Decentralization, innovation, and web3 development are only possible through a united group. Building a community earns more authority, but it comes with its own set of challenges. Creating, managing, and growing a community is time-consuming and requires effort, but considering some pointers may help guide a web3 community from the ground up.

Building a community is vital for the success of a web3 project

Knowing your community means searching for the right community in the right places. Seek developers if you want their expertise. If your project is economic in nature, look for investors, holders, and crypto enthusiasts. If you want to focus on content creators, ensure they are expressive in your community.

KYC - Know your cummunity

The three most popular social networks among web3 communities are Telegram, Discord, and Twitter. Others that could be overlooked are Reddit, YouTube and Instagram. Instead of being present in all of them simultaneously, focus on the ones where your target audience is, then expand from there. Discord and Telegram are valuable tools to engage and manage your community. Twitter is useful for finding a diverse group of people interested in becoming a part of your community.

The best social media and communication channels for web3 communities

Collaborating may help clarify the business's most pressing needs that the community can assist with. For example, if you are building a DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization), it is important to bring people closer. Some may turn into brand advocates, in addition to investing in your DAO.<ul><li>One way to do this is by calling out your team on opening topics related to your goals. Expanding on issues raised by others is also good.</li><li>Creating surveys can help to engage and orient the web3community debate.</li></ul>

Web3 Community Goals 

It's preferable to have a smaller web3 community with a high level of engagement than a larger community with low engagement. <ul><li>To measure your web3 community, ensure your KPIs (key performance indicators) are aligned with your goals.</li><li>When you're just starting, every new member joining your server or channel will feel like a victory. Understand where the members came from, why they are joining, and measure their impact on the project.</li><li>Track the number of posts and engagements, including comments, reactions, and determining whether or not a topic has evolved into a productive debate.</li></ul>

How to measure the "health" and growth of a community

Tangible objectives will help you to know if you've met your primary goals. When your web3 community is becoming mature, after solid growth, you should be prepared for a drop in numbers. <ul><li>Mature communities reward brand advocates. Find those who would help you as a community manager by rewarding them with exclusive content or starting a brand ambassador program.</li><li>Ensure the rules of your web3 community are clear while maintaining a positive and light atmosphere. Moderation ensures debate flows while remaining relevant.</li></ul>

Observing the maturity

Draft a web3 community policy that includes the following provisions: <ul><li>Make it clear who you are and why you are promoting the community.</li><li>Focus themes that people can explore to avoid distortions.</li><li>Create policies that prohibit discrimination and promote diversity in expression.</li><li>Moderators may not favour one group or an individual over another.</li><li>Set language policies.</li><li>Indicate whether or not some posts that violate community guidelines will be deleted.</li><li>If someone violates the community rules, clarify what kind of sanctions will be imposed.</li></ul>

Web3 Community Policy

<ul><li>To start, focus on one or two channels such as Discord and Telegram, before expanding your community to other platforms.</li><li>Ensure everyone is introduced with a few words of welcome.</li><li>A good moderator is patient and understanding. Avoid judgment while consistently providing feedback to users, encouraging positive interactions, and removing any inappropriate comments.</li></ul>

Managing the community

<ul><li>Spam/fake-news</li><li>Strong language</li><li>Unrelated topics</li><li>Foreign languages</li><li>Self-promotion</li><li>Demand for updates</li><li>Personal disrespect</li><li>Information leaks</li></ul>

Primary concerns to be aware of

<ul><li>Ensure as many team members as possible embrace your web3 community and join it.</li><li>Bring your team to the debate to facilitate, mediate, and keep the community-focused.</li><li>Let your team initiate new discussions by asking good questions that make people think and engage in debate.</li><li>Keep an eye out for what people are asking. Respond to and comment on genuine topics, even if they appear silly.</li><li>Communities need reassurance, so give them regular status updates.</li></ul>

Start and respond to conversations

Community managers as usually long-term supporters and are available for significant periods. They have particular skills or insights, are light-tempered, used to react quickly, are fluent in day-to-day English, have good soft skills and have a sense of accountability. <ul><li>The best candidates for a new moderator role respond proactively to conversations and help other members.</li><li>They are leaders</li><li>Courteous to other members</li><li>Possessing exceptional interpersonal and communication skills</li><li>Willing to work on a part-time basis</li><li>Able to deal with community situations</li></ul>

