A Chapter Closed
As I bid farewell to my colleagues and friends, I cannot help but reflect on the valuable lessons I have learned during my year in the Web3 space. While it may be a cliche to say that all good things must come to an end, the truth is that all things, both good and bad, inevitably reach their conclusion.
Anyway, as of two days ago, I am now no longer employed in the Web3 space. After a year of moderating, myself and the majority of the team I worked with were let go as the project moved in a different direction. I wish the founders well for the future.
So what have I learned about the space in the year working within it? Here are some key takeaways for me.
Everyone Knows Everything
Every single person has an opinion and every single person knows the right way of making a decision. (Or they think they do). Jumping into a moderation role was not something I had ever thought of doing, nor was it something that I had any experience with previously. But the one common theme early on when things were busy in the discord server was that every single person knew the right thing to do in any given situation. I am sure you have all seen this in one form of another, or you may be one of these people who knows everything about a project and everyone else is a fool.
Not sure there is a point to this, apart from to state that being on the inside means nothing in Web3. You’re just as knowledgable being on the outside looking in. And in this space, having news and information is less valuable than understanding how people will receive the news. Trying to understand the memetic nature of the space is 90% of the battle.
Attention is Gold
Keeping your community attentive, giving it some form of mystique and having a narrative around it that is 3–4 layers deep at any given time seems to be a way of maintaining attention and retaining some relevance. Looking at the projects that have embedded themselves in the space, you see projects that keep people guessing and excited for what is to come. Of course these things take capital, and most projects just will not cut it. While this paragraph has simplified it a lot, I do think attention is something you want. Unfortunately, getting and keeping it is anything but simple. This is why those building a narrative around a brand, a project, are always seeking to weave together the fabric of lore into the loom that is the NFT itself.
You Cannot Think of Everything
Despite the best intentions of those you work with and the team you are part of, it is almost impossible to think of every individual scenario when coming up with any new initiative from minting, to airdrops to other forms of rewarding your community. There will always be someone who asks about multiple wallets, about farming rewards, about how they will miss out because they used a Ledger and never connect it to anything. I can guarantee that teams think about these things at times, but there are scenarios that just cannot be thought up. I’m sorry friends — if you are in the 1% who wants an ETH project to pivot to Solana, I do not know how to break it to you that this may never happen for you.
Time is Finite
At some level, I think everyone understands this. But then at other times, I am sure that people do not understand this at all. Working a Web3 job takes up real time. It is difficult to stay on top of everything. People assume you have all the connections and can catch opportunities before they become mainstream.
People also incorrectly assume you know what has been happening just because you work a job in the space. Without saying you’re wrong, I’m saying you’re wrong. Working a web3 job means losing time to do the things that others think you have time to do. You do not have the luxury of spending time in other servers (when you’re moderating) or endlessly scrolling on Twitter or keeping up with every Twitter Space. When I’m not working a Web3 job, I am also working a 9–5 job that does anything but stay 9–5. So that’s where we are. Just another reason to be kinder to one another, but also realise that not everyone you meet in the space is a single male living in a dingy corner of his parents’ basement dropping LFGs and Moon references like they’re stuck in the middle of the 1960s space race.
Stay Looped In
In spite of saying the above about having finite time, it can also be argued that having time to stay in the loop about all things happening in crypto can help you empathise with people but also keep you safe and sane in a way that nothing else in this space can. You need to know what people are talking about and the big topics of each day. Following some great Twitter accounts that summarise what is happening is a good way to get information quickly, and is a godsend for those of us who are time poor. Being able to understand the key issues in the space allow you to make informed decisions, connect with like-minded people and build connections on the back of shared interests. Not having the opportunity to build networks just means being left behind, or being sorely out of touch and reactionary. Both are things you do not want to be. People can smell it from a mile away, and it isn’t a good smell!
The People You Take With You
And most importantly, it is those connections you make along the journey that make it all worthwhile. I know that having the opportunity to work with a world class team has meant that I have connected with people I would never have had the opportunity to. The people I worked with and those in the community whom I interacted with regularly are all people I am glad to have known in my capacity as moderator. There will be some I stay in touch with more regularly than others. That’s just life. But what will not be forgotten is that shared experience, the bonds of having gone through something with these people. I will cherish those memories as I move onto whatever I end up doing next.
Borrowing from the crypto/ web3 lexicon, I certainly hope that WAGMI. I suspect however, the ugly cousin, SOUAGMI (Some of us…), may be what we get.
Would love to hear your opinions on the above. I’m sure there are things I have missed. What are the big ones? I can be reached on Twitter @cryptobear55 or via comment below. Thank you.
