In this XYZ Quarterly we’ll cover five ways to build community through your online presence. We’ll also provide a recap of XYZ’s Q1 2024 activity.
The emerging technologies that we cover continue to evolve. The content below offers ideas for inspiration, showcasing .xyz community members implementing these innovative concepts. The examples of .xyz community members are real-life pioneers implementing technology in the realm of each idea. The information we provide does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by XYZ. We encourage you to do your own research before using the products and services we feature.
Celebrating a decade of innovation, connection, and community, this year marks an extraordinary milestone for us—the 10th anniversary of .xyz. As we reflect on the journey that has brought us together and propelled us forward, it becomes clear that the strength and vibrancy of our community have been our greatest assets. It’s in this spirit of celebration and gratitude that we dedicate this year’s XYZ Quarterly theme to “Harnessing the Power of Community with .XYZ,” delving into the profound ways that your online presence can help foster, enhance, and celebrate the essence of community.
The digital realm offers unparalleled opportunities for connection, collaboration, and community building. Our 2024 series aims to unlock these opportunities, guiding you through the essentials of creating digital spaces that are not just websites, but communities. Each quarter, we’ll delve into practical strategies—from encouraging user interaction and creating shared spaces to integrating social media seamlessly and designing for empathy. These insights are intended to empower you to weave the fabric of community into the very heart of your digital identity, transforming the way we connect, share, and engage in the digital world. Join us as we explore the transformative power of community in your online presence, and together, let’s build spaces that bring us closer, even in a digital age.
To begin, this quarter we’ll be helping you take measures to build community through the design of your website. The essence of a vibrant online community lies in how effectively it can engage, connect, and foster a sense of belonging among its members. Q1 offers a concise blueprint for creating engaging, connected online communities. It highlights key strategies such as integrating interactive elements like forums, crafting shared spaces for collaboration, showcasing user contributions, implementing feedback mechanisms, and ensuring a safe, welcoming environment. These strategies aim to boost active participation and demonstrate appreciation for user input. They also cultivate a sense of belonging, setting the stage for vibrant community interactions through deliberate web design.
Encouraging user interaction is a pivotal aspect of modern website design. Interactive features like forums and comment sections are not merely add-ons; they are important components that foster a vibrant community around a platform’s content. When these platforms are easy to use, they lower the barrier to participation, inviting users to engage, share their thoughts, and contribute to discussions. This active participation can enhance the user experience and make the website more than just a place to consume content. Your website can become a dynamic space where users feel valued and heard.
Websites can create loyal communities by designing welcoming and moderated forums and comment sections to maintain positive interactions. These communities contribute to the content ecosystem and provide valuable feedback and insights that can guide future content and features. This can create a virtuous cycle where user feedback leads to improvements, which in turn can enhance user satisfaction and engagement.
NFT platform Manifold.xyz exemplifies the implementation of this design philosophy through its dedicated forum, which is structured into categories like Announcements, Product Feedback, Ask Creator Community, and Ask Developer Community. This organization helps ensure that users can easily navigate to the sections that interest them most, whether they’re looking for the latest updates, wanting to share their experiences with the product, or seeking advice from fellow creators and developers. The forum serves as a bridge between Manifold.xyz and its users, fostering direct communication and community building. It’s a place where users can voice their opinions, offer suggestions, and engage in meaningful discussions that contribute to the platform’s evolution.
Furthermore, the integration of Manifold Studio within Manifold.xyz‘s ecosystem highlights the platform’s commitment to user interaction and empowerment. Manifold Studio democratizes access to NFT creation by allowing customers to mint their own NFTs without any coding skills. They also invite a broader spectrum of users to participate in the NFT space. The feature’s design, which emphasizes ease of use and full control over the minting process, reflects an understanding of the importance of user interaction in fostering a creative and engaged community. This approach not only benefits users by providing them with the tools to express their creativity and maintain ownership of their work but also enriches the platform with a diverse range of creations and interactions.
Encouraging user interaction through features like forums and comment sections can make websites dynamic spaces where users can engage and contribute, enhancing the overall community experience.
Incorporating shared experiences into your digital project is a transformative strategy that goes beyond mere content delivery, turning websites into living, breathing communities. You can significantly amplify user engagement and foster a rich sense of community by incorporating areas where users can share stories, experiences, or collaborate. This approach leverages the communal aspect of the internet, helping users to not only consume content but also contribute their own insights, creations, and feedback. For instance, interactive galleries, story-sharing platforms, and collaborative spaces can encourage users to take an active role in the website’s ecosystem. This active participation can help ensure that your website remains dynamic and evolving, reflecting the diverse voices and creativity of its user base.
