"For what it’s worth, Alumni Associations are some of the most valuable associations for discovering corporate opportunities ranging from funding to sponsorships to mentorship and so on. But..."

Welcome to OMGIC! This might be my first time in a while putting together my newsletter for two weeks in a row.

You could say we're sooooooooo back. The crypto space has been buzzing with life and activity in a while as you can see from the post below.

NFTstats.eth

@punk9059

More punks traded on the Larva Labs site in the past 5 days than any 5-day stretch in over a year.

Even exceeded early March when people were buying on Larva Labs to dump into Blur farmer bids the week punks were added to Blur.

58

2:53 PM • Nov 10, 2023

A lot has happened, a lot IS happening. Before we dive into today's topic, here's a quick recap video of the week's crypto news.

This is the Crypto Midweek Catchup, enjoy it!

Kuusho (wicked dev era👹🎃) ❤️ Memecoin

@FKuusho

3 Days in 2 minutes!

The Web3 space moves fast.

Moca news every 2 hours, Immutable, Ordinals and so much more.

This is your Midweek Catchup.

Check the video below for all of the news.
Meanwhile, Here's a Quick Recap of the top 5…

1

3:16 PM • Nov 9, 2023

Alumni Associations

Not enough Web3 communities organize around shared experiences, for good reason too.

I mean, this is only possibly the most international and culturally diverse industries on the planet. either that or I’m completely delusional. One way or the other, the Crypto community feels a lot more like a university than it feels like the Stock market or Commodity market community.

At the very least, I am more likely to see a Crypto founder securing million-dollar deals in sweatpants and a pudgy penguin hoodie.

While the amount of drama is certainly a parallel, there’s a lot we could learn about building, governing and engaging communities.

One of the ways prestigious schools of all levels remain prestigious is by a common d*ck measuring contest called Alumni Associations. For what it’s worth, Alumni Associations are some of the most valuable associations for discovering corporate opportunities ranging from funding to sponsorships to mentorship and so on.

But here’s why I dislike them: Politics.

Alumni Associations often involve having a group of executives who are usually, the popular guys or the people who contribute the most when there’s something to be paid for. The desire to be a part of this group usually depends on who else is a member of the Alum association and who participation gives you access to.

While the politics of it makes for less nostalgia and more Adulthood than we want to deal with around childhood friends, there is no denying that participation in these often depressing meetings are driven by two things we do not take enough advantage of in the crypto space:

Nostalgia and Personal Interests

DAOs that capitalize on both of these factors will create communities capable of persevering through the boredom of politics.

That's all for today's OMGIC! This was put together with the least amount of pictures I've ever used in a newsletter.

A few house-keeping notes:

With the market coming back, it is likely that you have a lot more coming in your mail or XMTP. My goal with OMGIC is to create something with a significantly higher quality than my Twitter/X feed.

To that end, I will be switching the schedule from a weekly to a bi-weekly newsletter. I'm doing this in the hopes of curating something split into sections such that you have a refreshing read from one to the next.

Have the most amazing weekend.

"Competition and conflict are ironically two things many builders and communities shy away from. Yet, these can be effectively used in creating more closely-knit relationships".

Welcome to OMGIC. Before we dive into today's topic, here's a quick recap video of the week's crypto news.

This is the Crypto Midweek Catchup, enjoy it!

Kuusho (wicked dev era👹🎃) ❤️ Memecoin

@FKuusho

3 Days in 2 minutes!

The Web3 space moves fast.

Things can especially be a blur when the market picks up steam like it has in the past week.

This is your Midweek Catchup.

Check the video below for all of the news.
Meanwhile, Here's a Quick Recap of the top 5…

3

3:18 PM • Nov 2, 2023

Competition and conflict are ironically two things many builders and communities shy away from. Yet, these can be effectively used in creating more closely-knit relationships.

Community and cult building as a foundation of Web3 culture is one of the more entertaining aspects of this space but often leaves a strong impression. One such negative aspect is a statement many people now know to be untrue.

WAGMI (We're All Gonna Make It) has always come easily from the mouths of Web3 Natives, knowing fully well that we can't all make it.

