For multiple reasons, I didn't attend a single conference all of 2023 but I was determined to make it to ETHDenver this year. I’ve only been to two other conferences, Art Basel Miami 2022 and NFT NYC 2022. My previous experience with massive conferences even bigger than ETHDenver was the likes of DragonCon and local comic conventions. I can confidently say that ETHDenver has been the best conference I’ve attended since DragonCon 2014, when I got to meet the cast of some of my favorite sh...

For multiple reasons, I didn't attend a single conference all of 2023 but I was determined to make it to ETHDenver this year. I’ve only been to two other conferences, Art Basel Miami 2022 and NFT NYC 2022. My previous experience with massive conferences even bigger than ETHDenver was the likes of DragonCon and local comic conventions. I can confidently say that ETHDenver has been the best conference I’ve attended since DragonCon 2014, when I got to meet the cast of some of my favorite sh...

Looking at the state of people from the periphery, it’s not hard to see how dire things have gotten. I still wonder if we’ve done enough. I don’t think we have. Therefore, the experiments must continue. I’m constantly considering all the ways in which we grab onto the webs and branches toward one another as we swing through the treacherous lands of the metaverse. I've tried many things in the past couple of years and failed at a few of them to varying degrees. But one throughline keeping...

Looking at the state of people from the periphery, it’s not hard to see how dire things have gotten. I still wonder if we’ve done enough. I don’t think we have. Therefore, the experiments must continue. I’m constantly considering all the ways in which we grab onto the webs and branches toward one another as we swing through the treacherous lands of the metaverse. I've tried many things in the past couple of years and failed at a few of them to varying degrees. But one throughline keeping...

While I do not personally hold a Noun, nor am I typically active in the Nouns community, the events sponsored by NounsDAO are nevertheless incredibly inspiring. No matter the tumultuous year the DAO has had, 2023 has proven that a brand created to do real public good can indeed continue to be steadfast in its mission. NounsDAO, with its many tendrils of successful brand identifiers, side projects, and props that bring about these success stories, continues to be a favorite crypto-enabled publ...

While I do not personally hold a Noun, nor am I typically active in the Nouns community, the events sponsored by NounsDAO are nevertheless incredibly inspiring. No matter the tumultuous year the DAO has had, 2023 has proven that a brand created to do real public good can indeed continue to be steadfast in its mission. NounsDAO, with its many tendrils of successful brand identifiers, side projects, and props that bring about these success stories, continues to be a favorite crypto-enabled publ...

This week we’re taking a deep dive into two problems new internet communities are plagued with and how I’m looking to solve them with Cloud Scouts. While the space is still in its infancy, maybe experiencing some growing pains, we seem to be working on technical solutions to coordination games but neglecting many of the actual human elements behind the hashes and contracts. Discovery Communities are meant to fulfill some identity we seek through the company of others we care for. They help us...

This week we’re taking a deep dive into two problems new internet communities are plagued with and how I’m looking to solve them with Cloud Scouts. While the space is still in its infancy, maybe experiencing some growing pains, we seem to be working on technical solutions to coordination games but neglecting many of the actual human elements behind the hashes and contracts. Discovery Communities are meant to fulfill some identity we seek through the company of others we care for. They help us...

I’ve been thinking about and experiencing hypercuration in the wild more recently. I’m sure you have too. Last August, I wrote about how hypercuration will be one part of what brings our onchain world out of the Irrelevancy Island™️, largely in response to Reggie James’ talk at FWB Fest. While, yes, crypto is still moseying around in our puddle of irrelevancy; collectively, we’ve gathered the troops to aim ourselves in a relatively solid direction now. The builders have been building. The cre...

I’ve been thinking about and experiencing hypercuration in the wild more recently. I’m sure you have too. Last August, I wrote about how hypercuration will be one part of what brings our onchain world out of the Irrelevancy Island™️, largely in response to Reggie James’ talk at FWB Fest. While, yes, crypto is still moseying around in our puddle of irrelevancy; collectively, we’ve gathered the troops to aim ourselves in a relatively solid direction now. The builders have been building. The cre...

INTIMACY IN COMMUNITY is about developing deep, meaningful bonds and a sense of belonging between members through mutual understanding, care, and support. It moves beyond superficial roles and transactions and enables the vulnerable sharing of authentic thoughts, emotions, hopes, and fears. Talking about intimacy in digital communities, specifically ones where you can’t always see or touch the people you’re talking to, is a tough topic. Not that we’ll be discussing physical intimacy here, but...

INTIMACY IN COMMUNITY is about developing deep, meaningful bonds and a sense of belonging between members through mutual understanding, care, and support. It moves beyond superficial roles and transactions and enables the vulnerable sharing of authentic thoughts, emotions, hopes, and fears. Talking about intimacy in digital communities, specifically ones where you can’t always see or touch the people you’re talking to, is a tough topic. Not that we’ll be discussing physical intimacy here, but...

