If you’re like me, you’ve probably heard the words “Web3” and “crypto” a million times. It sounds interesting, maybe even like one of those new freelance Web3 opportunities, but it also feels incredibly complicated. Where do you even begin? Do you need to be a coding genius? Do you have to spend a lot of money to get started?
For a long time, those questions kept me away. But recently, I stumbled upon a way to learn the basics of how to start in Web3 that doesn’t cost a single peso. In fact, if you’re lucky, you might even get paid for it. I’m talking about testing new projects, and the one I’m focused on right now is called Monad.
I want to share my journey with you because I think this is the perfect first project for any Filipino freelancer who is curious about Web3 but doesn’t know where to start, especially with all the talk about Filipino freelancer crypto payments.
First, The Big, Important Disclaimer
Let’s get this out of the way immediately. The “payment” I’m talking about is a potential free crypto airdrop. An airdrop is when a new project gives away its own crypto tokens for free to early supporters and testers as a “thank you.” However, airdrops are never, ever 100% guaranteed. A project can choose to not do one at all. So, please think of this as a free way to learn, with a lottery ticket for a potential bonus attached. Don’t spend any real money on this. The whole point is to learn for free.
Okay, So What is Monad and How Does This Work?
In simple terms, Monad is a brand new blockchain, kind of like a new, super-fast highway for crypto applications. Before they open this highway to the public with real money, they need people to test it out to make sure there are no problems. This is called a “testnet.”
On this testnet, everything is free. They give you “play money” to use. Our job as testers is to just use their new highway. We “drive” on it by doing simple tasks like swapping one type of play money for another, or using an application built on their system. By doing this, we are helping them find bugs and see how the system performs. In return for our help, the Monad team *might* reward us with an airdrop of their real tokens when they officially launch.
Your Simple Monad Airdrop Guide: How to Start in Web3
This is where you’ll learn the fundamental skills of Web3. It might seem a bit technical at first, but this is a perfect testnet airdrop for beginners because the steps are very simple. After you do it once, it becomes easy.
Step 1: Get a Crypto Wallet. This is like your bank account for the Web3 world. The most common one is MetaMask. Go to the official MetaMask website and install the browser extension. Follow the steps to create a new wallet. IMPORTANT: Write down your “Secret Recovery Phrase” on a piece of paper and hide it somewhere safe. Never share it with anyone and never store it on your computer.
Step 2: Add the Monad Testnet to Your Wallet. Your wallet can connect to different blockchains. We need to tell it how to connect to Monad. In MetaMask, go to network settings and add a new network with the details you can find online by searching “add Monad testnet to MetaMask.”
Step 3: Get Your Free “Play Money.” You need some test tokens to play with. Go to the official Monad testnet website and look for the “faucet.” A faucet is just a website that gives you free testnet tokens. You’ll copy your wallet address from MetaMask, paste it into the faucet, and they will send you some play money.
Step 4: Start “Playing” and Testing. This is the fun part. The Monad testnet website will have links to different applications (they call them dApps) that you can try. Find one that lets you “swap” tokens. Try swapping a little bit of your play money for another kind of token. You can also try to “mint” a free NFT if you see the option. Just by doing one or two of these transactions, you have officially used the network. You’ve taken your first step into Web3.
Why This is a Perfect First Project
Following this simple Monad airdrop guide taught me more than any article I ever read. I learned how to use a wallet, how to make a transaction, and how to interact with a dApp. These are the basic skills you need for any of the growing freelance Web3 opportunities out there. It cost me nothing but a little bit of my time, and I now understand how this whole world works a little better.
And who knows? Maybe in a few months, we’ll both get a nice little airdrop as a reward for our curiosity. But even if we don’t, the knowledge we gain is a reward in itself. Welcome to Web3.