New York Magazine: From Ordinary People to Crypto People, How to Cautiously Fall into the "Rabbit Hole"

Original Title: "A Normie's Guide to Becoming a Crypto Person How to (cautiously and skeptically) fall down the rabbit hole."

Original Author: Sara Harrison, NYMAG

Original Translator: Yangz, The Way of the Metaverse

For the past few years, you’ve managed to deliberately ignore cryptocurrency, but suddenly, you might feel like blockchain is closing in on you. Your 401(k) provider is rolling out Bitcoin options, your friend just created an NFT in Microsoft Paint and sold it for $14,000, and even the newly elected mayor in your area is supporting a citywide cryptocurrency. (And your dad just sent a "NGMI" in the family group chat?) To an outsider, cryptocurrency might mostly look like a bunch of bros in Patagonia vests making quick cash at the expense of the environment.

This isn’t entirely wrong, but the landscape today is unrecognizable from when it was founded in 2009, and even different from before 2020, the year NFTs first exploded.

While some corners of the crypto world are still toxic and absurd, it’s also a fascinating and oddly optimistic place—where a global army of competitive ideologues, mostly living on Twitter and Discord, all believe in some way that cryptocurrency will fundamentally change the world (including everything we believe about value, money, and the internet).

This is a guide to truly understanding this world, whether you want to talk confidently at dinner parties, know the difference between Bitcoin supporters and NFTers who have infiltrated the fashion scene, or want to get promoted by showcasing your tech fluency beyond your boss's, then leave your PR job to become a key player on a new coin trading platform.

At Least Master Some Basic Crypto Lingo

On December 18, 2013, a user named GameKyuubi logged into the then four-year-old Bitcointalk forum and vented under the influence of whiskey. At that time, Bitcoin’s value had just dropped by 50%, but GameKyuubi, a self-proclaimed bad trader, was determined to hold on and not sell.

He titled his post "I AM HODLING." HODL, a typo that happened by accident, quickly became a cornerstone of crypto language; today, it refers to not selling your cryptocurrency assets even when prices become volatile. Since then, this kind of jargon has become difficult to understand. Here are some basics to help you grasp what people are talking about.

APE: Buying a new coin or token—especially when you don’t know much about it but feel driven by FOMO: "I need to buy this NFT before the price goes through the roof!"

BAGS: The coins and tokens in your portfolio. If you hold onto your coins until they go to zero, you’ve unfortunately become a bagholder.

DAO: At its most basic level, a DAO is just a decentralized way to organize a group of people—like a digital co-op with a shared bank account. There are no leaders or CEOs making decisions; instead, you might propose something to the DAO, and every token holder can vote. Some DAOs operate like startups, others invest in founders or NFTs, and some are just for hanging out. In November, ten friends created a DAO to buy a first edition of the U.S. Constitution at a Sotheby’s auction. Within a week, they gathered 17,000 members and $45 million in funding, but unfortunately, their bid was surpassed by the CEO of hedge fund Citadel, and they lost the copy.

FUD: "Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt," a catch-all phrase referring to any form of negative sentiment, criticism, or bad news about cryptocurrency (even if it happens to be true). When powerful enough, FUD can trigger panic selling of tokens. "Jamie Dimon called Bitcoin a bubble about to burst—he’s spreading FUD again."

MOON: If a coin is mooning, it means its price is skyrocketing.

NOCOINER/NORMIE: Skeptics who don’t participate in the cryptocurrency market, either purely confused or doubtful that it’s a massive pyramid scheme. A tweet from @Gems reads: "A NOCOINER/NORMIE friend discovered my Twitter and said, 'You look like a crazy person trying to start an internet anti-establishment cult.'"

PROOF OF WORK: The process by which early cryptocurrencies (like Bitcoin) are mined. It’s very energy-intensive, requiring powerful computers to compete to solve complex Sudoku-like puzzles for tokens.

PROOF OF STAKE: An alternative process that doesn’t require miners and uses much less energy. More and more new currencies are adopting proof-of-stake technology. The second-largest cryptocurrency, Ethereum, has committed to transitioning its entire network to proof of stake by 2022.

