Salad Spotlight: James Croyle
With Web3 gaining more traction, companies are slowly adopting the use of blockchain technologies. Starbucks is one example; they are…
With Web3 gaining more traction, companies are slowly adopting the use of blockchain technologies. Starbucks is one example; they are currently using an on-chain rewards system for their loyal fans and members.
However, one noticeable trend of this integration is that generally, smaller companies are more open to making the switch — a key point that was discussed in Salad Spotlight #3. This could be due to the fact that there are not many contributors in the space that can fully comprehend the concepts and use cases of both Web2 and Web3.
For James Croyle, our featured guest of today’s edition of Salad Spotlight, he is no stranger to both spaces. He holds a strong position in Web 2.0 as the Senior Partner Development Manager at Microsoft and at the same time, is also a pioneer in Web3 and GameFi as the Guild Master of EFU | Guild of #CalmGrinders. EFU or Elite Friends Unite is a guild that plays blockchain games like Axie Infinity and Pegaxy.
Finding the Right Balance
Web3 technologies have the potential to revolutionize the way we interact online but, building a strong and engaged community is key to their success. James understands this better than most.
His role as the Senior Partner Development Manager is split between working with Web 2.0 technologies and laying the foundation for Microsoft’s endeavors into Web3. In practice, this means potentially helping Web3 projects find GameFi or cloud-based solutions that meet the needs of both Web 2.0 and Web3 consumers.
Although Microsoft seems to steer more towards the conservative end, with little to no mention of them peering into the Web3 scene at the moment, James is looking to change that.
“Microsoft aims to help Web3 projects in a couple of ways. The first is by exploring how we can help build with our existing cloud-based solutions like Azure. The next and possibly more exciting way is figuring out how we can introduce them to our existing gaming platforms like Xbox.”
Pairing Web 2.0 Securities With Web3 Solutions
One of the main challenges in the Web3 space is the cultural and technological divide between Web 2.0 and Web3 professionals. James admits that there’s still a lot that the Web3 community can learn from its Web 2.0 counterparts, especially when it comes to security technology.
Web 2.0 technologies have had a long history and more time to develop their security protocols, making them some of the most advanced in the industry. A hallmark of Web2 security is Privacy.com. The platform allows users to mask their online identity when making payments to reduce the possibility of credit card fraud.
As blockchain technology becomes more widely accepted, it’s important for Web3 projects to catch up on security and hacking prevention in order to protect the interests of their communities.
“I think it’s no secret that there’s been a lot of scams in Web3 lately. Phishing scams clearly being the most popular. And that’s where I feel Web3 is lacking in compared to Web2. They (Web2) have some of the best security technology in the game and we have to develop or build on something similar to protect the Web3 community from scams and threats.”
Community Building is a Two-Way Street
With that being said, James still believes that building a strong community is more than just security measures and safeguards. He believes that education is one other way in which he can further contribute to the Web3 community.
Many people are still unsure as to how they should best utilize Web3 technologies, and that’s where James steps in as the Guild Master of the EFU | Guild of #CalmGrinders. With almost 60 passionate blockchain gamers, James has nurtured this community by getting to know each member personally and teaching them the core mechanics of blockchain games.
By investing time and resources into his guild, James has not only gained tangible rewards like direct profits from his investments, but also intangible benefits like building a community of like-minded individuals.
“I think that building a community is definitely a two-way thing, and that’s something we can clearly see here with Club Salad. You have to give value to receive it. And at Club Salad events, I’ve definitely met people who I felt can help me as much as I’ve helped them. That’s how you build a community, with mutual respect and the mutual goal of growing the community.
What’s Next?
In the previous Salad Spotlight with Marcus “Revenant” Tan, the community was also a key topic of discussion. Marcus asked what metric someone from Web 2.0 would use to determine if a Web3 project was successful, and James’ answer was simple: the project’s community.
“One of the easiest metrics I use would be the success of a project’s community. There are some Web 2.5 platforms out there that most people should be familiar with, like Discord and Twitter, and the first thing that usually catches people’s eyes is how the community interacts on those platforms.”
By seeing how members interact with each other, James gets a good sense of how much they care about the project. Club Salad, he says, is a prime example of an engaged Web3 community.
For the next guest on Salad Spotlight, James wants to know what is the current largest problem in Web3 that wouldn’t be solved in the next 5 to 10 years.
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