But we also have figured out that the struggles are worth it, because Web3, far away from all the overloaded hype and crypto schemes, is a path that allows creators to protect themselves and own what they are creating independently from any organizations or middlemen.

But here is the good news: Our mission at The ALANA Project is to bridge creative freedom with technical sovereignty. We believe creators shouldn't have to become full-time developers to protect their work, monetize their art, or build sustainable digital communities.

While we have been educating fellow creators for a while through our blog, we know even figuring out which article to read first can feel overwhelming. So we decided to put together a starter guide for you on what we think you might want to understand first before getting into more complex topics:

Tier 1: The Essentials Kit

If you're completely new to Web3 or want to ensure your core knowledge is rock solid, start here. These five articles cover the fundamental tools and security practices every creator needs.

1. Blockchain Explained

• What it covers: What a blockchain is, how it works, and why the technology itself matters.

• Why read it first: Establishes why decentralized databases aka. blockchains, matter for digital ownership, especially for digital creators such as yourself.

2. Web3 Wallets - Your Keys, Your House

• What it covers: Crypto wallets, the difference between private and public keys, and how self-custody mechanics work when you manage your own digital assets.

• Why read it next: Explains how you hold real ownership of your work and identity rather than relying on third-party platforms and account logins.

3. Web3 Rookie's Survival Guide

• What it covers: Essential wallet safety, seed phrase security, and practical scam avoidance.

• Why read it next: Before interacting with smart contracts or holding digital assets, protecting your digital workspace is step zero.

4. Consensus Mechanism Explained

• What it covers: How distributed networks such as blockchains agree on a state without a central coordinator; basically what makes them safe.

• Why read it next: Clarifies the underlying trust engine that makes digital scarcity and verification possible and technically safeguards your assets.

5. Decentralized Finance Explained

• What it covers: Peer-to-peer financial systems, permissionless lending, borrowing, and smart-contract-based monetary protocols without traditional banks.

• Why read it: Introduces you to how open financial protocols allow you to manage capital, earn yield, and access financial tools autonomously.

Tier 2: The Expansion Kit

Once you're comfortable with the basics, the following three guides explore the financial aspect of Web3 more deeply; the terminology connected to it and how to ensure you are fully in control of your onchain actions:

1. Centralized vs. Decentralized Exchanges Explained

• What it covers: The structural trade-offs between custodial platforms (CEXs) and peer-to-peer protocols (DEXs) with a strong focus on decentralized finance.

• Why read it first: Helps creators navigate the slightly complex world of decentralized and centralized exchanges and helps with risk management.

2. Token & Standards Explained

• What it covers: A clear breakdown of common Ethereum token standards, what they mean, and what can be done with them.

• Why read it next: Helps you understand the technical differences between fungible tokens, 1-of-1 digital art, and multi-edition open releases, and can expand your product or service catalog onchain.

3. Stablecoins – An Escape from Volatility

• What it covers: How algorithmic and backed stablecoins function to protect creators from market fluctuations.

• Why read it next: Essential for managing creative business revenue, pricing goods, and accepting payments without crypto market volatility in all aspects of your financial dealings.

4. Reading a Block Explorer

• What it covers: How to navigate tools like Etherscan (blockchain explorers) to verify transactions, token contracts, and wallet activity.

• Why read it next: Gives you the independence to verify what is happening onchain yourself rather than relying on others to explain it to you and therefore puts you in control.

Tier 3: The Commitment Kit

Ready to dive into the deeper end of Web3? If you are committed, we recommend the following reading to understand how blockchain-powered tools, platforms, and communities can have a positive impact on your life:

1. DAO 101: What Is a DAO, Really?

• What it covers: Decentralized communities and digital cooperativism powered by onchain self-governance.

• Why read it first: Explores how you can join self-organized communities and why it matters to consider it for your own growth.

2. The 101 Of Smart Contracts

• What it covers: What smart contracts actually are, how they function, and why they serve as the building blocks for creator autonomy.

• Why read it next: Demystifies onchain logic without getting you lost in complex language or even code.

2. Liquidity Pools – The Core of DeFi

• What it covers: Automated Market Makers (AMMs), token pairs, and how decentralized exchanges facilitate financial trading without intermediaries.

• Why read it next: Helps you understand the core liquidity mechanisms behind decentralized token markets and enables you to interact with them in a careful and conscious manner.

Stay Connected

Learning is always easier when done together. If you found this reading guide helpful and want to stay updated with fresh educational guides, deep dives, and creator tools:

• Subscribe to this blog and get news and updates delivered straight to your inbox.

• Join our Telegram group to meet the authors behind these articles, ask questions, share your creative projects, and connect with fellow builders.

Happy Week, ALANA Adventurers!

This article was authored by Stella, a DAO member of The ALANA Project.

Find The ALANA Project on:

• TELEGRAM

• LINKEDIN

• YOUTUBE

• INSTAGRAM

• TIKTOK

Before I joined the ALANA Project, I was just a typical copywriter. I had worked in two previous DAOs, so I wasn’t completely new to Crypto or Web3. I understood the basics and had some exposure to how decentralized communities functioned.

But if I’m being honest, my skills were limited, and my perspective was small. I didn’t fully understand how my abilities could evolve or how far they could go within the Web3 space. I saw myself in a narrow role, contributing in familiar ways without fully realizing the potential for growth that existed within collaborative ecosystems. At that point, I was participating, but I wasn't evolving.

Entering ALANA 

When I joined The ALANA Project in 2023, the first thing that stood out wasn’t the projects; it was the people. Instead of being immediately assigned rigid tasks, I was asked about my interests, my goals, and my current skill level. I was introduced to the different branches of ALANA and encouraged to explore which one I felt most aligned with. What followed was something I had rarely experienced before in a professional environment: patience.

Members of the team took me under their wing. They showed me how things worked, walked me through processes, and made sure I understood not just what we were doing, but why we were doing it. Every project became a learning opportunity rather than just a responsibility. I wasn’t expected to know everything; I was allowed to grow.

Growth Through Collaboration

The biggest transformation came through collaboration. The ALANA Project is filled with creatives, thinkers, and professionals who bring different experiences into one shared ecosystem. Through daily interactions, discussions, and collective problem-solving, I began to expand both my skillset and my mindset. Growth happened in more than one way:

EXPANDING CREATIVE THINKING
Working alongside people from different disciplines exposed me to new perspectives and pushed me to think beyond traditional marketing habits.

LEARNING BY DOING
Instead of theoretical learning, every initiative provided hands-on experience. Each project became a classroom where mistakes were lessons and progress was visible.

SUPPORTIVE ACCOUNTABILITY
My teammates didn’t just expect improvement — they actively encouraged it. They pushed me when I needed motivation, supported me when challenges arose, and celebrated my progress. Through this process, I learned that growth is rarely a solo journey; it is built through shared effort and collective support.

Personal Evolution

Beyond professional skills, The ALANA Project contributed significantly to my personal development. Being part of a collaborative and creative ecosystem has made me more confident in my ideas and more comfortable stepping outside my comfort zone.

I LEARNED HOW TO:

• Communicate more clearly and assertively

• Accept constructive feedback without fear

• Adapt to new challenges and responsibilities

• Trust my ability to grow beyond my initial limitations

The environment encouraged experimentation and self-reflection, both of which played a crucial role in shaping who I am today, not just as a creative but as a person.

Professional Transformation

Professionally, my journey within ALANA reshaped my view of my own capabilities. What began as a limited role expanded into broader contributions and deeper involvement in projects and initiatives.

Exposure to new workflows, creative processes, and collaborative leadership allowed me to develop skills I didn’t previously think I had. Instead of remaining confined to a single identity as a copywriter, I began to see myself as a multifaceted contributor capable of strategic thinking, creative direction, and community collaboration.

"ALANA didn’t just give me opportunities; it gave me the confidence to step into them."

Why This Matters

My journey is not unique within ALANA. Many members arrive with a specific skill set or limited expectations of themselves, only to discover new strengths through collaboration and shared learning.

The project functions as more than a workspace; it is a community for development. It creates an environment where people are mentored, challenged, and encouraged to evolve at their own pace.

Since joining in 2023, I have experienced growth I could not have predicted — both personally and professionally. I have been pushed, encouraged, and supported by my teammates, and that collective effort has shaped the creative and individual I am today.

"The ALANA Project proves that the most valuable outcome of any project is not only what we build together, but who we become in the process."

Get Your ALANA Manifesto

The ALANA 10 Principles of a Good Community NFT is powered by Unlock Protocol and available as a free mint (wallet and email option) directly from the Optimism Blockchain. If you agree with these principles, show us and get your Manifesto here:

The ALANA Project Manifesto | Unlock App

Unlock is a protocol which enables creators to monetize their content with a few lines of code in a fully decentralized way.

https://app.unlock-protocol.com

Happy Week, ALANA Adventurers!

This article was authored by Shellpen, a DAO member of The ALANA Project.

Find The ALANA Project on:

• TELEGRAM

• LINKEDIN

• YOUTUBE

• INSTAGRAM

• TIKTOK

The Tool

By the way, your reaction is normal. Blockchains are transparent by design. Every transaction, every wallet, every token transfer is recorded and visible to anyone, and each is made unique by a single identifier called an "address." The only problem, though, is that "visible" doesn't mean "readable." Not without the right tool.

That tool is a block explorer.

Think of it like this: a blockchain is a massive public record book. A block explorer is the search engine that lets you actually find things in it. You paste in an address or a transaction # (hash), and it translates raw blockchain data into something a human can understand. Balances. Transfers. Fees. Timestamps. Everything that happened, in order, with receipts.

The most popular one for Ethereum is Etherscan. If you're on Base (a layer-2 network built on Ethereum, which Stella Achenbach covered in her blockchain layers article), you'd use BaseScan. For Solana, there's Solscan. Different chains, different explorers, same idea.

A block explorer is not a wallet. It can't move your money. It can't reverse anything. It's read-only. All it does is show you what actually happened on the blockchain. Something that has never existed in Web2 and therefore feels like a small learning curve to most of us.

Let's walk through the main 'ingredients' you'll see when you open a block explorer together, so it feels less intimidating to do it when you need it.

The Address - Your Blockchain Identity

As mentioned above, an address in the context of blockchains is like a mailbox. It's where crypto gets sent and received. On Ethereum and other EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) blockchains, it looks something like this:

0x1234...abcd

A long string starting with "0x" followed by a mix of forty letters and numbers. Every wallet has one. Every smart contract has one. If you've set up a wallet (and if you haven't, check the ALANA wallet guide), your public address is what you share when someone wants to send you something.

Web3 Wallets - Your Keys, Your House

ALANA's ⚡NewsFlash⚡

Feb 24, 2025

There are sufficient articles on Web3 wallets, but I felt a simplified explanation that was highly relatable was missing. In this unique approach, let's imagine the Internet as a vast city. Web2 is th...

1 collected

Collect

When you paste a wallet address into a block explorer, you'll see:

• The balance (how much ETH or other currency the address holds)

• A list of all transactions (sent and received)

• Tokens held by that address

• And any additional interactions with smart contracts

Addresses are pseudonymous. That means anyone can see the activity tied to an address, but they can't automatically see who owns it. Your wallet address is not your name unless you provide an identifier on purpose (e.g., an ENS domain). It's just a public-facing identifier. Some well-known addresses are labeled by the explorer (e.g., exchanges, famous smart contracts), but most aren't.

One thing to keep in mind: you might have multiple addresses. One for your main wallet, one for a hardware wallet, one for a specific project. Each one has its own history.

The Transaction Hash - Your Receipt

Every time something happens 'onchain' (abbreviation for 'on the blockchain'), it generates a transaction hash (also called a tx hash or TxID). It's a unique identifier for that specific transaction. It looks something like this:

0x8badf00d...

Another long string. When you paste it into a block explorer, you get the full picture of what happened. The key fields you'll see:

• Status: Either "Success" (it went through) or "Fail" (it didn't). A failed transaction means the blockchain tried to execute it, but something went wrong. Important: even if a transaction fails, you still pay the gas fee. More on that in a second.

• From: The address that initiated the transaction.

• To: The address that received it. If the "To" field shows a smart contract address instead of a regular wallet, it means the transaction was interacting with a contract (minting a token, swapping on a decentralized exchange, voting in a DAO).

• Value: How much ETH (or other currency) was sent.

• Block: The block number where this transaction was recorded. Think of it as the page number in the record book.

• Timestamp: When the transaction happened. Exact date and time.

A fun way to look at all of this and its workings is txStreet, an early tool that helped many newbies like us to visualize how the blockchain works:

Blockchain Transaction Visualizer - Txcity.io

Cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Ethereum etc) blockchain live transaction visualizer. Every tx is a person, and they fill up buses which represent blocks.

https://txcity.io

Think of the tx hash as your proof of payment. If you ever need to verify that a transfer happened, this is what you share. Not a screenshot. Not a 'trust me.' The hash it is.

The Gas - Your Cost of Doing Anything

Gas is the fee you pay to use the blockchain. Every transaction costs gas. Sending ETH costs gas. Minting an NFT costs gas. Voting in a DAO costs gas. Even a failed transaction costs gas. Why? Because every transaction needs to be processed and verified by the network. Gas is what compensates the validators (the computers doing the verification work).

On Ethereum mainnet, gas can be expensive. On layer-2 networks like Base, Optimism, or Arbitrum, gas is much cheaper. Sometimes fractions of a cent. That's one of the reasons many projects (including some of us in the ALANA community) build on layer-2 chains.

When you look at a transaction on a block explorer, you'll see a few gas-related fields:

• Gas Price: How much you paid per unit of gas (measured in "gwei," which is a tiny fraction of ETH).

• Gas Used: How many units of gas the transaction consumed. Simple transfers use less gas. Complex smart contract interactions use more.