RUG PULL: A scam where developers raise a lot of money for a cryptocurrency project and then disappear with all the cash. The most notorious rug pull occurred in 2018 when a startup called Prodeum vanished with all users' money after raising a small amount, leaving only the word "Penis" on its homepage.

WAGMI: Stands for "We’re All Gonna Make It," an expression of camaraderie and optimism. Often used after something good happens. "I bought this NFT early, and now it’s taking off. WAGMI." Its opposite is NGMI, or "Not Gonna Make It," referring to a person or entity making a wrong decision destined to fail. "Oh no, I missed the drop on this NFT! NGMI" or "Facebook's Meta rebranding is so cringe. NGMI."

Web2: The internet as we know it today, dominated by a few large tech companies like Facebook, Amazon, and Google, which provide services in exchange for personal data (and in turn control what happens to our data—how it’s stored, used, tracked, and monetized).

Web3: Right now, it’s more of a utopian vision than a reality. Web3 is a popular term among many cryptocurrency enthusiasts, referring to a decentralized version of the internet running on blockchain. In this version, you would be a stakeholder in any entity you contribute to online (so if Facebook started as a Web3 project, you might have earned equity—tokens—for all the time you’ve spent on it since 2006). It can be seen as a reimagining of cryptocurrency.

Whale: An individual or institution that holds a massive amount of a particular cryptocurrency, capable of moving the market whenever they buy or sell (when whales make large crypto trades, it’s referred to as whale movement). Many whales choose to remain anonymous. For example, no one knows the identity of the largest Dogecoin holder in the world, who has amassed 39.6 billion doge since 2019 (about 30% of the total supply).

Whitepaper: You can’t find a serious blockchain project or cryptocurrency without a whitepaper, which serves as both a technical introduction and a declaration of what problem you aim to solve. They are often lengthy and dense.

Find Yourself a Crash Course

Many people will point you to the whitepaper published by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008 introducing Bitcoin, or the article written by Vitalik Buterin in 2013 outlining his vision for the Ethereum blockchain. But as we mentioned, the foundational texts of cryptocurrency might not be the best starting point. "The barrier to understanding is too high," says Chris Cantino, a partner at Color Capital. "They should be read after people have already grasped crypto technology." Instead, try these resources, ordered from least time-consuming to most.

7 Minutes

In 2016, Joel Monegro, then an investor at Union Square Ventures, wrote a 1,200-word blog post on the USV website discussing the place of cryptocurrency in internet history, essentially trying to answer "Why are things like Bitcoin and Ethereum valuable?" While some consider it outdated, it remains one of the most talked-about works in the cryptocurrency world.

26 Minutes

Grant Sanderson runs a beloved math channel called 3Blue1Brown, where he created a video titled "But How Does Bitcoin Actually Work?" explaining the ledger system with simple images and charts.

1 Hour

In 2017, Linda Xie (an early Coinbase employee who now runs a cryptocurrency hedge fund) published a series of beginner's guides to non-Bitcoin cryptocurrency assets on Medium. Her Ethereum guide simply outlines the use cases of the technology—like how Ethereum eliminates the need for lawyers and escrow agents when you buy a house.

2.5 Hours

Listen to "The Quiet Master of Cryptocurrency," an episode of The Tim Ferriss Show from 2017 featuring investor Naval Ravikant and cryptographer and computer scientist Nick Szabo. It was this podcast that sparked Justine Humenansky's interest in cryptocurrency while working on Stanford's Digital Currency Initiative. "In 2017, I attended a wedding and sat next to an early Coinbase employee who told me to listen to this," she says. "After listening, I thought, wow, this is more than just money. This could be a new internet."

1 Semester

Gary Gensler, the current chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, once taught a course on blockchain at MIT's business school, and all 24 lectures can be found on YouTube. When people ask how to start learning about cryptocurrency, these videos are what Sam Dealy, a software engineer at MobileCoin, recommends first. "Gensler is able to talk about the big picture—usually something you can get from articles on Medium—but he can also dive into the technical details that have real implications in computing."

