AL #76: The World Building Canon
Everything you need to read on building worlds for you & your business.
Crypto companies often pride on being forward thinking about the importance of community, ethos, lifestyle, culture, etc.
However, in practice most crypto start-ups carbon copy the same nostalgic concepts instead of building their own unique worlds for their community to inhabit:
Degen culture which flourished during the 2020 yield farming craze;
“Vibey” real world events and generic street wear swag mimicking the success of Unisocks and other drop based products;
Developer idolizing and “just buidl” pre-LLM ideology.
The crypto community is starving for fresh iterations on culture and so I compiled some resources to help you build it.
World building is still very new and being actively conceptualized so this canon is quite small but this also means you can capitalize on this approach early.
If you think a marketing strategy is just a logo and some content, I'd encourage you to dive in.
Introduction to World Building
World Building by Alex Danco.
Alex Danco’s article introduced me to the concept of world building and remains the simplest explanation of world building and its importance.
why build a world by Kening Zhu
A personal take on world building from the perspective of an internet creative who went all in on world building.
Life After Lifestyle by Toby Shorin
A deeply satisfying essay explaining the consumer shift towards world building.
worldbuilding The Book by Amplify
The agency that uses world building as a core principle produced a book that showcases the impact of world building through the lens of mainstream media and advertising.
What is World Building
World-Building and the Early Internet by Alex Danco and Jim O’Shaughnessy
World building’s hidden role in tech history and why it matters now.
How Scenes Work by Alex Danco and Jim O’Shaughnessy
A world building post before Alex started using the term.
build a world, not an audience by Kening Zhu
A contrast of world building to more traditional social media & content marketing.
world-building vs. content marketing by Kening Zhu
A comparative post contrasting world-building to traditional content marketing.
your website is not a brochure by Kening Zhu
On world building as an evolution of the website.
why world building is wealth building by Kening Zhu
Breaking down the basic world building marketing funnel.
who is digital world-building best for? by Kening Zhu
Kening explores the mindsets that lead to success with world building.
How to Build Worlds
the anatomy of a digital world by Kening Zhu
Making digital worlds tangible.
how to build a world: a cyclical guide by Kening Zhu
A highly tactical loop describing world building using a blog.
making a home on the internet by Kening Zhu
A step by step guide for building a digital world using a blog CMS.
house on the webs studies by Kening Zhu
Visual guides for world building.
infinite creative possibilities for a digital world by Kening Zhu
Kening explores the possible content types in world building.
8 principles for digital world-building by Kening Zhu
Principles and mindsets for building worlds on the internet.
Worldbuilding and Antifragility by Alex Danco
An explanation of antifragility in world building through the lens of Shopify.
Other
Narratives & Pseudosecrets by Michael Dempsey
A brilliant world building post focused on startups.
a manifesto for world-building on the internet by Kening Zhu
Motivational worlds for those seeking to explore world building.
6 visions for your digital world by Kening Zhu
Reasons people build personal digital worlds.
the internet as a creative practice by Kening Zhu
Exploring digital world building as a creative practice.
the process is the way by Kening Zhu
Explaining the importance of process as an adjacent concept.
The best companies build worlds by Sarah Drinkwater
The power of storytelling in world building.
A Brief History & Ethos of the Digital Garden by Maggie Appleton
Digital gardening deserves a mention here.