Mod admission

<ul><li>General coordination of a community management team, accounting for their needs, schedules, and reports</li><li>Regular attention to an open teamwork environment</li><li>Cross-platform moderation</li><li>Reviewing content based on the community standards, and general good conduct on the web</li><li>Overall understanding of the product/project</li><li>Daily maintenance (chat groups, channels, or bots)</li><li>Updating the management team on sound standards and best practices</li><li>Focus on technical assistance and user experience</li><li>Case-by-case troubleshooting of user issues</li><li>Responding to potential misdemeanours/violations</li></ul>

Leading duties of community moderators

As the community grows, smaller organizations focused on specific aspects of the project will emerge. It's critical to manage and monitor these communities. <ul><li>Most token-specific communities wish to discuss and speculate on price action.</li><li>Media. Many web3 members are eager to produce content and media to share with other community members.</li><li>General. Any big enough online community comes to life independently if members find an open place for free interaction. An off-topic chatroom for general conversation is great for increasing member interaction.</li></ul>

Managing side communities

Do's<ul><li>Ensure the online community is awar of all the official community outlets.</li><li>Have clear general rules and a single narrative for public information</li><li>Be friendly.</li><li>Be available to ensure each online moderator's needs are met.</li><li>Be verbal, not responsive. Even experienced members deserve elaborate answers.</li><li>Be personal, keep a clean chatroom, and always ask members to send you a private message in order to elaborate more directly</li></ul> Don't's<ul><li>Do not treat different members unevenly</li><li>Do not overreact</li><li>Do not over-interact</li><li>Be aware of new members</li></ul>

Main do's and don't's

Once your web3 project is established, and your community is growing steadily, consider creating an ambassador program. A brand ambassador is deeply invested in your project and will promote and advocate for your brand. In turn, you should reward them for their efforts and dedication. A simple structure:<ul><li>Community members apply to your program. There are pre-established roles for members to choose from, such as content creators and translators.</li><li>You assign tasks to ambassadors and reward them upon completion.</li></ul>

Invest in a brand ambassador program

<ul><li>Learn about your community and develop personas that you want to target.</li><li>Specify the level of participation you anticipate from your community (KPIs).</li><li>Segment active topics.</li><li>Manage the community properly with sufficient moderators.</li><li>Establish a community policy.</li><li>Promote topics based on focus themes.</li><li>Determine which members are the most active and consider appointing them as community managers.</li><li>Consider developing an ambassador program.</li></ul>

Web3 community management best practices 

Learn how to build, grow and manage a web3 community from the ground up.

Stashed ideas

How to Build a Web3 Community: The Ultimate Guide

A major change is coming to the internet. While today’s dominant platforms have guarded their troves of user data and maintained an advantage through network effects, new companies — working in what they’re calling a “Web3” model — are proposing a new value proposition to users. In Web3, instead of platforms having full control of the underlying data, users own whatever content they have created (such as posts or videos), as well as digital objects they have purchased, and these digital assets are typically portable.

Enter Web 3.0

This new paradigm has a few important advantages: it’s easier for new companies to compete with established ones if they offer better user experience; the system is less zero-sum, because user lock-in isn’t the primary goal; and it can be easier to win users’ trust, as key operations can be encoded on the blockchain in “smart contracts” that are auditable and immutable.

Advantages Of Web 3.0

Users’ ability to take their data from one platform to another introduces new sources of <a href="https://www.competitionpolicyinternational.com/can-web3-bring-back-competition-to-digital-platforms/">competitive pressure</a>, and likely requires firms to update their business strategies. If a platform isn’t creating enough value for its users, they might simply leave. And indeed, in Web3, new entrants can explicitly incentivize power users to move to them — for instance, the <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/11/how-nfts-create-value">NFT (for “non-fungible token”)</a> trading platform <a href="https://looksrare.org/">LooksRare</a> recently launched through what’s called a “<a href="https://blog.coinbase.com/vampire-attack-looksrare-vs-opensea-c3b4107cd4db">vampire attack</a>,” rewarding people for switching over from the dominant platform <a href="https://opensea.io/">OpenSea</a>.

Data Interportability

The costs associated with creating user trust are much lower in Web3. Managing digital assets on public ledgers makes it clearer which assets exist and who owns what, which was previously a struggle on the web.If a digital artist, for example, claims that a new artwork is limited to 489 editions, then prospective owners can verify that on the blockchain directly — without needing to trust the artist themself, or having a gallery or other intermediary provide such an assurance.

