Free the Blockchain!

Education should be priceless. 

Why we created BlockChats.

Blockchain Technology needs its community. If it wasn’t for the meetups, seminars, parties, and group chats teaching and supporting each other, we wouldn’t be where we are today.
 
Obviously. But there is more to this. The Blockchain needs us NOW.
 
The interest is there. We want to meet people, connect, get access. Today, you can find blockchain events all over the world, aiming to strengthen the community.
 
 
When I first got involved in the blockchain space, the last thing I felt reminded of was community. Because I did it all wrong.
 
I bought a ticket to a conference in Amsterdam, spent a whooping 400 euros, got my business cards ready, purchased my first ever jacket with shoulder pads and flew to the Netherlands.
Entered the venue, got approached by a CEO of something, but they don’t have a website yet so just write him a WhatsApp, found myself richer by five business cards in ten minutes with not a single name remaining in my head.
 
In preparation for the event, I had read countless “how to network” articles on the internet. And as I strategically positioned myself at the sandwich buffet, a man in a suit came over, said his name though I didn’t catch it, and literally after that,
 
“Are ICOs jeopardising VCs, and if at all, how can we instate a possible co-existence of the two?”
 
He reminded me so much of my history teacher back in high school. ICOs jeopardising… what?
 
“No, no… I’m just here to learn about Bitcoin.”
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‘Blockchain events are like a bodybuilding congress. You have somebody on a stage showing off something you find confusing more than anything else, while people in the audience are busy selling their love-handle-elimination-secret to other participants that only came for Instagram shots proving they are part of the healthy millennial movement.’
 
That’s what I believed. My first contact with the space almost fatally shaped me into this mindset.
 
‘This world is too complicated for me. I guess it’s only for experts.’
 
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If you pay more for your conference ticket than for your flight, of course you are going to expect something exclusive. And that’s what you get. Expensive conferences are expensive for a reason (in the best case). There is nothing wrong with them. But they are not the future of blockchain.
 
If we talk about blockchain technology as the next car, or the internet 2.0, it cannot be exclusive. It cannot be a privilege
 
We are in a crucial situation now. Getting blockchain out of its underdog state and into the real world. The real world doesn’t pay 400 euros to access information and opportunities.

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BlockChats

If you look at Europe, and then you look at Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia or the Philippines, you will straightaway understand that the latter need more blockchain events. There are not nearly as many access points as in the UK, Germany, or the Netherlands.
 
At the same time, if you are a developer, presenting your project to the Southeast Asian market is becoming increasingly hard. With major internet companies blocking blockchain promotion, you need a physical stage and direct ways to meet your audience.
 
BlockChats is our mission to contribute to the growth of blockchain and new technologies. The blockchain can do a lot for us in the future, so let’s do something for the blockchain now.
 
If you want to learn, educate yourself, and be active in the space, you should be able to do exactly that, no matter how wealthy you are. With BlockChats, we want to create opportunities at events and online, by the community, for the community. We are grateful to every sponsor that shares our values and allows us to provide free content to all of our members, and everyone who contributes value to BlockChats – by presenting a topic or the project, or simply by attending, joining the conversation, and connecting with others.
 
 
My name is Lina. I am the founder of BlockChats, and I may share my thoughts and ideas here from time to time. Do you want to share yours? We absolutely want you to do that.

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My personal message to every blockchain consultant, White Paper writer, and ICO investor out there: Please don’t scare off the newbies, no no no.

Author

Lina Seiche, BlockChats Founder , Blockchain + Fintech Evangelist