Want to get involved in the Ethereum ecosystem? This page will give you some ideas and some resources.
We're going to divide this page into technical, research, and non-technical categories.
Running a node gives the blockchain another copy of the history of the blockchain, making the whole network more secure. If you use Geth to run your node, then you can also attach Swarm, making a Swarm node for decentralized storage.
TODO: link node running articles
As long as Ethereum is still running on a PoW (Proof of Work) algorithm, if you have a GPU lying around, you can also mine. Note that hobby mining (not professionally maintaining mining rigs) is not profitable right now. If you don't have an old computer lying around too, you may need to do some research on how to make sure you don't sacrifice performance on your machine.
See the 'Use' page
Ethereum strives to provide an ecosystem full of interesting projects! Find a project that speaks to you, check the issues, and jump in! See the list of developer tools for help finding projects. For an idea of the general subjects the Ethereum space is working on, taking note of the different Working Groups (or Rings) in the Fellowship of Ethereum Magicians may be helpful.
There are many open community calls in the Ethereum space, and many need note-takers to transcribe their meetings. If you're interested in finding out more, introduce yourself here, and find out more!
Are you someone with a strong background in mathematics, computer science, or a similar field? There are many open research issues that could use your expertise!
The Ethereum Foundation maintains a list of current major research issues here.
If you're interested in seeing what people are researching and discussing, the following forums may be of interest: The Fellowship of Ethereum Magicians ethresear.ch
The Ethereum ecosystem doesn't just need programmers, it needs you! We need lawyers, marketers, content writers, UX experts, economists/game theorists, product managers, accountants, artists, and pretty much everyone else, too.
Many people find the rabbit hole through local meetups. These are limited only by your imagination, but they don't have to be big fancy conferences. Many are pizza in someone's living room once a month. It's a great way to learn more about Ethereum and to make great connections. See some example Ethereum meetups
You may be interested in helping fund a project. There have been a few DAOs that have gotten off the ground to help crowdsource financing important projects in the ecosystem. (Note: the following links should not be considered an approbation or solicitation, and are merely offered as links to known entities, and certainly do not represent financial advice in any way. Do your own research!):
MolochDAO MetaCartel MarketingDAO
Some brief words about what roles different backgrounds might be able to take, and maybe some links to public resources. This is not a job board! If you're interested in a crypto job board, here's a search for you.
Accountant: Crypto in general has some very profound accounting issues, especially around taxes. Startups, public funds, foundations and more all need guidance about how to legally manage their assets.
Artist: Many Ethereum projects are connected to art, in addition many startups will commission work for use on their individual platforms. There is also a robust crypto art scene.
Content Writer: Probably self-explanatory - Ethereum projects need someone who can help communicate the barrel of awesomeness that they're trying to build to save the world with!
Economist/Game Theorist: Cryptocurrencies in general are built on a fascinating intersection of computer science, game theory, and economics. There is a lot of work to be done in economic research, mechanism design, and more! You may want to look at the 'Economics' tag on ethresear.ch (here) as a starting point.
Lawyer: Many crypto startups and foundations are in need of legal advice, especially given the somewhat ambiguous nature of crypto law at this point in time.
Mathematician: Take a look at research issues that may touch on your field using the research section above. Extra points for cryptography!
Marketing: Here's a great video about the need for good marketing and PR in the Ethereum space: link
Product Management: Just because Ethereum is the wave of the future doesn't mean we don't need someone to help us stay focused, get work done, and ship on time! Actually, due to the decentralized nature of the space, we probably need it even more. You may want to check out the Ethereum Cat Herders (see below).
UX/UI: (This is not meant to indicate that UX/UI is a non-technical job.) Ethereum is a young technology leveraging a new way of making transactions. As such, it suffers greatly from a lack of good UX/UI. There is a huge need for UI/UX help, so we're looking for you to help!
The Ethereum Cat Herders (or ECH) are a group of decentralized product managers and coordinators. Part of their work is helping interested parties (like you!) find their place in the wide, wide world of Ethereum. Are you feeling a bit lost? You may want to reach out.
(https://gitter.im/ethereum-cat-herders/internal)
The Cat Herders use their issue tracker to monitor issues across the ecosystem. Take a look, and see if there's something you'd like to jump into!
General Feedback
I think it may make sense to add a blurb to the
ethereum-basicspage which would then link to back to this one.Breaking things down in technical / research / non-technical is a good idea, but I fear that maybe it is too duplicative of the contents in the
https://ethereum.org/developers/page. Perhaps this page should be focused on non-technical initiatives only? I'm not sure, though! We need to think more about how it is part of the rest of the website.Specific section feedback
Run a node
Build a dApp (decentralized application)
Lend a project your talent
Take notes
Research
Non-Technical