BuidlGuidl

BuidlGuidl

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8 min read

TL;DR: If you are a web2 developer looking to get into web3:

  1. Learn Solidity and play around with Scaffold-ETH
  2. Speed Run Ethereum, a set of challenges for building projects on Ethereum
  3. Come & join BuidlGuidl to build tools together with a group of builders and earn ETH for your work ๐Ÿฐ

One of the most important parts of web3 is the community aspect. There's a lot to learn, build and brainstorm together. That's what these groups enable.

In this post, I want to talk about getting started building in web3 and BuidlGuidl, a community of web3 builders. This post is for web2 developers looking to break in or web3 developers that want to experiment and build new tools in web3.

We're not going to get into the details of getting into web3. However, if you're new to web3, I'd suggest checking out my post over here.


Introduction

Scaffold-ETH

A few weeks back, I wrote about Scaffold-ETH, a Decentralized Application (dApp) building toolset by Austin Griffith. It's a starter toolkit to build applications on Ethereum. Check out my post over here to learn more.

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Scaffold-ETH is a good place to start learning about web3 and getting hands-on with Solidity. After you've got the basics, it's time to take on some challenges and build applications.

You can only do so much with Hello World & building on localhost, so it's important to get products out there and go beyond the basic smart contracts. This is especially key if you're looking for a job as a developer in the web3 ecosystem.

That's where SpeedRunEthereum comes in.

Speed Run Ethereum

SpeedRunEthereum is a set of challenges for developers to get building with Ethereum. It's not only about learning the syntax but also understanding what's possible with Ethereum.

You'll learn what Ethereum is good at and what it can be used for. There are a lot of "aha moments" with the challenges, and you can only learn them when you're hands-on.

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It's also a great way to build your web3 portfolio. You'll be writing code and deploying your smart contracts. There are challenges such as creating a Multisig, Token Vendor and SVG NFT collection.

Once you sign up to SpeedRunEthereum with your wallet, you'll have a builder profile to which you can submit your projects to.

๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ’ป I completed all the challenges and took notes on the GitHub repo.

BuidlGuidl

Once you've completed SpeedRunEthereum, it can be challenging to come up with your own projects; at least, that's how I felt. Should you build a wallet, create a multisig, or make a blockchain-based game, and once you do, where to even deploy it? While you're thinking about all these, you also need to stay up to date with the technology and new projects coming out.

Another crucial question is how to earn money? You could be spending a lot of time, and it's important to be rewarded for your work. There needs to be economic incentives allowing you to build and earn at the same time.

Well, that's exactly where BuidlGuidl comes in.

What's BuidlGuidl?

BuidlGuidl is a group of builders that build tools with Scaffold-ETH, meet and learn together, and get funded for contributing. The goal is to empower builders for creating resources for the Ethereum ecosystem. ๐ŸŒŸ

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After building forkable Scaffold-ETH components, submitting them to your builder profile, and being active in the BuidlGuidl Telegram groups, you can get the opportunity to join BuidlGuidl.

Once accepted, you'll be part of the community where you can learn, ask questions, show off your projects, and earn ETH for your work.

To break it down, here's what we do at BuidlGuidl:

  • Build tools & content with Scaffold-ETH
  • Have social calls internally & with other people in the ecosystem
  • Get incentivized for our contributions

Build Tools & Content with Scaffold-ETH

It's all about building forkable components with Scaffold-ETH. You can make a new voting system component, work on the open issues, make a new challenge for SpeedRunEthereum, etc. Just make sure to have a well written README so that anyone can easily set it up.

Composability is a core principle of web3/crypto. It's not about building out-of-the shelf applications but instead components that can be used by anyone. With these generic components, anyone can fork the repository and utilize them.

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Essentially you have the flexibility to choose the projects that you want to work on. There isn't a specific job description or app to complete; it's really up to your interest and creativity. Basically, you can build new, fun tools with a good README so other builders can come in and use the pieces.

For example, if you're interested in Ceramic, you can integrate Ceramic and Scaffold-ETH; if you want to work on a new SVG NFT game, you can do that etc.

Social Calls

One thing I've found particularly hard is coming up with ideas on what to build. What's missing in the ecosystem, and how can I get some burning questions answered? At BuidlGuidl, we have social calls, which helps out with this.

