9 Questions for Roham’s Top Shot AMA
I write this on behalf of my friends and creators at Packrip Media. We don’t speak for anyone else in the community, who certainly will have plenty of things they’d also love to hear discussed. We have a blog so we write about this stuff. Pageviews, ya know? That doesn’t make the questions any more important than anyone else's.
All of these questions, and any frustration we may express, are a reflection of how deeply we care about the NBA Top Shot platform and the potential it has. I know that’s cliche but it’s true. Obviously, we are deeply committed as collectors and content creators and want to feel a level of confidence, which has been somewhat betrayed over the course of a series of minor but glaring mistakes in the past few weeks.
I will also say this, Roham, and I say it with respect. You can answer every one of these questions perfectly, eloquently, and convincingly with your eyes closed. We’ll all leave the AMA with a boost of confidence because you are a smart, charismatic, and empathetic leader.
But I can only speak for myself when I say it’s time for your team to start delivering on the expectations we have of a company that is generating millions of dollars in revenue on a weekly basis and is valued at over a billion dollars, because BETA is not an excuse.
On Leadership
We know you are a busy man, Roham, and Dapper Labs has a variety of projects and obligations that you are tending to. So is NBA Top Shot still your #1 priority, and if not, then who is responsible for the day-to-day leadership and growth of NBA Top Shot? You are in charge of Dapper. Who is in charge of Top Shot? If it is Tristan Rattink, the GM that was hired, are there any plans to make him more of a public-facing community presence so that we can stop relying on you to swoop in and take control when mistakes happen or questions are asked?
On Communication
Are there any plans for anyone on the NBA Top Shot team to reinstate a consistent form of community-focused communications?
Office Hours were canceled because the summer didn’t seem to have the bandwidth of activity to justify it. Now we’re at the beginning of Series 3 and it feels odd that we don’t really have a clear voice for the community to hear on a weekly basis.
I think we’re all craving the comfort of reliability and stability, and even if there aren’t many answers to give, the voice makes a big difference. Heck, even the fact that your AMA is going to be a written reply-based address in Discord instead of voice or video-based is a bit of a disappointment.
On Trading
Is there any timeline for a trading feature or function on NBA Top Shot, and if so, what does it look like? Moment(s) for Moment(s)? Packs? We know that the Trade Ticket technology enables some level of trading on the platform and that Seussibles has trading baked into it as well.
As you’re well aware, collecting and trading go hand in hand. We understand that enabling trading has an implication for the 5% cut you get from every sale, but we hope that’s not the only thing holding you back from turning this on. Tie the functionality to KYC accounts as an incentive for people to go through that process.
On Hardcourt
We’re not itching for this to be done, because we want you to nail it, but can we get an update? It’s been months without any information or even whispers about it. It’s almost like a running joke within the community at this point that Hardcourt even exists. The fact that it is still on the “about” section (pictured below) of the website is kind of a mistake if it’s still this far away.
Mobile integration for the platform would be a great way to add utility and onboard new users. So what’s the status?
On Mobile
Are there still plans for a dedicated NBA Top Shot mobile app that houses the entire user experience? Is this Hardcourt, or something else? Is the barrier here the App Store cut of revenue and sales from the app?
We know that mobile is one of your KPIs for exiting Beta, so how high of a priority is this and what will it look like?
On User Growth
Are there any plans, or is there anything in the works, regarding a referral program for onboarding friends?
There are many collectors who joined NBA Top Shot from the recommendation of a friend or family member. Recognizing the value of that for the referrer would be welcome, and deeper features and collaborative “gameplay” like challenges where two people can combine Moments for a showcase, or even a complete set, would bring the community even closer and give people another way to participate.
On the topic of User Growth, as the CEO, what are your goals for the number of new users added as NBA Top Shot collectors by the end of Series 3?
On Collector Score
Buying Moments and building your collection is currently the only way to build your Collector Score. Are there any plans for daily, weekly, or monthly challenges or objectives that could incentivize collectors to use the Marketplace and encourage certain behaviors? For example, a daily challenge that rewards all users who purchase 2 Moments with a +10 Collector Score boost.
We know many at Dapper consider Top Shot to be a game, so what levels of gamification can be added beyond the current challenge and showcase-centric aspects we’re deeply familiar with already? What about some level of bonus or multiplication for certain time-based benchmarks of holding.
After all, that’s what collecting is all about, right?
On IRL Utility
If you gave one fan from every NBA team a pair of tickets every week via a raffle tied to complete set status, it would cost approximately $9,000 per week. It could generate a shitload of community marketing, word of mouth, and goodwill. Your last common pack drop generated over $2,000,000 in sales.
When can we expect more scalable, consistent, and accessible real-life utility for collectors? What are your plans to ensure that utility is equal and accessible for our global community? Yes, Beta, we get it, but what’s the plan here? You alluded to a lot of utility around complete set bonuses for IRL experiences. Can you give us a timeline for when that will be more of a consistent presence in our experience?
We all know this is a “generational” product that will be around for decades to come, but we also don’t think it’s crazy for weekly or monthly gatherings at NBA games either funded by Top Shot or organized by Top Shot with a pay-your-own-way model in a dedicated section.
On Roham Rewards
We don't even want to bring this up, to be honest, but we know it’s on the community’s mind and would be letting them down if we didn’t mention it. It’s an AMA. You’re asking for it. You need to have something prepared in response to this. Not for us, but because it’s obviously going to be a repeat question, and ignoring it or dodging it will piss people off. Is it some kind of legal or compliance roadblock? Harder than anticipated to deliver? Waiting for a certain milestone or moment to release it?
I honestly think people just want answers more than they want the exact answers they want. Uncertainty is fun, until it’s frustrating.
We look forward to the AMA! See you there.
