A vision for the BlockDam DAO!
In this manifesto I shall share my vision for the recently established BlockDam DAO. You should realise however that these are just my ideas, but that I’m not in the position of directing this new ‘decentralised autonomous organisation’ anywhere. Nobody is in control. Its aim is to be decentralised.
The DAO itself is in charge. Although it might not always be clear to us normal people, the BlockDam DAO truly has a path of its own.
The BlockDam DAO
It is a place to visit, and a community where you can go to and spent some time with like-minded people. It is a meeting point where you can connect with other crypto enthusiasts, and where you can learn about blockchain and crypto-currency. I am very proud to be part of that community.
I realise that we can only try to guide the course of the BlockDam DAO into whatever we think is ‘the right direction’. We can do that when and where we can… but that will not necessarily produce the results that we desire. Neither will it always create the revenues that we would like so much, but that’s okay.
Birth
On the 18th of September 2018 the BlockDam DAO took its first baby-steps and the genesis BCD-tokens were minted. It was a memorable day for human kind! An official launch might even follow though, but that’s to be decided yet…
There were fifteen people being present that Tuesday and they’ve all got their first one hundred BCD tokens for attending and participating in the DAO. Tokens can be minted infinitely. The community will decide when and where and for what cause to do so.
These BCD tokens are attached to a pot with Ether. For the time being they are still on the Rinkeby testnet. If you believe in the BlockDam DAO you might want to score some though. They will always be worth something in the future. The DAO still has to grow up.
Governance
Governance of the DAO will be guided by smart transactions. Tokens are bonded by a curve…
At the moment a few people are in charge of the technology behind the DAO, but they shall try to expand this control into every community member that is present at the times that the DAO operates.
I truly believe this DAO only wants to do good for its community members. It wants to spread knowledge about blockchain and crypto-currency in its widest form. It wants to help out and guide people in any best way it can. It can be a school for people, but also a day job or an enterprise… it can even be an empire of knowledge. The Blockdam DAO operates 24/7, but it will never be in a hurry.
It will act… but when and where and how? That it will decide for itself. I personally think it mostly wants to discover new possibilities…
Why I believe in the BlockDam DAO?
I believe in the BlockDam DAO because it is a permissionless organisation. Everybody can enter. There are no barriers. It is a place where you can go and learn... and I believe it should always be like that.
You will have the ability to develop yourself, and you can give energy to projects, without anyone restricting you from doing so. Nobody will have to tell you what to do, or what not to do. You can decide on your own, but there will always be some guidance available. There is always a community of people that you can consult and these people will always try and help you out. Whether you take their advice, or not, thats up for you to decide.
The DAO is a stimulator for learning and growth, but….
“You can come and leave whenever you want!”
Yes. You can trade your BCD tokens back for Ether at any time you like and you can leave. No strings attached. There is no formal way of leaving and this will not be installed either… ( if it’s up to me ; )
There is no application form, and no-one tells you what line of development you should have to follow, or which paths you should want to take. There are no grades, and no-one will judge you for your accomplishments or failures.
The DAO likes experimenting and it is open for your input.
Of course the DAO should have certain rules. In the BlockDam DAO we treat each other kindly. Right now our community members try to get to a structure in which so-called ‘free-riders’ have a clear place. A place which fits their needs and that benefits our community.
I’m personally not that afraid of any ‘free-riders’. I try to believe in abundance. I think there should be enough for everybody on this planet to live a happy life, and especially when we talk about energy and information. But I do realise we still live in a traditional economy where we’ve got to pay rent too and we have to put food on our tables. So the BlockDam DAO should provide the opportunities to do so.. and it should also take care of the problems that accompany those limitations.
I believe everyone has his or her own qualities. In my opinion they might need some polishing, sometimes, or in some cases these qualities just have to discover a ray of light to shine. Others might think not so kind. That’s okay.
I believe the BlockDam DAO should be a place where information flows freely. A place where you can share you ideas, in the assumption that when the community benefits, it will also be good for you.