If you don't already have a project in mind, you can get inspired by conversations in the group. You'll get the advice of builders from the ecosystem and mentorship opportunities, but the decision is ultimately up to you.

After you've built something, it's important to share it and get others to try it out. The earlier you do this, the faster you can iterate. When you're regularly sharing and getting feedback, it lets you tweak your work as you're building it. We do this at BuidlGuidl on Bow Tie Fridays (BTF). We have a call to share the projects we're working on; you can find the recordings on YouTube.

Besides BTF, there are internal calls and calls with other builders in the ecosystem to virtually get together.

Earn ETH for your Contributions

Builders have a stream of ETH. This is a smart contract that the builder can withdraw ETH after submitting their work.

All the builder profiles are public, so anyone can see the work you've been doing and how you've priced it.

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Above you can see my profile. You can see my builds and status on what I'm currently working on.

After I've done some work and want to withdraw some ETH, I'm asked to state the reason & provide relative links. As the builder, I'm valuing my own work, which can feel weird at first, but I've never had such freedom anywhere else.

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It's a trust-based system with full transparency, making it possible to understand how others value their work and act according to the group.

Resources

Many different projects are being built in BuidlGuidl, from SpeedRunEthereum to Conviction Voting. Here are some resources to follow along:


From NFT collection to BoardGame: Loogies

One of the best ways to show how BuidlGuidl works is by giving an example. So I want to talk about how a project went from an NFT collection to a full-blown board game.

Loogies are an NFT collection by Austin that's part of the SpeedRunEthereum curriculum; here's how the project was extended with builders in BuidlGuidl. ๐Ÿ‘‡

  1. Austin created the loogies on mainnet; these fun/weird characters that are part of SpeedRunEthereum challenges.

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    Here's an explainer of the Loogies smart contract. We're not going to get too technical, but just a few details on the smart contract: the Loogies are SVG NFTs with a random colour and a random chubbiness.

  2. Damu, a member of the BuidlGuidl, created Optimistic Loogies.

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    Given the high prices on mainnet, Damu launched the Loogies on Optimism, an optimistic rollup chain that's fast, secure, and low-cost. These Loogies also smile ๐Ÿ™‚ There's a price curve to mint the NFTs and a limited supply. You can find the link to the smart contract on the builder profile.

  3. Next, Damu created Fancy Loogies. These are Loogies with NFTs accessories.

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    The Project allows you to upgrade the Loogie to a Fancy Loogie. For example, you can mint a Bow Tie and add it to your Loogie. It's an NFT that receives an NFT.

  4. Blockdev created Loogie Tank. It's an app where you can have your Loogies swim inside the tanks.

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    You can mint a Tank that's an NFT and then send your Loogie to the tank. Your Loogie then gets a speed and starts swimming in the tank. The tank is essentially an NFT that holds NFTs. It's on the Optimism Network. I'd highly suggest watching the Bow Tie Friday here.

  5. Then Damu created a new app which allows mainnet Loogie owners to claim Optimistic Loogies.

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  6. With blockchain games on the rise, Damu created SailorLoogies, a game around the fancy loogies where the fancy loogies go fishing.

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    You can mint a Loogie Ship and send your Loogies to the ship. The game introduces the LoogieCoin, that's an ERC20 token. You can go fishing with your ship and win rewards. Different game elements are involved, and you can read more on the app.

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  7. For an event in ETH-Amsterdam, Andrej and Austin created a Chainlink VRF BoardGame.

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  8. Damu's new Project is a LoogieBoard Game!

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    It's forked from the Amsterdam Game, with some changes to the Game Contract that adds the Loogie components. You can register your FancyLoogie to play. The LoogieCoins are used in the game alongside a Loogie Health Score.

๐Ÿ˜‰ Oh, and the Loogie Shirts.

This is a cool way to see what happens when you build in public with composable pieces and get inspired by each other. ๐Ÿช„


If these projects are interesting, you should consider joining BuidlGuidl. Start on Speed Run Etherum and submit your work to your Builder profile. Anyone building with Scaffold-ETH is welcome!

Goes without saying a special thank you to Austin & BuidlGuidl; and many thanks to Spender for the feedback on the post! ๐Ÿฐโœจ

If you have any questions or comments, drop them below or reach out to me from Twitter. See you at the next one! ๐Ÿ‘‹

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