ICP-based blockchain chat app launches ‘Communities’ to compete with Discord

by Jeremy

Blockchain chat app OpenChat has enabled customers to create Discord-like servers known as “Communities,” based on an Aug. 2 announcement.

Early UX prototype for OpenChat Communities. Supply: OpenChat

OpenChat is a blockchain-based chat app operating on the Web Laptop (ICP) community. It facilitates principally crypto-oriented discussion groups, together with some with a couple of thousand members. LootMoneyArmy (3,201 members), Magnetic (2,703 members) and DFinityVN (2,597 members) are some examples of OpenChat teams.

The app’s growth staff first introduced the Communities characteristic in February. On the time, they noticed that customers have been using OpenChat for various causes than initially anticipated. Whereas builders initially supposed Communities for use as an instantaneous messaging app just like WhatsApp or Sign, end-users appeared extra curious about utilizing the app to type public teams and construct communities.

Whereas the builders welcomed this curiosity, in addition they defined that OpenChat lacked the hierarchical system utilized in apps like Discord or Slack. This prevented group admins from utilizing it to create subgroups to maintain dialog centered on specific matters, finally making teams on OpenChat much less efficient than they in any other case may very well be.

The staff promised to repair this downside by implementing Communities sooner or later sooner or later, making the app extra appropriate for customers curious about becoming a member of teams. The brand new characteristic would change the present teams with “communities” and permit admins to create “teams” inside these communities, just like the best way Discord has channels inside servers. Admins would additionally be capable of make their communities non-public, giving them a perform just like a Slack group, the submit said.

The Aug. 2 announcement states that Communities has now launched and is on the market inside the app.

In a dialog with Cointelegraph, OpenChat co-founder Julian Jelfs stated the characteristic will ultimately permit tasks to combine Openchat Communities instantly in their very own web sites, eliminating the necessity to go to exterior purposes, for instance Discord or Slack.

“One different kind of notable factor on the roadmap that Communities will facilitate is offering integrations to different apps within the ecosystem as nicely,” Jelfs defined. “There are lots of different apps that want to have a chat perform inside however don’t essentially wish to ship their customers outdoors of their web site or the app.”

Jelfs additional defined that the staff is experimenting with a number of designs for this future “Communities integration” system. One idea is to offer a “server-to-server synchronization” between OpenChat and every undertaking, whereas another choice is to create a set of front-end parts that tasks may “drop in” to their interfaces. Both means, the combination would permit customers of Web3 protocols to talk with different customers and get technical help from admins without having to navigate away from the apps they’re utilizing.

The staff burdened that the “integrations” characteristic won’t be part of Communities at launch however is deliberate to be applied in a later patch.

Associated: New Web3 ID app lets customers discover one another based mostly on confirmed pursuits

Discord and Telegram are the 2 most generally used messaging apps within the crypto neighborhood, however these Web2 platforms don’t permit customers to submit messages utilizing their Web3 identities. This will result in customers getting scammed by individuals claiming to be holders of wallets they don’t really management. 

OpenChat is one undertaking making an attempt to unravel this downside. One other instance is Grill.chat, which runs on a Polkadot chain however permits Ethereum pockets holders to talk utilizing their Ethereum usernames. Coinbase pockets’s new messaging characteristic is one other instance of the rising motion to permit wallet-based chat.

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