Ethereum’s thriving community — underpinned by a handful of widely-shared values — is arguably our greatest strength. But how can it successfully maintain these values while welcoming a diverse range of newcomers to the ecosystem? This talk will draw upon my own lessons in building and stewarding both real-life communities (Ethereum Denver and ETHDENVER) and DAOs (ShapeShift). Attendees will come away with real-life insights that can help them scale their own communities, as well as a useful framework for thinking about the ever-growing Ethereum ecosystem.
Specifically, we'll cover:
- How blockchain-based communities (both IRL and online) are new "civil societies" that can play an important role in countering ossified legacy institutions across the globe.
- Ways in which we can use tools like DAO's, privacy tech, and decentralized ID to preserve/protect/promote Ethereum's foundational cypherpunk values as we scale exponentially.
- The common ground between "opposing" groups (liberals vs libertarians, solarpunks vs. lunarpunks) – and how we can leverage these shared values to big a bigger, more vibrant community.
- How legacy institutions seek to artificially divide humans against each other, and how Ethereum can do the exact opposite (unite humans) and attract more users/citizens through its unique coordination mechanisms.
- Why grassroots organizing and thinking small/local is more important than ever – even as thousands and eventually millions join the community.
- Lessons for community builders from the early days of Ethereum Denver.
- What we got wrong (and right) and ShapeShift DAO with respect to community-building.
