I shared in previous weeks some of my readings on NFTs, one of the first movements democratizing web3 beyond bitcoin. This week we’re exploring how creators can monetize their craft with social tokens. A clear move towards a more digital lifestyle where in-person, live experiences don’t matter as much anymore.
We also talk about community, another space where in-person and digital interactions blend, with no clear winner. Two articles made it to the list today.
But then you have the Ever Given ship that disrupted the global supply chain for weeks, a reminder that software hasn’t eaten the world yet. A great article published on A16Z tells us more about the future of logistics and IRL trades.
Let’s start with the story of Steve Schlafman, a successful VC who decided to step down from this crazy, always-on digital madness to focus on what matters. IRL.
Venture Capital
I Just Walked Away From My New Venture Fund. Here’s Why.
“I was taking on too much. Investing. Coaching. Parenting. Writing. Fundraising. Operating. When I finally stepped back a few weeks ago, it occurred to me that I was really building three companies—an investment fund, a coaching company and a family. I was trying to do too many things. My attention and energy were spread too thin. Context switching and multitasking were leading to mediocre performance and diminishing returns. I wasn’t at the top of my game. I began to sense a strong desire within me to simplify and focus.”
Events
Crushed by pandemic, conventions mount a cautious return
“A lot is riding on the revival of in-person meetings. Prior to the pandemic, conferences and trade shows generated more than $1 trillion in direct spending and attracted 1.5 billion attendees annually around the world, according to the Events Industry Council, a trade group.”
- apnews.com/article/lifestyle-technology-business-health-travel-7818e93db6d0ef66111cfb0c8e5a278e :: Dee-Ann Durbin
Community
Why We Need Chief Community Officers
“If you want to do community right, you need to separate it from existing departments — give it the support and resources to stand on its own. If you’re burying community into your marketing department, then you’re leaving an incredible amount of community potential untapped.”
What a community means in the modern world of startups
“‘Community’ has grown into one of those buzzy Silicon Valley terms over the past few years, but long-time advocates explain that the concept is fundamental in entrepreneurship and venture capital investments.”
Creators
Social Tokens: A Web 3.0 Playbook for Monetizing Yourself
“Social tokens are further evidence of the internet’s move from Web 1.0, which provided information more efficiently, to Web 2.0, where users create content that platforms curate, to Web 3.0, where users curate their own content. Social tokens, true products of Web 3.0, directly connect the creators and consumers of content. They differ from celebrity bonds because there’s no intermediary in the transaction, and from ICOs because they plug into existing community-building efforts around the creator, driving actual value creation.”
Logistics
Beyond the Meme: Ever Given, Supply Chains, and the Physical World
“The dirty secret of the industry is that no one really knows where their stuff is. But if global trade were like the network of information as it is on the internet, we could simply type or speak into a search bar to ask and answer these questions, precisely.”