's tutorial</a>!