When users invest time in sharing their own stories or collaborating with others, they can develop a vested interest in the community and the platform itself. This sense of ownership and belonging can turn casual visitors into loyal community members.
3D design platform Rooms.xyz serves as a prime example of incorporating shared experiences into website design, creating a vibrant community around 3D design and collaboration. The platform offers an intuitive, user-friendly environment for users of all ages and skill levels to design, customize, and share 3D spaces. Rooms.xyz encourages users to express their creativity and share their creations with a wider community through features like drag-and-drop functionality, editable objects, and the ability to explore and personalize “Example Rooms.” This engagement not only fosters a sense of belonging and ownership among users but also propels the platform forward as a collaborative space where creativity is continually shared and celebrated. Moreover, the platform’s emphasis on coding education, by allowing users to interact with objects and view their underlying code, illustrates a commitment to shared learning experiences. Rooms.xyz‘s approachable design tools coupled with educational opportunities help bridge the gap between creative expression and technical skills development.
Rooms.xyz‘s update of April 4, 2024 introduced a Trending feed and over a dozen new categories like “Games,” “Art,” and “Fantasy,” designed to help highlight popular creators and diverse creative expressions. With the addition of algorithm-driven feeds and a new Explore page, discovery is now geared to be more dynamic, aimed at offering users fresh ways to connect and share. The innovative “Honeycomb View” aims to enhance browsing, helping users explore rooms in a unique hexagonal layout, which can make the exploration of content more engaging and visually appealing. The platform exemplifies how websites can create meaningful, shared experiences that go beyond traditional content consumption by helping users to collaborate, learn, and grow together, thereby fostering a connected and engaged online community.
Further enhancing its community engagement, Rooms.xyz actively utilizes its Discord server and X/Twitter profile to bring users together, creating forums for vibrant discussions and collaboration. In these spaces, the platform shares weekly Challenge events, such as the Music Room challenge, which encourages creative exploration within a themed context. Participants are tasked with personalizing a base room to reflect the theme, promoting a blend of creativity and competition. The platform uses X/Twitter to amplify these interactions, serving as a platform for announcements and showcasing user designs, which can attract more users by highlighting the community’s creativity and shared achievements. These platforms play an important role in not only maintaining an active, engaged community but also in drawing new members into Rooms.xyz‘s innovative and collaborative environment.
Incorporating shared experiences into digital projects can transform passive spaces into active communities, where users engage through collaboration and creativity.
Highlighting user contributions is a powerful design tip that leverages the community’s content to help enrich your website’s value and encourage further engagement. Websites can acknowledge and celebrate the efforts of its users by showcasing these contributions prominently, which in turn, can serve as a positive reinforcement. This strategy can make the contributors feel valued and inspire other users to share their own content, ideas, or feedback. Displaying user contributions in a central or noticeable part of the website can help new visitors quickly see the vibrant activity and interaction taking place. It’s a way to communicate trust and appreciation towards the community, making the website not just a platform for consumption but a space for active participation and co-creation.
Furthermore, highlighting user contributions can significantly enhance the sense of ownership and community among users. When individuals see their work featured and appreciated by a wider audience, it fosters a deeper connection to the platform and motivates continued engagement. Additionally, showcasing diverse viewpoints and creations can add depth and variety to your platform, making it a more dynamic and interesting place.
NFT platform Fair.xyz stands out for its commitment to highlighting user contributions, primarily through its innovative approach to showcasing creators’ work to a broader audience. The platform strives to reduce barriers for creators, facilitating the sharing of large NFT collections with ease and reduced transaction costs through its use of smart contract and proprietary queuing technology. Fair.xyz goes beyond merely providing a service. The platform promotes the visibility of its users by focusing on actively promoting NFT launches and supporting creators. This is achieved through featured launches, social media promotion, and partnerships that bring creators’ work to the forefront, engaging a wider community of collectors and art enthusiasts. Fair.xyz not only enhances the platform’s community engagement by prioritizing the showcasing of creators’ collections but also fosters a vibrant ecosystem where creators may feel valued and collectors are continuously introduced to new and exciting work. This strategic emphasis on highlighting user contributions can foster a sense of community and engagement, encouraging both creators and collectors to actively participate in the platform’s growing ecosystem.
Highlighting user contributions not only celebrates and acknowledges the creative work of your platform’s community but it can also foster a more engaged and collaborative ecosystem.