• Transaction Fee: The total cost. Gas Price multiplied by Gas Used. This is what came out of your wallet on top of whatever you were sending.

Since 2021, Ethereum uses a system called EIP-1559, which splits the fee into two parts: a base fee (set by the network and automatically burned) and a priority fee, or 'tip' (paid to validators). You'll see both of these on Etherscan. The base fee varies based on network activity. As more people use Ethereum, the base fee increases. When it's quiet, it drops. If you pay an additional fee, the network may prioritize your request.

The practical takeaway: if you're not in a rush, you can wait for lower gas fees. Etherscan has a Gas Tracker that shows real-time estimates, and there is also another public good that can help with calculating gas fees in advance:

The Token Transfer - All That Can Move

Here's where it gets interesting for us as creators.

When you look at a transaction, the 'Value' field shows ETH (or the chain's native token), the fiat value (e.g., US dollar), and even the historical fiat value at the time of the transaction. But most of the actions on Ethereum happen through tokens like USDC and DAI, which are ERC-20 (fungible), and ERC-721 tokens (non-fungible), which are most commonly known as NFTs. If you want to understand how these token standards work, the ALANA article on tokens and standards breaks it all down:

Token & Standards Explained

ALANA's ⚡NewsFlash⚡

May 13, 2026

The word "token" reminds me of coins or arcade games. So when I first heard it in the context of blockchain technology, I had a light reference, but I didn't feel I fully understood its meaning either...

0 collected

Collect

Token transfers show up in a separate section on the transaction page, usually labeled "ERC-20 Token Transfers" or "ERC-721 Token Transfers."

For example, if someone bought a piece of digital art using USDC, the main transaction might show 0 ETH in the value field (because no ETH changed hands). But if you scroll down to the token transfers section, you'll see the USDC moving from the buyer's wallet to the seller's, and the NFT moving from the seller to the buyer. Two transfers in one transaction. The ETH value looks empty, but a lot actually happened.

This is why checking only the "Value" field can be misleading. Always check the token transfers section to understand the full picture.

Something else to keep an eye on is the token's contract address. This is important for safety. Anyone can create a token called "USDC" or "DAI." The contract address is what tells you whether it's the real thing or a fake. Block explorers like Etherscan mark verified, well-known contracts, but it's a healthy habit to double-check:

Internal Transactions - The Hidden Layer

This one confuses people the most and understandably so.

A regular transaction is something you initiate: you press "send" in your wallet, and a transaction is created. An internal transaction is something a smart contract triggers as part of executing your transaction.

Let's say you interact with a decentralized exchange to swap Token A for Token B. You send one transaction. But under the hood, the smart contract might make several moves: pulling Token A from your wallet, sending Token B back, distributing a fee to the protocol, and maybe sending a referral reward somewhere. Each of those is an internal transaction.

Internal transactions don't have their own tx hash. They live inside the parent transaction. On Etherscan, you'll find them under a tab called "Internal Transactions" on the transaction page.

Why does this matter? Two reasons.

First, if you're expecting to receive ETH from a smart contract (such as a DAO payout or a refund from a failed mint), it might appear as an internal transaction rather than a regular one. Your wallet balance changes, but if you're only looking at the main transaction list, you might not see where it came from.

Second, internal transactions are where more complex activity lives. If you want to understand what a smart contract actually did when you interacted with it, this is where you look.

You don't need to understand every internal transaction. But knowing they exist, and where to find them, helps you not get confused when the numbers don't seem to add up. At least that is what I am doing ;).

Putting It All Together

Let's walk through a real scenario. Say you minted a membership NFT using a smart contract (exactly like the process described in the ALANA no-code smart contracts webinar).

You'd see:

Your address in the "From" field. The smart contract address in the "To" field. The tx hash as the unique identifier for the whole thing. The gas fee you paid to process it. An ERC-721 token transfer showing the NFT moving from the contract to your wallet. And possibly an internal transaction if the contract distributed part of the payment somewhere else.

All of this is public. All of this is verifiable. All of this is permanent. That's the whole point. Blockchains don't ask you to trust anyone. It asks you to verify. And a block explorer is the tool that makes verification possible for anyone, not just developers.

Where to Start

Pick the explorer that matches the chain you're using:

• Ethereum: etherscan.io

• Polygon: polygonscan.com

• Base: basescan.org

• Optimism: optimistic.etherscan.io

• Arbitrum: arbiscan.io

• Solana: solscan.io

Now go find your own wallet address. Paste it in. Look at your transaction history. Check the gas you paid. See which tokens you hold. That's your first read. And once you can read the chain, you don't need to take anyone's word for anything.

And whenever you need a hand, the ALANA team and community are always here to help. Just reach out on any of our channels or, even better, join our group on Telegram:

https://t.me/+GFQH3yhIAJc0MTcy

Happy Week, ALANA Adventurers!

This article was authored by Sogand Nobahar, a DAO member of The ALANA Project.

Find The ALANA Project on:

• TELEGRAM

• LINKEDIN

• YOUTUBE

• INSTAGRAM

• TIKTOK

While the term seems obvious, I believe it actually feels rather vague. So let's start drawing a complete picture together, by unearthing the history and meaning of tokens and what exactly token standards and token usage look like in the blockchain world.

A Brief Origin Story of Tokens

The word "token" derives from Old English tācen, meaning "sign, symbol, evidence, or omen." Funny enough, these English forms belong to a wider Germanic family where the meaning can be framed as "sign" or "symbol." And under that Germanic layer lies a hidden root in the Indo-European meaning of "to show" or "to point."

As you can see, nothing really yet aligns with what we know the word token for today, because all the aforementioned only shifted in its meaning around 1200. Around that time, tokens, such as physical objects, were first used as a pledge or to 'show' affection. Think of someone gifting you something and saying, "a sign of my affection."

Later on in the 14th century, tokens were generally described as "symbolic acts" as part of an agreement or ritual, for example. About 200 years later, today's meaning began to take hold, with shop and travel tokens emerging as representations of money or granting access.

The truth is, we know the history of how it evolved in meaning, but sadly not the why. Nonetheless, with a word journey like that, how would it surprise anyone that the word token, even in the blockchain sense, needs some clarification:

In the blockchain world, a token is a small programmable unit in a shared database that represents something bigger, such as value, a membership, or access and can be sent, traded, or used inside apps.

Why Tokens Need Rules = Standards

This article is not just about tokens but also their "standards" or the unified rules they operate on. Before token standards were introduced in the Ethereum ecosystem, there was literal chaos: anyone could code a token, which was cool, but because of their high level of uniqueness, these tokens were often incompatible and poorly adopted, which partially defied their purpose.

Around 2015, a group of Ethereum developers, including Fabian Vogelsteller and Vitalik Buterin, proposed the first token standard, now known as ERC-20. The proposal was formalized in an Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) in 2017. With a standard in place, wallets, exchanges, and dApps (decentralized apps) could more easily adopt this new infrastructure and build on it with a certain level of guaranteed engagement.

Think about how paper sizes are standardized and how it makes it easy and visually accessible when someone tells you a poster has a certain DIN or ANSI format. You don't have to be next to the poster or the person to know its size. Standards for easy communication and workflows, especially in something as highly automated as a blockchain, certainly help.

Two Big Families

Before we get into a tiny rabbit hole on token standards, it helps to know that most tokens fall into one of two camps: fungible (interchangeable) tokens or non-fungible (unique) tokens.

FUNGIBLE TOKENS
If we think in more accessible terms, think of fungible tokens as the same T-Shirts you are trying to trade on a marketplace. I have a Balenciaga shirt, you have the exact same one, and we just switched for whatever reason. From the system’s point of view, my shirt and your shirt are interchangeable.
Fungible use cases = currencies, points, governance power.

NON-FUNGIBLE TOKENS
In contrast, non‑fungible tokens are more like one‑of‑a‑kind couture pieces. If someone really wants one, they might offer something very different in return, such as a specific amount of money or another rare piece. But just because you’re asking for $1,000 doesn’t mean the other person will agree. Think of it this way: there is no automated consensus, but every piece is its own little negotiation.
Non‑fungible use cases = identity, membership, collectibles, in‑game items.

Now that we are clear on the two main camps for how token standards are viewed, let's dig deeper into the standards we most commonly engage with, which are also part of the ALANA ecosystem.

Three Big Heroes

At ALANA, we have used three different standards so far. Just to be clear, every token standard is implemented via a smart contract. If you haven't read our article on smart contracts yet, I highly encourage you to do so now. Now let's head into some more detail:

ERC‑721

The first standard ALANA ever engaged with is the ERC-721, a classic non-fungible token. Similar to ERC-20, this standard also began as an EIP, first drafted by Dieter Shriley and later co-authored with William Entriken, Jacob Evans, and Nastassia Sachs. For users, it was introduced in 2018 and kicked off a whole streak of experimentation around blockchain-based art projects and collectibles. It was fun times, but to be honest, it also diluted what else an ERC-721 could do, such as event-ticketing, memberships, recurring subscriptions, and even products secured by blockchain technology.

At ALANA, we use ERC-721 for all our memberships, from our community value alignment (ALANA Manifest) to dedicated role memberships, products such as the ALANAmagazine, and more to come.

ERC‑20

As you may remember, the first standard officially proposed and implemented in the Ethereum ecosystem is the ERC-20 standard. It is the most commonly used token standard for fungible tokens, such as cryptocurrencies.

In ALANA, we use cryptocurrencies to pay writers for ALANAmagazine, and in the not-so-distant future, we will have even our own $ALANA token, which will be distributed to contributors to provide weight to their votes.

ERC-1155

The ERC-1155 standard emerged when game developers such as Enjin entered the Ethereum space. They soon realized that the ERC-20 was fantastic for gold, points, and in-game currencies. The ERC-721 solved gear like swords, skins, and active memberships, but games need more than a few unique items. They needed hundreds, or even thousands, of them to run smoothly and keep their users engaged. Enjin published a first draft of this standard on the Ethereum GitHub in 2018 because it needed a contract type that could manage multiple token types simultaneously. Think of it as a contract, not just managing one item, but instead a whole wardrobe of items, like the Balenciaga shirt, the haute couture piece, and more, all at the same time. This is how the ERC-1155 was born.

While we’re not currently using the ERC‑1155 standard, we did experiment with it in ALANA’s early days by "attaching" fabrics and textures to ERC‑721 artistic NFTs, so others could remix them into their own artworks. It was a playful, almost gimmicky experiment in shared materials.

There is More

Well, there always is, isn't it? There are many more standards in the Ethereum ecosystem today, solving a wide variety of problems. If you are interested in doing some of your own research on tokens you might find interesting, here is a brief list:

• ERC‑777: A “next‑gen” fungible token that keeps ERC‑20’s basics but adds smarter hooks for richer interactions and safer transfers.

• ERC‑4626: A standard for yield‑bearing “vault” tokens that represent shares in DeFi strategies, so deposits and returns are easier to integrate.

• ERC‑2981: An NFT royalties standard that lets creators publish royalty info in a consistent way for marketplaces to read.

• ERC‑165: A small but important standard that lets contracts declare which interfaces they support (like “I’m ERC‑721” or “I’m ERC‑1155”).

• BEP‑20 / BEP‑721 (BNB Chain): Close cousins of ERC‑20 and ERC‑721 on another EVM‑compatible chain, useful if you ever explore beyond mainnet and Layer 2's (L2's).

• Soulbound / non‑transferable token patterns: Tokens that are bound to a wallet and can’t be sold, often used for reputation, credentials, or non‑tradable membership.

You see, this article could go on forever, but let's cut it here, and hopefully next time you run into something that starts with "token" or "ERC" (Ethereum Request for Comments), you will roughly know what you are dealing with. If not, join our ALANA Telegram channel and ask away.

Have a great week, ALANA adventurers!
Stella Achenbach

Find The ALANA Project on:

• TELEGRAM

• LINKEDIN

• YOUTUBE

• INSTAGRAM

• TIKTOK

That’s how a DAO works at its most fundamental level, also known as a Decentralized Autonomous Organization.

Not a company with a CEO, more like a system where a community pre-defines the rules, and the rules execute themselves. Sounds good on paper. But before we go further, here is a more important question:

Why Does This Even Exist?

Because the current system is broken for creators (and many more). Most of us feel it, even if we don't always name it.

You post your work on Instagram, and an algorithm decides who sees it. You sell on Etsy, and the platform takes its cut before you've even covered your materials. You apply for a grant, and a closed committee you'll never meet decides your work isn't the right fit this cycle. You try to receive a payment from abroad, and a bank holds it for days, takes a fee, or blocks it entirely because your country is on some list.

The tools we use to create, share, and sell are mostly built by companies whose interests don't align with ours. They need engagement. They need data. They need growth. What we need is to make a living from our work and be seen on our own terms. Those are not the same thing.

This isn't just about money, either. Think about how decisions get made. Who decides which films get funded? Which artists get residencies? Which projects deserve support? Usually, a small group of people in a room somewhere, with their own biases, their own networks, their own blind spots. That's not evil. It's just limited.

DAOs can be an answer to some of this. Not as a perfect solution (nothing is), but as a different structure. One where funding decisions happen in the open. Where rules are written in code instead of bureaucracy. Where you don't need to know the right people, you just need to show up with something worth supporting.

At its core, a DAO is digital cooperativism for the internet age. It shifts ownership back to participants. You can crowdfund work, split royalties automatically, and decide collectively where resources go. Shared ownership, transparent systems, and aligned incentives. Simple as that!

OK, But How Does This Actually Work?

Here's the thing most DAO explainers skip: DAOs are not all the same. Some fund builders. Some fund art. Some fund public goods, and some are not about funding at all. The model changes, but the principle stays: decisions are made collectively, money and rules moves transparently, and nobody needs permission to participate.

