Why Storytelling Matters in Web3 - Gloria Echendu

So today I would be talking about why storytelling wins in web 3. So we are all here majority of us some of us here are web three enthusiasts some of us are you know beginners newbies while some already you know grounded into web three right but you would realize that there is some form of there's a form of gap between the tech and so this is the tech and then this is me and you if this technology is not well explained or simplified to each and every one of us, there's no way we are going to be able to use this product. So while my slide Okay. Yeah. So this is it.

So a brief introduction to who I am. My name is Gloria Hendu. I am a web 3 writer and I have worked across web three projects and marketing agencies. So I can tell from experience I can tell from experience what I am about to say here. So before we start so like I said our topic is why storytelling is in web three.

So simple just a simple um highlight. So once upon a time the internet was just static pages. Then came social media of course I don't know if we all remember sometime in 2000 was there anybody here that maybe in year 2000. Okay.

Okay. I'm sure that some people here e I'm sure they had given birth to some people here as our 2000. Anybody?

Are we all jenz's?

Ah, okay. That's good. Okay. No, thank you. So, let's say year 2000.

Um, did you have access to the internet as a person?

Like you, you had access to the internet as a person in year 2000?

Okay. So, of course, I'm sure you remember when the internet was just static pages, right? And then we and then came social media where everyone had a voice and now we are entering web 3, a world where community ownership and identity are being rewritten. But here's the catch. None of it makes sense until you tell a story.

So, that's just the beginning. So before I go to the next slide, um who can tell me what storytelling is? Just your own simple definition of what storytelling is? Anybody? Ah no, somebody can say something.

What is storytelling?

You want anyone? I want to try. Do

you want to try? Thank you. GM everyone.

GM

from my own definition, storytelling is just a way of putting an imagination out there to someone's mind whether reality or not.

Okay, that works. Next person, please.

Yes. So I feel storytelling is a way of bringing people into your world and connecting it back to why um what's the word now?

Bringing people into your world.

Bringing people into your world,

right? And connecting them back to why to how you were able to you know scale through can connect it.

Okay. I get it's a round of applause to both of them. You did well. Okay. So not just in web 3 but if you look at the likes of Tesla when you hear the word Tesla what comes to mind.

Okay. Luxury. What is the product?

Somebody said electric vehicles, right? When you hear Tesla, everybody everybody's mind is electric vehicle. Apart from yes, Ellen is you know who he is. But when somebody drives a Tesla, you're like the next thing that comes to your mind is electric vehicles. What is the value that Tesla is bringing?

So in simple terms what um Tesla is doing is creating clean energy. So you may not know but the petrol that we use to fuel our cars is made with crude oil. It's made from crude oil and of course it um it brings carbon dioxide. The use of um petetro takes carbon dioxide to the air. So and it's not good for humanity per say.

So what is the solution? They have decided to do what? Bring up electrical vehicles for clean energy. Now to craft a story that matters first of all you have to make it relatable. Now you have to show why the project solves a real problem in everyday life.

Second of all you have to drive emotion. So people act when they feel something. I don't know if you guys watch reality shows like um for instance BB Niger. Do we all watch I mean we are familiar with BB Niger right?

Yes.

And then you realize that somehow within the house anytime somebody is treated wrongly or poorly somehow somehow the full Nigeria or the full audience now rallies behind the person. Is it something you are very very familiar with? Yes.

Is it something you're very familiar with?

So next is it inspires belonging. So don't just share a message, create a movement. People rally around causes not just products. So for instance, now my next question is Solana. When you hear the when you hear the name Solana, what comes to mind?

Money. We all love money, right? But when you hear the name Solana, what what comes to mind? Anybody? Somebody said Swift transactions, right?

As simple as that. Why would I want to use Solana to I mean, somebody said, "Oh, send me your US um send me your USDT wallet address." And I'm like, "Okay, okay." So, very simple. I wanted to pay for a class and they were like, "Oh, the um payment is in USDT."

And the next question I'm like um next question I asked is can I send through Solana? Why? One swift transaction two fees are very very very low compared to other blockchains. Okay. So how storytelling shaped web 3 like we talked about before.

So Bitcoin story as digital gold and money for the people but of course a hedge against inflation. Then Solana also Solana itself as the Ethereum killer by telling a story of a chain where everything is fast, cheap and scalable. And in quote people call Solana the high performance blockchain. So the next slide says um storytelling blue blueprint for founders because whether you are building something now or not maybe sometime in the future you may build something. So first of all what would you do?

You have to define the core narrative. You have to write down the real problem that you're solving. What is what what what do I want to solve? Then of course you shape your journey as a founder. You have to share your personal experience, your pain points, just make people relate to.

I mean when Solana came when um Solana came into existence, we remember that um sending money using the Ethereum blockchain was what? Very expensive. Very expensive. But then Solana came with what a narrative. What did they sell?

When you use our ecosystem, when you send transactions using our blockchain, what happens? Your transactions go fast, it is cheap and scalable. So next is you have to translate your tech into human language. So no jagon, no technical jagon, just make it in something that people can relate to and understand. Then the fourth one says embed values into every layer.

The fifth one says put the community at the center of your product. And then the six says create shared rituals and symbols. It could be true memes, unique phrase phrases that are unique to you. The seven says tell your growth as a story. So no matter the situation or the points you are in in your project, you have to you know tell your growth as a story.

Make it at every point in time relate with your community or relate yeah your community about what you're building and the phase you are at. Then focus on impact not just features. So you have to ask yourself what's how will this how will people's life be different with our project. Then last but not the least is you have to stay transparent and authentic. Very important in this space.

Almost done. So you would um we all know this guy. What's his name please? I cannot hear you guys. Steve.

Okay. Thank you. So what do we know Steve Jobs as

founder of Apple? Thank you very much. So even as a founder of Apple that's why I say storytelling works both in web three and web two. Even as founder is Apple a web three company. Is Apple a web three company?

But then Steve Job says the most powerful people I mean the most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. The storyteller sets the vision, the value and the agenda of any generation that is to come. So if you're to sell a product, you have to do what? Find a way to make it relatable to your end users, your buyers, your audience. So I think this is like the last slide that talks about u web three projects that try don't just have the best code.

It's not enough to have the best code to be honest. It's not enough to say, "Oh, we're building with R and um what blockchain developers in the house. What what are those languages you guys used to build?" Rust,

CSS, CSS is for web developers now. HTML, CSS, JavaScript. So, web three developers in the house helped my career. No, I'm talking about the programming language. Solidity.

Thank you. Solidity Ros, you know, it's not just about having the best code. You have to be able to tell stories that people can relate to or understand. Because if you don't tell story, your solution would be like mathematics. And if you're like me, I don't like mathematics.

It's not my best subject. I have a professional exam that I'm writing and every time I open it and I'm seeing a calculation, I'm like, not again. Not again. Can I just read and understand and get and get done and get this done? So, so you they have to tell the best stories.

Stories that make people feel like they belong to something. And of course, in this space, attention is currency. Do you agree with me or not? Attention is currency. And storytelling isn't just an add-on.

It's a difference between being remembered and being ignored. And I think this is the last slide. Yeah. So, thank you so much for