Why I’m creating a new course on writing for Web 3.

Every two or three years I create a new course for digital copywriters and content writers.

Next up is a course for writers who want to take advantage of the huge growth in the area of Web 3.

Hang on, you ask… what the heck is Web 3?

And what happened to Web 1 and 2?

A brief history of the web…

Web 1 covers the early years of the web, from the late 90s into the new millennium. Think AOL, CompuServe and big media companies coming online.

That was also a time of message boards and early blogs, where people got a taste of being able to have their say online as individuals. Even the early Internet gave individuals a voice. But mostly Web 1 was about sites publishing information “at” us.

Web 2 rose up in tandem with the growth of social media. Let’s say from 2006 or so onwards. Now the voices of individuals grew louder. Millions of people took to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other platforms to share their news, likes and dislikes.

For a while it felt like social media might truly democratize the web. And then it became clear that these huge platforms were simply monetizing our attention, selling our personal data, and ruling the web.

That brings us to Web 3, which is something entirely different… hopefully.

Web 3 is an iteration of the Internet that is being built on blockchains.

Public blockchains are decentralized. Unlike Facebook or Google, no company owns the Bitcoin or Ethereum blockchains. There is no central authority.

This kind of open infrastructure opens up new opportunities for developers, creators and users.

Blockchains enable DeFi… decentralized or disintermediated finance. With blockchains I can send you money in the form of a cryptocurrency, without the help or permission of an intermediary, like a bank or PayPal. From me to you directly.

According to a recent Morning Consult report, 20% of American adults, and 36 percent of millennials own cryptocurrency.

And many of them also own at least one NFT, or Non Fungible Token.

An NFT is simply a digital asset of some kind, where your ownership of that asset is immutably recorded on a blockchain.

An NFT could be a piece of digital art. Or a photograph. Or a song. Or a video clip of a sporting moment. Or membership of a group. Or a ticket to an event. Or an item or avatar in a video game. Or a pfp you can use as a profile picture for your social media accounts. Or a plot of land in the metaverse.

Just today I purchased a piece of digital art as an NFT. The art series was sponsored by Stella Artois as a fundraiser in support of Water.org. Within 2 hours they raised $277,515.86.

Why is there even a market for copywriters and content writers in the world of Web 3 and NFTs?

Because the NFT market in particular is huge, currently valued at about $40 billion.

And because over 1,000 new NFT projects are being launched each week… over 50,000 projects a year.

Each of them needs a website and a strong social media presence.

That’s just the new NFT project launches, and doesn’t include all the traditional companies that are looking to add NFTs to their offers.

For example, I have a client that sells a fitness app… and is now relaunching with crypto tokens and in-app NFTs.

You can keep up with which big brands are jumping on the NFT bandwagon through this page on AdAge, which they constantly update.

Some recent entries include…

• Papa Johns today dropped its first collection of NFTs—a series of handbag designs inspired by the pizza delivery bag.
• In honor of the automaker’s new 2023 Integra, Acura is turning the car into an NFT. Acura will also open a digital showroom in the metaverse, called Acura of Decentraland,
• Duke University announced it will drop a collection of NFTs inspired by its men’s basketball team.
• Jeans retailer Wrangler announced an upcoming NFT auction celebrating singer-songwriter and long-time Wrangler fan Leon Bridges.

Here’s the opportunity for digital copywriters and content writers…

Like I said, all these new projects and ventures need either a whole new website, or the addition of pages to an existing website.

Plus social media, email marketing, press releases, blog posts and more.

In other words, this is a whole new industry, a whole new category.

As a writer, you can bring all your existing skills into this space.

But… not everyone is going to be able to do that.

How come?

Because it takes a lot of time and effort to become fluent in the language and culture of Web 3, crypto, and NFTs.

I’ve been deep down this rabbit hole for over 18 months now. I work with clients in this space. I have a collection of NFTs. In other words, I have skin in the game.

But still… I have to work hard to keep abreast of what’s new today and coming next.

Blockchains, cryptocurrencies, tokens, DeFi, NFTs, pfps, minting, wallets, Metamask, secondary marketplaces, the metaverse, rug pulls… and so on.

The copywriters and writers who want to profit from this area… and there are billions of dollars in play… are those who choose to invest time in becoming absolutely fluent in the culture, processes, language and terminology of this space.

That’s why I’m already mapping out a new course for writers who want to enter the Web 3 industry.

The curriculum for the course will include a deep dive into the culture and language of this space. And it will show you how to write about crypto for different media … up to and including media in the metaverse itself.

I don’t know when or where the course will be published. To be determined. But I’m already working on it.

If you’re interested, and you’re not already subscribed to my newsletter, sign up now and I’ll keep you up to date with my progress.