Let me walk you through a few that are actually working right now, and I have found worth showcasing:

DAOs That Fund Builders and Public Goods

RootstockCollective runs on Bitcoin’s layer-2 (Stella explained all about blockchain layers here if you need a refresher, and Lutra on staking here).

In the Rootstock Collective, builders propose projects, community members stake tokens to back them, and the flow to both builders and their supporters is rewarded. It launched in September 2024 and has already distributed thousands of Bitcoin (the first cryptocurrency) and RIF (Rootstock Infrastructure Framework) tokens. Everything happens onchain, meaning it's all visible, like a public account book anyone can read.

Octant takes a different approach. It's built on Ethereum and asks its users to stake yield (the interest generated when you lock up tokens) to fund community-chosen projects. Instead of spending from a shrinking treasury, Octant generates ongoing funding from locked capital. The community then decides where that yield goes. They've run 11 funding rounds so far, distributing over 2,800 ETH (worth millions) to projects, and just launched a new version of their platform in early 2026 that makes the whole process more flexible.

The Optimism Collective pushes this model even further through so-called RetroPGF or retroactive public goods funding. Instead of speculating on what might work, it rewards what has already created value. You build something useful, the community recognizes it, and you get funded after the fact. They've distributed over $100 million to date across seven rounds. Large-scale, structured, and openly governed.

Alongside them, ecosystems like Arbitrum DAO show how DAOs can manage significant treasuries, funding tools, infrastructure, and entire ecosystems through community proposals.

DAOs That Fund Creators Directly

This is where it gets interesting for people like us.

Nouns DAO is one of the most creative examples out there. Every day, a new pixel art character (a "Noun") is auctioned, and 100% of the proceeds are donated to a community treasury. Noun holders then vote on proposals to fund projects. And the projects they've funded are wild: fashion collections, animated films, a Super Bowl commercial with Bud Light, 3D-printed wearable art, schools, and even the discovery of a new species of frog. All the artwork is open source (CC0), meaning anyone can use it, remix it, or build on it. No permission needed. You don't have to own a Noun to propose an idea. You just need someone in the community to sponsor your proposal (a few nouns will be delegated to your account). I just found out about this one, so I want to try it. Want to join me and share the process together? What are you waiting for?

Gitcoin remains one of the most established funding mechanisms in Web3. Their model uses quadratic funding, a system in which small donations from many people are amplified by a matching pool. So, for example, if 50 people each give $5 to your project, the matching formula gives you significantly more than if one person gave $250. The number of supporters matters more than the amount. They've distributed over $60 million since launch. Their original platform (Grants Stack) was retired in 2025, but the grants program continues through new tools and partners.

Artizen (which we've covered in a previous article) brings together creators, supporters, and sponsors in seasonal funding rounds. Projects (like ALANAmagazine) compete in public, individuals signal what matters through votes and contributions, and sponsors provide the matching capital. It's less a marketplace and more an evolving structure for participation. In a way, you could say it is version 2.0 of crowdfunding.

And Most Importantly: Learning DAOs

LearnWeb3 is a free education platform that helps over 110,000 developers learn blockchain skills through structured courses and hands-on projects. If the technical side of Web3 feels intimidating, this is a solid place to start building confidence.

And if you are already subscribed to this blog, you know that The ALANA Project is all about learning, too. The important thing is that we are all about learning on your own time and at your own pace because we know it is different for creators.

If you've read this far and you're thinking "OK, but what do I actually do?", here's what I'd suggest:

Pick one DAO. Just one. Go to their Discord or governance forum (some have one on Telegram). Read a few proposals. Watch how people discuss ideas, how votes happen, how money moves. You don't have to invest anything. You don't have to propose anything. Just observe. Here are three good starting points depending on what you care about:

If you're a creative looking for funding, consider Nouns DAO or Artizen. If you want to support projects you believe in, try Gitcoin or Octant. If you want to learn the technical side, start with LearnWeb3. If you are a creator who wants to build and learn, join us!

DAOs do not know limits; they are a new form of decentralized, digital-first organizations that can technically do anything we design them to do, far more than the examples I decided to showcase today. So really, the question is how far our imagination can reach, cause the underlying system, with its self-executing rules, is strong and fair.

These organizations don't ask for credentials. They respond to participation. Vote on something small. See how decisions happen in public, and how value moves without anyone's permission. That's the whole point of DAOs. And this is how I am doing it.

And remember, you need a hand, the ALANA team and community are always here to help. Just reach out on our public Telegram (yes, we finally moved out of Discord).

I hope you liked the article and found it useful for your journey. I try to be more available to explain, in a simple way, whatever I am learning myself.

Happy Week, ALANA Adventurers!

This article was authored by Sogand Nobahar, a DAO member of The ALANA Project.

My Recommended Reading for You

The Power of Stability

ALANA's ⚡NewsFlash⚡

Jun 23, 2025

"Sustainable development is impossible without peace and stability."Ban Ki-moon (Former UN Secretary-General)Last week, Lutra—one of our most insightful DAO members and our top in-house writer—shared ...

0 collected

Collect

Web3 Grants Explained

ALANA's ⚡NewsFlash⚡

Oct 30, 2024

We are currently in the midst of the Gitcoin GG22 Grant season, and it felt appropriate to tell you more about Web3-based grant systems. Similar to DeFi (Decentralized Finance), grants come with their...

0 collected

Collect

Decentralized Autonomous Organizations Statistics 2026 * CoinLaw

Explore Decentralized Autonomous Organizations stats, highlighting market growth, trends, etc. to navigate the evolving DAO landscape!

https://coinlaw.io

Free Web3 Funding Options for Builders in 2026 | Daniel M. posted on the topic | LinkedIn

You might be eligible for free, equity‑free funding in 2026. ​ Not a seed round. Not a loan. A grant. ​ If you're building dApps, tools, infrastructure, DeFi, public goods, or education in Web3, there are protocols and foundations that will fund you without taking ownership.

https://www.linkedin.com

'Good' or 'nothing'? How DAOs are faring in 2026 | ForkLog

DAOs in 2026 face apathy, centralisation and reinvention. The experiment continues. Experts polled by ForkLog are split over the present and future of decentralised autonomous organisations. A few years ago, decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs) seemed the first realisation of crypto-anarchist ideals: a future without hierarchies and bureaucracy, in which communities take decisions via smart contracts; code replaces the need to trust people; tokens apportion influence; votes displace politics.

https://forklog.com

Find The ALANA Project on:

• TELEGRAM

• LINKEDIN

• FARCASTER

• YOUTUBE

• INSTAGRAM

• TIKTOK

• X

The first ALANA webinar of the year wasn't just a tutorial; I want to believe it was much more of a statement of empowerment!

Joined by Onome (Irene) Emeya, founder of Announced Digital Fashion (ADF), Yemi Scott of XRology and lead tech partner at ADF, and Eric, CTO at ADF, we sat down to answer one question that rarely gets asked in creator spaces: what if your art could live on the internet, belong fully to you, be protected and be buyable by anyone. All of that without asking a platform for permission?

Why We Did This

The ALANA Project and Announced Digital Fashion came together to bring visibility to African digital fashion within ALANAmagazine. One of the fashion editorials featured in the AIR Edition is curated exclusively by Onome and Yemi. One idea is to start making ALANAmagazine feature many more voices than the current ones

The other, much bigger idea is this: creators whose work is featured in our fashion editorials should also be able to monetize it; on their own terms, under their own contracts. No middlemen. No platform cuts. Just your art, your wallet, your price.

This is why we spent an hour walking through no code smart contracts from zero.

What A Smart Contract Actually Is

Smart contracts are mini programs hosted on a blockchain. When a buyer agrees to the terms you've predefined, the contract self-executes. No back-and-forth, no invoices, no waiting. NFTs are built on the same technology. Think of a smart contract as the engine, and the NFT as what the buyer receives when they interact with it.

For a deeper dive, check out our article on smart contracts here:

The 101 Of Smart Contracts

ALANA's ⚡NewsFlash⚡

Feb 10, 2026

Imagine you could write down a simple set of rules for your services or products that no one could quietly edit later or take away from you. Now imagine that rule doesn't live in a platform’s closed b...

1 supporter

Support

What We Did

During the webinar, we used Unlock Protocol on the Optimism blockchain to create and deploy (upload) a no code smart contract live, which is as easy as filling out a form. It consists of the following few steps:

• Log in to Unlock Protocol with a tiny amount of crypto (you need a wallet and crypto to sign a transaction, aka the upload to the blockchain).

• Click "Create Lock" (which means "Create a Smart Contract").

• Select your use case: Membership (most often for products and art), subscriptions, certifications, or event ticketing.

• Choose your blockchain (hint: not Ethereum because it is too expensive for most use cases).

• Set the title, scarcity, pricing, duration, and currency.

• Add relevant metadata: your image, description, and custom properties such as edition tags, etc.

• Creating a checkout URL you can embed anywhere, like in your Linktree, your website, your TikTok bio, or in the ALANAmagazine if your work gets curated.

One detail worth underscoring: only your wallet can modify or manage your contract. Not Unlock Protocol. Not ALANA. Not anyone else. That level of ownership is rare on the internet right now. And even greater news: deploying a smart contract costs cents, not hundreds of dollars. That barrier is gone!

The Deeper Conversation

What made this webinar memorable wasn't just the tutorial — it was the conversation that followed. Onome (Irene) put it beautifully:

This isn't just about selling art. It's about reclaiming heritage.

ADF's 2026 theme is Reclaim, Digitize, Preserve. The idea is to bring back extinct silhouettes and fabrics in a digital format. Putting that work onchain means no one can take the ownership away. That felt like exactly the right reason to be doing all of this.

What's Next

ADF's digital fashion submission for ALANAmagazine is open. Creators can submit work for the ALANA AIR Edition x ADF fashion editorial, put it onchain with a smart contract (we can help if you get stuck), and sell it directly from the magazine via embedded QR codes:

ADF x ALANA AIR EDITION - DIGITAL FASHION COMPETITION

Announce Digital Fashion (ADF) is excited to invite our community of creators to participate in the ALANA Magazine AIR Edition Editorial Competition - a global opportunity to showcase African digital fashion on an international Web3 and editorial stage. This is your chance to translate creativity into visibility, portfolio growth, and industry recognition.

https://www.announcedigitalfashion.com

If you need help or there's something web3-adjacent you want us to cover in a future session, drop it in the ALANA Telegram.

Have a great week, ALANA adventurers!
Stella Achenbach

Find The ALANA Project on:

• TELEGRAM

• LINKEDIN

• YOUTUBE

• INSTAGRAM

• TIKTOK

The ALANA manifesto encapsulates ALANA’s "10 Principles of a Good Community." The inspiration for these principles came from a thoughtful conversation with Dani, a fellow DAO member, in which we reflected on how Dieter Rams' "10 Principles of Good Design" distilled the essence of excellence. In the same spirit, we set out to capture the heart of what makes our community thrive.

A Good Community Aims For Sustainable Growth

Growth that lasts becomes the hidden frame holding up a community when things start moving fast. Inside The ALANA Project, it's less about money, more about rules built into how decisions are made - keeping everything from falling apart. When energy to create meets no boundaries, imbalance follows; without balance, what feels free at first slowly tightens under emergency fixes. That steady kind of progress? It keeps power distributed and prevents shared spaces from becoming examples of success gone wrong.

Right now, The ALANA Project is quietly shifting toward something more solid, shaped clearly by how Nucleus Guardian roles have come together. Instead of a single central hand guiding everything, direction now flows through separate yet linked workstreams. Each Guardian takes points differently, shaping how key ideas stay alive through daily choices. They do not just protect values; they live them out loud. Slowly, what began as loose connections becomes an actual body, moving forward not because someone orders it, but because agreement runs deep.

One way to see it: lasting progress links shared goals with personal choice. Instead of just piling up results, it supplies what's needed for wide-ranging invention - yet still respects how each person chooses to take part. When growth roots itself here, the ALANA network builds strength through balance, judging success not only by size but also by how well it guards the group's self-respect and independent spirit.

"You must gain control over your money, or the lack of it will forever control you."

— Dave Ramsey

The Balance Between Making Art and Making Money

Here's how things stand. The fifth point in the ALANA blueprint addresses lasting community growth, combined with fresh thinking. Not just one or the other - balance shapes the path. Think of it like walking a line where wild ideas meet steady income needs. When digital groups first form around decentralized systems, they face a quiet fight: staying independent without falling into rigid, top-down rules. Freedom slips away if everyone chases quick wins and loud moments. What holds them together instead? A backbone built on long-range money sense - not sudden spikes but slow strength. Freedom breathes because of how Principle 5 is built - its parts act like air for the system.

Starting with money that lasts, ALANA avoids getting stuck in old ways. Because it builds income that works over time, fresh ideas keep moving instead of slowing down. Freedom from outside control means changes happen naturally, not on someone else's schedule. When funding comes from within, trying new things does not mean breaking promises made years ago. Staying flexible keeps thinking varied, not flat or repeated.

Money staying strong helps stop power grabs. When systems are spread out, cash flow keeps small groups from taking control. A budget that runs on its own stops anyone from holding others hostage. That means fair rules can actually work instead of just sounding good. Shifting from ideas to real steps needs clear numbers, not just arguments. What matters shows up in facts, not opinions.

Measuring Freedom with Chosen Numbers

Objective measures step in where old power structures fade. When no single leader decides, numbers speak instead. A tool called the Contribution Calculator is rooted in Principle 5. It counts effort fairly while letting people stay free. Growth shows clearly through it - no permission needed. This system tracks progress without forcing paths. For those of you working as freelancers and not yet part of communities, we highly recommend checking out the Creator Pricing Calculator.