Creating Trust

Of course, given the early financial use cases of Web3 and the high volume of transactions, a number of bad actors have leveraged the hype to orchestrate <a href="https://web3isgoinggreat.com/?theme=hack">scams</a>. Many of the Web3 experiences today were designed for tech-savvy power users, whereas ordinary users might have only a limited understanding of what an app or platform can actually do, much less be able to vet source code to verify that it functions as described. There’s a long way to go before Web3 technology is safe and accessible to the average consumer.

A Scammy Start

Making platform backends open and interoperable enables compounding innovation and incentivizes direct investment in building the infrastructure layers.Sharing infrastructure means that apps can focus on building great experiences, driving towards a greater emphasis on platform design as a source of competitive advantage. What an app has understood about its market manifests in its user experience and interface — and so even in Web3, user insight will continue to differentiate consumer apps.

Open And Interoperable Platform

Web3 platforms also have the potential to unlock a novel and especially powerful form of network effect through community engagement and social cohesion. Ownership of digital assets fosters a sense of <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0022242920957007">psychological ownership</a> that can make consumers feel so invested in a product that it becomes almost an extension of themselves. A platform’s users literally become “fans” who form a bond through the shared platform experience — similar to how fans of a sports team or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs2RzWFCRCxCn-0UpKEdabg">obscure</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zTbVRPh5EI">band</a> see themselves as a community.

Unlocking A New Kind Of Network Effect

Web3 has the potential to unlock a more valuable internet for everyone. New companies can build on Web3 infrastructure to create communities around their brands and product concepts much more easily than in previous iterations of the web. And even established platforms can leverage these forces by plugging into blockchain-based content networks and giving their users some ownership over their data.All of this means that the next era of the web will likely look a lot different — and more open — than the one we’re living with today.

The Bottom Line

A major change is coming to the internet. While today’s dominant platforms have guarded their troves of user data and maintained an advantage through network effects, new companies — working in what they’re calling a “Web3” model — are proposing a new value proposition to users. In Web3, instead of platforms having full control of the underlying data, users own whatever content they have created (such as posts or videos), as well as digital objects they have purchased, and these digital assets are typically portable. This new paradigm has a few important advantages: it’s easier for new companies to compete with established ones if they offer better user experience; the system is less zero-sum, because user lock-in isn’t the primary goal; and it can be easier to win users’ trust, as key operations can be encoded on the blockchain in “smart contracts” that are auditable and immutable. All of this means that it can be much easier to launch a product in Web3.

Why Build in Web3

"Well, I do think there’s a good framework for thinking. It is physics. You know, the sort of first principles reasoning. (...) What I mean by that is, boil things down to their fundamental truths and reason up from there, as opposed to reasoning by analogy.Through most of our life, we get through life by reasoning by analogy, which essentially means copying what other people do with slight variations."

<ul>
<li>First principles thinking: actively questioning every assumption you think you know about a given problem or scenario  and then creating new knowledge and solutions from scratch. </li>
<li>Reasoning by analogy: building knowledge and solving problems based on prior assumptions, beliefs and widely held ‘best practices’ approved by majority of people.</li>
</ul>

First Principle Vs. Analog Thinking

<ol>
<li>Identify and define your current assumptions: When next you’re faced with a familiar problem or challenge, write down your current assumptions about them.</li>
<li>Breakdown the problem into its fundamental principles: These fundamental principles are basically the most basic truths or elements of anything.</li>
<li>Create new solutions from scratch.</li>
</ol>

Elon Musk's 3 Steps Principle Thinking

"It is important to view knowledge as sort of semantic tree. Make sure you understand the fundamental principles, ie the trunk and big branches, before you get into the leaves/details or there is nothing for them to hang on to.”

Assumption: “I just can’t find enough time to workout and achieve my weight loss goals.”
First principles thinking:
<ul>
<li>What do you really need to reach your weight loss goal? I need to exercise more, preferably 5 days a week for an hour each time. </li>
<li>Could you still lose weight exercising less frequently, if so how? Possibly, I could try 15 minute workouts, 3 days a week. These could be quick high intensity full body workouts that will speed up my fat loss in less time.</li>
</ul>

First Principles Thinking In Action

“The person who says he knows what he thinks but cannot express it usually does not know what he thinks.”

