DAO Labs was stellar during the last quarter of 2024, being the announcement of ILO the main dish followed by the launch of the ILO MVP website and changes in the company line-up like a new addon to our development team. 

Enter Septian Maulana, new Senior Developer, who was instrumental in planning and delivering the ILO website. He was featured on the Social Miner of the Hour as a true asset for Avalanche Hub who quickly made his name as a good community builder in the Indonesian Social Mining chapter and he’s now part of the company crew.

We had a conversation with him about his Developer Role, vision and current work.

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For those who don't know you yet, please tell us about yourself and your Role on DAO Labs.

Some of you might already know me from the previous AMA hosted here three months ago. For those who don’t, I’m Septian Maulana and currently Senior Developer at DAO Labs, specializing in full-stack development. My work involves building the ILO app and contributing to the development of the Social Mining App v2. I’ve got a strong background in Web2 technologies and my goal is to create user-friendly blockchain applications that are accessible and enjoyable for everyone.

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How do you ensure the security and integrity in a circuit of Social Mining Platforms like ours?

At DAO Labs, we combine the best practices of both Web2 and Web3 security standards, creating a robust and future-ready system. 

First, we adhere to the Best Practices. We strictly follow industry-standard best practices for security, including secure coding guidelines, regular code reviews, and penetration testing to proactively identify and mitigate vulnerabilities.

Also, we comply with our Terms Service and Privacy Policy. All security measures align with the requirements outlined in our app's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. This ensures user data is handled responsibly and complies with legal and regulatory standards.

We stick to a Clean Code Paradigm, keeping it to its simplicity, readability, and scalability. This reduces the risk of introducing bugs or vulnerabilities and ensures the system remains easy to audit and maintain. And last but not least, we use the Latest Technology, including modern encryption techniques, secure frameworks, and timely updates of all dependencies, to protect against evolving threats.

By integrating Web2's proven security frameworks with Web3's decentralized and trustless principles, we ensure that the platform remains secure, trustworthy, and aligned with both current and emerging standards.

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What are some common challenges you face when making developing work?

There are many, but it’s mostly a matter of Time Management. Balancing delivery deadlines while maintaining a healthy work-life balance can be tough, especially in remote work environments where distractions, such as household responsibilities or a lack of structured routine, can impact focus and productivity.

You must learn to deal with Technical Issues. Even when following clean code principles, unexpected challenges like debugging complex issues, handling package versioning conflicts, and ensuring compatibility across different environments can become time-consuming and require deep troubleshooting expertise. Rapid advancements in technology often demand continuous learning. 

Adapting to new frameworks, tools, or languages, and onboarding these into the workflow effectively, can be both mentally taxing and time-intensive, especially when juggling other responsibilities including my position -still transitioning from my old job- in DAO Labs.

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In regards to your background and what you can bring to our platforms, can you discuss a project you have worked on that you're particularly proud of?

It's really hard because I'm proud of every project I’ve worked on, even the simplest and most private ones. Each project has contributed to my growth and development as a better software developer. But if you insist on me to pick, I have 2 favorite projects in mind:

At Industrial Relation Portal App (Astra International) I was Backend Developer, my first full gig,  managing hundreds of thousands (100K++) of data records, processing them simultaneously. This project taught me the importance of designing scalable systems and efficient data handling, significantly enhancing my backend development skills.

And I must say that I’m proud of what we made with the ILO Platform at DAO Labs. We developed three interconnected applications as part of the MVP for the platform in a record time. I’m especially grateful to our COO and CEO, Shuyong Yang and Malte Christensen, who challenged and supported me. Without their encouragement, we wouldn’t have completed the ILO Platform on schedule.

These projects represent significant milestones in my career and reflect my ability to adapt, learn quickly, and thrive under pressure.

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I wonder how you stay updated with the latest trends and advancements in blockchain technology. Care to tell us how you achieve that?