If That’s Not Enough

The venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, an early investor in Coinbase, has compiled a massive crypto compendium on its website: nearly 160 podcast episodes, Medium articles, blogs, and academic PDFs, categorized into "Basics," "Governance," and "Practical Guides."

Find a Scene

The cryptocurrency world started as a small island of misfits, but over the past 13 years, it has evolved into a vast ecosystem made up of different subcultures and (sometimes warring) factions. Below, see which scene you might fit into.

Bitcoin Enthusiasts

The earliest Bitcoin holders are often considered the driving force of the "crypto world." They’re not in it for the money—instead, they’re attracted by a cyberpunk vision of an unregulated currency. As the first blockchain and cryptocurrency, Bitcoin is also the hottest cryptocurrency today. Of course, it’s also one of the last holdouts using the energy-intensive proof-of-work algorithm (other blockchains are moving to more eco-friendly methods).

Source: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

If You Voted for Ron Paul…

Then you might be a Bitcoin libertarian, especially if you enjoy discussing monetary policy, inflation, and self-sovereignty (and hate the Federal Reserve).

If You Prefer a Traditional Brand…

Many people enter Bitcoin not for political reasons; they simply see it as a store of wealth (or "digital gold"). Bitcoin is the most trusted name in cryptocurrency, with a system that has never been hacked and is considered the safest blockchain. This might be why it has garnered favor from Wall Street banks and pension funds.

Source: Publisher Provided

If You’re a Purist…

Bitcoin maximalists might recommend you read "The Bitcoin Standard" by Bitcoin maximalist Saifedean Ammous. They believe Bitcoin will be the only cryptocurrency needed in the future, and all other crypto assets are worthless.

If You’re a Full-Time Day Trader…

Due to its highly active and liquid market, Bitcoin and Ethereum are the most popular currencies among day traders. Bitcoin, in particular, is especially favored because it influences the prices of all coins.

If You’re Wary of White Supremacists…

Some people use Bitcoin to escape the law. Right-wing figures Richard Spencer and Stefan Molyneux are both fond of Bitcoin, as is one of the world’s largest Nazi leaders, Weev.

Ethereum Enthusiasts

The Ethereum blockchain (and its native token ETH) was launched in 2015, designed as an improvement over Bitcoin. Unlike the Bitcoin network (which can be imagined as a database for wallets), Ethereum is envisioned as a world computer. It allows users to do more than just transfer funds; it’s also a platform that enables people to create new applications and currencies. Many of the early adopters were tech developers.

If You Dream in Python and Java…

Ethereum is still seen as a playground for software geeks and is home to the largest developer community in cryptocurrency.

Source: Andrew Lipovsky/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

If You Voted for Warren or Bernie…

Ethereum tends to attract progressives (even socialists) who believe cryptocurrency can enact leftist policies—it can help redistribute wealth and create a more equitable and transparent society.

If You’re a Radical Hedge Funder…

Most DeFi projects are currently running on Ethereum, but many projects are also emerging on other blockchains, like Solana. Its members hope to build a new financial system that doesn’t rely on intermediaries like banks and brokers. There’s also another group in the DeFi world that often pumps assets and then dumps them; they’re known as "DeFi Degens."

If You’re a Millionaire…

Join the whales of Ethereum, who hold large amounts of ETH and are also angel investors in the blockchain, funding many developers and projects, especially during bear markets.

If You Went to Art School…

If you’re new to cryptocurrency, NFTs are a great place to start. Most of them are bought and sold using Ethereum, and they boomed in early 2021, giving rise to a new art scene that attracted everyone from obscure digital artists to heavyweights like Sotheby’s.

If You Like Luxury…

NFTs are powerful status symbols in the cryptocurrency realm. Mel Vera, who works at DoinGud, compares owning the hottest NFTs to wearing "Yves Saint Laurent, Prada, and Goyard."

Solana Enthusiasts

Source: Lam Yik/Bloomberg via Getty Images

If You’re an Independent Ex-Derivatives Trader…

With the backing of billionaire crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried, the Solana blockchain is trying to become a competitor to Ethereum, with much faster (and cheaper) transaction speeds. It is currently ranked as the third blockchain and cryptocurrency, although many believe Solana will one day surpass Ethereum.