By the age of 46 years old, Elon Musk has innovated and built three revolutionary multibillion dollar companies in completely different fields - Paypal (Financial Services), Tesla Motors (Automotive) and SpaceX (Aerospace). This list doesn't even include Solar City (Energy), which he helped build and acquired for $2.6 Billion recently.

Problem Solving

Elon Musks' "3-Step" First Principles Thinking: How to Think and Solve Difficult Problems Like a...

While modern social networks have done a lot to enable human interaction, their infrastructure and operations leave much to be desired. Widespread censorship, arbitrary algorithm changes, privacy violations, intrusive ads, and undue exploitation of creators are some complaints levelled against legacy social networks.Blockchains can help create decentralized social media networks that are user-controlled, censorship-resistant, and private.

Coming Attraction In The Blockchain Sphere: Social Networks

Large social networks have billions of users combined—Facebook (2.91 billion), Twitter (290.5 million), and YouTube (2 billion).Modern social networks wield enormous power in society. Social networks can significantly influence our views and behaviours through the content they feed us.Social media companies implement algorithms that promote negative content to provoke user activity. They harvest user data and sell it to advertisers, who then populate our feeds with intrusive ads. They may even snoop on messages transferred between individuals.

The Problem With Legacy Social Networks

Social media companies earn huge profits from user-generated content but hoard a large percentage of this money. Worse, content creators can be de-platformed without warning, leading individuals to lose their means of livelihood.Moreover, vague content moderation policies and centralized control have made it pretty easy for social media companies to arbitrarily censor users. This is why major platforms like Twitter and Facebook have been criticized heavily for a perceived attack on free speech rights and suppression of opinion.

Biting The Hand That Feeds

Decentralized social networks are content creation and distribution platforms running on the blockchain. Many of these platforms attempt to correct the problems of Web2 social networks as highlighted in the previous section.Steemit, blockchain's answer to Medium, is a content curation platform that allows users to earn cryptocurrency based on the views their content gets.In Peepeth, the Twitter of blockchain, posts (called "peeps") cannot be deleted or altered once published.

Decentralized Social Networks

Web3 social networks may reward users for their time through watch-to-earn, learn-to-earn, play-to-earn, and other incentive programs. Some may even allow users to monetize their data and exchange it for crypto—as opposed to companies solely profiting from user data.

Giving It Back To The Users

Blockchains are distributed across multiple computers in a peer-to-peer system that's difficult to shut down or hack. To take down a blockchain like Ethereum, you'd need to find a way to control thousands of nodes running the network.With blockchain technology, we can build robust social applications that can run forever without interruptions. Dictators would be unable to censor public opinion by banning social media applications.

Why Blockchain Technology is Perfect for Social Media

Many decentralized online social networks have native tokens, which members buy to unlock features, tip creators, or access certain services.The token economy creates as much value for users as it does for platform owners. In some cases, especially when social networks operate as Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), tokens give holders the power to vote on the direction of the project. This users-as-members system makes people more committed to the network and ensures its long-term survival.

Token Economics And DAOs

Influencers and content creators could further maximize earnings by creating subscription-based content. Using built-in micropayment systems like Lightning Network, content creators would be able to create steady streams of income instead of relying on platform owners for earnings.Because blockchain projects are (mostly) open-source, users can inspect the algorithms used to control our social media feeds. No longer will Big Tech implement secret algorithms built to exploit user attention or promote divisive and harmful content.

Subscription Based Content

Censorship-resistant social applications are good until people start to spread dangerous messages. It would be difficult, if not downright impossible, to moderate such harmful content and protect users.While decentralized social media networks promise security and failure-resistant operation, low transaction speeds may harm the user experience. Imagine having to wait 10-15 minutes for your tweet to go live on the blockchain. Or waiting for 20-30 minutes for your YouTube video to upload because the network is clogged.

Challenges of Decentralized Social Networks

To truly scale and accept more users, decentralized social networks would need innovative solutions to solve blockchain data storage issues. Potential solutions include storing data off-chain on decentralized servers like Arweave, InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), and Filecoin.Another interesting solution is using blockchains, like Deso, built specifically for social media applications. These blockchain networks typically have better on-chain storage, faster transaction speeds, and other features necessary for scaling social media applications.

