For the first time in history, women and non-binary people have access to equal rights to participate in the economics of a growing multi-trillion dollar industry. 

The problem? They still aren’t. But we can change that. 

I’m officially joining BFF, an open-access community with a mission to help women and non-binary people get educated, connected, and empowered in Web3, as their inaugural Editor in Chief. Working with co-founders Brit Morin and Jaime Schmidt, I’ll lead an editorial strategy that will further BFF’s mission and, in turn, create the largest community of women on Web3.

“Web3 is generally male dominated, but that is changing,”  Schmidt told me recently in an interview. “Women and others who have been overlooked in many of these ecosystems can start from more of a level playing field.” 

This move marks an opportunity for me to continue to shine a light on the persistent issues that have plagued women both inside and outside of their careers, while also starting to work towards solutions. 

Over the past decade, I started one of the first daily newsletters chronicling the slow, but steady ascent of the women in business above the corporate ladder. I dug into LinkedIn data to expose how female executives, who say it doesn’t matter how much they “lean in,” still struggle to get to the top of their organizations. I’ve spoken to countless working mothers who still feel like the modern workplace doesn’t recognize their contributions outside the home. I’ve heard from female founders — particularly female founders of color — who struggle to get capital for their business. 

And since 2012 when I first started reporting on this issue, I’ve watched as the gender pay gap has barely budged. 

The biases and discriminations behind these issues are endless. Yet, I find a lot of the solutions are embedded in Web3. At its very core, Web3 strips away the traditional power structures that have long held women back. NFTs and a decentralized Internet offer opportunities for women and non-binary people to invest in their financial security and provide for their families. It provides pathways for female entrepreneurs and underrepresented groups to earn wealth on the blockchain that, in turn, they are investing in and helping to build. And with Web3 comes the promise of community and togetherness, creating a network that women can build upon to access opportunity.

A version of the Internet that takes power away from gatekeepers and puts it in the hands of creators has the potential to dismantle many of the advantages that have prevented women from advancing in the past. And with the rapid rate in which Web3 is accelerating, there is no better time for women to join the growing industry.  

My goal with this next role is to use content and community to ensure all the tenets of Web3 benefit those who have historically been underserved and underrepresented. And I’m joining an organization that is already making consistent progress toward this goal: BFF’s first NFT airdrop — BFF Friendship Bracelets  — created a market cap of $45 million in value and 50% of friendship bracelet holders are first time NFT holders, democratizing access to that value. 

The move to BFF marks the second time I have taken a significant leap in my career. When I left Fortune Magazine in 2015 to join LinkedIn, I wrote in my very first LinkedIn post that I was excited to start “writing the rules,” rather than waiting around for someone to write them for me. 

“I’ll have an opportunity to become a key architect of the future of media,” I wrote, having no idea that in my tenure, LinkedIn’s newsroom would grow from a handful of editors to nearly 200. “While I may be unsure what that future looks like, I look forward to playing an active role in creating it.”

I am still unsure about what this next chapter of media will look like, but I am certain that Web3 will play a critical role. While the look and feel of this newsletter will change in the coming months, its focus will remain: As a space to create community and discuss topics that bring equity to all aspects of our lives, whether those lives are in Web2, Web3 or elsewhere. 

And as always, I want to hear from you: What do you want to see from this newsletter moving forward? What questions do you have about Web3 and the future of crypto?

Let’s keep on creating, together. 

Now I want to hear from you: What content would you want to see from BFF? If we built a contributor network, how as a writer would you want to be rewarded? Let me know on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/CFair1