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NerdCon: Visiting the Network State
Devcon is an annual conference for Ethereum developers and other interested parties. This year, it was held in Bogota, Colombia. For a week, participants discussed Ethereum development and other related topics.
One of the main goals of Devcon is to build a strong network of developers who can work together to improve Ethereum and create new applications using its technology. In this way, Devcon also serves as a sort of "network state" - a community with the capacity for collective action that can fund territory around the world and eventually gain diplomatic recognition from pre-existing states.
A side note on the the venue for the conference, Agora: It is a huge, imposing structure located in the heart of Bogota. It's one of the largest convention centers in all of South America, and it's constantly buzzing with activity. The building has a long and storied history, and it's played a major role in the development of Bogota.
The Agora Building was originally built back in 1954. It was initially used as a livestock market, but it soon became clear that there was much more potential for the building. In 1967, the Agora building was repurposed into a convention center. This proved to be a major boon for Bogota, as the city quickly became a major destination for conventions and trade shows.
This was a perfect setting to host the Network State, and the organizers went above and beyond to make sure that everyone had a great time. The main talks of the conference were very insightful, and it was great to see so many people come together to discuss ways to scale Ethereum and resist censorship.
I like to think of the Network State as a "collective of collectives" where everyone is representing the communities they belong to. This was evident at Devcon, where developers from all over the world came together to showcase their projects and share their experiences. One of the main benefits of being part of this community is the ability to radically collaborate.
The only real way to become part of the network state is to join one of the communities that makes up the network state. I came into DevCon representing NerdQuarters but also connected to and ended up representing the BuidlGuidl. The BuidlGuidl.com is a collective of web3 builders that believe that by sharing ideas and working together, we will able to make faster progress than what we would have been able to achieve on our own. The Guild has a tool Scaffold-ETH that makes it easy to start developing in Web3. We then spent the whole time talking to other projects about how we could coordinate to create even more compelling use cases. Its a community built on the Open Source ethos and composability.
My time with the buidlguidl let me experience firsthand the support and camaraderie that members provide one another. This was especially apparent during the week-long conference, where developers were eager to help one another learn new skills and solve problems. We were showcasing https://speedrunethereum.com which is a tool to learn Web3 development and make it easty to start making dapps. We heard from many atendees that told us that the speedrun helped them to understand Web3 or that they had used it to write the smart contracts that won ETHBogota.
The sense of community that exists within the BuidlGuidl is incredibly valuable, as it allows members to feel like they are a part of something larger than themselves. The buidlguidl supports its members by giving streams to meaningful crontributions. We also will play a key role between protocols and developers by creating starter kits along with prizes that incentivize our members to discover new protocols and create the next big thing on chain.
The future of the BuidlGuidl and the network state it represents is bright. With more and more people getting involved in Ethereum development, the community will only continue to grow and thrive. Overall, DevCon was an incredible experience and everyone who attended should be very proud of what they have accomplished. The parties at the conference were also a lot of fun, and it was great to see so many people come together to celebrate this amazing technology.
Join the Nerds! https://y.at/🤓✉🤓