New Beginnings? | BanklessDAO Weekly Rollup

Catch Up With What Happened This Week in BanklessDAO

Dec 16, 2023

Dear Bankless Nation 🏴,

It’s been an eventful season! We could say Season 9 took a hint from the incoming bull market and shot up events in the DAO by at least 200% 😄. Nevertheless, we are glad to be finishing strong and hope everyone utilizes the gap week to take a well-deserved breather.

There has been a good level of restructuring within the DAO with a particular focus on governance and purpose. Efforts were put into streamlining governance; new frameworks were created and existing ones were iterated upon. With a proposal to convert inactive L2 to alumni and a bDIP clarifying the Grant Committee’s purpose in the works, we are set to see more of these efforts continue in Season 10.

Season 9 showed that the bDAO community is truly resilient. In this week’s editorial, Boluwatife touches on issues around the Marketing department, the bDAO x HQ discussion, and where we are at the moment. There is a need for brand clarity but what that will entail for the DAO is what we are aiming to see resolved. We have been building for over two years now and are confident we will get through this hurdle as a community.

We have come a long way this year and as always, thank you for being part of this journey. Happy holidays!

Contributors: Boluwatife, Tonytad, Warrior, Paulito, Vi-Fi, Kornekt, WinVerse

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Proposals in Discussion

🗳 [bDIP-N]: GC Purpose and Quorum

The proposed bDIP brings about a significant shift in the Grants Committee's role, expanding its scope to facilitate the distribution of additional assets beyond the BANK token and the DAO brand. Furthermore, the quorum requirement is set to be modified to a simple majority. These adjustments align with the sentiment check conducted by the Grants Committee on the BanklessDAO Forum. Let your voice be heard by checking out the proposal and casting your vote on the poll.

🧾 [PROPOSAL] Convert Inactive L2 to Alumni

The proposal aims to gain approval for reclassifying inactive L2 members on Discord as alumni members with no administrative privileges. This not only addresses security concerns but also simplifies the identification of present contributors versus those from the past, particularly in DAO-wide discussions. Check out the proposal and drop your thoughts.

📝 [Final] Season 10 Specification

The final Season 10 specification is now on the Forum do well to check it out.

New Beginnings?

Author: Boluwatife

Throughout Season 9, the BaklessDAO community dished out a lot of valuable content. From written, visual, and audio to IRL events; it was an inspiring season indeed. The community worked to ensure vital proposals were implemented, fostering growth and DAO-wide impact.

Season 9 also signaled the start of the bull run, and for some, reignited the fire that the bear has been so desperately trying to put out. It is with this energy that we carry on into Season 10.

BanklessDAO X BanklessHQ

The DAO quite recently was involved in a PR crisis, which led to BanklessHQ being more intentional about their relationship with the DAO. They seek to establish clearer relations and define responsibilities to prevent unpreparedness and promote clarity.

As of now, a core group of delegates from bDAO are in talks with HQ and are in the later stage of discussing a proposal. HQ has expressed enthusiasm to be in a relationship and strengthen things between them and the DAO. The hope is that the proposal — awaiting approval from HQ and the DAO — creates a net win for all parties. It will be posted soon and updates will be given by the governance team as they surface.

To affirm that we are strong and resilient, the Grants Committee is continuing with funding for the new season. So head over to Forum to check out the Season 10 specification and operations timeline 🚀.

The Marketing Department

A few weeks ago, a discourse was brought up on Forum concerning the operations of the Marketing department.

Exploring The Issues Brought Up

Ownership

One of the core issues brought up was the issue of ownership. It seemed that multiple DAO members had different definitions of the ownership term, and this led to a lot of confusion. In the end, it was agreed upon that the DAO owns the social media channels, and the Department being responsible for managing the channel, has some form of authority over the channels. This is to ensure that the trusted name and brand integrity are upheld.

Semantics and Technicalities

Some contributors believe that marketing contributors should not use DAO assets to generate revenue when all of it will not be returned to the DAO. They believe that the marketing department doing this is not following the laid down ethos of bDAO. This statement cannot be properly defended though as there is nowhere in the BanklessDAO constitution or guiding framework that mentions it. Folks acknowledged that the lack of a proper definition of a guiding framework is something that should be built and voted on to ensure everyone is working and contributing on clear terms.

Marketing Department: Guild, Department, or Project?

The conversation eventually veered to this topic. What exactly is the Marketing Department and what are their duties? Many contributors acknowledged that the Marketing Department falls into the three categories.

Guild: because it develops talent

Department: because it is fundamental to the DAO

Project: because it generates revenue.

It is worth noting that during the period of transitioning in the DAO, other Guilds were asked to choose whether they would like to transition or remain the way they were based on the work they were doing. It was only the transitioning of the Marketing Guild to a Department that was initiated by the DAO itself. Also while this is true, it does not negate the fact that the Marketing Department falls into all three of these categories. So what exactly is the Marketing Department? The answer to that is still in the works.

To move forward, clear the misconceptions, and properly define the Marketing Department, a few solutions were recommended. Conversations like these might be uncomfortable but are welcome as they help the DAO focus on its mission and align spending to works that bring impact and therefore welcome growth.

To read the full discussion, head over to Forum. We would also appreciate your feedback in helping the framework grow. bDAO strong!

Season 10 Kick-off Event

In light of the unique circumstances the DAO is overcoming, the Season 10 launch will not be a space on X but rather a celebration on the BanklessDAO discord server. Regardless of whatever may come, it is the PEOPLE that make BanklessDAO strong.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year in advance ❤️.

🤖 Legends of Cypher

bDAO Helps spark a sci-fi universe 11 Millenia in the making!

Legends of Cypher (LoC) is a sci-fi universe set 11 millennia in the future. Civilization is governed by a corporatocracy called the Centopoly, a collective that uses the Metric (a behavior-modification algorithm) to bring peace, prosperity, and progress to the cosmos. However, there is a small group, known as the Cyphers, who oppose the Centopoly and view the Metric as a form of control. Led by Hash, they desire freedom at any cost.

In early 2022, bDAO and the founders of Legends of Cypher teamed up to celebrate the launch of LoC’s first web3 publication, Meru-36: Destiny’s Fall. They designed and minted an NFT from the story, naming one of the vessels honoring the DAO, “Sine Ripae”, Latin translation, “without a bank”.

With support from bDAO, sales of the original NFTs helped the Legends of Cypher team build out the universe, including character design, comics, videos, and lore, all of which are free on the website today. According to Messari research, IP will be a key driver for NFTs in the next bull run, and clearly, the Legends of Cypher team is well positioned.

Speaking of NFTs, those who purchased the original collection can use them to claim exclusive content and discounts. Visit the Welcome Page to learn more.