Inside Collab.Land: Why Tipping Still Feels Special
By: Chibi.
Right now, we’re running a tipping tournament inside Discord, powered by SmartTag 2.0, where players compete by sending as many onchain tips as possible. Brother, it’s been CRAZY.
By the second day, the tournament channel had already passed 9,000 messages and almost 8000 tips. Memes nonstop. Tips flying everywhere. People going way too hard. Definitely not sleeping enough 😭
Since we’re stress-testing this new version of SmartTag with everyone tipping at the same time, the system went down a few times. But even then, people were hilarious about it. Honestly, those 10-minute breaks were probably necessary for people to do some very NECESSARY things too lol.
The memes were on point. During the breaks, people would catch up, joke around, and talk about anything and everything. But the moment things were back up? Instant focus mode. Everyone jumped right back in.
It’s chaotic in the best way. And it reminded me why I’ve always loved tipping so much.
Tipping brings a very specific kind of energy to communities. It lowers the barrier to participation. You don’t need to have the funniest joke, the best take, or the loudest voice. You can jump in however you want, send a small tip, react to something you liked, and suddenly you’re part of the moment.
Seeing people tip each other for jokes, memes, helpful tips, or just being there feels incredibly human. It turns interaction into something playful instead of transactional.
Watching this tournament brought me back to my first experiences with tipping in crypto, years ago.
Back then, I was part of a community where tipping was everywhere. People tipped constantly, sometimes for things that felt almost silly. One of the first moments that really stuck with me was when the COOLEST GURL tipped me because she liked my emoji game (which was, and still is, very strong I must say).
For context: At the time, Discord didn’t allow external emojis across servers. But I had figured out a workaround using special “global emoji” servers, and being part of those was HUGE back then. Emoji culture is crucial, but that’s a conversation for another time.
So when someone who didn’t even know me noticed that and sent me a tip, it felt out of this world. Not because it was a pretty significant amount compared to the tips you'd normally see around (which, yes, that also helped lol). But because someone saw something small and fun and said, “Yeah, I vibe with this. Have a tip.”
That one moment made me want to do the same for others.
And that’s the part of tipping that’s easy to overlook.
The “I see you” feeling. The way a small action can make someone feel included, appreciated, or encouraged to participate a little more.
I still feel that today.
We send $COLLAB tips every now and then in our Collab.Land server, and we use them often for rewards. And people are always so kind about it, it’s the sweetest thing ever. That reaction alone reminds me why tipping works when it’s done with care.
That’s why seeing this tournament come to life has been so meaningful.
The energy it creates is amazing to witness. The conversations it sparks. The way it gets people to show up, joke around, form alliances, cheer each other on, and engage. It’s genuinely special to be a part of.
Tools like SmartTag make these experiences possible onchain, safely and transparently. But the real magic isn’t the tool itself. It’s the people using it with intention, generosity, and a sense of play.
If you’re participating in the tournament, cheering from the sidelines, or just lurking and enjoying the chaos, thank you for being there!!
And if you’ve ever tipped someone, or received a tip for being your awesome self, you already know why this still feels special.
Collab.Land token gating and membership verification operates as a read-only application. By signing a message to add a new wallet, you affirm ownership of that particular wallet address. Collab.Land solely accesses public blockchains to verify that a member’s wallet addresses are linked to the required tokens for role or group membership. Collab.Land maintains no access beyond reading public wallet addresses, which are transparent to all users.
