Credentialing for communities.
We are amidst a revolution. Ever-increasing internet adoption has, and continues to have, massive cultural implications.
In just a few years, we went from browsing bulletin boards and checking our emails, to banking and falling in love online.
In this period, the average internet user went from being a passive consumer (internet as a library) to an active creator and participant (internet as a community).
As a result, today, the internet has become the mediator and creator of society, often spilling over into physical reality from our screens. And then came the blockchain revolution, which accelerated it severalfold. But as the internet matured, we realized the design and incentive flaws in the applications that spurred this growth.
We found ourselves locked in walled gardens, forced to comply with rules set by overlords sitting in ivory towers. We wanted to break free. And we did.
What started as an effort to remove third parties from financial transactions, morphed into something with potential to remove third parties from everywhere. We started with Bitcoin, stumbled upon DeFi, and continue to explore this technology to create and sustain cultural organizations.
We have seen several proofs of concept where communities came together and created magic. The Dogecoin community helped send the Jamaican bobsled team to the Winter Olympics. Constitution DAO raised $40m in a week to bid for a copy of the US Constitution. Nouns DAO recently passed a proposal (for ~$175k) to create their own whisky. There are lots more.
But these examples remain the exception rather than the norm. The truth is, coordinating and coming together in a truly decentralized, digital-first way is something we as humans just don't know much about.
We face several headwinds, and there are challenges at every turn. The average community organizing themselves this way sees operational, and admin work slowly take center stage.
While starting or maintaining a digital, decentralized community should theoretically be easy – you use blockchains to coordinate financial resources and signal commitment – doing so isn't. Taking the first step seems daunting with all the available tools, frameworks, and protocols.
How do we manage memberships? Should we launch a token? If yes, then what should the tokenomics look like? How should we coordinate with each other? Who should be able to manage the funds? How do we maintain fairness in our processes?
These are a few questions communities ask themselves. While no single tool or service can answer all of them, we intend to answer some of these questions. Perhaps, the most important ones.
With rep3, you can address most of your operational and admin concerns seamlessly. Using our protocol (and automation and integrations with other tools), you can bring your community on-chain, manage member activity, token-gate workspaces, conduct voting, and more. And do so in a way where your community continues to hold the maximum power over their processes and their output.
Starting an internet company in the late-90s or early 00s was a significant challenge. But the rise of SaaS products that work together made starting an internet community all about the idea and the execution. This sparked a Cambrian explosion that created massive value for society.
We see similar potential in digital, decentralized communities – whether they're businesses, fan clubs, or hobby groups. Join us in contributing to this movement and making healthy, joyful, and productive communities accessible to all.
Our protocol is currently open for everyone to use and build atop of (with ample documentation on usage and features). We also have a tool and a Discord bot that plugs into your community's workflow within minutes. Visit our website, or a book a demo to learn more! 😄