⚓️ networking in Web3
gm.
it’s another evergreen Friday, but I quickly wanted to share some news.
I *think* I’ll be attending my first IRL NFT event. it’s much overdue considering I’ve had FOMO for the last year after missing NFT LA, NFT NYC (twice), the first Cool Cats meet-up, and countless others.
it’s August 6 (1 PM - 5 PM) at a brewery in San Diego. not only do I *live* in San Diego but I also *love* craft beer…so it would honestly be offensive if I didn’t at least try to attend this.
the event is being thrown by JPEG prty and my fellow Cool Cats @alloutofeth and @baldnbougie. you can find more information on it here and definitely let me know if you plan on going too (so I’m not lonely, I RSVP’ed for 1).
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we all do dumb things in college. some party too much. some of us date the wrong people. and some major in accounting despite knowing that it’s not the career for them.
(it me)
despite my bad marks (I got a D in ‘tax accounting’ *twice*), my college days were coming to an end and I really needed a job…any ol’ one would do. as a hail mary, I decided to attend my school’s accounting job fair.
there, I would try to rub elbows with the big (and some not so big) accounting firms in hopes one would offer me *something*. I brought copies of my sparse resume, wore a suit that I had just bought, and carpooled over with classmates who had an actual plan for the night.
I conversely did not have a plan (both for the night and for life). have you ever heard the phrase “fake it ‘til you make it”? well, I was faking it up and *still* not making it.
for most of the night, I snagged free merch (still a sucker for that stuff) and ate sad prime rib (best part of the night) while “networking” very little. my classmates went back with interviews set up, while I went home with no new connections and no semblance of a job offer on the horizon.
and with that experience, I always thought I *hated* networking.
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what has been a breath of fresh air in the NFT world so far is how “uncorporate” it’s all been (I wrote about this last week too).
and perhaps it’s the casual attitudes or maybe even the anonymity of the space, but I’ve found it much less scary to talk with people in this environment. in fact, I’ve found NFT Twitter to be the exact opposite experience of that accounting networking event (i.e. there’s no free prime rib and certainly no suits unless we’re talking traits or Christie’s auctions).
that being said, NFT Twitter is still a “networking event” of sorts…but one full of people talking art and cool NFT projects. instead of the conversations being very transactional (I speak my resume out loud and you maybe give me a job), the connections seem to be more pure and organic.
a wider pool of people (on Twitter) and a wide range of projects (in Web3) have both allowed me to find the right kinds communities. and participating in these communities has allowed me to connect with like-minded individuals.
maybe it’s just that I am more comfortable in my own skin than I was in my insecure college days. but for whatever reason, this version of “networking” seems a lot easier.
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so now that I look back on that dreaded accounting career night, I realize that a lot of what I’ve been doing here on NFT Twitter is what all those suits told me “networking” was in college. it turns out that the ideas behind “networking” are pretty universal, but we just don’t call it that in Web3:
put yourself out there - I spent the first few months of my NFT journey just poppin’ off jokes. but when people laughed with me (or laughed at me, depending on the tweet) it gave me the courage to keep going. this lead me to take other chances…on projects and this newsletter, for example. and for each criticism I received, I received 3 times as many compliments. people seem to like it when you’re vulnerable…go figure.
lay the groundwork - find out what you’re good at and how your skill could help someone else. once you find that certain someone that you can help, just talk to them. it’s more important that you have cultivate some kind of relationship *especially* if you plan on asking for something yourself down the road. *don’t* be transactional; that’s very un-Web3 of you.
try reaching up - don’t be scared to reach out to your heroes. one of them might actually respond and make your day. bonus points if they check out your work! founders in the space are probably more open to hearing from you than you think. give it a try!
try to meet and reach out to one person per day - your best friend in the NFT world might be someone you haven’t talked to yet. I can’t believe how many people I’ve found that always seem to be on the same wavelength as me.
actually care - this is the hardest part to get right. and one that I obviously did not have right in the accounting world. but in the NFT world? I’m literally energized by the people around me. I genuinely want to learn from others and…you guessed…meet new people. and finding new people who care about the same things you do is *ultimately* what “networking” is all about.
networking might not be so lame after all…so long as we can find another name for it in Web3.