To Track Project Resilience Growth Metrics

Here's how it works. A project must show it can last without endless help. Think of it like this - if it needs constant funding, that drains everyone else. The key is self-sustaining income. Without that kind of flow, the group pool shrinks over time. Creators prove their plan by building ways to earn on their own. Otherwise, others end up paying for something going nowhere. Lasting value comes from standing alone, not leaning on shared funds forever. That balance keeps the system strong. One leaky project spreads strain across all participants.

So, each effort must answer one question: Can it survive when outside support stops? Only then does it belong inside the circle. Dependence weakens the whole structure slowly. Independence protects what others build. Projects live or die by their ability to fund themselves in the long term. That reality shapes who gets included. Nothing hidden, just clear lines around survival. This wipes away the weight that comes with regular jobs, letting people keep control over their own career paths.

Owning the Manifesto Seeding the Future

From here, balance comes alive - when tools like the Contribution Calculator meet the ten core beliefs of the Manifesto, trust begins to take root. Not top-down control, but shared ground shaped by fairness and accountability. What results isn't just another networked venture; it breathes on its own, adapts, and withstands pressure. Value shows up not through titles, but through tracked effort and usable resources. Dignity stays guarded, never traded. As things grow, freedom widens - rules don't pile higher.

Right now, folks inside the group get to highlight belief through possession. Ownership becomes proof, thanks to the free Manifesto mint and, of course, the NFT-supported community roles we have. A digital item shifts into something lasting - rooted in what everyone agrees matters.

Freedom's design stands complete. Every person here must step beyond watching, then live out those ideas and spread them further. Offer what only you can bring into this shared space. When these beliefs become yours, ALANA stays open and self-governed - a working model to stretch personal and group freedom far into the future.

Get Your ALANA Manifesto

The ALANA 10 Principles of a Good Community NFT is powered by Unlock Protocol and available as a free mint (wallet and email option) directly from the Optimism Blockchain. If you agree with these principles, show us and get your Manifesto here:

The ALANA Project Manifesto | Unlock App

Unlock is a protocol which enables creators to monetize their content with a few lines of code in a fully decentralized way.

https://app.unlock-protocol.com

Happy Week, ALANA Adventurers!

This article was authored by Greyscale, a DAO member of The ALANA Project.

Author Card Coming Soon

Find The ALANA Project on:

• TELEGRAM

• LINKEDIN

• FARCASTER

• YOUTUBE

• INSTAGRAM

• TIKTOK

• X

Now imagine that rule doesn't live in a platform’s closed backend or in your notebook, but inside a tiny program that runs the same way for everyone, anywhere in the world. The program automatically checks: did a person pay, does the set time window still apply, has this item already been claimed? If the answers match your rule, it grants access or marks your artwork or service as theirs and saves that decision in a public record.

From then on, you don't have to manually update spreadsheets, trust a platform's database, or rebuild everything when you switch platforms (think Patreon and similar). The rules live on their own, and other apps can plug into them. That little program‑with‑rules, stored and executed on a blockchain, is what we call a smart contract.

In the rest of this article, we'll ignore the deep technical details and focus on what these small programs can actually do for you as a creator.

What Can Smart Contracts Really Do For Creators?

Lucky for us as creators, smart contracts are not a new platform we have to trust. They are small programs that can be many things at once and always behave according to the rules programmed into them. Unlike their name suggests, smart contracts are not "smart" like AI, and they are not legal contracts by default.

You can think of them as automated agreements that persist and can only be altered by their owner (specifically, the blockchain wallet that created them). These agreements can look very different and do very different things depending on the rules you set. Here are some concrete ways smart contracts show up that you might already have heard of:

• Certifying the authenticity of art or something else on a blockchain is something you may have heard of as NFTs (non-fungible tokens). These tokens are "minted" from a smart contract. The contract created from your own wallet confirms that, in fact, that piece of e.g. art was created by you, and everyone who receives/buys the NFT can verify that it comes from you and your contract on the public record, instead of trusting a marketplace.

• Moving and managing money when interacting with cryptocurrency is also based on smart contracts. Every action you take with your crypto wallet, such as buying, trading, swapping, or bridging, is a smart contract that you interact with.

• Selling and redeeming physical items (phygitals) is often represented as an NFT as well, which means another token from a contract is issued. Once the buyer claims the NFT, it is marked as redeemed and can't be claimed again. Smart contracts ensure utmost security, among other benefits.

• Ticketing and workshops can also be based on blockchain technology and thus interact with smart contracts. Often, these types of contracts are not as rigid and allow the owner to make edits such as the capacity of an event, the date, the ticket transferability, and so on. Through the underlying program, 100% transparency is ensured, making ticket fraud impossible.

• Coordinate collaborations and revenue splits is another feature that can be set up through smart contracts. Through these types of contracts, you can pre-define rules like "40% to me, 40% to the co‑creator, 20% to a shared project wallet" for every sale. The contract automatically will enforce those rules for each transaction.

• Automating simple "if this, then that" actions is another really common use. Imagine you have issued a blockchain-based membership to your community. Now you have a website, blog, or Telegram channel that only your members can access. With an NFT membership and a smart contract-based verification process, ownership and access can be automated through a simple statement.

All of these examples are just different versions of the same idea: you write down clear rules once, and a smart contract automatically enforces them for you and records the outcomes in a shared, tamper‑resistant history.

Next, let's look at how a contract goes from "idea" to something that actually exists onchain.

How A Contract Goes From Idea To "Live"

When you hear someone say "I deployed a smart contract," they are saying that they made three simple decisions and put them into action:

1. They decided on the rules of the contract: what purpose does the contract serve, for example, membership passes, art collection, a revenue split, etc. Additionally, they set key inputs, such as price, duration, supply limits, and who gets paid.

2. They used a tool to turn those rules into a contract. Yes, there are other ways than just line coding to create and deploy a smart contract (we will get to this in the next chapter).

3. They paid a small fee to publish the contract to a blockchain. Deploying is a more technical term for publishing; in the smart contract context, it means executing a transaction to publish the contract and activate it.

For the first three steps to work, you need a crypto wallet and a small amount of native crypto to cover network fees (also called gas fees). But the important thing to remember is that as long as you use your crypto wallet to deploy the contract, it will not be trapped in a platform's user interface and will remain fully yours. A smart contract lives onchain under your wallet.

Tools Creators Can Use Today

There are quite a few tools out there, but not all give creators the freedom and empowerment they need. Often, platforms abuse the fact that creators can't write code; be careful which tool you choose. Here are some reliable tools that have proven their use over the past few years and we have utilized in ALANA as well:

Next Steps

Sometimes it can be hard to know what the "right" choice is for you to get started. Our recommendation is that if you are not quite sure and need a lot of flexibility, you may want to start with Unlock Protocol, as it provides the most flexible creation suite. If you need something very specific, such as a revenue split, start with that.

But also great news: On February 25, we're hosting a live webinar together with our new partner Announce Digital Fashion, where we'll walk you through deploying an Unlock smart contract from scratch. If you've never touched this topic before, this is a safe place to do it together and leave with your own contract that lives onchain. RSVP here.

And remember:

"Clicking 'deploy' in a no‑code tool doesn't make the contract theirs (protocol you used). The rules still live under your wallet, onchain, where you can reuse them long after any interface changes."

Have a great week, ALANA adventurers!
Stella Achenbach

Find The ALANA Project on:

• TELEGRAM

• LINKEDIN

• FARCASTER

• YOUTUBE

• INSTAGRAM

• TIKTOK

• X

But here we are, almost 4 years later, quietly building in the background and still standing strong. As we close out 2025, we can proudly pat each other on the back for several reasons and in several ways as members of the ALANA community.

We have been further clarifying our infrastructure as a community that keeps decentralizing, expanding our paid and open-source product universe, and laying the groundwork for a more resilient, creator-first future in 2026.

This report mirrors the livestream I did on the 28th of December 2025. It offers a written snapshot for ALANA members, collaborators, and partners who prefer to read the story of what was built—and what is about to emerge.​ Nonetheless, here is the recording, for those of you who prefer the podcasty version:

Foundations First

This year, we focused much of our energy and resources on Infrastructure and Branding.

The Infrastructure & Strategy working group gave ALANA's NewsFlash a new home here at Paragraph and worked diligently to decentralize ALANA further.

With Paragraph, we not only adopted a more decentralized newsletter and blogging service but also onboarded more community writers. A big shoutout on that note goes out to Lutra, Dani, and Shellpen. Thank you for having your digital pens ready whenever ALANA asks for them and for contributing your brainpower to a free educational system.

Thank you also to greyscale for his hours of research and summarizing core principles of novel technologies, tokenomics design, and more, so all of us had to do less reading.

Here is what we did in 2025:

• We made Snapshot our primary governance platform

• We launched official membership NFTs powered by Unlock Protocol

• We officially implemented the ALANA manifesto, aka "10 Principles of a Good Community," as our north star in ALANA

• We created a meticulous Contribution Calculator system that works as an internal backbone for accountability and fairness.

• We created and implemented two ALANA multi-signature wallets: one for the ALANAmagazine branch and one as a decentralized wallet for the overall project.

While webinars played a smaller role this year, I promise we will be back even stronger in 2026 with a stronger focus on creator monetization and strategies than ever before. We know you need this, and so do we!

We finalized The ALANA Project Brand Guidelines. Big shoutout to Kirsty Milloy and a former member who initially contributed a lot to it as well, Klaus Kluss-Fleischhacker. The guidelines will be available online soon, and I will update the link here when they are officially released. Thank you for an undertaking that made us fight, sweat, and refocus on what truly matters in the end.

I hope the intention here is clear: making sure the full foundation is in place before we can become more available and visible to the rest of the world. ALANA has been a HUB for experimentation, which, in my opinion, makes it fluid and welcoming, as a true ecosystem should be. To be successful means documenting and learning from mistakes. We never claim that we know it all, because there is too much we don't. But collective learning and creative building can enable us to wise up faster. I feel that is already a pretty good foundation.

Products: Stories, Setbacks, and News

On the product side, a lot has happened, but tons of it has been happening behind the scenes. I know everyone thinks building in public is the latest trend, but sometimes you want to work on something genuine and not stress about make-up, livestreaming, and overall social media response. Nonetheless, let's put you in the know about what's been going on:

• ALANAmagazine
  The next edition of ALANAmagazine has been a journey with both momentum and setbacks, reflecting the realities of building an indie, community-rooted publication in Web3. Delays, shifting timelines, and coordination challenges with contributors became part of the story—but so did the commitment to finish the edition with quality, context, and better support for the featured creators.​
  Either way, I believe we have fought through the nebula, coming out stronger on the other side and ready to go full steam ahead on the AIR Edition release campaign for Q1 of 2026. Thanks to the Artizen campaign and some sales, we were able to generate enough with the first edition to pay our writers. Thank you, and a big shoutout to all the individuals who made the first edition happen and to those involved in the second: Sogand, Nastaran, Delia, JavoG, Shellpen, Lutra, Lauren, Ilia, Jessica, and Elahn.

• ALANAboutique
  Thanks to Paridhi, ALANAboutique matured from a conceptual stage to finally reaching curation in 2026. We have worked hard to create a cohesive, immersive experience built on Unreal Engine 5 that composes a curated, creator-first "virtual boutique." The vision is for ALANAboutique to act as both a storefront and a stage, where collections, collabs, and immersive drops can live in a globally accessible space. We have two boards like the one below that document the development, corrections, rework, and optimization of this exciting new endeavor.

  

• FABA AI, aka ALANA AI
  We are currently being a bit secretive about FABA AI, but let me tell you this: the people building it care about creators and the problems AI should actually solve for us, rather than taking our opportunities to create for a paycheck. The front-end for the first MVP and beta testing is almost complete, and we aim to invite you guys to test in the first quarter of 2026. So stay tuned, and if you are not already subscribed, this may be a good reason to finally do it. My guarantee, though, is that neither Digitalmonkey, Lepidope, nor I is taking this lightly, nor are we just "whipping up" another AI. Pssst to the rest for now!

• MINIFI & Phoenix Gate
  Under ALANA's wings, two open source-oriented projects also advanced: MINIFI and Phoenix Gate. MINIFI continues our mission by making DeFi more accessible and easier to grasp. At the same time, Phoenix Gate explores infrastructure and tooling to help creators, DAOs, and small communities manage access to their events. More on each product soon, but for now, a massive shoutout to Manuel and Kirsty, with whom I have worked to get MINIFI off the ground, and to Karel for supporting me in building the first working prototype of Phoenix Gate.

On that note, I want to celebrate all of our loyal community partners. Let me start with Marie Bastian from WORLD OF MESH, Alexander and Christopher from CHOICE DAO, orchidea3d, and my fellow teammates, Jonathan and Ceci, at Unlock Protocol. Additionally, I want to express extreme gratitude and appreciation for SvenH from incented.co!

Looking ahead, one of the most exciting upcoming community partnerships will be with Onome Emeya and Yemi Scott at Announce Digital Fashion regarding the ALANAmagazine AIR Edition.

Community, Channels, and Numbers

ALANA’s community grew less around raw headcount and more around depth of involvement. It feels hyped and nice when 100 people on your Discord say 'GM,' but in all honesty, it doesn't move a community or its vision forward. Instead, a core group of active members has been consistently working on all the above and below, driving content, operations, and experiments across the year. A big shoutout on that note to JavoG, Oyinlola Sofela, and Nitish Arora for being such ambassadors for ALANA all year round! Nonetheless, we worked out the numbers for the ALANAmagazine Media Kit:

A notable directional change was the move to emphasize Telegram as the primary communication channel while gradually stepping back from Discord. Telegram offers a more fluid space for quick updates, coordination, and sharing work-in-progress, which better fits ALANA's current scale and culture than Discord's heavier structure.​ If you haven't already joined, here is your personal invitation!

