Update on Web 3 Life

And having a new Web 3 job (24 March 2022)

Ok- So this medium page is really about everything I have learned during my crypto/ NFT/ Web 3.0 journey. The intention was to have an article every week and here I am, unable to keep to that schedule. BUT… there is a good reason why.

Since that last post, things have been a little surreal. After having been a member of a community that I think is going places, I was lucky enough to have been offered a role as a Guardian in their discord, and subsequent to that, a Moderator. Did I accept? Of course I did. Why? That’s what this piece is about.

I cannot say that there was one specific thing that made me accept the role. It was a combination of things that led me to dive into a space I’m still new in. These are the top 4 reasons why I accepted:

The Founders, Community Manager and Extended Team

From the outset, everything that I saw within the walls of the discord was top notch. The professionalism, the integrity, the openness, the freedom to discuss difficult topics, and the warmth that greeted all newcomers to the project. All of these things were lacking in other discord servers I had been part of (not to say that there are no good ones out there, but more to point out that this was an exception to what I had come to consider was the norm).

The people on the team were kind, empathetic, open, warm, friendly and best of all very inclusive to people of all types. At the same time, they created a culture not just within their group, but throughout their community, which I was part of. It was one of respect, of genuine dialogue. The traditional Wen Moon and Wen Lambo rhetoric was replaced with real talk, about people, experiences, places, real life things, crypto things. There was a standing rule that the word ‘bro’ was not to be uttered. There was no assumption of gender identity. All this made it a safer space for people who might otherwise feel excluded and/or not identify with what is largely a male-dominated world.

The Community

For all the work the team was doing, the community was filled with open minded, intelligent and caring individuals. As mentioned earlier, the culture was initially inserted by the founders and team, but later grew to be something that evolved through the people within the discord. Community members took the ethos fostered early on and owned it, championing themselves as unofficial spokespersons for the cause and for the safe space that was being created. Then there were the regulars who you would run into, all friendly and jovial and wanting to hang out together. They all came from different places, with different demographics and had never met before, yet here they were, standing shoulder to shoulder to welcome in new members to the project without any reason to do so.

The Roadmap

Before ever being involved with the project, I was just like everyone else in the discord, a member and supporter of what the project stood for. In this case it was for furthering causes associated with the LGBTQIA+ community and empowering female artists. To know that there are people today going through all sorts of trauma and may not be openly accepted by society for whom they are is heartbreaking. I wanted to be part of a movement that made the world a more tolerant place than the one it currently is now.

A Sense of Belonging

From the moment I spoke with those in the community to the day I was asked if I would like to join the team, all I felt in the discord and around the people that made up that space, was a sense of belonging. It was all to do with the types of people in the community and the openness of their minds to the diversity that was in the discord. Normally, I would not be able to sit in a discord for more than a few minutes before moving on. Yet here I was on discord for a few hours every night, just checking in on what was up, the people I’d met along the way, and the random games that would be played. After a while, it felt like a place to hang out with people from all parts of the globe, all united by a belief in a movement. It was very special.

Closing Thoughts

As mentioned at the outset, I accepted, and was happy to do so. The remainder of the team were other members of the discord, who like me, used to be regular NFT fans that believed in the project. Now that we are all part of the team, my conviction in the project is even greater. Nothing has changed in terms of the dynamic between myself and the discord. In fact, time has probably strengthened our bonds. I thoroughly enjoy the compant of people I work with these days, and that’s a stark difference to my day job. Most of the time, it does not even feel like work. And that feeling makes it extra special.

If this is what Web 3 is about, sign me up. I’m sold.

At this stage, I note that this story does not cover the detail in what I do in my role nor provide details on the project, however a few quick searches will likely point you in the right direction.

What has your experience been like in Web 3? I would love to hear from you. I can be reached on Twitter @cryptobear55 or via comment below. Thank you.