As a specialist in Marketing, Advertising, and SEO, I attended EthDenver in 2022 and 2023, Blockchain in Miami for 2021 and 2022, Consensus 2022 in Austin, and numerous events in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. My goal was to gain deeper insight from the people in WEB3. Additionally, I was part on the NEAR Hispano council, and I am one of the leaders of NEAR Peru and the MERITOCRACY Guild. I have attended, and continue to attend, many WEB3 events across different Layers and Protocols of Blockchain in Silicon Valley, where I reside. This has been the quickest way for me to understand the insights of this community and get a comprehensive view of the WEB3 ecosystem.
In the meantime, the crypto market has undergone radical changes. These shifts are not solely due to the bear market but also because of various events such as the fall of Terra Luna, FTX and SBF, rumors about Binance, and regulations. The prices of many cryptocurrencies have fallen, and some projects have disappeared. The distinction between security tokens and utility tokens with new regulations can be confusing for some micro investors and Crypto enthusiasts.
However, we’ve observed similar volatility in traditional sectors. For instance, the Silicon Valley Bank collapsed rapidly, underscoring that it’s not just the crypto market that’s unstable. This event, combined with ongoing devaluation of strong currencies like the dollar, new regulations, and other factors, highlights the financial uncertainty we currently face.
In this context, as a female entrepreneur, I’ve found that the safest approach in WEB3 is to focus on the technology. It’s essential to verify if the co-founders of the layer or protocol that you choose for your project are blockchain developers, to assess their ability to attract and train competent developers, and to ensure they support numerous quality projects on their blockchain. This indicates a stronger emphasis on technology and innovation rather than mere speculation or financial gain. By distinguishing between the technological potential of WEB3 and the speculative value of cryptocurrencies, which can be easily manipulated by whales or institutional players, you can begin to innovate independently. This also opens access to a market worth around 1 trillion dollars, enhancing your business’s competitiveness and reaching new WEB3 customers. In our case, we provide access into this new WEB3 market using the MERITOCRACY PLUGIN, compatible with websites built on WordPress (which constitutes 43% of the internet) and NEAR Protocol. If you’re not prepared to launch a startup, you can still educate yourself about WEB3 for free and potentially secure a job in the field. We’ll explain how later in this article.
All our research has been directed towards building strong communities, generating valuable content, and providing useful resources. From our interactions with people in Web3 and at these events, we’ve gathered the following insights:
A majority of attendees, especially those involved in projects and DApps, express a desire for blockchain agnosticism. This term refers to a single platform that supports multiple different chains.
WHY DID WE CHOSE NEAR PROTOCOL FOR BUILDING IN WEB3?
Based on our preliminary research, we endorse this sentiment regarding “blockchain agnosticism.” Given that WEB3 is still a novel concept for the vast majority globally, it becomes increasingly challenging to attract individuals to a singular technology, especially when it’s uncertain which will emerge as the leader in the coming years. Our recommendation, as global communication strategy experts, is that WEB3 LAYERS AND PROTOCOLS should not seek exclusivity. Instead, they should aim to be the most appealing in the blockchain arena. This is why we initially chose to build on NEAR. They advocate for open-source projects, never demand exclusivity, and emphasize building and creating bridges with all WEB3 chains and the real world. This resonated with us, especially since our MERITOCRACY PLUGIN serves as a bridge between WEB3 (NEAR Protocols) and WEB2 (Website made in WordPress). To provide some context, around 810 million websites use WordPress, accounting for 43% of all online sites.
On another note, NEAR Foundation was one of the first Blockchains who put a Woman, Marieke Flament, in the highest position possible as CEO. From my personal experience, I always feel very welcome, especially because I am a woman founder and NEAR provides a lot of support to women who build in WEB3. When I had the initiative to create NEAR Women community on Telegram in Spanish (for Women from Latin America and Spain) and English (for Women from all the world): https://t.me/NEARWomen, they we were very excited and paid a lot of attention to insights that I found, explained below:
I’ve observed a recurring issue in the tech industry, where it’s evident that the world of technology is predominantly male-dominated. Women lead only 23 of the top 500 companies and for the first time in the Fortune 500 list’s 68-year history, more than 10% of Fortune 500 companies are led by women, yet we constitute over half the global population. It’s unacceptable that we’re treated as a minority when we represent more than 50% of the world. As the CEO & Founder of Socialmeet, the best global meritocracy club in the world based in Silicon Valley, the tech epicenter of the world, I find this disparity distorts the true essence of meritocracy. A clear exposition of this issue can be found in a 3-minute video by the renowned journalist and author of “Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley.” This work delves into the pervasive gender bias in major tech firms, startups, and particularly in Silicon Valley. (The book “BROTOPIA” has been featured in The New York Times Book Review, San Francisco Chronicle, Financial Times, TechCrunch, and The Verge.)
