Dogecoin co-founder Billy Markus has written an open letter to the community. Enjoy.

Dear Community,

This currency is only 2 months old, and already an amazing amount of things have happened. Right now we are coming off the most exciting times in Dogecoin’s short history, and what I personally think is the most wonderful thing we have done, which is help fund the Doge4Kids charity. There is absolutely no way I could have foreseen any of this happening when I threw together the client code for this coin on a late Friday night. Amazing kudos to /u/ummjackson , /u/Laika1954 , /u/NeutralityMentality , , /u/mohland , and countless others for putting so much work and energy into making things happen and getting us to where we are.

The reason I am making this post is because this is such a high time in the community, and I have no way of knowing how transient this all may be. I’m a lifelong gamer – I’ve seen communities rise and fall around all sorts of games as the novelty wore off. My first 2 months playing World of Warcraft was the absolute best gaming experience of my life, and even outside of the game that people poured their time into it – people were making beautiful art, funny comics, hilarious and entertaining videos in abundance, the community was excited at everything…and I watched that community slowly change to one of complaining and obsession, gear scores and egos, and completely lose track of why the game was enjoyable in the first place. The first year of Starcraft II was so full of optimism and excitement, and as time wore on the community has moved toward drama and stagnation (though it seems to be on an upswing now!). It’s happened in most communities, but not all communities. It’s organic for communities to rise and create massive excitement at times, and go through lulls other times. But if it’s worthwhile, people will continue to work to make it great.

There are two things I wish for. One is I would like everyone to remember this moment . Remember when the popularity of Dogecoin was rising so incredibly quickly, when the community banded together to help send the Jamaican bobsled team to the Olympics, when 300+ people came together in New York to celebrate the coin, when people made 75 amazing videos for a video contest with awesome songs and great animations, when the community funded service dogs to help children in need. No matter how transient it all is, my hope is that Dogecoin will always be remembered fondly.

The second thing is I want everyone to know how important they are to the community. Cryptocurrency is incredibly volatile and changes happen incredibly quickly – I’ve only been with it for 8 months, and I’ve already seen countless massive swings that can trigger all sorts of emotions. This is why it’s incredibly important to me that the community can maintain the levity, fun, and good nature which is what makes Dogecoin worthwhile in the first place.

The moment that people stop trying to participate in making positive things happen and start complaining that others need to do things for them is the moment a community starts to get sick . When no one is trying to make things happen and everyone is complaining that others do those things for them, that is when a community dies. Let’s not let that happen.

Dogecoin is meant to be a fun cryptocurrency, one that encourages people to tip and to learn and teach this technology. It also, like every cryptocurrency, can have a maddeningly capricious nature. The novelty will not last forever, but if you want the community to last, that is where you come in. Stay positive. Keep doing awesome things. Lead by example. No matter what happens, never lose sight of the things that make Dogecoin worthwhile for you.

So enjoy this moment. Remember it, and cherish it. You made this happen. Keep it up.

Thank you all for being a part of this magnificent community,

Billy Markus