The Issue Of Scale

Decentralized social media networks are undoubtedly one of the most exciting applications of blockchain technology yet. Blockchain-powered social applications could create a safer, private, valuable, and better experience for users and fix the broken system we have currently.However, there's still a long way to go before a decentralized Twitter becomes widely accepted. Issues, such as poor scalability, data privacy, and on-chain storage, must be addressed fully before Web3 social media becomes a reality.

Social Media is never going to be the same again.

 Learn what decentralized social media networks mean, how they work, and what benefits they offer to users. 

Social Media Networks are Coming to the Blockchain

In the early days of modern content marketing (2008/2009), the content approach to marketing found fertile soil. The old content marketing was found in loyalty magazines, employee engagement magazines, and content on how to use innovative products, such as Jell-O's recipe book. In the early 2000s, content marketing became a continued strategic business function. The trigger was the expansion of Web 1.0 technology - web search.

Content marketing history

Early concepts of the metaverse date back to the early 2000s. The marketing hype around virtual currencies goes back to 1999 with Beenz and Flooz. <ul><li>Beenz positioned itself as "the web's currency". The site paid people in Beenz for viewing ads or signing up for a service.</li><li>Flooz, a virtual currency startup, used its internet currency as a loyalty program to internet merchants.</li></ul> Web 3.0 concepts in the early 2020s are like content marketing concepts in the early 2000s. These concepts aren't new, but they may transform into solid business strategies.

Web 3.0 isn’t new - it's just time

Web 3.0 technologies will impact the way consumers experience, consume, transact, and behave. But it is very early days. Web 3.0's first iterations are about how people gain and share content, join virtual communities and create customer experiences. In marketing, we may see the introduction of immersive participation and intelligent peer-to-peer transactions with a shift in allowing consumers to control their personal data. This means content-driven marketing experiences might evolve to where consumers control the connection. Retaining the relationship would require delivering great value.

Web 3.0 opportunities for content marketers

Blockchain technology enables these new decentralized capabilities for new customer experiences and supports direct peer-to-peer transactions without a centralized service provider. Decentralized content, marketing, and advertising will change the digital relationship between customers and businesses. This is called tokenized customer experience or tokenized CX.

How blockchain fits into content marketing

Marketers may soon be able to issue "tokens" (or smart contracts) powered by blockchain technology to enable more automated, secure, and trusted customer experiences. These tokens can enable any transaction involving digital artefacts (including ads, downloadable assets, subscriptions, or access to communities) and empower consumers to help shape their experience. They also enable marketers to develop more creative content and marketing experiences, meaning the scope is largely a content marketing approach.

Tokenized CX is just content marketing evolved

The early days of Web 1.0 were all about FINDING pages, blog posts, and downloads of documents, meaning marketers needed to focus on publishing content.  Web 2.0 pushed marketers to create responsive (and contextual) approaches so that customers could EXPERIENCE something better. But along the way, the focus shifted from creating findable content to finding intent signals that marketers used. As data becomes more precious, things will change again. If it continues to develop as expected, the promise of marketing in Web3.0 is to help customers CREATE something better.

Tomorrow’s content marketing and Web 3.0

Web3 and content marketing as a business strategy.

What you need to know about the impact of Web 3.0 concepts like NFTs, blockchain, and metaverse on the future of content marketing – Content Marketing Institute

How Content Marketing Fits Into Web 3.0 (You Might Be Surprised)

<ul><li>Large chunks of Web3 experiences are still built on open-web technologies, and you can access them through a good ol’ browser</li><li>In today's world (our not-quite-Web3 society), when we type out a website's address, we rely on our browsers to handle all the complex back-end stuff and take us to our destination in cyberspace.</li></ul>

Web3 is not as accessible or ubiquitous as it might sound

<ul>
<li>Wallet: Your cryptocurrency wallet where you store different tokens such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Matic</li>
<li>dApps: Decentralized applications running on blockchain-based protocols</li>
<li>Blockchain: A decentralized protocol for Web3 projects</li>
<li>Smart contracts: Snippets of programs on blockchain that execute when terms of the agreement are met</li>
<li>IPFS: The InterPlanetary File System</li>
<li>Non-custodial wallet: The service provider/browser doesn't store keys to your wallet. You have to remember your 12-word secret phrase to restore your wallet on another device.</li>
</ul>