Additionally, we loved observing how many people minted the ALANAmanifesto NFT. Thank you for almost 100 mints that signal alignment on how to work together in a global, decentralized, and respectful manner. Thank you for seeing yourselves as part of this long-term story and for valuing the project's principles.​

The Next Chapter

Looking ahead, there are several threads I want to share with everyone, just like spilling the beans on an exciting gift received. As you know, we are a community of volunteer members. This means we often face delays and unexpected circumstances. Considering that we don't do fixed timelines at this point, but we are working really hard to get these projects and additional resources out to everyone:

• The New ALANA Website
  It's been a long journey, but with the brand guidelines finalized, we have been spending the last quarter of the year putting the website together. This new website brings together all the resources we have created over the years, tools, experiments, events, and of course, the community. The goal is to make it easier for newcomers to understand what ALANA does in 5 minutes, for existing members to sell products more efficiently, and for existing members to find where they can contribute next.​ Again, big shoutout to Kirsty and Dani for their input.

  

• Token Engineering and Whitepaper Part II
  ALANA’s Token Engineering design process and Whitepaper are entering their second half of preparation, grounded in the very real data and practices captured through the Contribution Calculator and past experiments. Rather than rushing a token for the sake of it, we are working toward a model that is aligned with actual behavior: contributions, time, care work, and creative outputs across the ecosystem.​

• The New ALANA Avatar
  Perhaps the most emotionally charged "leak" is the new ALANA avatar currently being finalized—a fresh embodiment of the project's and our communities' values, taste, and future direction. This avatar builds on years of experimentation with character creation, digital fashion, and identity, and it carries traces of the lessons learned from previous iterations while stepping into a more defined visual and narrative role.​

  

  This is also the moment to explicitly thank Princess Jessica Nwalozie and Ana Paula Garza for their input and hands-on support in shaping ALANA’s new avatar and broader aesthetic identity. The journey hasn't been easy, but we are here. ALANA 2.0 will be officially released in early January 2026.

  

In a nutshell, The ALANA Project community enters 2026 with stronger infrastructure, a more focused product line, and a clear commitment to creators who want to build sustainable, experimental, and sovereign careers.

This report stands as an invitation to keep building the next chapter of ALANA together, whether through writing, designing, coding, or simply showing up in the chats.

Stay tuned, ALANA adventurers!
Stella Achenbach

Find The ALANA Project on:

• TELEGRAM

• LINKEDIN

• FARCASTER

• YOUTUBE

• INSTAGRAM

• TIKTOK

• X

“Emerging technologies are bringing great opportunities that must be seized early on. On the other side of the spectrum, there are always malicious actors who are trying to exploit these technologies before reaching maturity to discover new cyber threats and cause harm.”

Yazeed Alabdulkarim - Principal Research and Innovation Advisor

Web3 may feel brand new when it comes to safety, and may I add, for good reason. Most of us are stepping into uncharted digital territory, where the rulebook is still being written and the responsibility for security rests with a weighted blanket on our own shoulders. Unlike the Web2 era, where Big Tech intermediaries could be blamed if something went wrong, Web3 requires users to become the guardians of their own assets and data.

It's not always easy to break old habits, and Web3's promise of autonomy only becomes real when we're willing to learn from past experiences. This month, we're on a mission to bring our entire community up to speed with the latest tools and knowledge for Web3 and digital safety. Knowing the threats is power; understanding them is protection. Ready to level up your safety game? Dive into the Web3 Risk Radar Edition and discover how to put control firmly back in your own hands.

Web3 Learning

Vocabulary

1. Decentralization
   Decentralization in Web3 refers to the shift of control and decision-making from central entities to a distributed network of users, applications, and blockchain technology. This matters for security because it eliminates single points of failure, making systems more resilient to hacks, breaches, and censorship, while users gain greater ownership and control over their data and assets.

2. Smart Contract
   Smart contracts are computer programs on a blockchain that automatically execute agreements when specific rules are met; for example, a vending machine that dispenses items when the correct coins are inserted. They're powerful because they replace intermediaries and always execute deals precisely as coded, making transactions fast, transparent, and secure for users. Unlock Protocol allows for making those contracts a reality without

3. Exploit
   An exploit in Web3 occurs when someone takes advantage of a weakness or flaw in blockchain code, smart contracts, or decentralized applications to steal funds, disrupt services, or manipulate the protocol's functionality. Exploits matter because they can cause irreversible financial and data losses, making security and code audits essential in all decentralized projects.

Quick Bites

1. "The New Norm Of Crypto Crime: Why 2025 May Be Web3’s Hardest Year Yet" by ZEE from TechRound reminds us that Web3 is a place that requires you to have your guard up. Many people have an interest in seeing Web3 fail, and AI is a tool that has been used to do it, with a 1025% increase in AI exploits just this year.

2. The article above is based on Hacken's "Web3 Security Report Q1 2025: $2B Lost in 90 Days." Give it a read for full context.

3. "What is a Blockchain Vulnerability?" is an older article by CERTIK that explains very well what a blockchain vulnerability is and why addressing these weaknesses is non-optional.

Web3 Rookie's Survival Guide

Our most recent deep-dive article provides an essential guide for Web3 beginners, offering practical tips on identifying scams, staying secure, and navigating the vast blockchain-powered and digital ecosystem safely. READ MORE HERE

Creator Corner

Quick Tuts

1. A question that frequently arises with new Blender users is: "How do I make my renderings look better?" One of the most common answers to that is to improve the lighting in your scene, and another is to utilize the Blender Compositor tab. SharpWind is providing a concise and informative tutorial on how to use the Compositor tab in Blender. Enjoy!

2. This tutorial is designed for those in our community who are eager to become more tech-savvy. Max Novak demonstrates how to connect Claude AI to Blender 3D using the MCP plugin, showcasing how an AI agent can automate and optimize 3D design workflows. The video features practical examples, including procedural object assembly, metadata-driven customization, and how AI can streamline repetitive tasks for faster and more creative production in Blender:

   

Showcase - @grabbitt

About
Grant Abbitt is a 3D artist, freelance designer, and educator known for accessible Blender tutorials and game design content on YouTube. His channel features step-by-step guides for beginners and advanced users (myself included). Grant has been successfully blending his unique teaching style with practical tips for aspiring creators in game art and media production.

Support @grabbitt by subscribing to his YouTube channel and visiting his website, where he offers more in-depth courses at affordable prices. In the video below, Grant speaks about how to monetize your skills, and I believe it is a topic that needs more conversation rather than less:

Pulse Check

The blockchain space is always evolving, and events of all sizes are constantly on the horizon. But no need to stress and have a fear of missing out (FOMO) because we've got your back:

Token 2049 Singapore

Token 2049 Singapore will be held from October 1 to 2, 2025, at Marina Bay Sands, bringing together over 25,000 global industry participants for two days of panels, keynotes, and exhibitions focused on blockchain, tokenization, and decentralized finance trends.

Web3 Expo London

Web3 Expo London will be up from October 21 to 22, 2025, at Tobacco Dock, offering interactive sessions, workshops, and panels on blockchain, DeFi, AI, and digital innovation, featuring leading experts and a wide builder community throughout London Web3 Week.

Happy Week, ALANA Adventurers!

This article was authored by Stella Achenbach, a DAO member of The ALANA Project.

Find The ALANA Project on:

• TELEGRAM

• LINKEDIN

• FARCASTER

• YOUTUBE

• INSTAGRAM

• TIKTOK

• X

Understanding the Risks

The digital space is full of risks, and so is the latest version of the internet, Web3. The only difference here is that in Web2, you can often get your money back or file a lawsuit against a legal entity. In contrast, in Web3, where autonomy is a significant pillar, this may not be a possibility.

Part of learning how to keep yourself safe is knowing the types of dangers that exist out here, so you can foresee them long before they launch their attack. The truth is that Web3 offers users freedom, but it also introduces numerous ways in which people can be taken advantage of:

• RUG PULL
  The project creator(s) vanish with the invested funds after artificially raising (pump and dump) the value of a token connected to a protocol.

• PHISHING
  Scammers create fake websites, emails, or social profiles to trick people into giving away private keys or seed phrases. They often approach users via social media or email, claiming they have some surprising locked funds in a wallet they didn't know of. But phishing takes on many shapes and forms!

• ICE PHISHING
  Attackers manipulate transaction approvals within the wallet UI to gain access to assets without needing a seed phrase. It is not as common, but it has happened.

• AIRDROP SCAM/ FAKE GIVEAWAYS
  You may have noticed random tokens being added to your wallet. Some of these encourage users to visit harmful sites and potentially connect their wallets.

• FAKE NFT SCAM
  Fraudulent NFTs are often sold by copying the visuals and names of legitimate NFT collections. The price will be the same, but the value won't.

• DIRECT SEED PHRASE THEFT
  Individuals who lure users to scam sites or fake apps, prompting users to enter their recovery phrase, which enables total control over their assets.

• SPOOFING
  Scammers impersonate a real project, often posing as support staff, to gain trust and access personal information. These schemes can be short-term or long-term.

• CRYPTO DRAINER
  These attacks often happen in a way that the user is entirely unaware. They visit a site, connect their wallet to a malicious smart contract (due to a fake website, for example), sign a transaction, and this is enough to drain the wallet of all of its assets.

Now you know all the scary things that can happen. But similar to understanding that car accidents are horribly common, it will not lead you to suddenly not drive your car or walk down the street to the next supermarket while crossing a lively street. While not precisely the same situation, it is worth learning more about the dangers of Web3 so you can navigate them like an experienced driver would!

How to Stay Safe

At ALANA, we believe in the autonomy that Web3 provides to us, the users. This autonomy, while it gifts freedom, also asks users to take responsibility at the same time. Your responsibility is to not get scammed easily and prepare by learning about the dangers and what methods you can use to protect yourself against them:

• INVESTIGATE
  Before investing your time and energy in a project, ensure that you thoroughly investigate it. Make sure to look at their various social media accounts and how legit they seem. Ask public questions, read their Whitepaper, and be inquisitive. It is your right to do that, so don't forfeit it! If possible, try to find the founders and their profiles on LinkedIn. Investigate their past businesses, failures, and successes. Twitter remains the primary social platform for Web3-related projects. We recommend investigating the project profiles and founder profiles on there as well.

• RESEARCH
  Especially if tokens and so-called tokenomics are involved, follow up on the tokens' purpose, distribution, early investor allocations (how evenly is the token distributed), and so-called vesting times (how long are tokens locked until they are released to investors and project founders). Especially with initial token allocations, it is vital to understand how much of the token will end up in the hands of a few vs. the community or public.

• GOVERNANCE
  Decentralized governance (ruling over a protocol, technology, and/or treasury) is often done with tokens in Web3. If the initial token allocation is done in a highly unbalanced manner, it typically leads to unbalanced and non-democratic governance. You have to decide if being part of such a system feels healthy to you. It doesn't mean those communities/projects are inherently bad; it just means that an inequitable system is in place that rules the technology/project you are interested in.

• REPORTING
  If anything doesn't add up or you feel there are elements missing from their documentation, don't hesitate to ask for their smart contract audits (underlying piece of technology often embedded in Web3 projects and protocol technologies).

• TECH STACK
  Some, but not all, Web3 projects are open-source. If so, the case provides an opportunity to investigate the project's GitHub repository. If you are not a coder, you can take a look at the consistency of the development activity on the platform.

• SOCIAL DYNAMICS
  One of the most overlooked parts to investigate is the community itself. Join their Discord or Telegram channels, review their sentiment, value alignment, and especially in hype communities, be the one demanding constructive feedback instead of buying into the buzz!

• UPDATES
  It may sound unusual, but when interacting with novel technologies, ensure that all your computer/phone software is regularly updated, two-factor authentication is active on all your devices, and you are not using insecure connections (such as hotel WiFi) to perform transactions or similar activities. I use Airalo when traveling to ensure I always have a reliable and secure way to connect to the internet.

• MARKET REVIEW
  If the project you are interested in happens to have a token that has the primary use case of financial utility, make sure to review its market situation and liquidity. Many tokens don't exist for economic purposes but instead for governance and introducing democratic rule over a technology stack/protocol. Be aware of the difference here. If it is a financial first token, you can review the liquidity and broader market, for example, via coingecko or CoinMarketCap. Thin liquidity with economically driven projects is a red flag. First, track their trading volume and historical performance before taking risky steps.

• RISK OVERLOAD
  With every financial investment, there is risk. As long as you have all the information first, you can invest, but never ever invest everything you have into anything. Make small, incremental investments if you are getting started on the DeFi (decentralized finance) road of Web3 through a project you are interested in. Diversify early and stay small!

In general, at ALANA, we recommend investigating and researching before buying into hype, regardless of how much a good friend recommends "get in early." This is exactly the point where bad things tend to happen, and we do not want that for you. Additionally, we suggest you hold more than one wallet. Hold one that you use with trusted resources such as Uniswap or deBridge, while using a second wallet to interact specifically with new protocols and technologies to test your way forward.

How to Stay Informed

You are not the first nor the last person seeking out help in the digital space and the Web3 space to stay safe. Many resources aside from our educational materials here at ALANA have been created since I first joined Web3 almost six years ago. Here are some I have relied on quite a bit to stay informed and be in the know, not just about scams but also about the broader growth of Web3:

• rekt news - Reports regularly on major scams, drains, exploits, and similar in the Web3 space. Worth following and staying attentive.

• Web3Sec - A website with a newsletter that sends news around security risks and hacks directly to your inbox.

• Web3 is Going Just Great - A website plus an optional newsletter by Molly White on everything that is harming Web3 and making the good people there a bit sad.

• Peer Tracker - The Department of Financial Protection & Innovation has created a tracker that relies on consumers reporting incidents.