Ah yeah, I try to keep consistent to run follow these four steps for my personal career growth:

1. Daily Reading and Research: I dedicate at least one hour each day to reading trusted resources like Medium, Dev.to, FreeCodeCamp blogs, and other reputable platforms. This helps me stay informed about the latest trends in full-stack development and blockchain advancements.

2. Practical Learning Through Personal Projects: To deepen my understanding, I regularly work on personal projects that integrate the latest technologies. For instance, I developed a social authentication app supporting multiple platform logins. This allowed me to experiment with robust design patterns, which I later adapted for real-world projects, such as the one I worked on at our ILO platform.

3. Leveraging Free Time for Learning: On weekends, when my schedule is free, I invest time in watching content from credible influencers in the tech space. This provides additional insights into emerging technologies and best practices.

4. Taking Online Courses: I also enhance my knowledge by enrolling in courses on platforms like Udemy and other trusted learning resources. These courses allow me to explore best practices and keep my skills sharp.

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Let's switch to the broad part of our Ecosystem: What potential do you see for blockchain technology in industries beyond cryptocurrency? Maybe it would be good if you start with projects in our Daoversian Galaxy.

Blockchain technology holds tremendous potential across a variety of industries beyond cryptocurrency.

Until today I still keep up with Avalanche because I’m an Avalanche Hubber, myself. Avax is strong with the many improvements that have already been created since their mainnet. Like in finance, Avalanche Blockchain is driving innovation through decentralized finance (DeFi) applications such as staking, leveraging, lending, and borrowing. These solutions enhance transparency, security, and accessibility in many institutions of financial services like Visa, JP Morgan and others.

And the next one would be RWA Inc. I am an evangelist of the real world asset tokenization process. It's an open new investment opportunity for all of us.

And maybe it’s worth mentioning DAO Labs itself as the center of the Galaxy. As you may already know, we aim to redefine community participation in blockchain projects. Our Social Mining Platform empowers communities through deeper, more meaningful engagement, enabling unprecedented collaboration and growth like never before!

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Summarizing, then, what advice would you give to someone who wants to start a career in blockchain development?

Well, I have many to share with you, starting with telling them to Reflect on Their Commitment to do the Job. 

Blockchain development is complicated and you need to see if that’s what you want to pursue. It’s a challenging field that requires perseverance and resilience. Based on my experience, I started from zero—transitioning from Web2 to Web3—and it took me four years to reach where I am today.

I’d tell them to be prepared to push their limits, as becoming a proficient developer demands continuous effort and determination. Many aspiring developers give up midway, and only a few stay committed to the journey.

Only then, you create Your Own Roadmap by designing a personalized learning plan that suits your goals and pace. Avoid comparing yourself with others, as everyone has a unique starting point and learning speed. Embrace your individuality and focus on your own progress.

Please, embrace every bug and challenge in your code. After all, they are part of the learning process and they help you grow as a developer. Every problem has a solution, and tackling these challenges will sharpen your skills.

I’d also recommend focusing on One Programming Language. Pick a single programming language and master it. This will help you deeply understand the behavior of applications and become proficient in solving problems. Constantly switching between languages can make you a jack-of-all-trades but a master of none, and if you master one language you can understand the rest.

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And how about some words for the Social Miners in general?

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to Mrs. N. Ipek for always supporting me on my journey to joining DAO Labs. Your encouragement means so much to me. Then, special thanks to the three of you -Malte, Shuyong and Alexis- and the rest of the DAO Labs team for placing your trust in my abilities and for your unwavering support. I am genuinely excited about tackling more challenges with DAO Labs in the future.

And to the DAO Labs community I want to thank you for your time and support and believing in our shared vision of driving a new era for communities through our beloved Social Mining platforms. I’m confident that the v2 platform will reshape blockchain for the Social Mining community like never before!

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Get into Social Mining today! These are our channels for you to follow and become part of our great community:

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🌐 Socials
Telegram  |  Discord  |  X Social  |  Official Blog  |  Reddit  |  Medium  |  YouTube

🌎 More useful Links

Website  |  DAOVERSE  |  Social Mining Basics

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