Creating an NFT is not for you and that is ok
TL:DR version: I set out to make an NFT and confirmed creating one is not yet ready for the mainstream.
Google Trends showing “NFT” at or near all time interest high
NFTs are all the rage. In the past two years, they have graced the nightly news, on the front pages of newspapers and websites alike. There could be an urge to jump on the bandwagon but, should you?
Don’t try this at home
Like most things, if you are in it just for the money, creating an NFT is not going to play out. However, if you have a general interest in the subject or a certain set of talents, NFTs may create a market for services or digital products in an area where most struggle. If you are not technically inclined nor have a benefit beyond following the crowd, as the saying goes, don't try this at home. It is not worth the hassle. In this blog post, I outline why NFTs are not ready for the mainstream and why that is ok.
In early 2021, I was curious about what all the fuss was about. I listened to a podcast had heard a story about a nobody selling a picture of a tweet for ~$5,000. I thought to myself, "If people are willing to pay that much for that guy's tweets, mine has to be worth at least something."
So I started poking around… In short, the process took less than an hour to complete, however, the steps were not intuitive and involved a few different platforms.
Knowing this fact before jumping in I still wanted to know more. So here is an overview of my journey to creating the "Eye of The Moose" NFT. A truly one of a kind digital asset, that you should buy.
Provide Value = Make money on NFT
Yes, there is money to be made. Yes, there are use cases for businesses. This may be a get-rich-quick scheme but the entry fee is only payable by those with a certain skill set or value to offer.
If you are not creating an NFT with underlying value, aka backed by a valuable service, exclusive access, or otherwise valuable/unique digital artwork you are most likely not going to be one of those to capture an inordinate amount of that value or do more than just waste your money.
Ease and perceived security will win the mainstream
For companies and platforms, the winner in the NFT marketplace space is going to be the company that makes this stuff easy and simple to use/create. The company/platform that enables a user to get through steps 1-3 in less than 5 minutes will win mass adoption of the general population.
In the time it took me to go from a draft to the final version of this post(longer than you would think), Facebook and Twitter both announced how they are starting to enable their users on this front. This additional feature is not the "happy path" for the mainstream but you better believe both companies, and many others are racing to find this path.
Poke some fun, but you may not be laughing later
For those that are still skeptical and want to poke a little fun at those on the bleeding edge, check out the article How to troll an NFT owner but be careful because they may have the last laugh if this thing truely goes mainstream.
