July 29, 2024
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This article was originally published July 29, 2024 on Rocket Bites.
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Community has always been at the forefront of my mind.
This modern, post-covid world of infinite online convenience and social media overload is incredible in many ways, but I think as a society we’ve lost something incredibly important along the way. We’re connected through technology, but are we connected as people? As humans?
Five years ago I had zero interest in crypto. I’d never thought about the term web3. I didn’t hold any bitcoin. But a friend approached me, excited about this dog coin that was supposedly going on a tear, and his enthusiasm drew me in to the rabbit hole of crypto.
As I navigated this strange and highly technical space, taking my beatings and scrapes along the way, I stumbled across a random discord server for a ‘blockchain’ called Hedera that had caught my eye.
This discord server was Club HBAR. It was full of a cast of strangers and degens whose only real connection was that they were really excited about Hedera. Less than three months after I joined that server, the future HashPack team had already banded together and were starting on our MVP.
This undertaking by four strangers on the internet was only made possible because of our connection through a community.
A year later, SaucerSwap launched as the first DEX on Hedera, and their team also originated on Club HBAR. PixFi a cross-chain marketplace with roots in Hedera which just launched their platform also hails from the Club. And Club HBAR isn’t the only community on Hedera, there are so many, filled with people who are passionate about the projects and people in this ecosystem.
In the four years that I’ve worked in the space, the Hedera ecosystem has consistently impressed me with its vibrant, passionate, and talented individuals. It's through this incredible community that we've witnessed remarkable retail success. Our NFT communities that sprung out of nowhere lead to the Hot Defi Summer campaign that lit up Times Square with Hedera NFTs. We have twitter spaces happening every day of the week run by people that have made their name on Hedera, providing quality content and engaging with the community directly. We have builders and developers working together on open source collaborations to make Hedera easier and easier to launch on.
All of us here because we’re passionate about this niche in the corner of Web3 called Hedera.
The power of a united, supportive community cannot be overstated - it's the backbone of innovation and growth in our ecosystem.
At its core, a thriving community is built on shared interests and passions. It's a space where individuals come together, not just to coexist, but to support and uplift one another. But what truly sets apart an exceptional community?
To start, community doesn’t just magically happen. Communities are formed from people, and people are complex things. We are all familiar with the stigma of tribalism in Web3, the wars that factions even within the same ecosystem wage with each other, the dumpster fire threads on twitter. While these sorts of behaviours happen in real life communities as well, there’s something uniquely special about the clownish insanity of crypto drama.
A strong community fosters open communication, encouraging the free exchange of ideas. It celebrates diversity, recognizing that different perspectives lead to innovation. There's a sense of belonging, where members feel valued and heard. Most importantly, a strong community is resilient, adapting to challenges and growing stronger through shared experiences.
When it comes to Hedera, we actually have a really tight knit community. I've seen countless examples of developers collaborating on projects, users helping each other navigate dApps, and community members rallying behind exciting initiatives. When scams and rugs hit the community there is a small group of active but passionate sleuths that dig into all the accounts and transactions and sound the warning.
We actually, as a whole, really care about what happens in our ecosystem. And yes, there are many people who are self-interested and only looking out for their own games. And yes, there are even people in the community who consistently troll or take advantage of others in malicious ways. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that the vast majority of “HBarbarians” (the label that the community has somehow decided to rally around) really care, and put their best forward to help each other.
These people are the true members of our community, and it is our collective spirit is what propels the ecosystem forward.
What makes the Hedera community, a community? What does it mean to be a part of it? Well, here are some of the things that you guys do every day:
Remember, every positive action, no matter how small, counts. And it doesn’t just help some grand, overarching ‘plan’ to build a great community, as if such a thing could exist. It’s about how you, as a human, connect with people and get happiness and fulfillment and satisfaction from the things you spend your time on every day.
Also, just a brief note on trolls, fudders and toxic people - If you find that a person in the community is dragging you down or causing undue amount of drama, it’s often wisest to just BAMO - Block And Move On. You have more important things to do with your time than argue with internet strangers, don’t you? And if you’re going to fill your social media feed with content, it’s better to fill it with content that will bring you joy and excitement.
My personal view is that the most effective way to deal with problem causers is to take the attention off of them and put that attention and energy toward the problem solvers.
And if we’re talking about problem solvers, there are so many in our community that would love to have your support.
Surprise, surprise, I think the HashPack community is one of the best in Hedera. Our team really tries our best to make our space fun and comfy and make the time that you spend with us valuable.
At HashPack, community engagement is at the core of our ethos. We're incredibly grateful for our active and passionate user base. Your feedback, memes, and hype posts on Twitter make a huge difference - they've helped make the HashPack community one of the strongest in the Hedera ecosystem. And better yet, they have a real impact on how we develop HashPack that make our platform a top in class user experience.
We encourage both builders and users to reach out to us. Whether you have feedback, ideas, or just want to chat about the future of Hedera, we're all ears. Your insights drive our innovation and help us serve the community better.
If you’ve read this far then hopefully you’re bought in to my vision for our Hedera community. Maybe you’re hyped up and ready to be the best community member you can be.
Well that’s fantastic because we want to take our community engagement to the next level, and we need your help to do it. If you have ideas for collaborations or community events that HashPack could support, don't hesitate to reach out. We're excited to explore new ways to engage with and support our community. Our team is small but if there’s something we can do to enable a community initiative, we’re all ears.
The center of our community is currently our official discord server. Once you join, you can connect your wallet with our discord bot and get fancy badges next to your name and roles depending on what NFTs or Tokens you hold in your wallet.
You can also follow us on twitter, and @ us to let us know about cool things you see in the ecosystem! Our main english account is @hashpackapp. My account is @may_hashpack. Our CTO Tyler’s account is @pluto_hashpack. (And since I’m talking about reaching out to our team, please read the cautionary note at the bottom of this post around how to reach out to us for support)
I also encourage everyone to get to know your fellow community members. Share a tidbit about how your day is going on our discord server, or ask someone how they’re doing. Offer help where you can, and don't be afraid to ask for support when you need it.
Because yes, perhaps the community is ‘centered’ around the HashPack team and all the things we’re doing, but I’d love for this community to be so much more. By fostering these connections, we strengthen not just the HashPack community, but the entire Hedera ecosystem.
A strong community is more than the sum of its parts. It's a powerful force that can drive innovation, provide support, and push the boundaries of what's possible. As we continue to build and grow in the Hedera ecosystem, let's remember that our greatest strength lies in our connections with one another.
Together, we can create a vibrant, supportive environment that not only benefits individual projects like HashPack but propels the entire Hedera ecosystem forward. Let's embrace the power of community and see just how far we can go.
Your voice matters, your contributions count, and your involvement makes a difference. Join us in building not just a community, but a movement that will shape the future of Web3.
May Chan
CEO and Co-Founder of HashPack
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As a cautionary reminder, please use common sense when dealing with accounts on twitter. Our staff will never DM you first (99% of the time), and we will not ask you for your seed phrase or other sensitive information.
Please use our official support channels to ask for help when in doubt. There are two main ways to do this:
