Quick background 

When I joined Warpcast I had a high level understanding of some web3 concepts, had never purchased crypto, did not have a crypto wallet, and had never used a web3 app.

Onboarding 

I joined Warpcast just under a month ago. 

After setting up my account, I followed ~50 suggested people so conversations would populate in my feed. Right away I noticed that the content was very technical and developer-focused. It felt akin to a language immersion experience for me - a lot of new vocabulary. Many of the discussion threads referenced apps and technologies I had never heard of. There were also a lot of references to kiwis! 🥝

Two things stood out to me:

1. How welcoming people were to new users. The welcome messages posted on my first cast made a big difference in my feeling of belonging and were the main factor in me casting again. 

2. The collective energy around creating in web3. 

It was overwhelming and exciting at the same time.

That week I used my newly created Coinbase Wallet to mint my first NFT -  my ticket to FarCon.

I was very intimidated by the possibility of being the only non-developer in the room at the conference, so I did what I always do when nervous - I studied. 

What better place to learn about web3 than a platform of builders who were passionate about it?

I read as much as I could on Warpcast, googling terms I didn’t understand. That week I kept coming back to the app to discover new topics to research. My Warpcast feed was a great place to learn about applications being developed on the Farcaster protocol or with Farcaster integration. As someone who loves to write, I was particularly excited to learn about Paragraph.

I also tried casting each day, sharing photos and notes on the things that resonated with me most in daily life (often gardening and food).

FarCon 

One week after joining Warpcast, I was in Cambridge in real life with many of the people I followed. The conference location on MIT campus looked like a cozy cafe with kiwis arranged on each table.

“What are you building?” was a frequent conversation starter.

The talks were dazzling and presented with such clarity that I could follow the main ideas with my limited technical knowledge. The range of topics (fashion, law, storytelling, DAOs, and more) gave me a glimpse into the breadth of work being done with this technology.

It felt energizing to gather together for conversations at the beginning of something. As someone who loves to learn the human stories behind technological innovation, FarCon was truly a highlight to my onboarding experience. To quote @adrienne's talk, it made me wonder how I might engage in this "Scenius" as a participant and a contributor (something I'm still thinking about).

I came away with a greater appreciation for the technology and intrepidness of those building with it. Most of all, I left with gratitude to have met such a warm, welcoming, and creative group of people! 

Going forward 

“Could you explain that?”

“Thank you for correcting me.”

“Why?”

I notice a consistently high ratio of questions to statements on my feed - curiosity permeates the conversations I see on Warpcast. This lends itself not only to illuminating discussion threads but also a culture of kindness that makes me excited to open the app every day. 

In a market filled with cynicism, the open-mindedness of Farcaster culture stands out to me: creatives supporting creatives, hyping up their ideas, brainstorming together, and providing direct constructive feedback for quick iteration.

It’s this culture that helps me with overcoming my hesitation and cast each day.

I’m still learning. I'm excited to continue casting, trying new apps on the protocol, and seeing how this space evolves.