“Try to give all things away first. Tell everybody what you are doing, and give your great ideas away. Everybody will be happy, because everybody loves great ideas. Then try to kill all of your ideas… try to figure out why it is a bad idea and why it cannot work. And after that… its the ones that keep coming back. The idea that you cannot kill and that you cannot give away… maybe that’s the idea that you are supposed to follow… because no-one else is going to do so.” Kevin Kelly
Donations
If you believe the community should be fuelled, then you can help us out. A structure for doing that easily with crypto-currency is being set-up right now. However, there will never be an obligation for the DAO to pay back any of your ‘money’. The BlockDam DAO will never be in debt!
If you think the DAO needs certain books, then you can donate them. If it needs certain knowledge then you can provide it. What you cannot do however is to obligate people of the community to read those books or to follow up on that knowledge. That’s up to everybody in the DAO itself to decide. What you cannot do either is to tell the DAO how to spend the money and energy you are giving it. Thats also for the DAO itself to figure out…
Yes, there might be some fraud in the future, or possibly some other challenges that the DAO has to overcome. I believe it will try to fight all of the bad actors that cross its path to the best of its abilities. I believe it will handle all difficulties as best as it can. The BlockDam DAO shouldn’t be about money. It should definitely be able to survive without it. It already started out with nothing... so it can always take a step back and try again.
You can fuel the DAO with energy and you can also put your own goals on the horizon of the DAO. How and if and when these goals will be realised, that’s up for the DAO to decide. If the DAO thinks it needs to fork, it will do so. All community members are always free to guide the DAO in any way they like.
The BlockDam DAO will decide for itself which direction is the best road to take… maybe even several roads might be followed.. and more then one goal might be pursued. I am very curious on what’s to come in that perspective.
Location
The BlockDam DAO is being blessed right now by being able to spent its time on the beautiful grounds of de Beurs van Berlage. A place with a great history and perfectly situated at the heart of Amsterdam.
It might not always be like that though. And that should not be a problem too. The BlockDam DAO should be location-agnostic, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be a way for the DAO to pay for a location ‘built-in’ by governance. Or maybe even two places, or even more.. who knows what the DAO will be capable of? It should definitely be able to broaden its perspective.
Paying for a location that could be taken care of either by paying money, in whatever form, or by contributing to its surroundings. That’s what the BlockDam DAO is trying to accomplish right now. It wants to be of great benefit to its surroundings. It needs a building for that too, but in case of an emergency a meet-up in a park would also provide a great way to connect, especially on a sunny day! ;)
A ‘location’ is quite a relative concept anyway. The BlockDam DAO already consists out of several international members. They might not be present at any particular moment, they even might not be aware of it right now, and some of them might even have to go and start to work on their own projects, but that’s okay. You can come and leave whenever you want!!
Community members will always be connected to the Blockdam DAO. Even if in some cases they don’t even know about it. The DAO sees everything… without ever making a permanent registration about that! I believe no KYC -registration will ever be needed for participation in the DAO.
Bounties
At the moment the BlockDam DAO is working on creating a bounty-structure. Not everything is in place right now like it should be, and it might take a while to accomplish it, but I am sure the BlockDam DAO will get there. It can put up its own bounties for the realisation of itself too. It will finish whatever it values to accomplish. ‘Rome ne s’est pas faite en un jour!’
“There was once a dream that was Rome. You could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish… it was so fragile.” Marcus Aurelius — Gladiator
Pay us a visit!
If you want to experience the BlockDam DAO for yourself, go check out our co-working day, and come pay us a visit. Enlighten us with your knowledge, fuel us with your energy, and then the DAO will certainly give back to you. However, the DAO will decide when and where and in what form that reward is going to be. I would definitely be curious to find out what it is that makes this DAO so BlockDamM special! ;)
You can find the current location and meetups of the BlockDam DAO on the meetup.com page of the Permissionless society. Hope to see you soon!
