For any newbies in the space, wallets are the most important tool for anyone exploring the world of Web3. Essentially, crypto wallets allow you to buy, collect and/or hold the tokens needed to interact with Web3 websites utilizing the blockchain.
Most Web3 websites require a wallet to be connected to unlock the full experience. DESK is a little different. To start claiming DESK on coindesk.com or at future CoinDesk events, all you need to do is create an account.
Redeeming your DESK for real rewards, however, is a different story. You’ll need to connect a Polygon-compatible wallet to your coindesk.com account when you are ready to use it. The reason for this is the DESK ecosystem goes beyond the coindesk.com experience.
Whether it’s exploring the token-gated content in our Web3-enabled Discord community, grabbing a bite to eat in between session at Consensus, or redeeming your DESK for an NFT in our NFT marketplace – you’ll need to transfer your DESK balance from coindesk.com to your wallet in order to use your DESK within our ecosystem.
So, how do you connect your CoinDesk account to your crypto wallet? Currently, our wallet functionality is designated as in beta as we are working on UX improvements. We encourage readers to try to transfer their CoinDesk balance to their wallet and share feedback with us about their experience.
On mobile, most readers can use WalletConnect to connect their wallet for transfers. On desktop, readers can use Coinbase Wallet, MetaMask and WalletConnect – while most MetaMask users will be able to use WalletConnect on mobile, those who have issues will have a better experience using the desktop browser extension to connect.
New to Web3 or want a little extra guidance? Check out the “How To” section on our DESK EDU page for step-by-step instructions for connecting a wallet to coindesk.com.