Having personally experienced the challenges of this issue as a female CEO & Founder, I am determined to contribute to a solution. I aim to prevent the repetition of these gender disparities in emerging fields like WEB3, AI, Blockchain, and other new technologies that will soon shape our world. I’ve prepared a presentation addressing this societal issue, which I’ll share with you here.
HOW WE CAN HELP NARROW THE GENDER GAP AND BIAS IN TECH FOR FEMALE CEOS AND FOUNDERS
We make up half of the planet, encompassing mothers, sisters, daughters, nieces, aunts, and so on. This issue ultimately affects everyone, as it’s evident that technology governs the world. In this scenario, women are treated even worse than other marginalized groups. As I outlined in the presentation above, my first step was to CREATE STRONG, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES.
I CREATED THESE CHANNELS IN TELEGRAM WITH SEGMENTATION according to different profiles that I have identified in my research so that you can join us and actively be part of the solution. Check out the descriptions of the channels and see where you feel more comfortable.
- BLOCKCHAIN AGNOSTICISM CHANNELS. The following channels are made for a community that is new to WEB3 and therefore has a profile closer to being BLOCKCHAIN AGNOSTICISM
1. MERITOCRACY PLUGIN
Visit our channel at https://t.me/MeritocracyLab (SPANISH – ENGLISH). This is a channel for builders of WordPress, early Adopters, or those who want to create their own website on WordPress and learn how Gamify their websites with MERITOCRACY PLUGIN. The content is related to MERITOCRACY PLUGIN and use cases like MERITOCRACY COIN (TOKENS). Also, it can be joined by people with different profiles like Beta Testers or consultant experts in WEB3.
2. MERITOCRACY FOR WOMEN
Visit our channel at https://t.me/MeritocracyWomen. Primarily tailored for professional or successful BUSINESS WOMEN who are NON-DEVELOPERS and fluent in SPANISH or ENGLISH, our channel warmly welcomes EVERYONE – men, women, and all gender identities. This includes INSTITUTIONS, MEDIA, NGOs, SPONSORING COMPANIES, ASSOCIATIONS, ORGANIZATIONS, VC’s, and ANGEL INVESTORS.
Also are welcome there our community of Socialmeet Club on Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/socialmeetclub @SocialmeetClub. Recognized as the best MERITOCRACY Club in the world by search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, Safari, and others, we boast over 2200 followers with Twitter VERIFIED accounts (more than 10,000 in total). These aren’t just any followers; they’ve earned their verification through merit, not mere subscriptions. Our community includes celebrities, artists, musicians, politicians, investors, influential figures, TED speakers, and winners of prestigious awards like the Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, Nobel Prize, and more.
This channel is also for woman students who are looking for pre-professional internships. For people who are currently WEB3 (WOMEN) enthusiasts who are in the WEB3 Ecosystem or communities, but not doing any projects yet (They can be part of our ARMY of BETA TESTERS or Early Adopters or create their own websites on WordPress and learn how to Gamify those websites with NEAR Protocol and MERITOCRACY PLUGIN). The channel is also for (WOMEN) who are already consultants or speakers but not yet in WEB3.
Our community’s mission at MERITOCRACY FOR WOMEN is to usher more women leaders into the realm of WEB3. We welcome anyone passionate about addressing the SOCIAL IMPACT PROBLEM of the underrepresentation of women in tech. Together, we aim to devise solutions to this pressing issue that affects half the global population. For a deeper understanding of why I founded this community for WOMEN IN WEB3 and to see which institutions, NGOs, companies, and universities are partnering with us to elevate more women leaders in WEB3, please refer to the presentation linked above.
