'C' is for community
Community in entry 6 of a crypto poet's guide to the metaverse.
Maybe you have not yet seen that movie, maybe you have. I mean the one where Julie Andrews is a nanny to an Alpine family in times of war. Whether you have seen it or not, maybe you know one of the songs from this musical. The one that explains how musical scales work, you know Do-Re-Mi. Well, that song, and the movie, however fun they are to hear and watch, have nothing to do with this travelogue entry. Apart from the way you can read the title above.
Community. A much used and abused word in the metaverse. You will hear it in every conversation you will have. Community. That's what people will talk about. But what does it really mean? Let's have a look.
Should you follow the playbook?
With more and more brands joining the wonderful world of web3, they are more or less all following a playbook that seems to have worked for successful NFT projects such as the famous Bored Ape Yacht Club. This playbook tells us that if you want to be big in the metaverse, you need a community. The way you should do this, according to this playbook, is to launch a Discord server and invite people in. Preferably you will give holders of your tokens a more extensive access than people who do not hold your token. You could even consider keeping those who don't hold the token out, which might work for projects such as BAYC and some others, but not for big brands.
And there you have it. Build a discord, invite people in (holders or not) and BAM: community. At least, that's how it looks in many emerging projects and go-to-metaverse plays, but in fact, this is not your instant community. This, basically, is offering your customers or collectors or supporters a new channel to be communicated to. Yes "communicated to" as the conversation in this channel can often be categorised either as announcements or as service requests. Is this really ‘community’? Hmm. Well... not to me.
‘C’ is for caring
So, what is ‘community’ and why is it important? To me, community means that you exist together in a certain space. This space can be physical (your house, your neighbourhood) or it can be virtual (online). Or it can be phygital: a mix of the physical and the digital (yes, finally a way to use this weird word). Community is how people who are existing together in that space care for each other, help each other and support each other. Community is cheering others on, collecting their art if they need it, celebrating their successes, promoting their work, picking them up when they are down. Community is where you give first, without expecting reciprocity. You care because you belong; and because you belong, you will be cared for.
This might seem a bit flowery-powery, a bit too much of love-and-peace to you. But it is simply how communities work. Also in capitalist marketing environments. If you want to succeed as an artist in the metaverse, or as a brand, you will need a community. And that community thrives when members are actively caring for each other. When they feel they belong. Just setting up a Discord to announce new drops and answer questions about wallet connection problems is not enough.
So, what's your favourite community?
Featured poet: |wordstobepoetry|
Have you ever stared at the clouds and found inspiration? I have, and I love it when others do and share what it is they see. Especially when it's well crafted as the poems by |wordstobepoetry|. This poet creates poetry that is almost as shape-shifting as the clouds are, and has a brilliant beat of repetition that pulls you in. In her poems, |wordstobepoetry| talks about wrestling with emotions and the struggle to find your place in the world. When we talk about community in the metaverse and the importance of caring for each other, we also need to talk about mental health. Many artists have their doubts and their struggles. Poetry that addresses mental health issues is an important part of the system of care. The poem || lost || is an example of that. But it gets, in my opinion, even better when the light at the end of the tunnel is shown. That is the case in the poem || light petals ||.
Finally, I really enjoyed reading || poetry sets us free ||. An anthem for poets, dreamers and people who live in more than one language. Please find more poems by |wordstobepoetry| and the channels to connect here.