Altcoins

There are currently about 4,500 cryptocurrencies in circulation, many of which are derivatives of Bitcoin and Ethereum. Here are a few worth knowing.

If You’re Scholarly…

Find the head of Cardano. In 2017, a founding member of Ethereum split off and launched Cardano. The atmosphere is quite academic; this group genuinely enjoys using peer review systems and scientific methods to build its blockchain. It was hyped up but ended up being somewhat disappointing after years of delays.

If You’re Just Here for the Jokes…

Join the Doge army. Dogecoin HODLers launched in 2013 as a joke, and when Dogecoin’s value skyrocketed 60 times in 2021, they were vindicated, partly due to Elon Musk’s advocacy. A fun-loving meme-sharing community with die-hard fans attracted a new wave of speculators during the recent surge.

If You Want to Avoid Paper Trails…

Monero is an untraceable blockchain designed to provide privacy and anonymity, attracting a rather disruptive grassroots crowd: cyberpunks, ransomware groups, dark web users. John Murphy, a moderator of the r/cryptocurrency subreddit, describes this community as "more like Bitcoin than Bitcoin in terms of not cooperating with the state."

Professional Investors

If You’re Obsessed with Capital Tables and Market Strategies…

You might be one of the many crypto people—at least the purest among them—who are still worried about the scary investors.

That’s why venture capital firms feel such pressure to demonstrate their credibility. "When venture capital firms enter the circle, they say, oh no, I need to win business," says Jimmy Chang of DeFi project Aave. "So they buy a Bored Ape and tell us the same thing, share the same memes. After a while, we start to feel, oh, this investor is actually pretty cool."

Find Public Intellectuals

Good or bad, the hive-minded thinking of cryptocurrency lives on Twitter, which serves as the public square of this world. You might not want your feed to turn into Babel, so to find a starting point, we surveyed dozens of people and asked them to name their favorite accounts. Here are some selections:

Chris Dixon, @cdixon

This philosophy student turned investor (and head of Andreessen Horowitz's cryptocurrency fund) is known for his reflections on the history of technology and theoretical research on the inevitability of Web3 (which is also where he invests).

The Defiant, @DefiantNews

One of the most trusted cryptocurrency news organizations, launched in 2019 by former Bloomberg journalist Camila Russo. Evin McMullen, who works at ConsenSys, loves its explanatory videos, especially its 90-minute film "The Greatest NFT Movie Ever."

Jackson Dame, @jacksondame

As the community manager for wallet company Rainbow (scroll to section 7 to see how he got this job), Dame frequently shares step-by-step breakdowns about wallets and NFTs for beginners, along with some philosophical musings like "Psychology plays a crucial role not just in NFTs but in every element of society… Language and communication happen at the level of the mind, while text is merely a collective illusion that has power due to network effects—language and communication are a great example of something non-physical that is so critical to everyday life."

Kinjal Shah, @_kinjalbshah

A blockchain investor who often discusses bringing the underserved into blockchain and the shortcomings of cryptocurrency on Twitter.

Linda Xie, @ljxie

Xie frequently posts reading recommendations, beginner guides, commentary on cryptocurrency news, and job tips and opportunities on Twitter. (She even shared her cold application cover letter to Coinbase back in 2014 when she was working at a large insurance company.) She often invites newcomers to DM her.

Punk6529, @punk6529

This anonymous NFT collector is known for sharing some of the most contrarian (and epic-length) Twitter threads in the cryptocurrency influencer scene. In October, they published a comprehensive 31-part essay on NFTs on Twitter, using no fewer than five different metaphors, including stockbrokers, wheat silos, and bagel shops.

Michael Saylor, @saylor

MicroStrategy, a corporate software company, has its CEO Saylor turning its business model into investing all software profits into Bitcoin, thus becoming a cryptocurrency celebrity. He frequently tweets his core message: Bitcoin will take over the world. (Or as he said in an interview, inspiring a popular meme, "It’s going to go up forever, Laura.")