If you believe you resonate with our community’s ethos and wish to connect with numerous CEOs, founders from Silicon Valley, and other notable figures in WEB3, join us at MERITOCRACY FOR WOMEN
3. SOCIALMEET MERITOCRACY CLUB
Visit our channel at https://t.me/MeritocracyClub In the preview community called “Meritocracy for Women” the main goal is to bring more WOMEN Leaders to WEB3, but we also have a MERITOCRACY Community on Twitter (X) https://twitter.com/socialmeetclub and the members may NOT NECESARALLY be interested in solving this social problem about WOMEN, but rather their interest could be to know more about WEB3, Meritocracy Plugin, and Meritocracy Club (Socialmeet the best meritocracy club in the world) or Meritocracy COIN (Dapps that is related to getting extra incomes as consultant experts or winning reputation in their industries) and also learning about Blockchain Technologies and the crypto world.
As a result, this channel is mainly for Professional or Successful BUSINESS PEOPLE who are NON-DEVELOPERS and who speak SPANISH or ENGLISH (Education in WEB3 and Dapps)
On the other hand, because we know WEB1 or WEB2 does not cover the needs of people who are looking for Jobs, while in WEB3, there is high demand for all kind of skills and talents. We also are trying to HELP TO SOLVE A SOCIAL IMPACT PROBLEM (Lack of Jobs in the world)
Consequently, this channel is also for Students who are looking for pre-professional internships, for young people who do not yet have professional experience or a professional career. The channel is also for people who are currently WEB3 enthusiasts who are in the WEB3 Ecosystem but not doing any projects yet (They can be part of our ARMY of BETA TESTERS or Early Adopters or create their own websites on WordPress and learn how Gamify those websites with NEAR Protocol and MERITOCRACY PLUGIN)
And of course, this channel is for the WordPress Community and also for who are already consultants or speakers but not yet in WEB3.
4. INFLUENTIAL CIRCLE
Visit our channel at: https://t.me/InfluentialCircle As I mentioned earlier, I’ve attended EthDenver in 2022 and 2023, Blockchain in Miami for 2021 and 2022, Consensus 2022 in Austin, and numerous events in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, to gain deeper insights from the WEB3 community. I noticed many individuals with potential influencer profiles, though not specifically within WEB3. While communities are central to WEB3, most of its members are active on platforms like Twitter (X), Telegram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Discord. In contrast, many social influencers are predominantly on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, Twitch, Spotify, and Patreon. Consequently, many serious WEB3 projects or their CEOs & Founders often have limited followers or engagement, reflecting a lack of social media skills. This skill is crucial for activities like selling NFTs, maintaining a robust community, or retaining the confidence of micro-investors during market downturns. Conversely, there are accounts that inflate their presence using click farms, boasting impressive follower counts but lacking genuine engagement or sales.
Given this landscape, I sought to bridge the gap. I established a community to introduce social media influencers to WEB3, creating a niche Telegram channel tailored for them. This initiative is also a precursor to our upcoming WEB3 project aimed at generating more WEB3 job opportunities for the unemployed. The objective is to cultivate a well-educated WEB3 community that genuinely loves and supports chosen brands, understanding the significance of their social media presence, especially during WEB3 crises. In return, they receive meaningful rewards or referral fees, fostering long-term relationships with brands. This approach is vital in WEB3, where decentralization inherently demands trust and community. Recognizing that not everyone is socially active within a community, this chat specifically targets the more sociable members.
I’ve also launched the MVP INFLUENTIAL CIRCLE platform to further this cause. You can explore it here: https://influentialcircle.com . If you believe your profile aligns with our vision, we invite you to join our Telegram INFLUENTIAL CIRCLE chat and website.
Our focus in this channel is to have a community of Twitter, Instagram and TikTok Micro-Influencers. (INFLUENTIAL CIRCLE, where you can be a Social Media Influencer in WEB3).
MY EXPERIENCE AND JOURNEY WITH THE NEAR FOUNDATION AND NEAR PROTOCOL IN WEB3
In WEB3, it’s essential to begin with a single blockchain due to its inherent complexity. With numerous layers and protocols, and everyone asserting their platform as the next big thing in crypto, it’s challenging to navigate. Especially with events like FTX and the ever-evolving regulations, it’s hard to predict which platform might falter next. However, one thing is clear: blockchain is the next monumental technology. While we may not know which will emerge as the leader, it’s imperative to learn, understand, and build on blockchain. In these uncertain times, choosing a technology isn’t just about the destination; it’s about the journey.
