Lately, I’ve started getting asked again: do PFPs/memberships count as “long-term value,” or “short-term attention”? The more I look, the more I feel that many projects’ first step is to make the avatar, level, and badges as packed as possible—like a brand putting up a storefront—but after the storefront, do they actually have cash flow/governance rights/clear benefits? In plain terms, it still comes down to whether the contract and rules are written clearly.

Once the airdrop season hits, it becomes even more obvious. The stricter the anti-sybil measures on the task platform are, the more the points system turns the “free-try” crowd into working overtime and clocking in like it’s a job—attention is definitely maxed out… but what I fear most is that in the end, everyone only remembers “points,” and forgets what they originally bought that “membership” for.

Anyway, when I choose a PFP/membership now, I’m focused on just one thing: can the benefits be placed on-chain, can they be verified, and can you exit. The storefront can be built slowly, but don’t end up with only a storefront. Yeah—“storefront” is a phrase that’s been circling in my head tonight while I review the audit report.