Learn to Read Crypto Material

To confidently navigate crypto Twitter, you’ll want to be able to quickly assess a stranger (who in some cases may be anonymous). Fortunately, various clues are hidden in plain sight.

1. Profile Picture

"In cryptocurrency, Twitter is your LinkedIn, and your personal photo is very important," says Noah Davis, head of NFTs at Christie’s. "My habit is that if I see a face, I immediately become suspicious." Conversely, using your NFT as your profile picture is cool. "If you have a valuable NFT, you’re sending one of two signals," explains Jimmy Chang, product manager at Aave, "one is: I’m wealthy, I can afford this. And the second is: I’m really early to this, I believe in something you don’t."

The only exception to the "no faces" rule is if the person in the photo has red lasers shooting from their eyes, which means they’re interested in Bitcoin.

2. Display Name

If you see ".eth" at the end, that’s a unique domain from the Ethereum Name Service (ENS) for that person's cryptocurrency wallet address. These domains are sometimes obtained through public auctions, and if you can get [yourname].eth, you’ll have significant flexibility.

When you know someone’s ENS name, you can check their wallet and see everything they own or have traded.

3. Twitter Handle

In their handles, Ethereans may also include "0x" (the first two characters of Ethereum wallet addresses) or Ξ (the symbol for Ethereum).

4. Bio

Think of the bio as cryptocurrency lineage—people list their day jobs, which crypto projects or communities they’re part of, and what tokens or NFTs they own. Jimmy Chang describes his Twitter bio as "basically my DAO bio."

5. DAO

On Crypto Twitter, people love to show off which DAOs they’re in. Here are some of the sexiest:

Friends With Benefits: A social DAO that hosts parties around the world. Current membership prices exceed $9,000.

PleasrDAO: A pure application DAO created for collecting NFTs. Owns an NFT of Edward Snowden’s face extracted from a U.S. appeals court ruling.

Seed Club: Similar to an incubator for community-centered cryptocurrency projects.

6. Newsletter

If you’re a thought leader in cryptocurrency (or someone who wants to be), you might have your newsletter on mirror.xyz (a bit like Substack, but decentralized and crypto-based).

7. Yat

If they have a string of emojis in their website bar, they may have purchased a Yat. Yat is a platform that allows you to buy a unique emoji-based URL that can serve as your cryptocurrency wallet's payment address. Yats with significant emojis like "Rocket Moon" can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

8. Open DMs

If you DM a prominent cryptocurrency figure, they might actually respond. "They might really be a billionaire," says Zachary Nelson of the University of Washington Blockchain Association. "But they’ll reply just because they’re there."

According to those we surveyed, big names who respond to DMs include: Peter Vessenes, a cryptocurrency billionaire who got in when Bitcoin was 5 cents; Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple ("This might be before the lawsuit," Nelson notes); and Hayden Adams, founder of Uniswap.

9. "gm"

gm (short for "good morning") is one of the most perplexing yet sacred litmus tests in crypto language, serving as the default way people greet each other online—regardless of the time. "It seems simple," says Alisha.eth, community manager at ENS. "But there’s something uplifting about it, especially when you’re trying to organize people scattered across different time zones and continents." This fall, a venture capitalist named Sam Lessin tweeted that gm was stupid, triggering thousands of angry responses from crypto Twitter, many starting with gm.

Show Up on Discord

This instant messaging app popular among gamers occupies a more intimate space in Web3. Most focus on specific cryptocurrency communities; some Discord servers serve as pop-up study groups (if your study group has 3,000 members across multiple time zones); while others exist for projects where people work together as DAOs, complete with "town halls" and public forums; and other servers are exclusive to members holding a certain NFT (see below for tips on how to get your first NFT). Here’s a guide on how to survive in your first Discord:

Make Sure It’s Not Just You and a Bunch of Bots

When you join, Evan Shirreffs, business development director at NFTy Labs, suggests taking a look at the chat history to ensure you’re talking to real people.