I’ve had the privilege of conversing with numerous CEOs and Co-founders of leading WEB3 blockchains. I’ve also engaged with the heads of their respective foundations. You can view some of our interactions in photos shared within my Telegram community: https://t.me/MeritocracyWomen.
While many of them are genuinely amiable and courteous, they often don’t actively support individuals who aren’t developers or significant investors in their projects. This includes people like me and the majority of the global population. Conversely, I’ve encountered highly technical founders who are solely focused on cutting-edge technological projects, seeking talents akin to Steve Wozniak or the financial backing of entities like FTX to hire such individuals. There’s also a category with a ‘celebrity vibe.’ I recall an instance where a CEO, exuding an air of superiority, directed me to converse with her assistant simply because “I AM THE CEO” (an actual experience with a female CEO, but I’ll refrain from naming names).
For newcomers to WEB3, especially those without significant financial backing or a background in development, the landscape can seem daunting. It’s easy to feel out of place and think, ‘Perhaps this isn’t for me.’ Yet, there’s a growing realization of the importance of understanding WEB3, given its potential to revolutionize the technological landscape.
Returning to my personal journey, I discovered a vibrant and welcoming community in the NEAR Protocol. I met Jordan Gray (Twitter: @Starpause, and you can find him in my Telegram community at https://t.me/MeritocracyWomen) at a party in a mansion in Hillsborough, Silicon Valley. He was the first individual in WEB3 who encouraged me to delve into this realm. Jordan also nudged me to apply for a grant from the NEAR Foundation. Knowing that I had self-taught myself to create the MVP of my WordPress website, he suggested I develop a WordPress plugin and apply for the grant, especially since NEAR hadn’t ventured into WordPress at that time in 2021.
Not being a developer, I turned to Google. I researched the top ten WordPress gamification plugins and reached out to the CEOs and founders on LinkedIn. Saad Iqbal, the CEO and Founder of myCred and WPExperts, responded. While he hadn’t explored WEB3 before, he saw the potential and agreed to the challenge. Together, we secured a grant from the NEAR Foundation. Coordinating our efforts was a challenge, given the time zone differences – Saad in Pakistan, the NEAR Foundation jury split between Switzerland and London, and me in San Francisco. Our meetings often took place at 3 am my time.
The NEAR Foundation team was meticulous and professional, ensuring every detail was in place. What stood out was their willingness to place trust in someone like me, a complete novice in WEB3, and a WEB2 expert like Saad. They saw potential and gave us a chance.
I later had the pleasure of meeting the CEO of the NEAR Foundation, Marieke Flament. She conversed with me in Spanish, and even followed me back on Twitter (https://twitter.com/socialmeetclub) and LinkedIn. Unlike another female CEO I encountered, who had a more aloof demeanor, Marieke was the opposite. She actively encourages women to venture into WEB3 and is genuinely thrilled when they choose to build on NEAR.
After that, I met Illia Polosukhin, Alexander Skidanov, Cameron Dennis, Kendall Cole and numerous warm and welcoming individuals within the NEAR community, all embodying the spirit of decentralization and the drive to bring more people into WEB3. None had an air of superiority or the ‘talk to my assistant’ attitude. This is a crucial aspect when choosing a layer in WEB3. It’s essential to align with those who prioritize building bridges over erecting walls, embracing the ethos of decentralization rather than establishing hierarchies.
Given my positive experiences, I decided to deepen my involvement with NEAR. As part of the grant milestones, I proposed to the NEAR FOUNDATION the creation of a Women’s Community in both Spanish and English. I also became a part of the council for NEAR Hispano, which subsequently led to the formation of the NEAR Peru community, where I am an active member.
Drawing from my WEB3 journey, the insights I’ve gathered from various events and communities, and recognizing the broader issue of the tech industry’s gender imbalance, I felt compelled to assist women like myself. Hence, I established these communities on Telegram. If you’re a woman keen on exploring the NEAR Protocol, I invite you to find a community that resonates with you.
NEAR WOMEN CHANNELS: Calling all WOMEN Entrepreneurs NEAR.
Let’s create communities of WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN NEAR in order to discover or promote projects made by WOMEN that create a real impact and are quantifiable in the WEB 3.0 ecosystem.