Implementing user feedback mechanisms can be essential for creating a responsive and engaging community environment. Platforms can demonstrate a commitment to valuing community input by enabling users to offer feedback and suggestions, which can foster a deeper sense of engagement and loyalty. Such mechanisms, ranging from surveys to interactive forums, can help platforms to identify areas for improvement, innovate based on user insights, and continuously enhance the user experience. This not only signals to users that their opinions are instrumental in shaping the platform but also promotes a culture of transparency and co-creation.
As platforms evolve in response to user feedback, they can cultivate a more user-friendly environment, increasing user satisfaction and retention. This approach is important for platforms looking to adapt and thrive in the dynamic digital landscape.
Dynamic.xyz stands as a prime example of a platform that actively seeks user feedback to enhance its web3 authenticator services. The platform shows a strong commitment to valuing and incorporating community input by providing multiple avenues for feedback, including a Slack community, X/Twitter interactions, and direct email channels to both the support team and founders. For example, following requests in their Slack community for enhancements such as the ability to reinforce passkey creation modal at sign-up, embedding Solana wallets, and addressing reported glitches, the Dynamic team not only acknowledges these contributions but also provides swift responses. They express gratitude for the feedback, outline steps they are taking to investigate and implement solutions, offer current workarounds where possible, and seek further information to ensure a comprehensive resolution. This openness to feedback, reflected in the “Support & Feedback” section of their online documentation, helps foster a sense of community engagement and demonstrates that the platform remains responsive to user needs and suggestions.
The presence of a changelog further underscores their dedication to transparency and continuous improvement, illustrating their commitment to making updates and enhancements that may reflect the evolving needs of their platform’s users. A clear example can be seen in their Changelog for February 2024. The platform introduced “Solana Embedded Wallets” in direct response to community feedback gathered from their Slack community. This update significantly enhances the user experience by fostering simplified onboarding into the Solana ecosystem with a single click. By integrating features such as email/social logins, non-custodial wallet creation, and easy key export, this new feature is tailored to simplify access to the crypto world for a broad audience. Through these efforts, Dynamic.xyz aims to simplify access to digital wallets and foster a community where user insights might influence the evolution of web3 accessibility.
Furthermore, Dynamic.xyz‘s approach to making web3 interactions more intuitive and user-friendly is showcased by the introduction of innovative tools like the Multi Wallet feature, aiming to enhance the user experience.
Implementing user feedback mechanisms can foster a responsive and community-focused platform and can also drive continuous improvement and innovation.
Creating a safe and welcoming website environment can be essential for fostering a vibrant, inclusive community. Platforms can work towards making visitors feel valued and protected by emphasizing inclusivity and safety and establishing clear community guidelines. Effective moderation can safeguard against harmful content and behavior, maintaining respectful and constructive interactions. This commitment not only improves the user experience but also builds trust and a sense of belonging. This can significantly enhance user engagement and loyalty. Through these efforts, a platform signals to its users that their well-being is paramount.
A safe and welcoming environment can empower users to share ideas without fear, broadening participation and enriching the platform with diverse perspectives. Active moderation and channels for reporting issues can foster a supportive space that yields community growth, attracting and retaining users who value safety and respect.
Web3 farming game Pixels.xyz exemplifies the design tip of fostering a safe and welcoming environment through its Rules & Community Guidelines and moderation policies. Supported by blockchain technology and its native token BERRY, Pixels offers an immersive, idle farming game environment, a gameplay mechanic where players can cultivate crops, manage farms, or conduct similar agricultural activities without the need for constant interaction. The platform is committed to creating a friendly, inclusive space that respects diverse backgrounds and viewpoints, emphasizing kindness, respect, and empathy among its users. Pixels strives to ensure that its community remains a safe space for all, regardless of identity or experience level, by clearly outlining acceptable and unacceptable behaviors across its metaverse, Discord, X/Twitter, and other associated platforms.
Pixels’ dedication to maintaining a positive and supportive environment is reinforced by the implementation of mechanisms for reporting harassment and the enforcement of consequences for violations. This proactive approach to community management can enhance user engagement and help establish Pixels as a trusted and secure platform for users to explore and interact within the web3 space.
Fostering a safe and welcoming environment can promote inclusivity and respect among users. This approach can also enhance user engagement and trust in the platform, creating a more vibrant and cohesive community.
Through encouraging user interaction, creating shared experiences, highlighting contributions, implementing feedback mechanisms, and fostering a safe environment, we’ve outlined a holistic approach for meaningful digital engagement. These strategies, enriched by real-world examples from .xyz pioneers, showcase the transformative power of community and set the stage for a future where your online presence is a dynamic, inclusive space.
