How does a POAP work?
The way POAPs work is simpler than you might think. There's a Proof of Attendance Protocol designed for minting (creating) these NFTs. The protocol is made up of a set of smart contracts, which are programs that run on a blockchain.
Event organizers can mint their own POAP NFTs using this Proof of Attendance Protocol. The POAP website, POAP.xyz, has everything needed to mint and send out these NFTs.
There are three requirements for every POAP NFT:
- It must be minted under the POAP smart contract address.
- It must have metadata related to a time or date period, which can be up to one year long.
- It must have an image associated with it.
After the POAP NFTs are created, the organizer needs to decide how to distribute them. They could put up signs with QR codes for people to download the POAP NFT at their event or send out a download link by email.
The NFTs are Ethereum (ETH -2.14%) tokens, but they're built on a sidechain called xDai -- a stable payments chain made for fast, inexpensive transactions that allows the creation of POAP NFTs at low costs. It also doesn't use much energy, so these NFTs are environmentally friendly.
How POAP NFTs are used
POAP NFTs can be used to prove attendance at any type of event, including real-world and virtual events. They're effectively badges supported by cryptographic records.
Here are a few examples of how POAP NFTs have been used so far:
- Cryptocurrency community conferences have given out POAP NFTs to attendees.
- Online groups have distributed POAP NFTs to those in attendance at weekly or monthly meetings.
- Blockchain games have used POAP NFTs to commemorate special milestones.
Those are all crypto-related, but there are plenty of non-crypto ways to use POAP NFTs. Here are a few examples:
- Bands can issue POAP NFTs for fans who attend their concerts.
- Couples can send their wedding guests POAP NFTs as a memento.
- Businesses can use POAP NFTs to verify attendance of training programs or other events.
- Schools can issue POAP NFTs to graduates of their educational programs.
