GM fellow Arweaver!
From mining and writing to developing and archiving, there are plenty of ways to engage with Arweave and its community. Whatever it is that draws you to permanent data, you’re bound to find some like-minded individuals, too.
Let's get into it.
Choose your Arweave role 🧑🎨👷🧑🔬🧑🔧🕵️
Data is the backbone of modern society, meaning there are many different use cases for a permanent storage system like Arweave.
Today, we’re exploring some of the archetypes that are drawn to the notion of permanent data. We’ll also be providing links and resources for the roles that resonate most with you.
First up, the deep thinkers.
The philosopher
It takes a special kind of mindset to think in terms of centuries. Arweave naturally appeals to these kinds of philosophers.
Sam Williams, Arweave’s inventor, is a perfect example. His vision for a censorship-resistant platform built to last over 200 years, without intervention, is a testament to ambitious long-term thinking.
If you want to read some meaningful philosophy that’s permanently etched into the blockweave, check out the core principles of the Arweave network.
For something more hands-on and practical, WoFi lets you timestamp your ideas, and even includes a 10% revenue share for derivative works using Arweave’s Universal Data License.
The builder
From Arweave’s core protocol to user-facing apps and the many projects securing their data onchain, the permaweb appeals to a wide range of developers and founders in search of stability.
The Arweave ecosystem is known for its friendly community and welcoming approach to newcomers. Whether you’re deep in the permaweb or you’re just starting out, the Arweave GitHub and Arweave Developer Discord are two great places to get straight answers and collaborate with like-minded builders.
You can also find plenty of quick-start guides and step-by-step tutorials in the Permaweb Cookbook.
The archivist
A transparent and permanent data storage platform is a powerful tool for historians, journalists, and researchers alike. As the risks from deepfakes, AI hallucinations, and targeted misinformation continue to rise, the need for an archival system like Arweave’s has never been more timely.
Arweave is coming up on 8 years old soon, and there have been several high-profile mentions of its utility in this time, including Senator Toomey’s reference regarding the freedom of the press.
Perhaps the most inspiring archival efforts are the ones that are community-driven. You can explore examples of community archives in the NeedsArNS archive.
The creator
Arweave became a household name for digital art collectors during the hype of the 2021 NFT Summer, and its appeal to creative types hasn't faded since.
Alongside visual art, the permaweb serves audiophiles just as well. Our recent issue on the sound of the permaweb lists plenty of resources for musicians and music lovers.
For the wordsmiths among you, Arweave is used to timestamp and archive content on popular sites like HackerNoon and Paragraph.
The miner
Every network needs its guardians, and on Arweave, that role belongs to the miners who keep the data alive. Miners collectively form the technical backbone of the permaweb, storing data across a distributed network so that no single point of failure can wipe out what's been committed to the weave.
If you’re a technical type and want to support Arweave’s mission, the Arweave mining Discord is a great place to start.
The onboarder
Arweave doesn’t exist in isolation. In fact, it’s increasingly being used to provide permanent storage for other projects and crypto ecosystems.
Onboard Arweave has been doing exactly what the name suggests, making it easy for projects to plug into the permaweb.
Meanwhile, prolific permaweb teams like Community Labs and ar.io have been doing solid outreach work recently on Base and Solana, respectively.
The permaweb continues to grow thanks to initiatives like these.
Which role describes you?
There are many different ways to engage with the permaweb; today we’ve shown just a few.
But we’re curious to know which role resonates most with you? Or is there another specific reason why permanence appeals to you?
Let us know, we’d love to hear all about it.
ICYMI 👀
Here’s a quick snapshot of what’s been unfolding across Arweave and AO.
- Hyperscaling without silos
- New NASA-optimized Arweave build
- The decentralized bundler network is coming
This week's community feature 🧑💻
If you’re interested in running a HyperBEAM node but don’t know where to start, Jonny Ringo’s got your back in this step-by-step guide.
Tag along with Jonny in this video tutorial to get your node up and running in as little as 9 minutes.
Thanks for reading!
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Follow us on X at @onlyarweave to stay updated on all things Arweave. Want to dive deeper into AO? Check out @aoComputerClub.
The Longview Team
This is not investment advice. No profit guarantees. If in the U.S., ensure compliance with U.S. laws and seek professional advice.