Lessons from a Governance Contributor
Playing in a myriad of forums, Snapshot spaces, and discords — there is a need to create a cleaner and more powerful Governance experience.
We’ve spoken on Twitter spaces, in internal meetings, and consulting with other teams. For me, and for DAOs looking to optimize the UX, it’s time to put our needs and wants into writing.
How do we make Governance more fun and enticing? Look no further…
What Do We Want?
Simplicity.
Simplicity is paramount for encouraging new participants to join the Governance stack.
Evaluating different pricing models, parameter changes, and strategy decisions, walls of writing quickly distract and confuse readers.
If this process is standardized, it allows token holders and delegates to compare apples to apples. It lets stakeholders think with clarity and reduce the administrative burden.
Doing so leads to better decision-making and decreases ubiquitous bias in the forums.
A few things to standardize:
- Voting periods — when votes go live, for how long, etc.
- Formatting — how to properly write a proposal
- Order of operations — the roadmap of a proposal.
Compensation.
No, I’m not just overindulgent (well, kinda.)
As much as we Gov. Contributors would love to live a life of luxury, I am aware this life we’ve chosen is one more akin to public service. Though, (you and) I still need to eat.
Compensation, as described in its name, compensates delegates for their time and risk incurred while regulation remains opaque.
There is a myriad of roles delegates and Governors can take on; paying their fair share, helps DAOs better achieve decentralization and natural competition among stakeholders.
As representatives are paid in traditional governance structures (board members, politicians) these same representatives in the crypto world are deserving of pay.
For more information on why we’ve dug into this before here.
It may even promote Yield Farming In Governance (more to come on this soon 😉)
What Do We Need?
Coordination.
As DAOs grow in scope and scale, it is clear the effect service organizations may have. Take Aave for an example.
With now two qualified Risk Managers (Gauntlet & Chaos), it is difficult to decipher which recommendations to follow and when.
Solving this problem requires more coordination. It is true for many budding DAOs, such as Optimism, Osmosis, and others. The more participants join forums, express opinions, and create proposals — the more coordination is needed.
If you are monitoring MakerDAO, imagine GovAlpha — but across a greater scale. Setting up town halls to discuss proposals, nullifying or confirming the legitimacy of posts, and probing different proposing teams — this service helps better inform Governance contributors.
The best part? It does it with speed — by attending calls, or looking at summaries, new and returning delegates can quickly catch up and feel current in the Governance conversations.
What’s Done Well?
Diversity.
In terms of participants, disciplines, and opinions.
Diversity, in crypto — how dare you?
Governance and Governance contributors, boast more diversity than the average sub-sector in this industry. Women, multiple timezones, old and young — are living within the forums.
This has been exceptionally well propagated by University clubs — such as Penn Blockchain, Blockchain at Columbia, and the London Blockchain Society.
Feeding new talent and eyes into the forums, University teams have been activated by large venture firms delegating their precious voting power.
Back to the full-time teams — delegates attract a range of backgrounds. In Maker, you can find former M&A analysts, cryptographic OGs, and just good ole’ humans.
While some protocols require more financial or technical expertise, it is quickly attracting the folks who are most passionate about the underlying DAO.
So?
Me desperately teaching my DAO friends.
Participating in DAOs is messy — and still requires more growth. For prospective contributors, there are impediments left and right; no health benefits, regulatory risk, time — you name it.
As someone working at these DAOs full-time, it is my responsibility to surface these concerns and trim the hesitancy of more folks becoming involved. Competition is healthy, and decentralized trust is important; in a world full of smart contracts, it’s important to not ignore the humans.
DAOs — big or small — I hope you’re listening…
If we want better contributors — we need better policies. In the meantime, I’ll be kicking and screaming about them (or lack thereof) 💅