The nature of the space is very PvP (player vs. player) in the sense that when someone wins, often, someone else loses. While this is often seen as a flaw of Web3, it is more a feature of being human.

Jewellery is valuable because not all can buy it.

Prestigious clubs are esteemed because not all can join.

History is written by the winners and not the defeated.

While this is often seen as a bad thing, I believe it's also why our advantages in different areas are more significant.

Yet, in this space, there have been a few times when communities have been built around rivalries and competition. It almost doesn't matter if the rivalry or conflict is friendly or hostile, real or imagined.

St. Gregory's College, SW Ikoyi, Lagos, is a Catholic school in Nigeria. Along with King's College and a few other schools known as First Generation schools, in their prime, these schools entertained the city of Lagos with intense and sometimes fierce sports rivalries. Yet, these schools regularly invited each other to various competitions, from spelling bees to chess to football to athletics.

On many of these occasions, my Alma Mater won these competitions (although I contributed very little).

One result of these constant competitions was a sense of camaraderie that formed between us boys whenever we prepared for competitions, helped our representatives prepare, showed support by showing up to make noise when our boys played, and fought if needed. We lost, felt defeated, and won, but these competitions, which lasted through multiple generations with no less intensity, caused these first-generation schools to maintain strong alumni associations.

Another result was an even larger community of boys from different schools with shared experiences that formed strong bonds beyond the walls of each school.

Not every collaboration has to be an exchange of whitelists.

A community doesn't have to be built on good things that last forever. They can be formed through something less comfortable. The effort and hard work of even friendly competition is an underused tool for building communities.

By working toward a common goal, you create communities, driven by a shared desire to win.

That concludes today's newsletter, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

But also take it with you!

• Create friendly competition within and outside your community.

• Engineer challenges that create tension and spur a desire to win.

• Make use of casual games of all kinds: Chess, Big Time, Kart games and so on.

• Form sub-communities and incentivize participation.

• Share quotes, analogies and ideas from this newsletter ;)

If you haven't already, subscribe and share this, who knows, I might start a competition that you don't want to miss.

Background:

The Monument Game is… a digital art experience created by Sam Spratt. The pause in between that introduction came from my belief that referring to this artfully put-together experience went beyond the purchase of a digital art piece. A true masterclass in COMMs.

Here are some things that happened:

• The Monument Game was first announced by Sam Spratt on the 1st of August to begin on the 21st of the month.

• It involved two main collections: a 1/1 art piece and 256 player editions.

• The community was invited to take part in a training exercise for the Monument game in exchange for player slots or tickets.

• Players were selected by a small council of early supporters.

• Training exercises included people in the community creating art pieces, derivatives, and stories even before art was revealed.

• Players are invited to an observation game on the 1/1 piece where the winning observations receive a unique "Skull of Luci" piece.

COMMs Done Right:

The intention for the Monument Game had been set and clearly communicated by Sam Spratt from the very beginning.

“To play The Monument Game is to give a little part of yourself. A sacrificial offering” - Sam Spratt.

True to those words, every part of the game was an introspective and personal journey for the players and observers. Many observations carried weight. Stories told of Fear, Faith, Hope, Love and a world of vast experiences opened up on a single canvas. If a picture says a thousand words, The Monument Game says a hundred thousand.

Clear communication and community participation from the very beginning could very well be the reason the entire experience was one that rocked the space to its core even in the depths of a bear market, raising 1116.66 ETH from sales with the monument game 1/1 itself selling for 420.69 (yes, these numbers call for a tin foil hat and some conspiracy theories).

Early stages of the game involved creating a small “Council of Luci”, showing the intent of creating a unique digital experience. The council, made up of early supporters, was responsible for conducting the training exercise and selecting player candidates. Community members as well as player candidates also set out to create little pockets of magic across the timeline in a plethora of creative ways, from 3D art to poetry to complex breakdowns of previous works like this.

The Monument Game is a thorough encapsulation of everything that is made possible with Web3. From game winners and players being able to sell their observations to a secondary marketplace on Nifty Gateway’s platform built just for the game.

Actionable Insights:

• Engage your community as early as possible. Think of activities that, if done well, could create a deeper connection with your community.