“Tell the old story for our modern times” - Emily Wilson’s translation of The OdysseyExpansive Communities: in essence, are interoperable hyperchannels that are both permissionless and sustainable through sensible governance, meaning-making, and caregiving Farcaster provides decentralized, permissionless space for expansive communities to flourish as an experimental example of how growth, knowledge sharing, and participation in discussion can bring a sense of meaning to social behavior. While...

“Tell the old story for our modern times” - Emily Wilson’s translation of The OdysseyExpansive Communities: in essence, are interoperable hyperchannels that are both permissionless and sustainable through sensible governance, meaning-making, and caregiving Farcaster provides decentralized, permissionless space for expansive communities to flourish as an experimental example of how growth, knowledge sharing, and participation in discussion can bring a sense of meaning to social behavior. While...

This week I asked for suggestions on what I should write about in the newsletter this year. One response from Katerina from TogetherCrew reminded me that as we grow in our practice, sometimes we get a bit stuck, and this one, in particular, is a great way to open up the new year.such a great prompt from Katerina!Today we discuss how to achieve new heights as a community manager. Since this checklist will be aimed at more seasoned community managers with a bit of experience under their belt, I...

This week I asked for suggestions on what I should write about in the newsletter this year. One response from Katerina from TogetherCrew reminded me that as we grow in our practice, sometimes we get a bit stuck, and this one, in particular, is a great way to open up the new year.such a great prompt from Katerina!Today we discuss how to achieve new heights as a community manager. Since this checklist will be aimed at more seasoned community managers with a bit of experience under their belt, I...

We need to talk about niches. It’s absolutely wild to me that crypto people do not understand this very simple concept of niching down. If we look at the macro of it all, it’s probably the westernization and hypermemification of things that lost the ability to make cool stuff appeal to anyone but the masses. I’ll say it for the millionth time, there’s a difference between culty-cults and a niche meant to spread that builds a sustainable, meaningful community. A couple examples from my past as...

We need to talk about niches. It’s absolutely wild to me that crypto people do not understand this very simple concept of niching down. If we look at the macro of it all, it’s probably the westernization and hypermemification of things that lost the ability to make cool stuff appeal to anyone but the masses. I’ll say it for the millionth time, there’s a difference between culty-cults and a niche meant to spread that builds a sustainable, meaningful community. A couple examples from my past as...

When we think about governance and voting, most people see these things as pretty boring, too contentious, or like we don’t make a difference. Consider that as of 2022, a little over 50% of voters turned out in the latest US elections, and only around 10% of token holders turned up to vote on DAO proposals. Why? Well, we’d likely be here all day talking about the reasons why DAO voting isn’t appreciated as much as voting in US elections. For many onchain communities, voting is a key cornersto...

When we think about governance and voting, most people see these things as pretty boring, too contentious, or like we don’t make a difference. Consider that as of 2022, a little over 50% of voters turned out in the latest US elections, and only around 10% of token holders turned up to vote on DAO proposals. Why? Well, we’d likely be here all day talking about the reasons why DAO voting isn’t appreciated as much as voting in US elections. For many onchain communities, voting is a key cornersto...

Some of this will be a wake-up call. For others, including myself, it will be a call to action to come together for more meaningful action. First off, I’m not going to speculate on any specific projects or people here. One major thing I learned this past cycle is no matter how successful someone has been previously, no matter how they appear on social media or how wealthy they are is absolutely no indicator they will be successful in another industry. Especially in a space as volatile as web3...

Some of this will be a wake-up call. For others, including myself, it will be a call to action to come together for more meaningful action. First off, I’m not going to speculate on any specific projects or people here. One major thing I learned this past cycle is no matter how successful someone has been previously, no matter how they appear on social media or how wealthy they are is absolutely no indicator they will be successful in another industry. Especially in a space as volatile as web3...

“The Internet was built without a way to know who and what you are connecting to.” Kim CameronThanks to a conversation this week, I realized I really need to talk more (more than I already do) about the nuance of identity at the edges of the web. Not going to get into the philosophy of personhood, that’s a whole other conversation. Out of respect for your time, I look forward to covering selfness and whoness, interoperability, and consent within the confines of identity at another time. It is...

“The Internet was built without a way to know who and what you are connecting to.” Kim CameronThanks to a conversation this week, I realized I really need to talk more (more than I already do) about the nuance of identity at the edges of the web. Not going to get into the philosophy of personhood, that’s a whole other conversation. Out of respect for your time, I look forward to covering selfness and whoness, interoperability, and consent within the confines of identity at another time. It is...