• Alchemy - Provides an overview and filtering system of recognized dApps (decentralized applications) in the Web3 ecosystem. It is a reliable resource for much more and allows new users to quickly catch up.

• DefiLlama Hacks - DefiLlama carries a sub-section on their website showcasing hacks and the volume they have bled out of the Web3 sector.

• Growthepie - An analytics platform focused on Layer 2 blockchains under Ethereum (Layer 1) that provides deeper information on most, if not all, of the L2 blockchain networks. While it is not explicitly focused on hacks or exploits, it can help you understand the broader ecosystem.

Web3 is not for the faint-hearted, but it becomes incredibly useful and valuable once you start understanding it. The reasons are straightforward: ownership of your data, transparency on technology, heightened security (especially regarding the AI (artificial intelligence) era), and democratic rule over technology and its evolution. More on these at another time.

Stay safe, ALANA Adventurers!

This article was authored by Stella Achenbach, a DAO member of The ALANA Project.

Find The ALANA Project on:

• TELEGRAM

• LINKEDIN

• FARCASTER

• YOUTUBE

• INSTAGRAM

• TIKTOK

• X

"This life is like a swimming pool. You dive into the water, but you can't see how deep it is.”

Dennis Rodman, NBA Player

Swimming pools offer a refreshing oasis during the scorching summer months, providing numerous positive effects that enhance both physical and mental well-being. As the sun beats down and temperatures soar, the calm, inviting waters of a swimming pool serve as a perfect escape from the heat. In the DeFi space, Liquidity Pools offer a decentralized way to exchange value and trade crypto assets.

As the traditional financial system is getting more concentrated, the permissionless nature of liquidity pools serves as an inclusive financial instrument that allows every user to participate. The above quote is a call to courage and resilience. It reminds us that life, like a deep pool, can be both thrilling and intimidating. But with a willingness to explore and adapt, we can learn to swim in its depths, finding meaning and fulfillment in the journey itself.

Web 3 Learning

Vocabulary

1. Trading Fees
   Trading fees in crypto are charges incurred when you are buying or selling cryptocurrencies on an exchange. These fees can vary significantly depending on the type of exchange and the type of transaction. If you trade in DeFi, the trading fees are usually lower than those on centralized exchanges, but you have to pay transaction costs to the network (so-called "Gas fee") additionally.

2. Slippage
   Another frequently used term in crypto trading is called "Slippage". It refers to the difference between the expected price of a trade and the price at which the trade is actually executed. This discrepancy can occur due to various factors, such as market volatility, low liquidity, or the time delay between order placement and order execution. In DeFi, the depth and distribution of liquidity in a liquidity pool will affect the impact of slippage.

3. Impermanent Loss
   If you provide liquidity in DeFi, you should be familiar with the meaning of "Impermanent Loss". This is a phenomenon specific to liquidity providers (LPs), especially when using automated market makers (AMMs). It refers to the temporary loss (or profit) of funds that might occur when the price ratio of the two crypto assets in a liquidity pool deviates from the price ratio at the time the assets were deposited. This loss is called "impermanent" because it can be recovered if the price ratio returns to its original state (= relation of asset prices at deposit).

Quick Bites

1. "Crypto Slippage Calculator" by TradingBrowser. This tool allows you to estimate the potential cost of slippage when placing a crypto trade.

2. "Impermanent Loss Calculator" by dailydefi.org. A simple tool that allows users to input initial asset prices, deposited amounts, and current prices to quickly and accurately compute the IL value and loss rate.

Deep Dive - Liquidity Pools - The Core of DeFi

This article goes into a deep dive on Liquidity Pools as a central part of Decentralized Finance. First, we tackle the meaning of liquidity, and then the mechanics of trading on decentralized exchanges are explained. READ MORE HERE

Creator Corner

Quick Tuts

1. If you are considering starting a business, using the Business Model Canvas can be a valuable resource. In this episode of the SME Growth Podcast, Dave Parry and Rich Buckle from Wellmeadow discuss how this framework goes beyond startups, offering value to established businesses in strategy planning, mergers, acquisitions, and even storytelling for investors.

2. If you are struggling with using the Google Calendar (like me), here is an instructive explainer video by Anson Alexander. It offers you examples, best practices, and ways to adjust the most useful settings.

Showcase - @maxhayart

Bio | @maxhayart

Max Hay is a digital artist based in Vancouver, specializing in creating detailed, high-quality 3D environments utilizing Blender. He shares his process and often surprising techniques through his tutorials and courses.

Support @maxhayart by subscribing to his YouTube channel and check out his personal website for more inspiring projects, awesome ready-to-buy assets, and more:

Pulse Check

The blockchain space never sleeps, and events of all sizes are always around the corner. But no need to stress and have a fear of missing out (FOMO) because we've got your back:

Vienna Blockchain Week

After a successful start in 2024, the Vienna Blockchain Week returns for its second edition. The event is held at the Web3 Hub Vienna from September 9th to 11th, 2025. You can find more information and an agenda preview here.

ETHWomen

ETHWomen is a global community-driven initiative dedicated to connecting and uplifting women in the Web3 space. The next event is taking place in the Greater Miami Area, Florida, from November 5-6, 2025. You can still apply for free here.

Happy Week, ALANA Adventurers!

This article was authored by Lutra, a DAO member of The ALANA Project.

Find The ALANA Project on:

• TELEGRAM

• LINKEDIN

• FARCASTER

• YOUTUBE

• INSTAGRAM

• TIKTOK

• X

The ALANA manifesto encapsulates ALANA’s "10 Principles of a Good Community." The inspiration for these principles came during a thoughtful conversation with Dani, a fellow DAO member, where we reflected on how Dieter Rams' "10 Principles of Good Design" distilled the essence of excellence. In the same spirit, we set out to capture the heart of what makes our community thrive.

A Good Community Respects the Individual

In short, "Respecting the Individual" in ALANA refers to how being a community cannot neglect to acknowledge that it is composed of individuals. Collaborating in larger groups and respecting your peers goes a long way. More precisely, we ask our members to respect others' opinions (we do not need to share them), the willingness or unwillingness to share their real identity with us, and their change of mind when it comes to assumed roles in The ALANA Project ecosystem.

All of the above can only work if members are sure of their own identity and are willing to commit to an open mindset for communication. If either of these two is not applicable, things can easily get out of hand, where self-insecurities, self-centeredness, or desperate harmony seeking can get in the way of respecting the individuals' needs in a group.

It's also important to note what it doesn't mean: Respecting the individual doesn't mean we have to accept disrespectful behavior/language towards us, nor do we have to agree with others on everything. Healthy communities discuss, question, and finally implement a compromised version of the original idea to make it the best possible version of itself. Working together fluidly and remotely is a challenge, but if we respect each other, we do have a serious chance to succeed.

"The courage to be happy also includes the courage to be disliked. When you have gained that courage, your interpersonal relationships will all at once change into things of lightness.”

— Ichiro Kishimi

What Does Science Say?

Edward Deci and Richard Ryan developed a groundbreaking framework in 1985 (based on earlier research) called Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to understand human motivation and mental well-being. The framework acknowledges three basic psychological needs in people:

• Autonomy = feeling in control of one's actions and choices

• Competence = refers to a sense of mastery and effectiveness

• Relatedness = involves feeling connected to others

SDT primarily focuses on intrinsic motivation, where rewards can refer to personal interests, curiosity, and personal values over extrinsic rewards such as money or similar material incentives. The theory has been confirmed through decades of empirical research studies, resulting in a so-called "meta-theory" of our times.

Considering SDT in relation to ALANA as a DAO (decentralized autonomous organization), it means we aim to help everyone to fulfill their basic needs even if their "real" environment can't or won't help them do it. By respecting them and their needs and letting them come to their own conclusions, it confirms their autonomy and competence while still remaining a member of our community (relatedness).

Why It Matters

In truth, and this counts specifically for the online world, we often have minimal insights into another person's life. We often only understand how stressed and anxious they had felt over the past year after the most critical situations have passed. Neither do we know how their days are organized, how respected they feel in their personal environments, whether they have sick parents to care for, and more.

We can voice our disappointment, our frustration with them, but we can't make them feel disrespected. There is a fine line, and granted, it is not always an obvious one, especially if emotions are involved. Yet, as members of ALANA, we are committed to striving to do better and let empathy and open communication prevail! Because Laurence Sterne is right:

“Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our manners.”

— Laurence Sterne

Get Your ALANA Manifesto

The ALANA 10 Principles of a Good Community NFT is powered by Unlock Protocol and available as a free mint (wallet and email option) directly from the Optimism Blockchain. If you agree with these principles, show us and get your Manifesto here:

The ALANA Project Manifesto | Unlock App

Unlock is a protocol which enables creators to monetize their content with a few lines of code in a fully decentralized way.

https://app.unlock-protocol.com

Happy Week, ALANA Adventurers!

This article was authored by Stella Achenbach, a DAO member of The ALANA Project.

Find The ALANA Project on:

• TELEGRAM

• LINKEDIN

• FARCASTER

• YOUTUBE

• INSTAGRAM

• TIKTOK

• X

AMMs utilize so-called "liquidity pools" to enable the trade of cryptocurrencies. It is an apt name since it reflects both the function (liquidity) and the structure (pool of assets). In other words, a liquidity pool is a shared pot of tokens that makes trading possible on decentralized exchanges between two (sometimes more) tokens. Although the term liquidity appears everywhere in finance and is of crucial importance for any marketplace, it has different meanings. Let's see how it differentiates and makes the pools "flow!"

The Meaning of Liquidity

In general, liquidity refers to the ability of any asset to be exchanged for cash. This allows for a differentiation of various assets according to their degree of liquidity: A stock market share of a company can easily be sold during market trading times, it is an asset with high liquidity. On the other hand, selling a property in real estate markets might take some time and is legally more complicated, resulting in low liquidity. In Finance, liquidity is therefore understood as a measure of how easily and quickly an asset can be bought or sold without affecting its price. Less well known, but of great importance in the corporate world, is another meaning of liquidity, namely the ability to meet one's payment obligations at any time. Either way, liquidity is a vital market characteristic because the degree of liquidity affects transaction speed as well as price movement.

In DeFi, a liquidity pool is a smart contract that holds tokens to enable trading without relying on traditional buyers and sellers. This contract allows for automated trading of digital assets by using a mathematical formula to price assets, thus it's called AMM. Instead of buyers and sellers, users deposit pairs of assets (tokens) into a trading pool. The incentive for providing liquidity to the pool is quite simple: You can earn money! Each trade that is made with the pool costs the trader a little fee, and all of these trading fees are split proportionally between all parties that have provided liquidity to the pool. In addition to fees, some protocols offer you extra tokens (usually the platform token) for providing liquidity to their trading pools. This practice is called "liquidity mining": Users will get additional incentives (tokens, NFTs, and/or voting rights) for providing liquidity.

How Liquidity Pools Work

Fees and incentives are used to motivate users to provide more liquidity. From a trader's perspective, this means: The higher the liquidity of a pool, the faster a trade at stable prices can be done. On the other hand, a pool with low liquidity correlates to slow trades with high price movements. For a liquidity provider, the dynamics of liquidity pools are as follows: 

• More liquidity provision means the size of the pool increases. This changes the percentage share of the earlier liquidity providers to the pool. In consequence, the proportional share of trading fees is reduced, but there might be a higher trading volume due to higher pool liquidity, for example, resulting in more trading fees.

• Less liquidity leads to a shrinking pool size. Consequently, this means the individual percentage share of a liquidity provider to the pool is rising. You might earn a larger proportion of the trading fees, but there might be fewer trades overall and thus less fee income.

A further development of liquidity pools was originally introduced by Uniswap v3, a well-known decentralized exchange, and is called "concentrated liquidity pools". In contrast to a normal liquidity pool, where the liquidity is spread across the entire price range between the two pooled assets, a liquidity provider in a concentrated liquidity pool must select the price range where their liquidity is used. This leads to a higher capital efficiency and higher fees, but a strong dependence on the chosen price range.

Apart from fluctuating fee earnings, liquidity providers have to be aware of another critical risk connected to liquidity pools, called "impermanent loss". The term describes the fact that a liquidity provider in a DeFi pool may end up with a lower value of assets compared to simply holding the original tokens, due to changes in their price ratio while in the pool.

Liquidity Pools in a Metaphor

Let's use the metaphor of the art gallery once again to illustrate the concept figuratively, in the truest sense of the word. Our art gallery has two main showrooms, one dedicated to classical art, the other to modern art. The owners of art (our liquidity providers) bring in their art pieces to display. In order to create a balanced and diverse collection, they contribute to both rooms. Visitors of the gallery (our traders) can now come in and exchange their art pieces, e.g., selling a classical painting for a modern one (trade USDC for ETH).

This exchange is facilitated by our art gallery (Decentralized Exchange), which is using the art pieces in its collection. As an incentive for those art owners who contributed to the gallery, they earn a commission from each sale. The more art pieces are shown in both rooms, the easier it will be for visitors to exchange their own art objects for something else (high liquidity). Conversely, if the gallery is showing just a few pieces, a visitor might not find the right art piece to exchange (low liquidity).

Conclusion

To wrap it up, liquidity pools are combining two different tokens (styles of artwork) with the goal of facilitating exchange of valuable assets (artwork swaps). High liquidity of a pool means large volumes of buyers and sellers and minimal price fluctuations. If the level of liquidity is low, it is much harder to trade, and any token exchange will cause a higher asset price shift. In DeFi, the provision of liquidity is rewarded and sometimes incentivized. Still, it comes at the risk of impermanent loss that arises whenever asset prices move relative to each other after deposit, and is most severe for volatile asset pairs.

Happy Week, ALANA Adventurers!

This article was authored by Nils Otter, a DAO member of The ALANA Project.

