What on Earth is online community management?

Online community management is the process of dealing with community members on a variety of Internet platforms in order to facilitate the interaction between the brand and its current customers, keep them up to speed with the latest news, respond to their questions, and in general inspire brand loyalty. The difference between a social media manager and a community manager is that the latter is primarily responsible not for preparing and publishing content on different social media, but for establishing strong connections with users.

Although community managers in games are neither widely acclaimed nor much in the limelight, the role of such specialists has become hugely important. These people create a friendly gaming environment, address players’ needs, and are always in the front line when any technical problems occur. And with the rapid development of MMOs, community managers will keep becoming more and more vital for ensuring better game experiences.

And blockchain games?

Released in 2014, Huntercoin is considered to be the first blockchain-built game. It was created as an “experimental test” and therefore wasn’t widely promoted or presented to the general public.

So it’s fair to say that the blockchain game craze started in November 2017 when CryptoKitties came out. Described as “collectible, breedable, oh-so-adorable”, the creatures in this game are what happens when Beanie Babies meet the Tamagotchi on blockchain technology. To get a virtual pet one needs a cryptocurrency called ether, and MetaMask, a digital wallet. Once bought, kitties cannot be replicated, destroyed or taken away, but can be sold, properly secured by blockchain technology, and used to produce offspring.

CryptoKitties instantly swept users off their feet, and, as a result, gave a great impetus for more blockchain-built games. Soon Blockchain Cuties, CryptoCountries, and CryptoMasterpieces were released, and in addition to kitties, players got a chance to buy a crypto fantasy pet, Japan, and even Girl with a Pearl Earring. As time passes, these games are becoming more and more advanced. For instance, fans of RPGs would most likely enjoy Crypto Saga and Crypto Space Commander. And those who are into sports games will soon have a chance to test Soccer Manager Crypto. One more branch of blockchain games that received a tremendous boost was crypto casinos. From BitStarz to Stake to FortuneJack, the number of them has been growing exponentially and will probably continue to do so.

So what about online community management in blockchain games?

The concept and goals of online community management stay the same regardless of the field. What does differ is the channels that are employed for establishing relationships with the community. Most blockchain games use a mixture of the most common social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, with some more specific platforms like Discord, Telegram, Medium, and forums. Let’s take a quick look at each of them.

- Discord is software that was initially designed by gamers for gamers. It’s been around since 2015 and has won the love of users all over the world. It’s an invaluable online community management tool, but mostly in games, as it’s not widely used in other spheres.

- Telegram is a must-have outlet for any crypto project. It’s extremely convenient for having active online communication, posting important announcements, taking questions from community members, and obtaining immediate feedback. Its drawbacks are the inability to structure the fast-flowing stream of messages and to get any metrics.

- Medium is a platform used for posting longer texts. Usually, they are personal stories and proven life hacks. Most blockchain companies publish detailed updates or educational articles there. As a result, Medium is probably best for retaining the audience you’ve already drawn, not attracting new members to you community.

- Finally, forums. While some blockchain games have their own forums, others use Bitcointalk. Both options are equally good as they give users room for lively discussions. The biggest drawback of Bitcointalk, and some other forums as well, is that community managers can’t moderate it. Therefore, unreasonably negative comments written by haters have to be dealt with very carefully in order not to damage the company’s reputation.

Final Thoughts

In the coming years, game developers will keep exploring the potential of blockchain technology, which seems to be enormous, if not limitless. Hence, community management will be developing as well, and community managers will be carrying more and more weight in creating enjoyable game experiences.

Mary Giterman

CMO, AssetRush agency