Everyone’s favorite joke-turned-real cryptocurrency is having its birthday very soon. That’s right, Dogecoin will turn 4 on Wednesday. Readers will know I have a soft spot for this cryptocurrency, particularly because of its community. Let’s take a brief look at Dogecoin’s four-year history.
In the beginning. Wow.
Dogecoin’s genesis block was mined on December 6th, 2013, which you can see here. It was originally a joke created by Jackson Palmer and Billy Markus based on the code from LuckyCoin. The coin’s face was the goofy Doge meme that was popular at the time. Even its block rewards were incredibly outrageous. Indeed, every aspect of this coin screamed “this is a joke!” However, while it may have started out as such, this Doge has some bite.
From Joke to Thriving Community
Perhaps it was this lighthearted nature that made Dogecoin as successful as it’s become. It’s been competing with the “big boys” of cryptocurrency and has held its own. Even today it is among the top 50 cryptos. High prices attract the attention of many, but stellar communities are what keep people coming back. This is something that Dogecoin figured out a long time ago.
Enthusiasts leveraged their community to get some very impressive things done in their time, and the Dogecoin community quickly became synonymous with philanthropic deeds. They raised enough funds to send a Jamaican bobsled team to the Sochi Olympics. The community donated funds for the Doge4Water campaign aimed at making potable water more accessible to underprivileged communities in Kenya’s Tana River Basin. And perhaps most famously, they bought a sponsorship for Josh Wise’s number 98 NASCAR vehicle, sending a likeness of Doge – the Shiba Inu meme – whizzing around the Talladega Superspeedway.
They did all of this while maintaining an active and friendly online presence which is still around today. Community members tip each other online for whatever reason they desire and are incredibly friendly to newcomers and veterans alike.
Even after the aforementioned philanthropic endeavors, the community is still at it. There are a few active projects worth knowing about. Dogecoin Socks for the Homeless is still going strong and taking donations. This project gives socks to homeless individuals to raise awareness about homelessness. They chose socks because these are severely under-donated items. Read more about this project here.
It’s a Party
The community also plans on celebrating the 4th birthday of Dogecoin on its subreddit. There don’t seem to be too many concrete plans, but it should be fun nonetheless. Whether you’re new to Dogecoin or an old shibe, you may want to stop by and check in. The community is friendly and engaged, and always willing to say hi.
