A Step-by-Step Guide to Get Started with Mirror, the First Decentralized Writing Platform

World’s first decentralized writing platform Mirror is now open to anyone with an Ethereum wallet.

Before the recent update, writers had to compete for access to the platform in weekly WRITE races.

The Web 3.0 platform Mirror works on a decentralized and user-owned network. It runs on the cryptocurrency Ethereum.

Now you’re free to join the Mirror platform if you want. The problem is that Mirror is a new platform. It is still developing. At this point, the platform is only intuitive for computer geeks.

I thought I would wait until I learned to understand the NFTs better before creating a Mirror account. Well, of course, I did not wait.

I’m not a computer nerd, and I find the Mirror platform very confusing. There is no navigation on the homepage. Somehow, you’re supposed to figure out that you have to go to the dashboard page to connect your wallet.

Even though you no longer need to participate in the WRITE races to enter Mirror, the races are still running. I accidentally entered the WRITE race when I tried to sign up for the platform.

On the dashboard, you can find a guide on how to use Mirror. The guide teaches you how to use the editor and the monetization methods on Mirror. Reading the guide still left me with many unanswered questions. Mirror prompts you to ask the unanswered questions in their Discord community.

There is no guide on Mirror about how to join Mirror. I haven’t found such a guide anywhere online. So, I thought I might as well write one. This step-by-step guide will teach you the exact steps you need to take to join Mirror.

1. Create an Ethereum Wallet

Before you can join Mirror, you need to get an Ethereum wallet. Currently, there are three apps you can use to connect your Ethreum wallet to Mirror: MetaMask, WalletConnect, and Coinbase Wallet. I chose the MetaMask wallet.

MetaMask itself is an Ethereum wallet. Coinbase Wallet is also a crypto wallet. WalletConnect is not a wallet. It is an open-source tool that allows you to connect your mobile wallet to decentralized web apps, such as Mirror. WalletConnect works with 75 leading crypto wallets.

If you have previous experience with crypto wallets, you already know how the 12-word secret phrase works. If not, take a moment to learn about essential crypto wallet security tips.

You don’t need to have any money in your wallet, by the way. Your wallet can be empty, and you can still connect it to Mirror.

2. Connect Your Wallet to Mirror

When you have your Ethereum wallet ready, go to the dashboard page on Mirror. Click on the connect wallet button in the upper right corner of the page.

Click on your wallet of choice on the list.

3. Create a Display Name and Upload a Profile Image

When you have connected your wallet to Mirror, you get to update your display name. You can also upload a profile image.

That’s it. The signup experience is different from Web 2.0 platforms. Mirror doesn’t ask for your real name, address, home country, date of birth, or even your e-mail address. You can give your e-mail address if you want to receive notifications from Mirror. But you don’t have to.

That’s Web 3.0. Your data and identity belong to you, not to a billionaire who sells your data to buy a new mansion.

When you log in to your account the next time, Mirror prompts you to create signing keys. With the signing keys, you can post data without having to sign every action with your wallet.

Congratulations, now you have a Mirror account.

Now you can create entries, editions, crowdfunds, auctions, splits, and token races.

I haven’t created anything on Mirror yet, because, well, I don’t know how! Maybe I’ll write a tutorial on how to create content on Mirror later. It can take a while until I learn how to use it, though.

Or maybe some computer/crypto genius writes a tutorial first. A hint for all computer geeks out there: When you write a beginner’s guide, write a beginner’s guide. Even if something is obvious to you, it is not self-explanatory to a non-tech-savvy person.

Creating content on Mirror is still beyond my non-IT-oriented brain.