Find The ALANA Project on:

• TELEGRAM

• LINKEDIN

• FARCASTER

• YOUTUBE

• INSTAGRAM

• TIKTOK

• X

  
  

Last month, we shared how we understand the second principle of "Transparent and Accountable" as a necessity for the ALANA community. In the next few weeks, we will walk you through the ALANA Manifesto number by number. Feel invited to follow along with this series and get to know us, maybe in more depth than ever before!

A Good Community is Open & Respectful

Diversity is a superpower, but only if there are two guiding principles: Openness and Respect. Being open means fostering an environment where people feel safe to express ideas, ask questions, and may challenge the status quo. Respect can be seen as the glue that holds collaboration together, transforming conflict into dialogue. There is a nice Latin phrase called "Audiatur et altera pars", meaning let the other side be heard as welI. This principle should remind us to avoid one-sided judgements, to listen carefully, and to respect different perspectives.

In the context of Web3 communities, and of course, this includes The ALANA Project, openness is often understood as a culture and structure that embraces transparency, inclusivity, and permissionless participation. Openness means being transparent about the governance rules, the decision-making processes, and the resource flows. It also means creating spaces like DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) or Discord communities where members can express differing opinions without fear of censorship or exclusion, provided they do so respectfully. Permissionless participation refers to the fact that anyone can contribute or build on top of existing work. Many Web3 communities are built around open-source principles, e.g., code, ideas, and knowledge are shared freely. This spurs collective problem-solving and innovation as well as the development of collaboration. Another aspect to mention is that openness often extends to identity. Anonymity and pseudonymity can allow people to participate without revealing their background, status, or credentials.

Another crucial piece for Web3 communities to be successful is "Respect." In our context, it means to recognize the inherent dignity and perspectives of every participant, no matter how diverse, decentralized, or pseudonymous the community may be. In practice, respect is about:

• PEOPLE
  Treat everyone, whether founder, creator, developer, or newcomer, as worthy of being heard as anyone. Do not dismiss ideas because of someone's background, status, or identity.

• DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT
  Permissionless participation allows and attracts people with radically different views on technology, governance, and future developments. Respectful treatment creates the needed space for debates, without personal attacks or harassment.

• TIME AND EFFORT
  Although, depending on the specific community, most people contribute voluntarily or semi-voluntarily. Therefore, respect is also about valuing the time and effort of fellow members.

• COMMUNITY RULES
  Many Web 3 projects use DAOs as a form of collective governance. Here, respect is about abiding by agreed-upon rules and outcomes, even when you disagree.

The ALANA Project can be understood as a collaborative community of creators, a place where people come together not only to share their work, but also to complement their ideas and experiences. Openness allows this collaboration to flourish across disciplines and perspectives; respect demands that we listen actively and value every contribution. We strive to create a culture where trust and experimentation can grow and constructive feedback is gladly welcomed.

What Philosophy has to offer

Openness and Respect are also deeply rooted in moral and political philosophy. Here are a few key philosophical ideas connected to both concepts:

• Openness is often discussed within the broader framework of freedom. A classical work is "The Open Society and its Enemies" (1945) by Karl Popper. According to him, an open society can be characterized by the fact that people can question authority, criticize traditions, and change institutions through rational debate. Openness is understood as critical thinking and freedom of expression, which in turn is the best protection against totalitarianism.

• John Dewey (as well as other pragmatists) viewed openness mainly as being open to experience, i.e., having a flexible and experimental attitude toward life. If communities are open to revising their beliefs in light of new evidence, they will flourish.

• Immanuel Kant might perhaps be the most influential philosopher when it comes to respect. For him, respect is a moral duty. Many cultures or religions know a guideline which is called the "Golden Rule": Treat others as you would like to be treated. Kant's version is a bit more rigorous and called the "Categorical Imperative": Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law.

• Another classical work is "A Theory of Justice" (1971) by John Rawls, where he emphasizes respect for equal moral worth as a foundation of a just society. A fair system of society respects individuals by giving everyone equal fundamental rights and opportunities.

Why It Matters

Principle three of the ALANA Manifesto provides guidelines for cooperation in Web3 communities. Openness is about transparency, decentralized participation, and inclusive collaboration. It's not just about access; it's also about how we listen, learn, and adapt. Respect is practicing civility in a space designed for freedom, balancing decentralisation with shared responsibility to treat each other well. It`s about creating cultures that protect autonomy, ensure fairness, and allow for differences. At ALANA, we try to live these principles, thereby enabling people to build, govern, and share together.

“If we wish to remain human, then there is only one way, the way into the open society.”
— Karl Popper

Get Your ALANA Manifesto

The ALANA 10 Principles of a Good Community NFT is powered by Unlock Protocol and available as a free mint (wallet and email option) directly from the Optimism Blockchain. If you agree with these principles, show us and get your Manifesto here:

The ALANA Project Manifesto | Unlock App

Unlock is a protocol which enables creators to monetize their content with a few lines of code in a fully decentralized way.

https://app.unlock-protocol.com

Happy Week, ALANA Adventurers!

This article was authored by Nils Otter, a DAO member of The ALANA Project.

Find The ALANA Project on:

• TELEGRAM

• LINKEDIN

• FARCASTER

• YOUTUBE

• INSTAGRAM

• TIKTOK

• X

What is Farcaster?

Farcaster is what Co-Founder Dan Romero describes as a "sufficiently decentralized" social network designed for the next era of the internet, where users have meaningful control and resilience, even if it doesn’t reach the absolute ideal of complete decentralization. To achieve this, Farcaster utilizes blockchain technology to empower creators and communities with greater control, privacy, and portability. The platform is open, allowing anyone to build apps or tools that connect to its network, thereby fostering innovation and creative freedom.

At its core, Farcaster is part of a growing movement that aims to make the internet more open, fair, and user-controlled. If that speaks to you, I invite you to read on!

The Farcaster Dictionary

As with every new technology, a bit of knowledge needs to be added to our existing vocabulary. Not only does Farcaster run on some fancy emerging tech, but it also has some specific terminology we want to tell you more about:

• Cast: A post or message on Farcaster (instead of a tweet on Twitter).

• Frame: An interactive post that can include apps, polls, or media.

• Channel: Themed spaces for discussion and discovery (think Facebook groups).

• Onchain Wallet: A blockchain-based EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) wallet, e.g., MetaMask. Ideally, you connect your account with an existing wallet while Farcaster spins up the original one for you. Having two wallets connected can also serve as a recovery agent in case one of your wallets gets compromised.

• Onchain Data: Data with Farcaster is a hybrid model where critical identity information, such as your Farcaster ID (FID), username, and account keys, is secured on a blockchain level to ensure that your identity is portable. What is offchain is most user-generated content (posts, follows, likes, profile pictures), which improves performance and reduces cost while still allowing for decentralized access.

• FID: Farcaster ID, your decentralized identity on the network.

• Tipping: Direct support from your audience, often in tokens, is indicated by commenting on a post with the token amount, name, and a dollar sign ($) in front, such as 100 $degen. Instead of commenting, you can also mention a user directly or use bots (@paybot, @degentip, etc.) and tip them. Most tipping is only enabled if the user holds or stakes a certain amount of the token they wish to tip. The latest additions to ease tipping are NOICE and @tipn.

• Allowlist: Closely connected to tipping but not exclusively and controls who can tip, including their daily limits.

• Mini-Apps: Lightweight, interactive web applications that run directly within the social feed. They are designed to deliver engaging, native-like experiences to users without requiring them to leave the platform or install anything extra. These apps are built using standard web technologies and integrate seamlessly with Farcaster’s social and wallet (!) infrastructure. If you'd like to learn more, consider exploring Neynar's Starter Kit.

Why Should Creators/Creatives Care?

Most creatives/creators have experienced something very close to bullying over the last decade on social media. Where the creative spirit and uniqueness were once appreciated, opaque algorithms now have the ruling hand determining who gets seen, who gets paid, and which voices are amplified.

This often results in the fact that sameness is rewarded over uniqueness. Over the past decade, creators have begun to adapt to serving a mysterious machine instead of their original audience, which they can now barely reach. This is part of a larger system that Greek economist and former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis rightfully calls "techno-feudalism."

The aforementioned shift on social media has led to a phenomenon that ALANA contributor and Substack author Ilia-Sybil Sdralli discusses in-depth with former Facebook Exec Sara Wilson in her recent publication "Social Media Is Dead." Farcaster, in many ways, is built for the post-social-media era that Wilson describes: a world where creators and audiences crave authenticity, intimacy, and control. For creators, it’s not just about new tools—it’s about joining and shaping the next generation of digital communities, where real connection and creative freedom matter most.

Instead of trying to give you five bullet-point reasons why you should care, consider the above with an open mind, and you will know I am speaking the truth. Farcaster is for those who are tired of being used by the system and are not seeking shells of followers but rather real, authentic engagement, even if it means connecting with just 10 out of 10,000 people. Performance social media is dead, but the true internet has just been born.

Can I Grow Fast?

No, you can't, but maybe you can. Even Farcaster has some ground rules. Follow those, and you can ensure you stay visible to people and grow. Neglect them, and you might be marked with what Farcaster calls a "spam label." Farcaster has built-in guardrails to protect the ecosystem from spam and low-quality engagement. Here are some rules to consider before randomly "spamming" fellow users with your content:

Farcaster rewards authentic participation, which means thoughtful replies, meaningful conversations, and creative contributions. Generic comments ("Cool." or "<3<3<3") or repetitive posting can backfire and get you marked as a bot, resulting in a spam label as your content won't be distinguishable from their behavior. Building trust and reputation within channels and directly with users is key to sustainable growth. Especially in the beginning, this means actively connecting with others on the platform and caring for their content rather than focusing solely on your own.

As mentioned above, Farcaster uses an advanced spam detection system to maintain quality and protect users from unwanted content. Here’s how it works:

• 0 – Likely Spam: Accounts that exhibit spammy behavior, such as mass notifications, irrelevant replies, or generic, low-effort responses.

• 2 – Unlikely Spam: Accounts that engage authentically and follow community norms

Bulk following, mass engagement, repetitive posting, irrelevant or offensive content, using bot automation to flood posts, posting generic comments, and low-effort content can all trigger the spam label.

Here is a short overview of the Do's and Don'ts of Farcaster:

Remember, Farcaster’s ground rules aren’t meant to hold you back; they’re designed to protect the integrity of the community and ensure that creators, not spammers or bots, thrive.

Who To Connect With?

Instead of telling you who to follow, let's identify who is definitely worth connecting with, as these individuals or communities can help you grow and expand your presence beyond the Farcaster platform. When searching for people, there are two rules to follow: usernames and communities are case-sensitive, and individuals are searched for using an "@" sign. In contrast, communities are searched for using a "/" sign. Here are my personal recommendations from a creator for my fellow creators:

• @pichi is an artist and anime lover with a genuine passion for educating fellow Farcaster users about every new implementation. I couldn't share much of the above without their publications.

• @ted has provided invaluable feedback to many Farcasters and is an exciting voice to follow on Farcaster, sharing colorful and relevant content daily.

• @humpty.eth is the founder of /cryptosapiens, who consistently amplifies creator voices on the Farcaster platform and beyond.

• @tinyrainboot is a lovely artist and phygital creator based in Switzerland, constantly breaking the boundaries between digital and physical arts. I love following her stories and her cute dog.

• @monitalan is always on the cutting edge of everything on Farcaster, often translating it into Spanish and widening the audience by doing so.

• @rskagy.eth is building /thecreators on Farcaster aimed at uniting builders and creators through the Creators Directory, a mini-app that collects creators on the Base blockchain, similar to a portfolio application.

• @stellaachenbach is the writer of this article and founder of /thealanaproject 😉! If you're a Blender nerd like me, check out the group I've created on Farcaster called /blender3d.

There are many more excellent individuals and communities to connect with. Still, these will get you started and hopefully inspire you to explore the world of Farcaster even further on your own.

My Favorite Posts

Over the course of the last 13 months, I have started saving some posts for their educational and sometimes entertaining content. They have helped me navigate Farcaster and made it feel more like home than any other social platform before. Here are some of my top favorites which are still relevant today:

• Poolsuite Mini-App

• Genesis Jukebox Mini-App

• Curated list of piano concerts

• The Unwritten Rules of Farcaster by @pichi

• Save Farcasters from Spam Jail: A How To Guide by PiChi

Happy Week, ALANA Adventurers!

This article was authored by Stella Achenbach, a DAO member of The ALANA Project.

Find The ALANA Project on:

• TELEGRAM

• LINKEDIN

• FARCASTER

• YOUTUBE

• INSTAGRAM

• TIKTOK

• X

What stands out is Krystyne’s down-to-earth approach—she’s all about collaboration and staying curious. She reminds us that no one creates alone; it’s a team effort, much like a basketball game where the ball keeps passing around. Her experience working across different brands taught her to trust her gut but also to be open to new ideas and paths, encouraging everyone to embrace flexibility in their creative journeys.

The episode also explores exciting new frontiers, such as digital fashion and Web3, where Krystyne explains how blockchain can help designers receive the credit they deserve and connect consumers more deeply with the story behind their clothes. Additionally, she shares information about Collab Collective, her consultancy that helps smaller brands navigate the complex process of product development with the expertise of big brands.

This podcast is a warm invitation to anyone curious about fashion, design, or tech to stay open, keep learning, and enjoy the ride. It’s less about perfection and more about connection, creativity, and the joy of making something meaningful. If you want real talk and inspiration from someone who’s been there and keeps pushing forward, give ALANAmagazine Podcast #6 a watch.

Find Krystyne On Socials

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krystynepm/

• Website: https://www.theco-labco.com/

Watch The Podcast Now

This article was authored by Stella Achenbach, a DAO member of The ALANA Project.

