I have 2 and a half years inside the Zcash community, and I have met and shared virtually and in person with a lot of people, from Venezuela, Latin America and the world.
I have 4 years inside the blockchain ecosystem, and I have met another great and varied amount of people, from many nationalities and projects, it's amazing!
And I have 14 years doing Community Building, creating my own communities, moderating others, and I have always, ALWAYS, seen the same pattern of human behavior: people come and go.
Yes, people come and go, there are people who stay in the projects, in the communities, for a long time; but there are other people who are just passing through, who are there just watching, observing, analyzing, waiting, or just hanging around... the reasons can be multiple.
And it is an interesting phenomenon, because, this is what gives rise to my reflection: What is an active member of a community?
Complicated and nuanced answer. Always, it depends.
In 2023 I wrote a post for the Zcash en Español website, where I mention the things a true Zcasher should do.
And in Zcast, also in 2023, we recorded an episode where we talked about the topic: What is an active Zcasher?
Take a look at the post and video, because they are enlightening.
And I say they are enlightening, because even if they seem silly, elementary and even obvious recommendations, there are many people in the communities that overlook them.
In the communities there is everything: There are trolls. There are very active people, always connected and ready to help and share with others. There are “Halley's Comet” people, who appear on rare and punctual occasions. There are interested people, who only appear if there are gifts or bounties. There are people looking to “appear in the photo”, and there are people who are not looking for fame, mention or any distinction: they just want to contribute, to collaborate without expecting anything in return. There are also people with a big ego, and others who are very sensitive, who feel they are the center of the universe and who complain about everything...
It is really difficult to live in communities... isn't it?
Which of them is the best? Which is the worst?
I don't know. You, dear reader, draw your own conclusions. Regardless of the type of user you are in the communities or projects you are in, you have to agree with me that it is IMPOSSIBLE to please them all. There are as many ideas, opinions and beliefs in the communities as there are stars in the universe, and it really is a titanic task for any moderator/organizer to take them all into account.
It's like when a mother wolf has cubs. They suckle greedily and fight among themselves, and there will always be some that stand out more than others, that are heard more, that make more noise, or that eat more; and those will be precisely the ones that will always be ready and will be more taken into account by their mother.
The she-wolf is not a fortune teller. If the she-wolf feels that one of the cubs does not react, does not move, does nothing, she simply moves on with the rest of the cubs that survived and show signs of life.
That's life, that's the world, and that's communities.
I know this is very hard, but it is unfortunate that there are still people who do not accept this, and pretend to be taken into account just because.
In the world something called MERITOCRACY has been lost, and many people of the new generations (and not so new) sometimes pretend to be taken into account, to give their opinion and even to lead, when they are not active or recognized in the spaces where they “make life”.
Hey! “Making life” is precisely that: giving signs of life!
I believe that the more communicative, humble and collaborative people (without expecting anything in return) there are in the communities, the better the coexistence in them will be.
The good news is that communities are self-purifying, and these people, perhaps because they are tired, or because they realize that they do not have enough credibility to be taken seriously, end up leaving on their own.