POAP Issuer Guidelines
The POAP Issuer Guidelines were written to provide insight into the POAP Curation Body review process to the POAP Issuer Community. While today it is released as a humble set of guidelines, this document will one day house everything from our shared history, to our philosophy, to a comprehensive policy and guide on accepted POAP usage.
The POAP Issuer Guidelines (hereafter, the Guidelines) consist of the following sections:
- Issuer Responsibilities
- Petition Review Process
- Overview of Common POAP Use Cases and Sizing/Distribution Best Practices
The Guidelines will be reviewed biweekly, with major changes announced quarterly. Discussions on policy and related topics will be held monthly on the POAP Discourse, and are always welcome in the community call hosted in the official POAP Discord every Wednesday at 7 p.m. EST.
The Proof of Attendance Protocol is dedicated to preserving memories and creating richer connections. Issuers using the protocol should consider the sustainment and growth of the POAP ecosystem in their typical usage.
- Responsible issuance is a core responsibility of POAP issuers. Issuers must verify attendance of collectors at events and/or collector eligibility for POAPs. Issuers must also size drops responsibly.
- The POAP Community must abide by a mutually agreed upon code of conduct, and should act as good stewards of the technology POAP brings to the world.
- Memories are humanity’s most valuable asset, and as such, POAP takes their preservation very seriously. These memories must be presented and represented thoughtfully in the production and distribution of collectibles minted with POAP.
After an issuer petitions the Curation Body to drop a POAP, the petition undergoes a manual review by the curators. Reviews have several possible outcomes:
- Approval (without comment): In the best case scenario, curators have no objections to the preparation or execution of a drop. The issuer receives an email that confirms the drop is approved.
If a drop cannot be approved without comment, curators may reach out to the issuer (via the email provided when the drop was set up) for the following reasons:
- Request for Information: In some cases, additional information is required by curators to make a decision about the petition.
- Conditional Approval: In other cases, a drop may be approved with relatively minor changes to the drop (content or distribution). After an issuer revises their petition as requested, the drop will be approved promptly.
Drops are rejected when they are conceptually too far out of alignment with the POAP ethos, or when distribution presents too high a risk and compromise cannot be reached with issuers. If a drop is rejected, issuers are notified via email within 48 hours.
The following are the most common reasons drops are rejected, in order of frequency:
- 1.Engagement Farming: POAPs as a reward for promotional activities (like generic social media engagement, or simply joining a community) are usually rejected, in absence of further information for consideration.
- 2.Poor Drop Execution: Drops are rejected in cases where issuers appear incapable of distributing POAPs to collectors responsibly. This may be due to platform issues, overly ambitious logistical endeavors by new issuers, or simply historical evidence.
- 3.Low Production Quality: POAPs are collector’s items, and, as such, should be developed with a certain degree of care. Low quality or duplicative artwork is often rejected by the POAP Curation Body.
A respectful, professional, and collaborative relationship between issuers and curators is vital for the health of the POAP ecosystem. The foundation of this relationship is a mutual understanding of the Guidelines. If issuers wish to appeal a rejection, they should open the chat bubble in the lower-right corner of all POAP websites and follow the instructions.
Ultimately, the final determination of whether a petition is approved rests with the POAP Curation Body, as the stewards of the POAP ecosystem.
Best practices for creating a drop can be found in the POAP Help Center article on Creating Quality POAP Drops.
For specific requirements on implementing distribution methods, please see the Guidelines section on POAP Distribution.
Although this isn’t an exhaustive list, the following table presents common types of POAP drops and their recommended sizing and distribution methods.
The POAP Curation Body leans toward giving experienced citizens of the protocol the benefit of the doubt regarding sizing and drop structure. New issuers are encouraged to execute several drops in the typical format below before taking more creative approaches.
Text | Use Case | Recommendations |
|---|---|---|
General | | |
| Small, IRL social gatherings | Under 100 POAPs POAP Kiosk or Manual |
| Informal professional gatherings | Under 100 POAPs POAP Kiosk or Manual |
| Proof of Donation | Under 100 POAPs POAP Kiosk or Manual |
| Proof of Purchase | Variable (please be prepared to provide information) POAP Delivery or Manual |
Individuals | | |
| You’ve-Met-Me POAPs | Under 100 POAPs POAP Kiosk or Manual |
| Activations: Personal brands (IRL or online) | Under 500 POAPs Variable by platform |
Communities | Synchronous IRL or online meetups | Under 200 POAPs POAP Kiosk or POAP Secrets |
| Shared milestones | Under 200 POAPs POAP Kiosk |
| Initiation ceremonies | Under 75 POAPs Manual |
Small-Medium Sized Business | | |
| Beta programs | Under 500 POAPs POAP Delivery or Manual |
| Product launches | Under 1000 POAPs POAP Delivery or Manual |
| Openings | Under 500 POAPs POAP Kiosk |
| Customer engagement programs | Under 500 POAPs Manual |
Corporates | | |
| Marketing activations (particularly Twitter) | Under 500 POAPs POAP Secrets |
| Experiential activations (particularly Decentraland) | Under 1000 POAPs Decentraland Dispenser |
| Conference booths (IRL) | Under 500 POAPs POAP Kiosk or Manual |
| Event sponsorship (IRL) | Under 1000 POAPs POAP Kiosk or Manual |
Networks | | |
| Proof of Voting | Under 1000 POAPs Snapshot |
| Synchronous community forums (online) | Under 200 POAPs Bots or Secrets |
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