For XYZ, Q1 2024 was a quarter of innovation, growth, and anticipation for our 10th anniversary, marked by another prestigious MIIT accreditation of a considerable group of our Top-Level Domains (TLDs), which has significantly broadened access to our TLDs for a wider audience.
We also took the opportunity to showcase the talent within our .xyz and XYZ Registry gaming community, highlighting their creativity and expanding our influence in the gaming sector. Here’s a closer look at our accomplishments this past quarter.
In February, we were thrilled to announce a significant milestone in our global expansion efforts, with 14 more of our TLDs now accredited in China, in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). This achievement marks a crucial step in our mission to ensure global accessibility of XYZ Registry domains, aligning with international regulations and expanding our footprint in one of the world’s largest markets. Our newly accredited TLDs further solidify our commitment to providing robust domain services.
.Quest
.Hair
.Autos
.Motorcycles
.Boats
.Yachts
.Beauty
.Hair
.Skin
.Makeup
.Cars
.Car
.Auto
.Tickets
The MIIT accreditation not only highlights our adherence to Chinese regulatory standards but also opens new avenues for businesses and individuals in China to establish a unique online presence, tailored to various industries like automotive, beauty, and real estate. This development enhances our credibility and ensures legal compliance, local hosting capabilities, and a competitive edge in the Chinese market. Celebrating this achievement, we’re collaborating with registrar partners in China to promote these TLDs, offering an exceptional opportunity for brand alignment and identity. We encourage innovators and businesses to explore these domains, unlocking the potential for creative and impactful online identities.
The gaming industry, a dynamic and ever-evolving landscape, continues to captivate and innovate, pushing the boundaries of creativity and technology. Eye-catching and award-winning games are being developed on XYZ Registry domains like .xyz, .Game, and .Quest, showcasing the diverse and innovative creations within the gaming industry.
These XYZ-powered platforms are not just redefining the norms of gameplay and storytelling but are also setting new benchmarks for immersive experiences. Developers are leveraging short, memorable, and distinctive .xyz and XYZ Registry domains as a showcase for their creations, featuring realistic environments, complex AI-driven characters, and innovative gameplay mechanics. Take a look at some of the notable projects featured this quarter:
Our #AIMonday weekly blog series highlights the AI community’s prolific use of .xyz and XYZ Registry domains, reflecting the persistent prominence of “ai” as a key term among new .xyz domain registrations. This trend underscores the vibrant growth of AI-centric projects within the .xyz community of AI innovators. As .xyz stands as a go-to domain for trailblazers in areas like AI, blockchain, and web3, it exemplifies XYZ Registry’s commitment to lead in the innovation economy. This is evident in the increasing AI-related domain registrations, illustrating our dedication to fostering the burgeoning AI development scene. Here’s a glimpse at some standout projects featured this quarter:
Each Wednesday we proudly feature a #WebsiteWednesday spotlight on an exciting and creative member of the .xyz community. Businesses, organizations, and skilled artists are establishing their online presence on .xyz domains, from well-organized portfolios to inspiring platforms. Here are a few standout examples we’ve shared:
Each Thursday, we feature a #BlockchainThursday spotlight on notable projects launching from the .xyz community of web3 pioneers. Here’s an assortment of the novel blockchain-based platforms featured this quarter:
We look forward to highlighting many more web3 platforms, NFT projects, blockchain-focused business, and more in the year to come. Be sure not to miss a single installment of #BlockchainThursday!
The monthly XYZ Registry Domains Report shares a snapshot of the evolving landscape in premium and aftermarket domain sales, spotlighting popular .xyz registration keywords, standout sales, and sought-after TLDs in premium registrations. This insightful series delves into the latest industry trends and showcases registrants who have achieved significant venture capital investment, underscoring their innovation and financial solidity. This emphasis not only reflects the entrepreneurial spirit of our community but also underscores the .xyz domain’s role in fostering innovation and success in the digital realm.
Highlighted below is a brief selection of the remarkable fundraising successes we’ve shared this quarter:
$100 million: Web3 startup EigenLayer.xyz1
$90 million: Autonomous robot delivery service Starship.xyz2
$20 million: Blockchain solution Axiom.xyz3
$13.5 million: Web3 authenticator platform Dynamic.xyz4
$10 million: DAG-based and EVM-compatible chain UniUltra.xyz5
$6 million: Bitcoin web3 infrastructure Omega.xyz6
$5.2 million: Web3 startup Hyperline.xyz7
$2.5 million: Social network platform GetSeam.xyz8
$2.2 million: Music tech company Formless.xyz9
Subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss the next XYZ Registry Domains Report.