He says, "If a lot of people are saying, 'Hi, hi, hi, good project, good project, good project,' those are bots, either bought or joined because the project is getting attention." He also likes to ensure there are plenty of members, at least in the thousands, having organic (human-like) conversations. Alisha.eth has another metric for gauging whether a Discord community has a good vibe: whether people post "gm" when they wake up in the morning.

Even If You Don’t Know Who’s Who

The cryptocurrency world values anonymity and pseudonymity—perhaps as a tribute to Bitcoin’s anonymous founder, Satoshi Nakamoto. On Discord, you can have entire conversations with people without knowing their real names, where they live, where they work, or even what their voices sound like (when people do live chats, they might use voice changers).

If you’re interacting with a newcomer, investor Chris Cantino, who often advises newcomers on Twitter, suggests ensuring this person has some paper trail online, whether it’s a LinkedIn with work experience or an active public Twitter account. "Or are they connected to friends of friends?"

Checking someone’s wallet is another way to verify. "You can see everything in my wallet: how much ETH and NFTs I have, what projects I’ve participated in. So if you see a bunch of scammy, untraceable stuff, trust goes way down."

People Are Generally Nice and Willing to Help

"Strangers are totally willing to hook each other up with information or things they bought," says Isha Kasliwal, a tech designer turned crypto enthusiast. "I minted two when NFTs dropped, and there was someone in the Discord server who didn’t get one. So I swapped one of my two NFTs with him because he was FOMOing." Still, if you have a question about something, at least do the bare minimum to find an answer before seeking help.

If you meet someone in Discord and hit it off, ask for their Telegram handle. "If someone asks for my LinkedIn, that’s a signal they’re an outsider," Justine Humenansky says. If you really find someone you click with, you might want to start a smaller group chat, which could ultimately become the best way to learn about legitimate things. "This is also where you get to know people’s personalities," says Cathy Mulligan, a computer science professor at the University of Lisbon. "Like, is this person just trying to make money, or are they genuinely interested in this particular coin?"

Don’t Be Too Forward

"When you meet others, don’t ask, 'What’s the next cryptocurrency I should buy?' Don’t ask, 'What’s the next NFT I should buy?'" Mel Vera says. Instead, you should ask questions about the project. Who’s doing this project, what do they want to accomplish?

Or You Can Say Nothing at All

To fit in, Alisha.eth agrees that "lurking for as long as you want is fine." She says, "You’ll be surprised at how much you can learn. No one expects you to say anything. There are thousands of people here—no one will call you out."

Take a Break If You Need To

Once you start rolling down the rabbit hole of cryptocurrency, it’s hard to leave. "It’s just so draining," Jimmy Chang says. "(I’m) always trying to maintain balance. Like, I should leave my house, I should talk to my IRL friends." Brittany Pierre, a photographer who joined the NFT space earlier this year, was once a member of 27 different servers. Now, she turns off her phone notifications after 8 PM. "And I’ve set rules to go outside for fresh air sometimes," she says.

How to Get Into NFTs?

If you don’t consider yourself very tech-savvy, most people would suggest your first cryptocurrency purchase be an NFT. That’s what Justine Humenansky’s mom did when she got into cryptocurrency a few months ago. "I think NFTs felt more approachable and fun to her than something she could use as money; instead, it was like, 'This is an avatar that belongs to me,'" Humenansky says. "When she set up her wallet and saw me transfer an NFT from my wallet to hers, she said, 'Can you send me cryptocurrency as a Christmas gift?'"

1. Register a User-Friendly Wallet

Rainbow and MetaMask might be more accessible for beginners (Rainbow’s website has a "Learn" section with guides on how to avoid scams and protect your wallet).

2. Convert Some Dollars to ETH—the Minimum Amount You’re Willing to Lose

But be aware that to purchase NFTs, you’ll have to pay the dreaded Ethereum transaction fees ("gas fees"), which can easily reach $100.

3. The Best Places to Buy NFTs Are OG Markets Like Opensea and Rarible

When making your selections, you can approach it like a new kid at school trying to find new friends. Carmen Hernandez says, "When you buy something, in a way, you’re joining a club, and the vibe of the club is important." Former corporate recruiter Rachael Amy chose Astrocryptids because of its thriving Discord community. She says, "It’s really welcoming."

