# OnShelf: Redefining Curation

*What's on your shelf?*

By [OnShelf](https://paragraph.com/@onshelf.eth) · 2024-04-17

nft, web3, curation

---

**NFT markets are fundamentally broken.**

In NFT markets, a single metric often dictates the 'invest-ability' of a creator or a collection: the floor price. This metric, borrowed from traditional financial markets, represents the lowest price a seller is willing to accept. Floor prices are far from perfect. They can induce fear of missing out (FOMO) among collectors and do not accurately reflect which NFTs are trending, relevant, or historically significant. Moreover, they often overlook market liquidity.

Consider Cryptopunks: their floor price has plummeted to around 40 ETH from highs of approximately 113 ETH, yet they remain one of the most revered collections in the NFT landscape. This disconnect between market price and intrinsic value demonstrates that floor prices do not capture public sentiment or the historical significance of NFTs.

**A Better Metric: Community Curation**

At OnShelf, we believe there is a better way to gauge value in the NFT market: curation. Historically, curators have been the lifeblood of the traditional art market, expertly matching artworks with collectors and crafting narratives that resonate with audiences. Despite their pivotal role, curators are often undervalued and underpaid, with mid-career professionals earning between $60,000 and $80,000 annually. Yet, without these curatorial geniuses, there would be no art market.

When the supply of NFTs approaches infinity—thanks to advancements in AI and accessible minting technologies—the role of community-powered human curation becomes even more crucial. It helps the community discern what is genuinely important and trending in a crowded and noisy marketplace.

**Introducing** [**OnShelf.xyz**](http://OnShelf.xyz)

OnShelf was born out of a necessity to address a challenge in the web3 space: sharing important NFTs across multiple blockchains, from Ethereum L1 to ordinals and L2 chains. Before OnShelf, sharing NFTs involved cumbersome processes through platforms like OpenSea, which required endless scrolling to find what’s important, or using portfolio trackers that allowed for unlimited NFTs to be curated.

OnShelf revolutionizes this experience with 'relatable constraints'—akin to a physical shelf with limited shelf space (up to 8 items). This concept forces shelf builders to make thoughtful decisions about what truly deserves a spot on their shelf — what they want to see _and_ what they want others to see. The impact of these constraints became evident early on as shelf builders reported spending hours deciding what to showcase, demonstrating the deep engagement and thoughtfulness that OnShelf encourages.

In April 2024, OnShelf leveraged this engagement by hosting a cryptoart curation contest in collaboration with the [/cryptoart](https://warpcast.com/~/channel/cryptoart) channel on Farcaster. Participants were rewarded with $DEGEN tokens for exemplary curation. This initiative not only enhanced the quality of curation but also showcased the potential for incentivizing curators effectively.

**Our Vision and the Road Ahead**

OnShelf represents a movement to redefine what makes an NFT valuable. We aim to empower curators by providing them with tools that recognize and compensate their skills, thereby enhancing discoverability NFTs across the Web3 community.

As we prepare to engage with pre-seed investors and further develop our community, we invite the NFT and broader Web3 community to join us in this exciting journey. Together, we can create a more nuanced and meaningful NFT market, where the true value of digital art and collectibles is recognized not just by their price tags but by their cultural and historical significance.

**Join us at** [**OnShelf.xyz**](http://OnShelf.xyz)**—where your curation crafts the future of NFTs.**

---

*Originally published on [OnShelf](https://paragraph.com/@onshelf.eth/onshelf-redefining-curation)*