5. NEAR WOMEN
https://t.me/NEARWomen (Official Community of WOMEN of NEAR, created to learn about the NEAR protocol to generate Global Impact)
Main Targets Description:
- WOMEN Owners or decision makers of Startups or Companies who speak English or Spanish like: Fashion Bloggers, Models, Actresses, Coaches, Psychologists, Artists, Women in Finance, Laws, Tax and Compliance Specialists, Women Influencers, Journalists, Women entrepreneurs, and all who are interested in technology and innovation.
- Women Developers of WordPress Websites who speak English or Spanish (Because they can use NEAR Protocol in their own websites using MERITOCRACY PLUGIN)
- WOMEN Students who want to learn about WEB 3.0
- https://t.me/NEARWomenAnnouncement (For announcements)
- https://t.me/NEARWomenLeaders This community will be made up of a strong community of WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS READY TO RECEIVE EXPOSURE AND FUNDING, this necessitates Projects made on NEAR Protocol or using the wallet of NEAR PROTOCOL in their businesses, or involvement in NEAR Education (Invitation only).
MERITOCRACY PLUGIN CONNECTS 2 MARKETS: WEB 2 (WordPress) & WEB 3 (NEAR Protocol).
Finally, I am glad to finish this part of my Journey in WEB3 with the Launch of MERITOCRACY PLUGIN (https://wordpress.org/plugins/meritocracy), a bridge between Web2 and Web3, connecting websites created in WordPress (which make up 43% of the internet) with blockchain technology (NEAR). We won a grant from NEAR FOUNDATION (https://near.foundation) and built the plugin using NEAR PROTOCOL (https://near.org/) technology. We are truly grateful that one of the most important protocols in Web3 trusts us. We developed the MERITOCRACY PLUGIN in partnership with myCred (one of the top five gamification plugins for WordPress) by WPExperts (https://wpexperts.io), and the Startup Socialmeet, The Best Meritocracy Club in the World (https://meritocracy.club), according to Google, DuckDuckGo, Bing, Safari, Yahoo, and others. The importance of this plugin is that any WordPress website owner (which constitutes 43% of the internet) can easily convert their site to take advantage of Web3 technology without the need for coding.
MERITOCRACY PLUGIN can interact with many features of myCred (https://mycred.me).
MERITOCRACY PLUGIN, CONVERT YOUR WORDPRESS WEBSITE INTO WEB3 WITHOUT BEING A DEVELOPER (LETS YOU CREATE OR ADAPT YOUR BUSINESS TO WEB3).
Our plugin ‘Meritocracy’ provides the ability to convert a user’s myCred points (you can customize the name of your Token for your website) to Near Protocol Cryptocurrency (using Cash-Near). Additionally, MERITOCRACY PLUGIN also provides the ability to convert user’s Near Protocol Cryptocurrency to their myCred points (using Buy-Near). See more details about how the MERITOCRACY PLUG works HERE
As a result, business owners that use WordPress websites can offer their services and products and have access to the Cryptocurrency Market, which represents around 1 Trillion Dollar Market Cap and in the case of NEAR Protocol more than 1 BILLION DOLLAR Market Cap (Source: https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/near-protocol/). They can easily convert their sites to take advantage of Web3 technology without the need for coding.
The biggest problems facing the Cryptocurrency Industry that we identified are mass adoption and regulations that necessitate significant cost in lawyers, taxes experts and developers specialized in different protocols. Those problems make it hard for the Crypto industry to attract entrepreneurs with small businesses and make it so only big players with substantial capital can participate. MERITOCRACY PLUGIN is part of the solution to this problem for the crypto industry because it was created with a focus on attracting the owners of small businesses, bloggers, or influencers. These entrepreneurs already have products or service and typically transact in fiat, and can now have an alternative means of transacting and attracting the crypto market without the necessity of coding, hiring expensive developers, or learning about Blockchain. With just a few clicks, they can set up our plugin in their websites and convert their WEB2 websites to utilize WEB3. By having products and services for both markets, they can expand their own businesses.
Here is the video tutorial of MERITOCRACY PLUGIN that you can watch in less than 1 hour, and 3 short videos that you can watch in less than 1 minute each. As a result, we make it easy for those who are already experts on WordPress as well as beginners. Don’t forget to subscribe to our Youtube Channel because we will post more tutorials and news about the plugin. Also join our Telegram Community MERITOCRACY PLUGIN at this link: https://t.me/MeritocracyLab . See you there. Begin your own journey in WEB3. You no longer have an excuse not to start!
