Greetings fellow wayfinder!

Last week, I had an idea to publish an ebook about lessons learned over the last decade. So I shared this with my followers on Twitter:

As a result, over the next month, I’ll be working daily to get this ebook published and speak about the process via video on Twitter.

This week’s newsletter highlights some of what I’ve written down already, which covers how and why I see communities like gardening — using Ancient Greek city-states and gardens as an analogy.

Let's dive in.

☕️ Reading time: 5-7 mins

How Bitcoin Communities are like Ancient Greek City-States & Gardens

Bitcoin is more than just a digital currency. It's a community, with its own unique culture and priorities. However, building a proper Bitcoin community can be a challenge for technical people who are used to thinking about scaling, automating and setting everything up perfectly upfront. In this article, we'll explore how to build a successful Bitcoin community by taking inspiration from the ancient Greek city-states.

The Problem with Traditional Approaches

Many technical people tend to treat communities like software. They believe that by slapping a Discord together, everything will run smoothly. However, this approach often fails because it ignores the underlying culture of the community. Bitcoin is not just a tool; it's a way of life for many people. To build a successful Bitcoin community, you need to understand and embrace the culture. You need to move beyond the technical aspects to see why people get involved in the first place. This is actually the basis for good marketing (moving beyond features and into benefits that become part of one’s lifestyle).

Ancient Greek City-States

Ancient Greek city-states were independent, self-governing entities that emerged during the Archaic period and thrived in the Classical era. Fitting descriptions for aspiring Bitcoin communities. These city-states, such as Athens, Sparta, and Corinth, were characterized by their distinct political systems, cultural identities, and territorial boundaries. Each city-state had its own government, laws, and institutions, with Athens known for its democracy, Sparta for its military-oriented society, and Corinth for its trade and wealth. Bitcoin has split into city-state-like cultures with the formation of support groups for BTC, BCH, and even BSV.

City-states played a crucial role in shaping Greek society, as they fostered civic pride, encouraged intellectual and artistic advancements, and frequently engaged in intercity conflicts, both militarily and diplomatically. Despite their autonomy, city-states shared a common Greek language, religious beliefs, and a sense of belonging to the wider Hellenic civilization, contributing to the rich tapestry of ancient Greece. Similar to how BTC, BCH, and even BSV share a common Bitcoin genesis.

The Garden Approach

After over a decade in the space, I’ve learned that building a successful Bitcoin community is like building a garden. Each community is unique, just like each garden can look different based on its location and the local fauna/flora. The key is to understand the overarching culture that has formed for each group of Bitcoiners (like the different Greek city-states mentioned above). By doing this, you can adjust how you build your community accordingly.

Just as ancient gardens were carefully cultivated and designed to create a harmonious and thriving environment, building Bitcoin communities today can be likened to tending a digital garden. Both endeavors require deliberate planning, nurturing, and fostering growth.

In the creation of ancient gardens, careful consideration was given to selecting the right plants, arranging them in aesthetically pleasing ways, and maintaining a balanced ecosystem. Similarly, building Bitcoin communities involves assembling a diverse group of individuals with shared interests and goals. Just as a garden needs a variety of plants to thrive, a thriving Bitcoin community benefits from a diverse range of participants, including developers, miners, traders, and enthusiasts, each contributing their unique perspectives and skills.

Ongoing Care

In ancient gardens, ongoing care was essential to ensure the plants flourished. This involved regular watering, pruning, and protection from pests or adverse conditions. Likewise, in Bitcoin communities, continuous nurturing is necessary. This includes fostering regular communication, facilitating knowledge sharing, addressing conflicts, and promoting a “psychologically safe” environment. Community leaders and moderators play a crucial role in tending to the needs of the community, fostering collaboration, and maintaining the overall health and vitality of the ecosystem.

Just as ancient gardens served as gathering places for intellectual discourse and social interaction, Bitcoin communities provide a space for meaningful discussions, knowledge exchange, and the exploration of new ideas. They can become centers of innovation and collaboration, fostering the growth of new projects, technologies, and economic opportunities within the cryptocurrency ecosystem.

Granted, each “city-state” can result in its own cultural flavor — meaning some cultures may or may not feel “healthy” for you personally. But that is where you have to make a choice about what you want to build on top of. Taking this all into consideration, you can actually apply this to any online community you may be considering joining or building.

📰 FEATURED NEWS

Interesting finds

• Stories

  • Twitter to focus on video, commerce in major business revamp

  • Introducing Google’s Secure AI Framework

  • Your intuition is real and here's how to strengthen it

  • Bank of China’s Investment Bank BOCI Issues Tokenized Securities on Ethereum in Hong Kong with Swiss Bank UBS

  • Why the South Pacific Nation of Palau Has Gone Crypto

  • Digital mapping project reveals Stonehenge secrets

• Tools

  • Magic Beans — Run your startup finances from Notion

  • Framer AI — now create websites on Framer instantly using AI

  • Community Design Toolkit

Until next week, remember: through patience & persistence, it will come.

George

Twitter | LinkedIn | Blog | Tools

Last week's premium newsletters:

• Daily #268: Blockchain-Based Governments: Palau vs. Tuvalu

• Daily #269: 90% of lucky people trust their intuition

• Daily #270: Listen in on one of my calls 📞

• Daily #271: Twitter Video, AI Voice Synth & "Cosmic Connections"

❤️ Loved this content? Get behind-the-scenes access as I share my daily journey as a solopreneur, build communities for clients, and apply ancestral wisdom to modern problems. Click here to upgrade for $10/mo.