Today marks 2-weeks since the initial launch. Some structure is beginning to emerge and we should make sure to document it. After all, writing is sensemaking.

Folklore has three primary gathering spaces as of today: The Drip, The Forum, and The Journal. Together, they form a larger, single space of exploration and connection. It’s important to note that this space is not for marketing. There will be no KPIs or OKRs.

Instead, we can imagine the Folklore space as an extended dinner conversation. We will feast on excellent content, explore new theories, and nurture opportunities to craft, decorate and garden.

In this post we will talk through this space and how you can best participate today. This planning template should also help others building their own community spaces. If you find this guide useful, make sure to collect it. Want to join Folklore? Head over to our launch announcement here.

The way we gather matters

Each part of Folklore has slightly different purposes. Together, they serve to support the process of deep reading (as our member Gokhan astutely described). Calm observation and thoughtful interaction is what we’re trying to build.

It’s still not clear how the experience will evolve over time, but below you can find a description of the space today, the rituals, and recommendations for participation.

Spaces* aren't about getting a clear goal accomplished. A space is a place for non-goal directed, exploratory activity. Like jazz jam sessions, art studios, or conversations with friends… What do I mean by non-goal directed activity? In spaces, instead of looking for actions that advance a goal, we follow paths of attention that lead somewhere interesting… You combine these paths of attention like a painter combines colors, to uncover possibilities.*

-- Value-Based Social Design, Scale and Space Decay

The Drip

• Purpose: A gentle stream of inspiration.

• Audience: Public.

• Ritual: The Drip is a ritual of curation. It includes high-quality content that stimulates imagination, conversation, and curiosity.

• Technology: It is built on Telegram today as a broadcast feed.

• Participation: React to each article using emojis. Token holders can also comment in The Forum.

• Outcome: Articles with the most reactions (and comments) will be included in The Journal (this Mirror Blog)

Our commitment: “We will focus calmly on quality content”

The Forum

• Purpose: A welcoming, honest, supportive conversation.

• Audience: Private. (token-gated)

• Ritual: The Forum is a ritual of connection, with each other and with the content itself. A place to learn more, share more, and inquire more.

• Technology: It is built on Telegram today as a group chat.

• Participation: The Forum is intended to be a conversation, not a chat. Use fewer, longer messages and responses. It is asynchronous and responses should not be expected immediately. Take time to reflect and share the reflection with others.

• Outcome: Additional resources (e.g. related links) and selected comments will be shared in The Journal. Any quotes should not be shared publicly without consent of the author.

Our commitment: “We will share and listen generously and humbly”

The Journal

• Purpose: An open invitation to support Folklore.

• Audience: Public.

• Ritual: The Journal is a ritual of reflection. The process of reflection invites others to contribute and participate in the community.

• Technology: It is built on Mirror today as a blog.

• Participation: The Journal is composed of collectable entries, which will be used to gather funds. Entries can be one of three types: An operational update (like this one), a community-written essay, or a commissioned essay.

• Outcome: The funds collected through the readership and community are used to fund charity work and commission new writing.

Our commitment: “We will create worthwhile content together”

Other Operational Updates

• Updated Membership Writing NFT funds recipient to treasury address: 0x22fDECaA6cD937FDB989614B6c879261F0104ADb

• Sent free Membership Writing NFT to 0x53c3f34eDBB06eDaC0c42006D3db15936B6d146f per email request to join community.

• Updated Membership Writing NFT Royalty info to 15% (1500 BPS)

All earnings from collection of this post will be split 50-50 between the non-profit I support (Obras del País) and Folklore’s community treasury. Treasury funds will be fully utilized to commission new essays related to our new digital realms.