You can only learn so much about web3 before kicking the tires yourself. Things will click once you experience the communities and technologies yourself. Tinker with new products, have conversations, and put some ‘skin in the game’.
We are still early in the technology adoption lifecycle of web3. The vast majority of people have either never heard of blockchains, cryptocurrencies and NFTs, or have no idea what that even is. Most of people who shaped the tools and utilities you see in web3 today are the earliest adopters. I say all of this to prepare you for the reality, web3 technology is still rough around the edges. Onboarding experiences for many tools leave much to be desired… websites crash more often than you’d like… loading times can feel like they’ve regressed to dial-up days. This is expected, like I said — we’re early. You will be part of the group shaping the next phase of improvements.
How can you shape web3? By getting involved.
Ways to get involved
As you get more active within web3, my advice is to let your curiosity lead you. If you encounter something that doesn’t make sense — double down on learning more about it. If concepts take you out of your comfort zone — embrace them and uncover the reasons why.
These are my top recommendations.
1. Join a community or DAO
Start by finding a group of individuals that have similar interests to yours. As I covered in Part Two, there are thousands of DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations) to choose from and joining one is a great starting point for web3 involvement. If you’re not sure where to go, this article does a great job capturing the DAO landscape, and may give you a few ideas.
To join any DAO, you’ll want to read through their website, understand the motivations for the project and what’s their vision for the future. Next, you’re likely find your way into a Telegram or Discord channel to chat with others in the DAO. Spend some time reading their materials and pinned messages to find out how to get involved. There is no shortage of ways to contribute.
Engaging with an active community on Reddit or Discord can also be a fantastic gateway to your particular web3 niche. Search to find the category that aligns with your preferences (if you want to learn how to trade NFTs, join an NFT trading community).
2. Find a thinking partner or chat group
The single best way to accelerate learning about web3 is with others. Find a space where you can share what’s exciting, ask questions, and level-up your thinking. A thinking partner can be a friend or partner that you can bounce ideas off of. Find a friend who is equally curious about web3 / crypto and start sharing. Nothing solidifies your understanding of some new idea quite like discussing / explaining it to another.
I also recommend finding a chat group. Start one if you have a big enough group of friends or family wanting to learn more about web3. Ask friends who have spent more time in web3. By joining a chat group on WhatsApp, Telegram, or iMessage the surface area of web3 you are exposed to multiplies. Your knowledge will skyrocket and you’ll start having even more fun. The best ideas and trends in web3, begin in group chats.
3. Spend a little
Many of the interesting projects or tools require some money. When you’re getting started, I recommend putting aside some “play money” to understand how things work. Buy some cryptocurrency and use the Dapps or protocols that look most interesting to you. Like I mentioned in Part One, security should be your ultimate priority — and that is especially true once you’ve got some dollars invested.
To give you an example of what I mean, during my first few months in this space I had spent no more than $250 and was able to — purchase some cryptocurrencies, stake a token for yielding, purchase an NFT membership card, swap crypto for stablecoins, and contribute to a DAO treasury.
My personal stance on spending money on crypto or NFTs is a simple mental framework — expect that you will lose everything. This is not to say you can’t make money in crypto or NFTs, just don’t spend more than you’re willing to lose. Your behavior should reflect your current appetite for risk. Mine is likely to change as this space matures and technology evolves; so will yours.
Ways to D.Y.O.R. (do your own research)
Blindly following trends is a recipe for an unsatisfying intro to web3. Spend time doing your own research and learning what excites you about web3. It can be hard to keep track of all the thought leaders and content creators, so here’s a list of curated resources to get your started.
These are meant to introduce concepts and touch on web3 from a high-level, not to overwhelm you with overly technical concepts. Enjoy!
🎙 Great podcasts for web3
- From Web 2.0 to Web 3.0 (w/ Kevin Rose) — Ben Gilbert & David Rosenthal, Acquired
- The Wonders of Web3 (w/ Chris Dixon & Naval Ravikant) — Tim Ferris, The Tim Ferris Show
- From Web2 to Web3 (w/ Alexis Ohanian) — Kevin Rose, Modern Finance
- Axie Infinity (w/ Jeff “Jiho” Zirlin) — Anatoly Yakovenko, The Solana Podcast
- Beeple: His Story, The Future of NFTs, His Favorite Digital Artist, and More — Kevin Rose, PROOF Podcast
- Investing in Cryptocurrencies — Patrick O’Shaughnessy, Invest Like The Best
✍️ Great reads for web3
- The Great Online Game — Packy McCourmick, Not Boring
- The Metaverse Primer (9 essays) — Matthew Ball
- Why Decentralization Matters — Chris Dixon
- DAO Landscape — Coopahtroopa
- Beginners Guide to NFTs — Linda Xie
- The Interface Phase — Packy McCourmick, Not Boring
- OpenSea: The Reasonable Revolutionary — Mario Gabrielle, The Generalist
🐦 Great Twitter follows for web3
- @pranksy — OG NFT enthusiast
- @punk6529 — Anon Punk owner
- @alexisohanian — Reddit founder, founder of web3 focused VC
- @kevinrose — Modern Finance podcast host, Digg founder
- @cooopahtroopa — web3 media influencer, early supported
- @TZhongg — web3 entrepreneur
- @farokh — web3 media influencer, entrepreneur
- @sartoshi_nft — NFT investor, funny meme guy
- @natealexnft — NFT investor, web3 media influencer
- @fintechjunkie — Finance expert, new to web3
- @betty_nft — NFT collector, creative
- @aeyakovenko — Solana founder
- @VitalikButerin — Ethereum founder
- @SBF_FTX — FTX founder
🪜Great guides for web3
- Installation guide for Metamask wallet
- Installation guide for Phantom wallet
- Setup guide for Rainbow wallet
- Beginner’s guide to Discord
- Intro to using OpenSea (NFT marketplace)
- Beginner’s guide to Coinbase (crypto exchange)