• Take care of your OGs: give some priority to people who have supported you, not just with direct incentives. Create sub-communities based on loyalty and understanding of your brand. Give them decision-making rights in some key situations. Involve them in curating the broader community.

• Be honest when vocalizing what matters.

Immediate Actions that can be taken:

Find the top 10% of early members, subscribers, supporters, followers, buyers or collectors, who are still active and send a message thanking them for their support. Give them a trip down memory lane to the beginning of your brand and an idea of where you currently are.

Global Expansion Tips: Nigeria

Nigeria is a country with a large base of young crypto enthusiasts, one of the largest in the world. However, penetrating this market requires special attention to what matters to this target audience.

When starting out, for financial empowerment, or the way to financial empowerment when building a community base. Testimonials of people who your brand has uplifted and sponsored to some form of education go a very long way in building a loyal community base in Nigeria.

Conclusion

That concludes today's long overdue edition of "OMG I'm COMMing". Quite frankly this has taken basically the whole day to put together after procrastinating for weeks. Yet, I found it very enjoyable and plan to do it again tomorrow.  

If you enjoyed this read, please leave a comment, I would really love to hear your thoughts about this newsletter as well as the Monument Game.

Be sure to subscribe if you haven't already.

Love, Kuusho.

Before I lose you, this is a post about the working title for future newsletters so take a:

Hola!

I’ve been thinking of a proper name for my newsletter. And I’ve been thinking for the whole of 5 minutes in the shower.

I found the one.

Before that though, I was in today’s Modern Market space —where you can pretty much always find me between 12pm - 1pm GMT daily— hosted by Bcheque and Legendary.

While spending time in today’s super exciting space about the whole DeGods DeBacle (this is definitely a banger), I realized I was genuinely proud of them hosting a show that Frank DeGods himself showed up to.

It shouldn’t have been surprising given that Legendary is the “OG NFT collector and Airdrop extraordinaire” according to BCheque. I admit now, I have no clue what “Airdrop extraordinaire” means as I’ve never seen a single Airdrop thread from Legendary.

Back to my point though, I felt proud of them though being the smallest content guy out of all the regular guests of the show. But why?

COMMs have always been something Legendary stands out for. During the Ether…Escapade (I know, the magic is gone), legendary offered to become the project’s COMMs person. He was ignored but he offered.

I realized following today’s show that this was their thing. Not threads, Not spaces, Not research even though those were all parts of it.

It reflected in the daily spaces show, it reflected in pre & post show communication, it reflected in he and BCheque turning a regular group of speakers into a small community, it reflected in them paying attention to their regular listeners.

I’ve spoken with both hosts quite a bit and that has made me gradually feel like a part of the Modern Market. The highlight for me being a sucker for gestures —albeit accidental— was BCheque thanking me for contributing to yesterday’s show on the outro except I wasn’t even on the show.

Modern Market to me represents the peak of COMMs.

COMMs (Communication and Communication strategies) represent a pivotal part of ANY Web3 business model. The speculative + usually decentralized and community driven nature of this space creates blurred lines between customer, users, potential partners in building.

This newsletter will be focused on bringing you the latest DeBacles (Ouuu foreshadowing so good, yum yum yum) in the space and reveal the COMMs perspective.

Or at least that’s what you should expect when you see the title start with “OMG I’m COMMing”.

This is not your regular Newsletter, but I’m sure you know that already. I’ll be sure NOT to send anything that’s not with “OMG I’m COMMing” to your mail (even though I may need to use paragraph for love letters to Ameerah as well).

That’s it for today’s intro into what I hope will be an enjoyable journey full of insights into COMMs for your project or business.

And if you don’t enjoy it, call me out on X or report me to my ex, I care about both things VERY much 🙄

Just kidding, Buenos Noches.

If you liked the flow, tone and premise of “OMG I’m COMMing” please subscribe and leave a comment:

If you liked it even more than you can express with a subscription, please share with someone who might also like it:

And if you absolutely loved it, you’ll be able to support by collecting once I reach 50 subscribers. I need your referrals. Thank you.

This Newsletter is brought to you by Kuusho (no sponsors yet but I’ll be adding this nonetheless as I believe in the value I’m about to bring to you)

Within each sunrise and sunset for the last 8 months of talking to you almost every single day, I have realized it.

