What starts a community is a shared need.

The power of information to connect individuals has been the driving force for YGG Alerts to surface on the social media platform Facebook. Bred by the simple interest to update netizens on the status of the play-to-earn (P2E) game Axie Infinity, the Facebook page once followed by only 15 users has started pooling volunteers with the same interest, growing into a community of volunteers that now aims to propel community-building in Web3.

Axie Infinity player Brylle Uytiepo created the page Axies Alerts PH on June 16, 2021 to serve as a bulletin for updates on the non-fungible token (NFT)-based online game. With the game’s server down on June 18 of the same year, there have been a lot of doubts among the group of players at that time, driven by the low value of smooth love potion (SLP) – the in-game digital currency of the Axie Infinity gaming metaverse.

This urged Uytiepo to curiously start posting updates on the game which garnered engagements from fellow players. This post later on started conversations as comments on the explanation of server problems started to roll – primarily of which was the growing number of players trying to access the game’s server.

“One of the biggest factors that contributed to the growth of YGG Alerts was the “Hype Train” we rode unintentionally last year,” said Uytiepo. “When we started the page, it was supposedly just for family and friends. We didn’t know that there was a big gap in the community that needed to be filled, and that no one else thought of solving,” he added.

This curious post opened the door for more updates that harbored followers and volunteers who helped on creating contents. The one person-managed Facebook page has become a volunteer-centered community, only fueled by selfless initiatives and organic posts. The team eventually launched its own Discord channel on June 26, 2021 and the Facebook page continued to grow, reaching 100K followers in less than a month and now propeling to 1M, making it the biggest NFT Community on the platform. 

A community of volunteers

With volunteers chipping in their knowledge on NFT, skills on content creation, and passion to exchange information, Axies Alerts PH grew to become a credible and accessible platform for updates not only on Axie Infinity but on issues surrounding the Metaverse.

The simple Facebook page has become a community of volunteers lending their time and expertise to usher informed discussions on NFT and the blockchain technology. The growth of the community also opened opportunities to reach and teach people, thus making the mission wider from simply communicating information to instigating awareness on the opportunities amid the complexities of the web3. 

Just this year, Axies Alerts PH has evolved and rebranded to YGG Alerts, after having been acquired by the Yield Guild Games, a P2E gaming guild of guilds that brings players together to earn via blockchain-based economies. This means expansion not only of its structure but more importantly of its reach, network, and vision. 

The team is now the largest Philippine-based community-builder in Web3. Primarily providing news and alerts in all aspects of NFT and cryptocurrency, YGG Alerts now takes pride “as a partner in the Metaverse,” working with large brands such as PDAX, the leading cryptocurrency exchange in Southeast Asia.

YGG Alerts is committed to providing  the most authentic crypto and NFT awareness, education, marketing and consultation services. 

It owes its leverage to its social media approach that emphasizes people-centered communication through genuine engagements. Although they’ve never ran any paid ads, some of their posts get thousands of organic likes, comments, and shares.

Its advertising and education methodologies are grounded on people’s real problems and concerns, therefore creating solutions through organic communication strategies. 

The team specifically wants to address common problems in the metaverse such as fear, uncertainty and doubts (FUDs) in crypto, misinformation, fake and phishing links, and the non-inclusive and inaccessible cryptocurrency education. 

A community built  for the community

Not limiting its efforts only to growing networks, YGG Alerts have in many times reached out to the offline community. With its initiative in supporting P2E livestreamers, the team has also initiated community and extension services to help different sectors. 

Some of these efforts include donation of groceries to Bahay Ni Maria Home for Abandoned Elderly and Children with Special Needs, donation of school supplies to children of Muntinlupa, and hosting of live podcasts for a cause for UNICEF. 

As a team of volunteers who started small in the field of P2E, the team has also given away 132 Axie Infinity scholarships where beneficiaries are given the opportunity to earn digital currencies from sponsorship of game accounts managers.

This is true to the commitment of YGG Alerts to penetrate not only the web3 communities but address grassroots issues through online and offline efforts. 

A community building a community

While still in its early years, the YGG Alerts have already accomplished way more than what it initially aimed. It has already reached almost a million and still hopes to educate and assist more.

It might have tripped on little bumps on the road as a young organization, but it continues to take strides to achieve its objective — build a community of informed individuals in the metaverse. 

Phil Tejada, one of the co-founders, explained: “YGG Alerts believe that Communities are the centerpiece in the Metaverse movement. Finding solutions that will empower the community and connecting Web 2 brands to web3, rather than profit off them, is the essential ingredient in building a strong and solid community. We were able to grow as fast as we did because we focused on giving accessible information and inclusive communication, allowing people to get involved with a great cause.”

Onto the steps forward, YGG will extend its reach with the launch of a website that will produce accessible contents — language and perception wise.

As a means of starting an enriched community in web3, it will also reinforce strategies that will help Web2 brands transform and transition.

YGG Alerts and YGG are also going to be traveling around the country to meet with guild managers and scholars in their hometowns. “We have an upcoming Roadshow, which is essentially a series of community events, that will be held throughout the Philippines,” said James Pebinito. “The Roadshows are part of our mission to educate the community and make P2E games more accessible. First stop will be held in Baguio on June 25, 2022,” he added.

With an organization built by the community for the community, there is no other way but to expand.

“We realized early on that one of the most important factors in community building was staying true to the community. In an era where FUD and misinformations are rampant, YGG Alerts will continue to fight for its community,” Uytiepo explained. 

Because while a community may start with a shared need, it can only prosper and grow through a shared goal.

This is what YGG Alerts wants to lead.