2024 kicked off with a bang as XYZ helped support participants at 93 hackathons worldwide! We equipped enthusiastic coders with .xyz domains, empowering them to bring their innovative ideas to the digital forefront. With a blend of virtual and in-person gatherings, these hackathons provided a vibrant stage for developers to collaborate and showcase their creativity across the globe.
EdgeHacks Winter Hackathon 23/24, QuasiHacks, JWoC 2024, WinterHacks 2024, HackEnvision 2.0, Learn It Global Hackathon, HackHub’24, Avinya’24, LNM Hacks 6.0, Mystiqode, Hackville 2024, Infothon 2.0, SYN3RGY, Republic of Cyber Sentinels Capture The Flag, Code Wars Season 2 The Tech Summit’24, GunnHacks, FusionHackZ, Hack Knight, TSEC Hacks, HACKHAZARDS, NITS Hacks 6.0, QHacks 2024, Hackstreet 2.0, Viking Hacks, QubitX Hackathon, Code Kshetra, Open Hack, Helix, IdeaGem 1.0, HackitUp MR 1.0, Innerve, KRACK HACK, HackEMinds, SpringHacks 2024, Build It Yourself, Tech Olympics, Hackanova 3.0, Hack Bells 2.0, KJSCE CTF(Capture the Flag), HackVSIT 5.0, Enliven, MAS Hackathon, SmartHack, Makeathon 6, Syrus, CrackedDevs.com, DUHacks 3.0, Canadian National Leadership Conference, Code Venture, Code Genius, CSYA Research Program, Startup Grind, Family Feud, CyberHack, VishwaCTF’24,uOttaHack 6, Code Her World x The STEAM Boat’s Women in STEM Hackathon, HackPNW Spring 2024, DevIgnite – Where Code Ignites Innovation, Star Hack Education, Eureka Hacks, Hacktrix, Tantrotsav, WxMCTF, Lines of Code, Develop For Her 4.0, Code Loom, BitBox 4.0, Hack the Crisis 3.0, Mountain View Hacks V2, Beyond The Loop, Hackmatrix, UPES-CSI HACKATHON 8.0, ACE Hacks 1.0, Sankalan 2024, Hackswift 2024, Mountain Hacks 2, EduCathon, ALGOARENA, BLOGATHON, SheCodes Hacks, Apoorv CTF 2024, COHERENCE 1.0, Insperia 2.0, MateoHacks, Define, Hack Blocks, HackAlphaX, GNEC Hackathon 2024, PTCHacks 3.0, MLSA MIET Dev Gathering 2024, Code Shastra X, Cyber Rakshak, TechXcelerate Spring Hackathon
If you’re interested in registering your hackathon with XYZ to help the next generation of internet users build the future of tech, contact us today!
As we approach our eagerly awaited 10th anniversary milestone, we thank you for being part of the XYZ community. With a decade of groundbreaking innovation under our belt, we are excited to celebrate with exciting initiatives that showcase our commitment to pushing the boundaries of possibility in the digital landscape. Stay tuned as we embark on this momentous journey, reflecting on our achievements and setting the stage for even greater accomplishments in the years to come.
Stay up to date by subscribing to our newsletter, and following us on Instagram, Threads, X/Twitter, and Facebook.
1. https://blockworks.co/news/a16z-series-b-eigenlayer-investment
2. https://www.starship.xyz/press_releases/robot-delivery-leader-starship-technologies-raises-90-million-led-by-plural-and-iconical/
3. https://www.coinlive.com/news/axiom-raises-20m-led-by-paradigm-and-standard-crypto-for
4. https://www.nftgators.com/a16z-leads-13-5m-round-for-web3-authenticator-platform-dynamic/
5. https://cointelegraph.com/press-releases/a-promising-infinity-scaling-solution-for-real-world-application-u2u-network-raises-10m
6. https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2024/02/01/protocol-latest-tech-news-crypto-blockchain/
7. https://medium.com/@hyperline/hyperline-raises-5-2-million-to-build-the-web3-data-lakehouse-00e60e78afad
8. https://www.businessinsider.com/read-pitch-deck-new-social-media-web3-platform-seam-seed-2023-12
9. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/formless-successfully-raises-2-2-million-in-pre-seed-funding-302019250.html
XYZ is proud to share about the many incredible members that make up the XYZ community! We encourage you to do your own research before using the products and services of the websites we feature. The information about products and services contained in this blog post does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by XYZ.