Essential Web3 concepts

<ul>
<li>A browser is just a window to the internet. You only have to store a minimum amount of data and do minimal processing on your computer to access websites and apps</li>
<li>In 2015, the team at the Ethereum foundation tried to build a browser called Mist. It was just a shell based on Electron</li>
<li>The problem with Mist was that it was running a full node in a blockchain, so when you started the browser, it needed to synchronize all the block data that was created while you were offline.</li>
</ul>

History of browsers and Web3

<ul><li>Modern browsers are able to handle Web3 applications, but you might have to do some legwork to access them</li><li>There are a few browsers like Opera and Brave that offer a somewhat native Web3 experience with in-built wallets and Web3-based domain name support</li><li>Both of them have this experience available on mobile and desktop.</li><li>Privacy-focused Brave browser offers a slightly different experience. It doesn’t have a dedicated crypto browser or a content hub, but it has a cryptocurrency wallet.</li></ul>

The current set of browsers

<ul><li>One of the biggest challenges while accessing Web3 properties is that you should know what tokens you’re using, and what blockchain protocol a particular app runs on.</li><li>There's an issue of security as well. In Web3's nascent state, many bad actors use phishing to lure users to fraudulent websites, and steal their assets.</li><li>Brave is trying to bridge this gap by slowly integrating more standards on the browser itself, so you don’t have to worry about what's on the backend.</li></ul>

Challenges in Building for Web3

<ul><li>Accessing Web3 properties is complicated, and the average user has a steep learning curve</li><li>Modern browsers, and standards like universal profiles, will need to work in tandem to make all of this simpler</li><li>A world where a user doesn't have to worry about the backend protocol and where Web3 is just... the web</li></ul>

The Way Ahead

We are still using browsers to access different components of web3. But are they ready for the decentralized web?

What the hell is a Web3 browser? And what does it do?

Tech companies still try to figure out how to make a bigger bet on the metaverse. While some think it will be a copy-paste of the current digital landscape with 2D ads becoming 3D ads in a privately owned virtual world, others hope for something more. Those brands who actively try to improve what the social web got wrong and embrace the new medium's unique attributes will create winning strategies.

What it will take to win in the metaverse

In the real world, it is vital to have a sense of belonging to create lasting communities. The same will be true in our digital identities. The real winners will build experiences that attract real community and engagement. On the current social web, companies don't engage diverse audiences when they focus on mass appeal instead of investing in creating unique content. Brands that use representative content generate 40% more ROI than those that don't. Companies who enter the metaverse embracing cultural differences, nuances, expressions and tastes can win big.

Design for diversity

Companies need to design for it. Designers and content creators will play a significant role in building these new virtual worlds. But we have to actively look to diversify talent as we create these new worlds. Companies need to commit to prioritising diversity when recruiting and training. They need to see where they might fall short, implement demographic targets, conduct audits to identify gaps, and set goals to ensure everyone is aligned to equity.

It's not enough to hope for a representative community

Web 3.0 will introduce new forms of 3D and other content. A mid-size business must create over 500 videos a year, and large companies need to generate thousands to remain competitive. Businesses with an effective video strategy see 49% revenue growth over businesses that don't. As the metaverse develops, we're likely to find a new generation of content and tools to help generate high-quality content.

Provide a rich and immersive experience

The metaverse winners will provide a clear path for community builders and participants to share in the economic upside. The combination of digital property rights and token distribution opens up an opportunity for new business models that enables metaverse companies to share ownership with employees and active members. Companies that engage in a two-way relationship and share the wealth created through the virtual worlds with the communities that use them will flourish.

Share economic benefit with your community

The CEO of Storyblocks discusses three considerations for companies that want to compete in this immersive new world—one of which is to spread the wealth.


How to create meaning and value in the metaverse

Eye contact. This is the first indication that we are noticed by another person. Every human has the longing to be seen, understood, and appreciated.Muscles of facial expression. Our expressions are why we have preserved our species because they can show ranges of emotions from disgust to flirtation.Posture. It is a powerful conveyor of connection through open or closed signals, whether the person should approach or avoid.Affect. The scientific term for 'expressed emotions' and we orient ourselves to the emotional experience of the other person

What EMPATHY stands for

Tone of voice. When we are emotionally activated, our tone of voice and facial expressions change unconsciously.Hearing the whole person. It means that we are keeping our curiosity open and saving the judgment against the other person in order for us to fully understand where the other person is coming from.Your response. Our inner experiences and feelings mirror those of others. We are hard-wired for empathy and we are alive today because of mutual aid and cooperation.

