I have been in Web3 for a long time, doing translation, business development, and contributing to DAOs. However, I still feel like I only have a superficial understanding of this field. One thing I have been exploring is how to do investment research and improve my own knowledge. At first, I tried to find answers in some DAO research guilds, but their articles were filled with explanations of economic models, mathematical formulas, and financial terms that I couldn't understand, which discouraged beginners like me who didn't have the necessary knowledge. Until one day, when I was searching for how to read whitepapers, I found an excellent resource. The YouTuber's ID is Vic TALK, and his video series "Hardcore Beginner's Guide: How to Enter the Web3 Industry Correctly and Quickly" provides a detailed introduction to everything a beginner researcher needs to become an expert in the field. This article is written for myself and for other struggling beginners in the Web3 learning journey.
1. Cast a Wide Net and Establish Areas of Interest
When we are still beginners without a specific focus, we can prioritize studying the top protocols in each field. Taking DeFi as an example, we can use the rankings on Defi Lama TVL to find projects, and then write a review of each project in no more than 500 words, including the following:
- Technical details
- Product logic
- Solutions
- Advantages and disadvantages
- How they solve specific problems
The YouTuber has already compiled a list for research:
- Defi Series - In-depth Analysis of Entry-level Decentralized Exchanges (Uniswap & Sushiswap)
- Defi Series - Multi-dimensional Development and Algorithmic Stablecoins in the Lending Track (Aave, Compound, Spell)
- Defi Series - The Money Printer of Defi (Curve, Convex)
- Defi Series - Liquidity Management Solutions (Tokemak, Ohm)
- Gamefi Series - Development History and Leading Projects in Gamefi (Axie, Star Atlas)
- Gamefi Series - Metaverse in Gamefi (Sand, Mana, Neos)
- NFT Series - What's the Value of NFTs? (Punk, BAYC, Azuki, Otherside Land, Ape)
- DAO Track Series - What is a DAO? Current Development of DAOs in Web3.0 (Ant, BitDAO)
- Infrastructure Series - Cross-chain (Layer0, Anyswap)
- Infrastructure Series - Blockchain Storage (Filecoin, Arweave)
- Infrastructure Series - Layer 2 Protocols (Optimism, Arbitrum, Polygon)
- Socialfi Series - The Value of Socialfi? Why Do We Need Web3 Social? (ENS)
- Socialfi Series - Current Development of Socialfi (Lens, CyberConnect, 5degrees)
- Infrastructure Series - Traffic Entry to the Web3.0 World (Galaxy, Rabbit Hole)
- NFT Trading Platforms (Opensea, LooksRare, x2y2)
- NFT Lending Platforms (BendDAO, Jpeg, NFTX, NFTFI, FLOORDAO)
2. In-depth Research Analysis
After the exploration mentioned above, you will have a general understanding of the entire Web3 ecosystem. At this point, your knowledge should surpass that of 70% of users in the industry (according to the YouTuber, considering it as a milestone is not a bad idea). By now, you should have a specific area of interest, and you can choose five projects in that area to conduct in-depth analysis.
Sources of information can be obtained through:
- In-depth reading of whitepapers
- Official website information
- Articles on Medium
- Top tweets on Twitter
Goals that can be achieved include (but are not limited to):
- Being able to judge the strengths and weaknesses of each project's solutions
- Understanding the relationships between projects (e.g., differences, complementarity)
- Being able to explain why certain protocols have not addressed their weaknesses
3. How to Demonstrate Your Knowledge to the Outside World
Becoming a YouTuber or writing long-form tweets are ways to demonstrate your knowledge to the outside world. When it comes to relevant work, the number of followers on social media, the activity of your own community, and the number of likes, comments, and saves on Twitter are all tangible indicators.
If you choose to write long-form tweets, it is recommended to cover the following three aspects:
- What is the project?
- What problem does the project solve?
- What are the pros and cons of the project?
4. Some YouTubers Recommended by the YouTuber
Vic TALK
mrblock 區塊先生
钻石手 DiamondHands
All For Research
Metamania