The Metaverse and You 🙋🏻‍♀️

How are you doing?

I’ve been down the crypto rabbit hole this week—the future of money is digital and decentralised, so I wanted to share some valuable resources.

A big shoutout to Lavinia Osbourne, founder of Women in Blockchain Talks (WiBT), a total badass babe who has planted a seed and got me all excited about the possibilities in this space. I did a two-hour workshop: The Metaverse and Me via the Women in Digital community – a deep dive into the building blocks of Web3—blockchain, NFTs and the Metaverse.

Lavinia’s passion is learning and education, financial wellbeing and female empowerment. WiBT’s mission is to bring 50K more women into blockchain by 2023, see her campaign #Creatingspace4all. In January, Lavinia is launching Crypto Kweens, the first NFT marketplace for female artists. A place to buy and sell NFTs and learn about them—how to create one, sell one, set up wallets, buy crypto and market NFTs.

NFTs are an accessible way into the blockchain space for many creatives, and there’s plenty of inspiration—check out the women aiming to change crypto bro culture through NFTs.

Thank you to Lucy Hall, founder of Digital Women, for your notetaking!

The Metaverse isn’t one thing, and it’s not owned by Facebook (Meta); there are several metaverses of which many exist already, e.g. Roblox for gaming. Although big tech companies are hoping to build future metaverses that we will spend our time in.
Metaverses are already here and will be built on the blockchain in the future. While early virtual worlds were owned and controlled by companies, crypto metaverses are typically decentralised, meaning they are not owned by anyone.
The Metaverse is built on a handful of platforms⁠, including the Sandbox, Decentraland, Mirandus, and Axie Infinity⁠, creating an interactive version of the internet where users can play games and explore virtual worlds, and do business.
Cryptocurrencies will be how we buy products in the Metaverses, and NFTs are the digital assets we own.
Our assets will be viewed in our crypto wallets, and eventually, we’ll be able to show our art on the walls of our space in the Metaverse just like kids do in Roblox.
We kind of already do ‘Metaversy things’ like buying digital products in games, so our characters look better. But the ideal vision is that the Metaverse brings the reality of Web3 into motion.
What is Web3? The next iteration of ‘the web’, Web2 or the social/mobile web started in 1998 and connected us like never: social media, the cloud and mobile apps became the norm. But Web3 will include more immersive applications, and for now, we can only guess what these will be…

…and lots more, so if you’re keen to dive in, you can watch the replay here. Super!

Crypto isn’t something I want to do alone—you can’t be naïve in this space!! I’ve been put off by the insane gas fees with Ethereum so it’s good to hear about Layer 2 living. If you’re looking for ways to earn more, collaborate, help, and lift others, check out the WIBT community events.

As Lavinia says, “You don’t know what you don’t know!” WiBT isn’t just for women either because “You can’t clap with one hand.” We all need to work together.

I’ve also signed up for the world’s first free MOOC on blockchain and digital currencies—starts on January 31, 2022 🙌

Heads up: February will be Metaverse month at Digital Women. Lucy will be bringing in more experts to discuss Web3, the Metaverse, NFTs, Crypto and more. So, you understand what’s coming next and how your skills and knowledge can be used.

Some resources below. Have a read, digest, let it percolate… and think about what you want to bring to this space and how you will position yourself.

What really resonates with me – there are no barriers to entry, taking a slice of the pie, claiming your space, sharing wealth, and gender equity. Rather than playing catch up, chasing from behind, working within old systems and trying to close the gender pay gap, let’s embrace the new and experiment.

The Metaverse is still new, and we can be pioneers and help shape it.

Have a fun week.

Nicci 🙋🏻‍♀️

📚 Speaking of the importance of community, I’m reading Noreena Hertz’ brilliant book: The Lonely Century: A Call to Reconnect. A look at what’s driving the loneliness epidemic and a crucial call for governments to rebuild better. Bold and empowering solutions—we have the power to reverse it. Using remote work to repopulate rural areas is one way.

🔗 Links

Virtual land in the Metaverse dominated NFT sales over the past week (Cointelegraph)

NFTs can be a good pathway to draw women into crypto (Cointelegraph)

Metaverse – a guide for virtual enthusiasts and a Whitepaper (Vault Hill)—an extended reality Blockchain-based Metaverse designed to make you feel more human.

Crypto Kweens: The female-focused and female-led NFT marketplace

What has blockchain got to do with me?! (with translated editions) (WiBT)

What have NFTs got to do with me?!

Workshop: Create your own NFT (live recording)

Women in Tech, BITCOIN & Financial Wellbeing w/Lavinia Osbourne—Women in Blockchain Talks (Cryptonites)

Free MOOC: Introduction to Digital Currencies (UNIC)

Goodbye Gas Fees: Hello Layer 2 Living (Almanack)

Global Report on Women, Cryptocurrency and Financial Independence by Marina Spindler (The Defiant)

Matthew Ball VC: The Metaverse Primer – a 9-part series on what’s to come…