“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity will not survive.”

Our brains are working with shared neural circuits and shared neurons; some mirror neurons so that we actually have an internal experience of what happens to others. So when we hear the expression ‘I feel your pain,’ it’s not just a figure of speech. We are made for this and it happens not just with our loved ones.Moreover, when we are deprived of empathy, it declines, but the good news is that it can also be learned. In order for us to bring out the best in others, we need to have their specialness reflected back in the eyes of others so they can see it themselves.

How Empathy Works

‘When we accept diminished substitutes we become diminished substitutes’

When we collectively come together to bring our best selves to solve the world's biggest, smallest, and most vexing problem, we are able to do so. That is the power of empathy.

Here is what I've learned from Helen Reiss, M.D. about the power of empathy.

Dr. Riess is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She directs the Empathy & Relational Science Program, conducting research on the neuroscience of emotions and empathy, and is Co-Founder, Chief Scientist and Chairman of Empathetics, LLC. She is also a core member of the Research Consortium for Emotional Intelligence and is a faculty member of the Harvard Macy Institute for Physician Leaders. Dr. Riess has devoted her career to research on the neuroscience and art of the patient-doctor relationship and teaching psychiatry residents and medical students. Her research team conducts translational research based on the neuroscience of emotions. The effectiveness of Dr. Riess's empathy training approach has been demonstrated in several studies including a randomized controlled trial. She has developed faculty curricula for "Teaching the Teachers" of Psychotherapy that is used by faculty psychiatrists. Dr. Riess's empathy training curricula are implemented internationally in healthcare as well as in business. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

The power of empathy: Helen Riess at TEDxMiddlebury

It is the tendency to go back to your normal level of happiness after a positive or a negative event. We work toward a promotion or a specific number of followers on Twitter because we think it will make us happy. But when we reach our goals, we are satisfied for a short time only to get back to our usual level of happiness.

Hedonic adaptation

Most of us focus on setting big goals, such as working towards a college degree, running a marathon, or getting a promotion. We spend much time working towards the goal that will only make us happy for a short while before we return to our normal happiness levels. Instead, set smaller goals to experience more frequent moments of happiness.

Set smaller goals

Don't just look forward to the outcome. If you're a writer, don't merely aim for publishing a book. Enjoy writing it. Or, if you're trying to lose weight, instead of only looking at the scale, enjoy feeling stronger and fitter.  If you don't enjoy the process, it is possible that you are chasing the wrong goal.

Enjoy the process

Studies show that strong ties with family, friends, and a broader community is an indicator of long-term happiness and health.  It does not mean that we should not pursue big goals, but we should also make time to attend to our relationships.

Make strong social connections

Hedonic adaptation is our tendency to quickly return to our normal levels of happiness after both positive and negative external events.

Hedonic Adaptation

The growing popularity of coding has led to an increase in coding schools and online boot camps. The schools are designed to produce students who have a working knowledge of software development and are ideally hireable.
But this crash-course approach doesn't necessarily equip aspiring developers with the skills or experience they need. Universities and software certificate programs also don't teach the skills employers value and expect.

Students are set up to fail

Students are mostly just taught the fundamentals, but they lack the hands-on experience that connects to marketplace needs.
Learning to code is just the start. Only 40 % of software development is writing code. The field is far more varied and rewarding. Programming languages are also a source of contention. 'Hot' languages aren't always used in everyday development. Languages like Python is not that easy to write cleanly, and bad habits are difficult to change.

The disconnect between study and the workplace

<ul>
<li>Hands-on experience will always be the deciding factor. University courses and coding programs should encourage as much project work as possible to equip students with a working knowledge of all the components of the software development cycle.</li>
<li>Specific tools that aspiring developers should know are Java Script and TypeScript. Node.js is also important.</li>
<li>Marketable technologies are web and APIs. Every software engineer will have to speak APIs and JSON. REST APIs are essential.</li>
<li>Deep knowledge of cloud platforms is essential.</li>
</ul>

Skills and attributes that make developers marketable

The software industry develops rapidly, and many universities and coding programs cannot keep up with the change. They often teach the stuff that is long outdated.
However, we live in an industry where change is constant. Teachers will have to adapt and continually update the course material.

The solution to the teaching system

Becoming a software developer is hard. And even worse, aspiring coders aren't necessarily being taught the skills that employers value and expect, says one CTO.

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