Recently I’ve been seeing a bunch of PFPs hanging phrases like “Member Benefits” and “Brand Co-creation.” Let’s be real—it’s basically asking you: are you willing to join a group just for a profile picture, get some priority, and then wait for it to turn into a “culture”? I’m a bit more laid-back about it now. Short-term attention really comes fast and goes just as fast—especially lately, when everyone’s been chatting about rate-cut expectations and the U.S. Dollar Index, with risk assets riding high and then getting wary together. When the mood changes, yesterday’s “belief” turns into today’s “eh, forget it.”

What I care about more is whether the benefits can actually be delivered consistently, whether the rules are clearly written, and whether the team has the patience to take a path that’s long. A good-looking PFP is a plus, but I don’t want it to be the only card in hand. For security, I’m willing to take an extra step: for any new project, I use a separate wallet, and I revoke the permissions right after they’re used (if it means clicking a few more times, I’m fine with that), so the wallet doesn’t get wrecked when the hype eventually dies down. Anyway, I’ll wait slowly—only what I can truly hold out for counts as mine.