Call for Founders and Developers to Qualify Your B.O.S Apps Before NEARCON ‘23
NEAR FOUNDATION
October 30, 2023
Dear NEAR B.O.S Developer Community, 

This week, the Pagoda product team launched the App Library to help B.O.S founders and developers showcase and promote their apps. With over 200 applications powered by B.O.S and more than 11,000 components now in the ecosystem, the App Library is a page on near.org designed to help users and community members find your applications and promote greater usage across the NEAR ecosystem. 

The App Upvoting Event: NCON Bounty
To find the first group of featured apps on App Library, we are launching the App Upvoting Event as a NCON Bounty to invite all NEARCON attendees to upvote and decide who gets featured! 

“NCON Bounties” is a Web3 gamified event experience for attendees to engage throughout the event. Attendees will earn NCON by completing Bounties and have the option to redeem NCON for food, merchandise, and more. Participants who decide to complete this special NCON Bounties experience will also help select the first group of featured apps in the B.O.S. App Library. 

How to Qualify and Get Your App Featured?
To ensure your dApp shines during this event, here’s what you need to do. The following steps can be be found in the B.O.S interface for those who want to participate — simply go to the Metadata page of your app and follow the instructions below:

Create a Captivating Description
Craft a compelling introduction to your dApp. Highlight its unique features and value proposition. Pro tip: Add screenshots to make your dApp visually appealing and easy to understand. (Description is required!)

Tag Your App
First, make sure to tag the component that holds the entry to your project experience as App. Then, choose the category that best represents your dApp—Earn, Play, Develop, Engage. (Choosing one of these four categories is required! If you applied more than one of these four tags, then we will only use the latest one you applied.) Add additional tags for improved discoverability. Make it easy for users to find and appreciate your work.

(These categories are suggested from research around users’ needs, broken down by categories and industry app store benchmarks. Check near.org/applications on how these categories are currently being used)

Spread the Word
It’s time to promote! Rally your community, spread the news across your networks, and encourage users to like and engage with your dApp. The more upvotes your app gets, the greater your chances of securing a top spot.

Why Participate?
The App Library isn’t just a catalog — it’s an interactive platform that spotlights the capabilities of the NEAR B.O.S. It will become the most visited page on near.org and serves as a gateway to the NEAR Ecosystem. By participating, you have the chance to feature prominently on the App Library and the NEAR homepage for the next three months, gaining exposure and recognition across the NEAR ecosystem and beyond.

What’s the Payoff? 
Your active participation can lead to significant rewards:

Top 8 Featured dApps
The dApps with the highest number of upvotes from this event will be showcased prominently on the landing page of the App Library for the next three months, putting your creation on the most visited page on near.org.

Category Leaders 
The top 4 dApps in each category will be prominently featured on category pages, such as Earn, Play, Develop, and Engage. This targeted exposure aligns with the core needs and use cases of the diverse NEAR user base.

What’s Next? 
Upvote Button Enabled 2 days Before NEARCON
2 days before NEARCON, you will see an upvote button appear on the details pages of your qualified Apps. Any users who have an account on near.org can now send their support by hitting that upvote button. This upvote button will be disabled two days after NEARCON, and the total number of upvotes you received in the event will be displayed for 6 months on your details page as your participation badge. 

NEARCON attendees will be incentivized to engage with App Upvoting by earning NCON
QR code and event posters will be promoted at the NEARCON venues to encourage them to complete this Bounty. In addition, this Bounty will be part of the NCON product for NEARCON participants to earn more NCON, so we will make sure your dApps get plenty of exposure. 

Event Timeline Summary
October 27th — Submit your App for Qualification. App Upvoting Bounty Event Page made available on near.org. Qualified Apps will be Fetched (Qualified Apps will be fetched continuously on one-hour intervals throughout the NEARCON event through November 13th).
November 3rd — Upvote button enabled + counters started.
November 13th — Upvote disabled + results calculated.
November 17th — Results display + feature apps updated on main App Library page.
The primary goal of the App Library is to celebrate the creativity and efforts of NEAR developers and founders. To increase visibility, boost engagement, and get valuable feedback from the whole NEAR community on your app, make sure to register your apps as qualified and participate in the App Upvoting NCON Bounty.