#6 I just started a new job! (Click here to find out where...)

Welcome to?Edition #6 of 'This Week in Web3' - an all-in-one source for the most interesting Blockchain, Web3 and Metaverse content on LinkedIn, as curated by?me! If you didn't catch these awesome posts, here's a quick recap...

?????? New Job Alert! Cardano Here We Come...

"We all know in the Midnight of our souls that 90 percent of what we do is less than our best..." - Robert McKee

The eagle-eyed amongst you would have noticed a subtle change to my profile over the weekend, and then literally anyone logging in to LinkedIn on Monday would have been notified that I'm now officially the Head of Strategy & Marketing for Midnight ??: a data protection project and the first ever sidechain on Cardano.

And this is the culmination of maybe 5 or 6 years of maybe not doing 'less than my best', but certainly searching for the right cause to give my 100% to...

When I see the flurry of social media giants entering Web3 and asking for you to ‘connect your wallet’… I see a red flag ??

When I see increasing requests for medical data to be shared without consideration of privacy… I see a red flag ??

When I feel unable to assess if news media is presenting objective facts and truth… I see a red flag ??

And in the same moment, when I hear ‘Blockchain solves this’… That’s not all the way true either. At least not with most of the Blockchains we have today.

Not all chains are created equal, and there remains a gap in the technology stack for decentralised technology that can be compliant to regulations, preserve privacy and protect the freedoms of companies and individuals. We're going to be a catalyst for protecting those freedoms, not just another Blockchain...

... oh, and we're going to need some talented people, data protection advocates, and collaboration partners along the way. So watch this space!

Excited to be working with Charles Hoskinson, Tamara J.N. Haasen , Eran Barak , Input Output (IOHK) , the Cardano Community , Cardano Foundation , EMURGO and many more in the days and weeks to come.

More on my new job announcement here.

?? Defend What You Love Most...

It's a classic image, but I haven't seen it applied to Web3 until now... We saw some fascinating comments (and some strong triggers ????) from this post!

In World War II, aircraft engineers learned a very important lesson that Blockchain, Crypto and Web3 can learn from… Aircraft can still make it home after taking shots to less vulnerable areas. Whereas those that took shots in critical areas (cockpit, engines, tail assembly) are typically NGMI…

The lesson here? Understand which areas of our industry or our projects are essential for viability and DEFEND THEM WITH YOUR LIFE!

And playfully I included Proof of Work as one of the elements of Web3 that we could do without (full disclosure: I do not believe this is the case) along with Crypto Twitter , Meme Coins and projects lacking utility.

What were the elements of Web3 and Blockchains that we need to project and retain at all costs? Read here to find out. And be sure to check the comments also for some fiery discussion (thank you all for being good sports)...

????♂? What Is Crypto, Anyway?

This week's Friday Poll gave us some interesting data, as Gary Gensler testified in front of Congress that he couldn't (or wouldn't like to) state whether Ethereum was a Security and therefore under the regulatory remit of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission . We polled the LinkedIn community to see how they would classify Crypto:

Again, the comments section was full of well-reasoned statements ranging from 'it depends' to 'it could be all of these' to 'it's just technology'. Well worth reading as always. Of course, the US doesn't regulate the whole world, and even if Crypto is seen as a security Stateside, that doesn't mean it will be the same in the other 194 countries in the world. The exciting thing about Web3 is that the technology is borderless and open source. We'd love the US (or any country) to support innovation in Web3 with clear, objective and professional regulations and standard to help everyone advance. Let's see where we end up by 2024...

And on that note, shout-out to Chrissy Hill who's legal eagle brain observed that 10 of the top 25 most populous countries in the world will vote for their national leaders in 2024. Will we see more progressive leadership? Read more here.

? Wen Adoption? Here's 12 Reasons to Be Positive

I had to block someone because of this post (first time in 2023). And that's not something I ever like to do. However, I also don't want to lose focus, sleep, or vibes because someone is rude, obtuse or unwilling to be open-minded and objective in response to what is intended to be educational content. Even Keir Finlow-Bates couldn't steady the ship with his magic staff! ????♂???

Drama aside, the team at Bitwise have pulled together a diverse set of 12 use cases where Blockchain and Web3 technology is transforming industries or customer experiences worldwide.