“What?”, you say?

Simply put, Many things can be true at the same time.

It’s true. I hadn’t been in a relationship for 6 years till I met you. It’s also true that my heart feels safer than it has ever felt with you. Yet at the same time it’s true that my heart is in a perilous place.

My heart wants you but can’t have you. So in any way I can, I’ll make you remember that I am your soulmate.

Leave you a love letter on the blockchain, buy a domain name that has our names and maybe have a baby with you.

I’m writing from my heart. Pouring myself about the woman I love most in the place I love most through the way I love most.

You’re the kind of weirdo who loves a cartoon jpeg guy like me. You’re the kind of weirdo in love with a guy your culture wouldn’t let you too.

I know you don’t exactly like long texts so I’ll wrap it up by telling you again. I love you, Ameerah.

Falg: It took you a while to get here didn’t it? I was almost sure you wouldn’t be coming.

Kuusho: Sucks to be you. Can’t imagine fading the one and only Kuusho.

F: You must tell yourself that in front of a mirror every other day. Otherwise, I’m pretty sure no one is that obnoxious.

Anyways, let’s get started.

K: I mean I came from not being able to look in the mirror so let me be.

So what are we here for exactly?

F: Well as you probably remember from your time as “囁く天使は” or “The whispering angel”, there is almost no better time to get to you than times like this.

K: Times like what? I don’t remember being in any particular phase.

F: Wellllll, times where you’re either completely in love or close to a turning point in your life.

This time is both.

K: Now that is interesting, I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Kuusho is Kuusho. I’m not in love, I’m not at a turning point and everything is going to shit. Plus, I’m still broke so clearly nothing turned from this “last time” you speak of.

F: Don’t be so hasty. For starters, you’re back in Web3. Properly back this time.

You’ve left the sidelines and stepped on the path this time. You might say nothing turned around and I wouldn’t know how to convince you that a lot has.

There’s also… Amee-

K: Yeah I’ve heard enough. What exactly do you want with me Falg? You’re the reason we’re still here anyways.

If you had taken care to really participate, we’d have bought and flipped NFTs, gotten into Rug Radio, been an active member of Lens.

If you had built a brand, we’d have tried some stuff, failed at some and maybe have enough money to go see Habibi.

F: …

K: You failed and now I have to fix EVERYTHING you fucked up.

Now we’re stuck in love with a woman we can’t love, a non-existent crypto bag and struggling to build a brand.

Fuck you, Falg, FUCK… YOU.

We should be taking care of the family by now and traveling the world. We should be “Head of Community” at a reasonably top brand or some shit.

F: You’re right K. I am the past. I am everything that could’ve been. I am the one who has put us in a ship that can’t ever set sail.

I failed you Kuusho. I’m sorry.

Yet, I can’t tell you enough how glad I am to see you.

K: Sobs I don’t know what to do anymore. I’m trying my best to keep showing up but this…

F: I know, Kuusho. It’s rough. There’s a lot I could have done to make it easier for you.

I could have learned to code, draw, audit smart contracts, connect with people better.

That said, you mustn’t stop.

K: What’s the point going any further? I can’t make it to Abuja, I don’t know if I can even dream of making it to Dubai.

I don’t know if there is any point in dreaming and holding on to ambitions of Culinary School, traveling the world and meeting the people behind pictures that we loved without seeing.

F: There is.

I made many mistakes but they led to you. I failed in many places but the love in your heart suggests I didn’t completely fail.

I represent our past. You represent our future.

I am your whispering angel.

K: So what do we do now?

F: I leave that to you, Kuusho. Fill the void. Dream to the point of Delusion. Obsess about Web3.

Keep going…

K: Oi! Where are you going? Why are you disappearing? Are you bailing again!?

You Coward!!!

F: No. I’m not going anywhere, I can’t.

I am you, you are me. Our future and our past have become one; Our present.

K: Our present? I don’t hear his voice.

F: Of course you can. Listen to the sound of each step we take forward as we struggle with dreams and regrets. Hopes and fear.

He carries the weight of all we’ve lost and all we can gain.

Ikuzo.

The Conversation: Written by 囁く天使は.

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05:12 PM • Aug 18, 2022

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