At WordCamp Europe 2019, I was invited to share my thoughts on WordPress, blockchain and a 100% open-source future. Giving a keynote on this topic for 2.500 open-source enthusiasts was amazing.
In my opinion, open-source technology is the only way to build an inclusive and free society. Or, as Drupal founder Dries Buytaert states: “I believe Open Source to be the only way to build a pro-privacy, anti-monopoly, open web”.
Keynote From WordPress to Blockchain, The future is 100% open source
What if businesses, planet earth, and the galaxy operated with the friendliness and openness of the WordPress community? We conquered the CMS market, why not take over everything else?
In this 30-minute talk and Q&A, I take you on a journey to a 100% open-source world:
These questions have been asked during the Q&A. The bold numbers refer to the time in the video where the question is being asked and answered:
- 28:27 “What happens if somebody steals your content?”
- 29:14 “Is there a way to prevent people from stealing?”
- 30:03 “What is your take on decentralized WordPress hosting?” “With WordPress and blockchain, we might be able to build and host uncrackable websites, soon!” – @delans on decentralized WordPress hosting
- 31:14 “Which blockchain do you use and why?”
- 32:24 “How can I as a developer get started with blockchain development?”
- 33:05 “What is the environmental impact of the blockchain WordProof uses?”
- 33:58 “How could a Decentralized Autonomous Corporation start? What is the WordProof business model?”
- 34:53 “Is it possible to automate timestamping?”
- 36:17 “What part of the content is part of the timestamp?”
- 36:58 Inclusive funding of Open Source software with a Worker Proposal.
Here you’ll find some of the quotes and sources used:
- Here you’ll find the slides From WordPress to Blockchain, the Future is 100% Open-Source;
- I used a quote by Matt Mullenweg on the ecosystem: “For every dollar that Automattic makes, twenty or twenty-one dollars are made by the other companies in the WordPress ecosystem”. That quote is from this interview (full transcript);
- I used this quote by Brendan Blumer on timestamping with blockchain;
- The presentation and biography at the WordCamp Europe 2019 website;
- I also referred to how social media exploits its users. Here are quotes from Facebook executives on its dopamine-driven feedback loops. And here’s a glimpse of what social media with blockchain would look like; Voice.com.
The day of the keynote, marked a special day for me and the WordProof team, as it was our initial product launch: WordProof Timestamp v1.0.
WordPress & blockchain makes WordProof
Since the start of 2019, I work full-time on WordProof; a tool to timestamp your content within a blockchain. This helps you to prove authenticity, proof existence and thereby protecting your valuable content.
This has great side-effects like copyright protection and possibly future SEO benefits.
Why does timestamping matter? Here are 10 Reasons Why to Timestamp your Content with Blockchain.
The day before my presentation, Matt Mullenweg (founder of WordPress) said on WordProof: “It’s the coolest thing on WordPress and blockchain I’ve seen so far”.
Being an entrepreneur, working full-time in the open-source space for more than 12 years, I see a lot of parallels between WordPress and blockchain.
I actually see WordPress as a prove that blockchain can work. With blockchain technology, we can bring the principles of transparency, openness, and collaboration to the world of finance, and doing business as a whole.
Let’s make 2020-2030 the Decade of Open-Source, together.