In the full report you can read more about:

Farcaster - Decentralised social media

Stablecoins - Web3 tokens pegged to FIAT currencies, or that have low volatility?

Hivemapper - Decentralisd Google Maps

星巴克 - Re-wiring customer rewards and loyalty

Uniswap - Decentralised Cryptocurrency exchange

Music NFTs - Transforming royalty management and fandom

Payroll - How Crypto can support the gig economy

耐克 - Digital fashion and collectibles

DAOs - The next era of digital governance

ENS - Domain names in Web3

Web3 Gaming - Play to own and more digital asset experiences

and Bitcoin - Digital gold?

Get the full post, comments and report here.

?? And Now For Something Completely Different...

With the help of Simon Smith from Excalibur I'm launching the first ever fully-decentralised episode of the Blockchain Won't Save the World Podcast

We recorded the live show this week, which you can check out here, where we talked about the concept of decentralised content creation. What type of content creators are already minting podcasts on Excalibur, and what is the process for creating a BWSTW NFT. This is purely for science, and any proceeds from the show will be donated to charity - fully on-chain! - and after a few bits of post-production (sadly Blockchain can't save low bandwidth, so we're re-recording some of the audio) I'll be posting about the experience and announcing when the show is live.

?? Blockchain Won't Save the World: Marketing for Blockchain, and Blockchain for Marketeers - with?Blokhaus Inc

The latest podcast?is a marketing masterclass brought to you by?Mark Soares?and?Carolyn Rogers?from ‘Full Stack’ Web3 Marketing Agency Blokhaus. We cover how to create the perfect Web3 event, why brands are interested in Web3, and the interesting concept of the 'Engagement Ponzi'

If you're a marketeer, or someone responsible for Growth or Marketing in a Web3 project, then you NEED to listen to this episode.

?? RightClickSaveTheWorld: NFTs: Wanted Dead or Alive! w. Betty (Founder, Deadfellaz)

Our podcast with?Betty .?from?Deadfellaz?is now LIVE on all good podcast platforms. This is one of the most honest, intimate and insightful shows we have ever done. We covered everything from a project that sold out in 20mins, partnered with?Wrangler,?DraftKings Inc.,?National Football League (NFL)?and has its own 'talent agency' in LA!

One for NFT, Brand and Culture lovers alike.

?? More Cardano!

I swear this was booked long before the Midnight adventure had even begun! Check out an incredibly deep and wide-ranging conversation with Frederik Gregaard from Cardano Foundation on the challenges of scaling Web3, synergies with AI and machines, and the role of a Web3 Foundation in general.

You can watch back the livestream here.

?? Roadmap of Guests - Upcoming Episodes:

???BWSTW:?Harry Halpin?(Nym Foundation),?Staci Warden?(Algorand Foundation),?Steve Cerveny?&?Sophia Lopez?(Kaleido)

???RCSTW: **Top-secret Surprise Thing!**,?ian rogers?(Ledger),?Angelic Vendette?(Alo Yoga),?Steve Nouri?(LinkedIn AI 'God',?Hackmakers)

?? Banking on Banksters

Alex Altgausen ???? and the Banksters team keep levelling up, week-after-week. The collabs, investment and devving just doesn't stop with these guys. And I've minted 2 new Banksters myself after grinding hard over the past few nights - some tasty attributes and ability to play with now!

Here's some highlights from the past weeks:

- 6000+ players and growing fast?

- 400+ NFTs minted on Beta (you don't need to mint to play)

- 12 Live Streams and more than 10 Leaderboard Challenges with over $15,000?in rewards paid out so far (it ain't much, but it's honest work)

- Lots of unique and important in-game updates to improve UX and feedback from the community and bug bounties

Go to Banksters.com to try the game yourself.

My LinkedIn Profile?(Go click the ?? icon and turn notifications on!)

Blockchain Won't Save the World Podcast

RightClickSaveTheWorld Podcast

5-Hour?Blockchain Growth Training?with Blockchain Training Alliance

30-Min?Short Course: Getting a Job in Web3?with LinkedIn Learning

If you want to know if I'll be at Consensus this week...

And if you want to know how you'll feel after this Thursday's news from me and Diego Borgo ?? ... (Spoiler alert: it will have something to do with POAPs!)