Truly Transitioning to Crypto

You don’t need to be a tech genius to work in this field. In fact, it might be better if you’re not. More and more cryptocurrency companies—from giant trading platforms like Coinbase to smaller startups—are trying to hire people from traditional industries who know how to speak to the average person. We spoke with three individuals who transitioned to blockchain over the past year.

A Marketer Who Entered a New Role via Twitter

"In February, I started using the Rainbow wallet. I followed one of the co-founders, Mike, on Twitter, who for some reason followed me back. I posted memes about Ethereum or Rainbow on Twitter, or I shared my experiences learning these things. At the time, Rainbow was definitely not hiring, but I messaged them. It was very short, like, 'Hey, you’ve seen my Twitter, I love this app.' The next day we had a phone chat, and a day later I met the other co-founders. The hiring process lasted a week and a half, all through Twitter DMs."

"I have a background in marketing and communications; my career started in the church, doing communications and design work. My understanding of cryptocurrency was relatively minimal. But I think the reason they hired me is that they saw my online persona as the kind of persona they wanted their brand to have.

Many people ask me how to find a job in cryptocurrency, and the first thing I always suggest is to make sure you’re on Twitter and know how to navigate it effectively. Especially if you’re going to be in a public-facing role like I am."

"From Monday to Friday, most of my workdays are either on Twitter or I’ll have Twitter open in a window next to me as I write support content or respond to messages from our Twitter account. It helps me understand the issues clients are facing and the barriers new users encounter. In fact, I don’t even get paid in cryptocurrency. I think I’m okay with that."

-Jackson Dame, Content Creator and Ambassador at Rainbow

An Art Expert Turned In-House Crypto Personnel

"As the online sales director for the contemporary department at Christie’s, I would evaluate Beeple’s shipments at auctions. That was my entry point into NFTs and cryptocurrency—I was familiar with it, but only on the surface (I didn’t even buy any Ethereum or Bitcoin until after I sold Beeple’s NFT).

That was an interesting moment in early 2021. We had just done some things for the first time in the past six months, like conducting auctions off-site. And I think Christie’s was more lenient about doing something entirely new, like selling non-existent artworks. The legal department had to allow me to do a lot, but the first thing was to put "valuation unknown" on the works because I didn’t know what to write there.

I recently hired for a coordinator role here, and the person I hired didn’t come from a traditional art background but was already in the NFT space and had engaged with me on social media. That’s way more compelling than hiring someone who interned at a random art gallery."

-Noah Davis, Head of Digital Sales at Christie’s

Anonymously Hired Newcomer

"My background isn’t technical. I worked in tax law for a while, then left that field to work in e-commerce, doing that for the past decade. I first encountered Bitcoin in 2015 after Shopify added BitPay as a payment option. But it wasn’t until 2017 that I really thought about it when I got caught up in the Bitcoin bull market hype. However, I quickly realized that the financial side—speculation and investment, especially trading—didn’t resonate with me. I didn’t think it was sustainable."

"At the end of last year, as Bitcoin surged, I returned to the cryptocurrency space, and around February, I discovered the Ethereum community. One thing people were talking about was Kernel, which is a Web3 learning community. They have three cohorts a year with 250 students. I told myself, okay, it’s eight weeks long. I’m going to give myself eight weeks to dive into this rabbit hole. And in March of this year, I bought my ENS name, Alisha.eth.

"When I was doing Kernel, I started a podcast called Crypto Native—just a way for me to talk to different people. One of my guests was Nick, the founder of the Ethereum Name Service. They were looking for a community manager, and he encouraged me to apply. When I submitted my application and resume, I used Alicia.eth instead of my legal name. The thing is, we don’t know where this world is going, but we know everything is on-chain and public. So using this name allows for some anonymity. And it gives me a sense of confidence that for whatever reason, I don’t have that confidence when using my full name."

-Alisha.eth, Community Manager at ENS

Appendix: Emoji Explanation

Emojis are not just visual embellishments—they can tell you almost everything about a person’s cryptocurrency vibe, as long as you know how to read them.