Find The ALANA Project on:

• TELEGRAM

• LINKEDIN

• FARCASTER

• YOUTUBE

• INSTAGRAM

• TIKTOK

• X

"Sustainable development is impossible without peace and stability."

Ban Ki-moon (Former UN Secretary-General)

Last week, Lutra—one of our most insightful DAO members and our top in-house writer—shared an excellent article on stablecoins (linked below). He explored how stablecoins function, why they matter, and what gives them true significance in our ecosystem. Meanwhile, as global and societal stability feels increasingly uncertain, it’s more important than ever to focus on what we can shape: building, creating, and strengthening our community. While some may be drawn to negativity and destruction, we choose to channel our collective energy into positive action. That is the heart of ALANA—not neutrality, but an unwavering commitment to creation, progress, and standing for what’s good. Let's get started on setting you up with knowledge of Web3!

Web 3 Learning

Vocabulary

1. Governance
   In the context of Web3, governance refers to the systems and processes by which decentralized communities make collective decisions about protocol upgrades, resource allocation, and rules. Effective governance is crucial for the stability and long-term success of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) and blockchain projects. Often, cryptocurrencies or alternative tokens, known as NFTs, are used to perform acts of governance in Web3.

2. DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization)
   A DAO is an organization governed by smart contracts and community voting rather than centralized leadership. DAOs ideally enable transparent and democratic decision-making, empowering members to shape the project's direction. Those alternate organizations are still in an experimental phase, but are worth exploring.

3. Protocol
   At its core definition, a protocol is a set of rules or standards that define how data is exchanged and transactions are conducted on a blockchain network. Stable and well-designed protocols are the backbone of reliable and secure decentralized systems. Often, protocols in Web3 are also open-source or partially open-source, encouraging more product development on top of a protocol.

Quick Bites

1. "Coins VS Tokens: What's the Difference?" by Coingecko

2. "What Is Web3?" by Thomas Stackpole

Deep Dive - Stablecoins - Escape from Volatility

This article goes into a deep dive on Stablecoin as a digital asset designed to sidestep the wild price swings of typical cryptocurrencies by maintaining stable value. READ MORE HERE

Creator Corner

Quick Tuts

1. As work continues not only on the next edition of ALANAmagazine but also ALANAboutique, Nucleus Guardian, Paridhi Dariwal shares one of her latest additions to the boutique and how she accomplished the task of retopologizing an oversized seashell from millions of triangles to a game-ready asset size. Check out her process here and give her a follow on LinkedIn.

2. One of our favorite AI creators is Mickmumpitz. He always showcases what we are looking for. His latest tutorial is all about utilizing ComfyUI (a free and open-source AI powerhouse) to generate textures for 3D objects. Give it a go here.

Showcase - @HolmesMotion

Bio | @HolmesMotion specializes in animations in Adobe After Effects, focusing on creative motion graphics, typography animations, and practical project files for video creators (the one linked below is one of those). The channel also offers exclusive discounts on popular plugins and resources for animators and designers, supporting its community through platforms like Patreon and Gumroad.

Support @HolmesMotion by subscribing to his YouTube channel and check out his Patreon account for more interesting content.

Pulse Check

The blockchain space never sleeps, and small and large events are always around the corner. But no need to stress and have a fear of missing out (FOMO) because we've got your back.

Genius Act

Technically, not an event everyone can potentially attend, but nonetheless important is the GENIUS Act, which was passed by the U.S. Senate in a bipartisan vote last week. It is the first comprehensive crypto regulatory framework in the United States.

Permissionless IV

Permissionless is going into its fourth event phase this month from the 24th to the 26th in Brooklyn, New York. The event will mainly focus on DeFi, token design, and development. Additionally, a 36-hour hackathon for builders and developers will be part of it as well. If you are around, try to get a last-minute ticket.

Partner Alliance - Become a Valuable Part of ALANA

We invite forward-thinking projects and brands to partner with us and showcase their products and services to our engaged audience.

Complete the form here.

Happy Week, ALANA Adventurers!

This article was authored by Stella Achenbach, a DAO member of The ALANA Project.

Find The ALANA Project on:

• TELEGRAM

• LINKEDIN

• FARCASTER

• YOUTUBE

• INSTAGRAM

• TIKTOK

• X

In other words (confessing to using the terms of economics now), a fundamental challenge of cryptocurrency volatility can be seen in their inability to fulfill the three classical functions of money:

• Act as a medium of exchange

• Serve as a unit of account

• Offer a store of value

Since all of these functions are disrupted by high price volatility, the crypto space has developed a special type of currency, called 'stablecoins'. These are cryptocurrencies designed to maintain a stable value and mitigate the problem of price volatility. Stablecoins can thus be defined as digital assets designed to manage price fluctuations through a linkage to assets with more stable valuations. In contrast to other cryptocurrencies, the defining characteristic is their built-in mechanism for price stability.

Functions of stablecoins

Although the primary function of stablecoins is to provide stability amid the price volatility inherent in cryptocurrencies, they also fulfill a variety of additional roles. First and foremost, they act as a bridge between conventional finance and the crypto economy. Typically, all deposits and withdrawals between traditional bank accounts (or credit cards) and (de-) centralized crypto exchanges are mediated through the purchase or sale of stablecoins. Another essential function of stablecoins is their interoperability across different blockchains, as they offer high operational flexibility, particularly within the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector.

In DeFi, most purchases, sales, or exchanges of cryptocurrencies on decentralized exchanges are executed using stablecoins, and a significant portion of the liquidity pools is typically composed of a stablecoin (or the respective native coin of the blockchain, such as Ethereum, Solana, Optimism, etc.). Another significant property of stablecoins is that they simplify performance assessments and return calculations, as the outcome is more easily interpretable when benchmarked against a familiar unit, such as the US dollar. Thus, stablecoins effectively import the unit of account function of a national currency.

Types of stablecoins

Originating from the fundamental idea of combining the benefits of cryptocurrencies with the stability of traditional currencies, several stablecoin variants have emerged within the crypto market over time. In essence, four significant types of stablecoin pegs (and collateral) can be identified, although hybrid forms are also conceivable: 

1. Fiat-collateralized stablecoins: The most prominent and widely used form involves pegging to a traditional fiat currency, such as the US dollar or the Euro.

2. Crypto-collateralized stablecoins: In this model, the stablecoin is backed by other cryptocurrencies. A well-known example is DAI, which is collateralized with Ethereum (ETH).

3. Commodity-collateralized stablecoins: Certain stablecoins are pegged to the value of tangible assets such as precious metals. For example, PAXG is a cryptocurrency pegged to the price of gold.

4. Algorithmic stablecoins: In this case, no external collateral is used. Instead, programmed algorithms and smart contracts automatically balance supply and demand to maintain price stability. The most notable example in this category, although it failed dramatically, has been Terra/Luna.

Stablecoins in a Metaphor

Imagine an art gallery where the value of the artworks can fluctuate wildly, much like the price of cryptocurrencies. Now, let's introduce a new type of artwork that is designed to maintain a stable value, regardless of the fluctuations in the rest of the gallery, e.g., you can always buy or sell a Picasso for $ 1 million. This is a pegged value: Just as our Picasso has a consistent value, stablecoins are designed to maintain a stable value, typically pegged to a fiat currency like the US Dollar (e.g., 1 USDC is always meant to be equal to $1.00). To ensure the stable value of our Picasso artwork, the gallery must maintain a reserve of highly liquid assets, such as US dollars in cash, which can be used to buy or sell the artwork as needed to maintain its price. For a cryptocurrency to be considered 'stable', it must always guarantee that users can redeem their tokens for the underlying value.

In case of price movements due to the forces of demand and supply, if the price of our stable artwork (Picasso) starts to deviate from its intended value ($ 1 million), art dealers (in economics called arbitrageurs) will step in to buy or sell the artwork until the price returns to its stable value ($ 1 million). In the crypto world, traders do the same thing with stablecoins, buying or selling them on exchanges to keep the price stable. In the art gallery, patrons might use our stable artwork as a medium of exchange, a unit of account, or a store of value. The same principle applies to stablecoins in the cryptocurrency world. They provide a stable store of value and a medium of exchange, making them useful for transactions, savings, and as a hedge against the volatility of other cryptocurrencies.

Conclusion

In summary, stablecoins are like a stable artwork (Picasso) in a volatile art gallery (prices for the work of different artists), providing a consistent value amidst the fluctuations of other cryptocurrencies. They are backed by reserves, maintained by arbitrage, and come in various types, each with its own unique characteristics. Essentially, they promise to function as cryptocurrencies that can guarantee a fixed redemption value. One of the latest developments in this dynamic market is the emergence of stablecoins, which are designed to offer a yield (e.g., Ethena USD, Solayer USD, Syrup USD).

Happy Week, ALANA Adventurers!

This article was authored by Nils Otter, a DAO member of The ALANA Project.

Find The ALANA Project on:

• TELEGRAM

• LINKEDIN

• FARCASTER

• YOUTUBE

• INSTAGRAM

• TIKTOK

• X

"ALANAmagazine™ is where technology, culture, and lifestyle converge with a particular emphasis on the emergence of Web 3.0 innovation and its impact on those interconnected topics."

The time has finally come, and the next edition of ALANAmagazine is actively being curated, authored, and designed. We are excited to see everything we have worked on for months finally coming together. A crucial element, of course, is our community, YOU. As some of you may know, the Cover Competition has been open for a while, but finally, the Fashion Editorial Competitions are ready for submissions as well.

A lot has changed since last year regarding the Fashion Editorials, and we want to share in more detail what exactly has changed with you in this short resource article.

Why should you care?

At The ALANA Project, we believe in value exchange, and this is also how we designed ALANAmagazine and keep evolving it. It is not about one-sided value creation, which is why we have a strong focus on helping the featured creators gain even more exposure and empowering them with ideas and tools to monetize. Here are some of the ideas we are committed to providing for those of you getting curated for either the cover or one of the fashion editorials.

Featured Cover Artist Benefits

If your work is selected, there are additional benefits we want you to take advantage of, so the value we provide to you extends beyond the magazine and its collective exposure.

• Your work will be featured on the front cover of both the digital and physical editions of the magazine, gaining visibility to a wide audience of tech and fashion enthusiasts.

• The inner cover of ALANAmagazine will be fully dedicated to you, which includes your name/handle, a full bio, and a QR code linked to your portfolio for added exposure.

• Your successful entry will automatically entail an invitation to the ALANAmagazine Podcast series if you wish to use this platform for yourself.

• We will airdrop you a free digital-only edition of ALANAmagazine to your Web3 wallet once the edition has been published.

• And finally, you’ll be part of a community pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

Curated Fashion Editorial Artists' Benefits

If your work is selected, there are additional benefits we want you to take advantage of, so the value we provide to you extends beyond the magazine and its collective exposure.

• Your work will be featured in the digital and physical editions of the magazine and gain visibility to a wide audience of tech and fashion enthusiasts.

• Your work will be featured in a cohesive editorial. At the same time, we maintain the identity of your individual pieces by adding your name, a short bio, and a QR code linked to your portfolio for added exposure.

• If your work is submitted to the 3D editorials, we will exclusively do a free high-end rendered version of your 3D creation that you will be able to add to your own portfolio.

• Your successful entry will automatically entail an invitation to the ALANAmagazine Podcast series if you wish to use this platform for yourself.

• And finally, you’ll be part of a community pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

More Benefits? How About Money?

At The ALANA Project, we believe in empowering creators through direct monetization; now that we know how to do it best. While visibility in the magazine is valuable, our vision extends further: we want your featured artwork to be instantly mintable and collectible by readers on the blockchain, at the price you set, and entirely under your control.

We understand that some of you may be passionate about art and design but might be new to blockchain technology. That’s why ALANA is also an educational initiative. In addition to the creative opportunities, we’re committed to teaching you how to mint your artwork onchain, ensuring you retain full ownership and control.

All proceeds from the sale of your minted artwork will go directly to you—no intermediaries (yes, not even us). To support you in this process, we will host an official workshop for all successful participants. During this session, you’ll learn how to use Unlock Protocol to mint your work on the Base blockchain.

How To Get Started

Your starting point to submit for both competitions is the ALANAmagazine website. As mentioned before, the submission rules have changed, specifically for the Fashion Editorial submissions, as we want to build more story-driven and curated fashion editorials, just as you know them from your favorite magazines. Here is what to carefully read and digest before making any submissions:

Cover Competition

This edition of the ALANAmagazine is under the theme of AIR. The better you can visualize this theme, which is very open and broad, the more likely your work will be selected by the Curation Council. We also ask that you respect the technical specifications, as the magazine will be published in both digital and print editions simultaneously. All indications can be found here.

Fashion Editorial Competitions

For the Fashion Editorials, we have refined our submission guidelines and curated four different briefs for you under which you can submit. Two of these editorials are meant for AI-only, while the other two are meant for 3D-only. Please respect these indications! Each curation brief can be downloaded and reviewed in detail. The curators have invested a solid amount of time in putting these together for you. For the two 3D editorials, we have also included a row of digital fabrics you are free to use and alter if you wish to, as well as well as dedicated color schemes and further indications. This experiment aims to determine if more refined guidelines yield a more story-driven and cohesive outcome. We hope this experiment is as exciting for you as it is for us. All four themes and the submission page for the Fashion Editorial Competitions can be found here.

If you get stuck in the process or feel unsure, please don't hesitate to reach out to us via our new Telegram channel. We will definitely respond to you within the week, within 24 hours on that channel, and aid you as best as we can.

We look forward to your submissions and are excited to see your work become valuable goods onchain and part of ALANAmagazine!

Watch The Teaser

Find The ALANA Project on:

• TELEGRAM

• LINKEDIN

• FARCASTER

• YOUTUBE

• INSTAGRAM

• TIKTOK

• X