Facebook Live creator Randi Zuckerberg aims to build an inclusive Web3 space with TheHug.xyz

TheHug.xyz – Google Domains customer – (United States)

The .xyz community is home to many incredible women makers, innovators, and leaders. While March is Women’s History Month, we celebrate women all year round as part of our mission to help the next generation of internet users get online. As long-time supporters of Indonesia-based non-profit organization Generation Girl, we share their interest in inspiring young women to become leaders in the historically male-dominated STEM fields and appreciate the opportunity to provide .xyz domains to help further education in tech for woman-identified developers and website owners. We regularly highlight awesome women-led websites that demonstrate the true versatility of memorable .xyz domains. For example, climate activist and researcher Clover Hogan established her non-profit organization’s online home on ForceofNature.xyz to help fellow young people realize their change-making potential in the face of climate change. Australia-based digital artist Serwah Attafuah uses Serwah.xyz to showcase her digital art and NFT creations. Marketing manager and content creator Sarah Wohlner uses SaltandPepper.xyz for a mouth-watering food and travel-themed blog. In this week’s #WebsiteWednesday, we’ll introduce you to a women-led community platform aimed at developing a more equitable Web3: TheHug.xyz.

TheHug.xyz is the online home of HUG, a community platform designed to embrace and empower all Web3 creators. Facebook Live creator Randi Zuckerberg and venture capital firm M13 founder Debbie Soon agreed that for marginalized groups like women, non-native English speakers, BIPOC, people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, and LGBTQ+ folks, launching a new Web3 project can be challenging. Randi and Debbie also share an interest in embracing, advising, mentoring, and empowering aspiring Web3 creators. These shared beliefs and interests motivated their development of TheHug.xyz, aimed to level the playing field for all Web3 creators to create what they refer to as “the inclusiverse.” TheHug.xyz’s original project is an application-based creator accelerator program known as groupHug. This program offers mentorship from Randi and a network of industry leaders in technology and the arts. The groupHug program also facilitates brand partnerships, provides PR exposure, and assists with preparation for institutional fundraising. In March 2022, TheHug.xyz introduced HUGHub, a more accessible review and aggregation platform for NFT projects and creators.

HUGhub is designed to amplify and reward the curation and discovery of new creators, and offers benefits to collectors as well as creators. Collectors can expect opportunities to help them discover creators and projects of interest including:

• Concise one-pagers that provide the most relevant information about a creator or project
• Personal galleries to curate and demonstrate which creators you are most excited about
• Discovery of new projects based on what you’ve liked in the past
• A helpful way to discover creators and projects through unique filtering such as:
  • Art style and/or medium
  • Founder attributes (women-founded, Black-founded, Asian-founded, etc.)
  • Mission and social causes (sustainability, LGBTQ+, etc.)

Creators can receive benefits to help them connect with others, including:

• Simplified ways to connect with collectors who are looking for creators like you and projects like yours
• Connection to other creators open to collaboration
• Inspiration from other collections and detailed information to inform your own launch roadmap and community-building

TheHug.xyz’s HUGhub is free to access, but you can unlock special features, engagement, and token-earning opportunities with the HUG Membership Pass NFT, which is anticipated to mint in April 2022. HUG Membership Pass NFTs are animated hugs that come in matching pairs. Members are encouraged to send a hug to someone else who may not have been able to afford one. HUG Membership Pass NFTs also act as a mint pass for the Genesis NFT, which will comes with additional utilities, including strategy sessions with Randi, Debbie, and the rest of the HUG team and their team of advisors, and monthly mystery boxes with NFTs curated by the HUG team. Genesis NFT holders can also attend the HUG NFT awards show honoring women and minority creators.

Debbie and Randi are working to ensure the future of Web3 is built equitably. Just as .xyz is reshaping the future of the internet, TheHug.xyz is working to reshape the future of Web3. You can learn more by following the platform on Twitter and joining their weekly on/airHUG Twitter Spaces, or by visiting TheHug.xyz.