Web 3 is a fast-moving space, and if you're new to it, it can seem kind of intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. Most of the people are very community-minded and welcoming to newbies. Here's a list of ways into the community and become a full-on degen ("Degen", which is also known as a super nerd, completely immersed in web 3. There's a lot of unique lingo. You"ll get used to it eventually, lol.)
Twitter is the place to go for all thing web 3. Most of the community is actively engaged on Twitter, and of all the social media platforms, this is where you find the developers, artists, and community builders having open conversations. Some good hashtags to check out are #web3 and #NFTs. Once you're interested in certain blockchain protocols like Ethereum, Polygon or Solana, also check out the hashtags associated with them - #Ethereum, #Solana, and #Polygon.
Twitter Spaces
In addition to following tweets with popular web 3 hashtags, also join Twitter spaces. Twitter spaces are audio conversations that happen on Twitter. A small group of hosts and speakers have a conversation that anyone on Twitter can join, and each conversation is open to the public. People from all around the world in web 3 use this to connect and talk about all things web 3- tech, art, music, and trends among so many other topics. It's a great way to build community with other people in the space. Here's a link to Twitter's page that explains more about the background and how to use Spaces.https://help.twitter.com/en/using-tw..
Hackathons
Hackathons are coding competitions, where people compete for prizes. People from diverse, professional backgrounds come to these contests - developers, designers, business people, and more. They can be in-person or online. The in-person hackathons are usually short and can last 2 -3 days. Virtual hackathons are longer and last weeks to months. Web 3 hackathons focus on using web 3 tools to compete for a range of prizes that usually include some sort of cryptocurrency as one or many of the prizes. There are hackathons all over the world that you can join. Here are some popular web 3 hackathons. Some of them are recurring, so if you don't catch one this year, you can catch it next year:
Conferences
Crypto conferences are a great way to meet other people in web 3. For the bigger conferences, thousands of people come from around the world to talk about web 3, learn and build relationships. Some of the conferences are free and some require paid tickets. Even for the conferences that cost, they're worth it because of the ROI that you get from attending. Also, a lot of times discounts and scholarships are available, you just have to keep your eyes on the event websites. Consensys is one of the biggest organizations in the space and organizes a lot of the larger events. Check out their events on their website.
Telegram
Telegram is a group messaging app that is similar to Slack or Microsoft teams, which allow groups of individuals to discuss topics. It's one of the most popular web 3 messaging apps. A lot of groups have Telegrams. In the search bar of Telegram, you can look up topics, join groups or apply to the websites of organizations, and they will provide direct links to their Telegram groups. Please be careful, these messaging apps are the wild wild west part of web 3, especially as a newbie, and only join Telegram groups that are verified, and associated with existing organizations with good reputations. Don't accept any messages soliciting funds, crypto or info related to your wallets.
Discord
Discord is another popular, messaging app in the web 3 space. If Telegram is the wild wild west of web 3, Discord is the wild wild west of web 3 on steroids. It's very similar to Telegram in that you can look up groups and find servers related to the topics that interest you, but I really caution you to be very careful in Discord. A lot of fake accounts misrepresent themselves as organizations on web 3 and try to cheat users out of money. The same warnings from Telegram go to Discord. Only go to verified links of organizations. In the beginning, as getting to know the lay of the land, just turn off your DMs just to be safe. Fraudulent accounts are a lot less likely to scam newbies in group conversations that other people can see. It's advisable that you only explore Discord after you have been in the space a while, and can distinguish the good actors from bad actors. Use these messaging apps at your own risk, and please be super vigilant against fraud.
DAOS
Last, but not least are daos. Daos aka decentralized, autonomous organizations are groups of people with shared interests in web 3 like art, development, etc. They look a little different from group to group. Some of them are pretty laid back on how you can join, such as joining a Telegram or Discord group, while others require formal membership by purchasing an NFT (non-fungible token). There are a lot of great DAOs in the space. Here's a list of some great DAOs to check out:
Developer DAO - great for developers, who want want to grow web 3 skills
Friends with Benefits DAO - great for creatives and builders in web 3
That's it for now folks. There are a lot of facets to web 3. As the space continues to develop, I"ll share some similar articles. Please feel free to ask questions if it wasn't addressed. See you next time. :)