Welcome To the Research Guild | BanklessDAO Weekly Rollup
Catch Up With What Happened This Week in BanklessDAO
Dear Bankless Nation 🏴,
Growing up as a DAO requires us to pay attention to the way we work together, and the genesis for much of this activity is on the Forum, BanklessDAO’s town square. One of the more interesting recent proposals involves delegation of the SAFE token to DAO Stewards, a meta-governance group consisting of governance-minded bDAO members. Go and weigh in on the debate of how we move the DAO forward, together.
Speaking of together, the relationship the DAO has with HQ is transforming, with 0xLucas leading the charge. It’s perhaps appropriate that we are talking about our relationship with HQ during Thanksgiving, as we have much for which we can thank HQ — street cred, open doors, and an enviable persistence in delivering relevant and timely content. Nice job HQ.
Closer to home, Bankless Academy has launched a lesson on the BanklessDAO Constitution, and a bDIP just passed Snapshot, clarifying the seasonal funding requirements and bringing the Constitution in line with community practice. You might need to update that syllabus, Academy!
In this week's Rollup, Latsan and Ernest of Gaia take us through the Research Guild’s talent pathway, teaching us new ways of coordinating work. Thank you, Research Guild.
Finally, a big congratulations goes out to our latest L2 nominees Abidemi and aar0n!
We’ve got a beefy edition this week, so take a minute to enjoy the Rollup, and don’t forget to tell someone close you care about them. Crypto winter might be cold, but it’s always warm in our hearts. Have a great week Bankless fam.
Contributors: Warrior, Lucent1, Lanksss, anointingthompson1.eth, Ernest of Gaia, theconfusedcoin, Latsan, WinVerse, Austin Foss, Tonytad, siddhearta, Trewkat, HiroKennelly
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Welcome To the Research Guild
Authors: Latsan and Ernest of Gaia
As the world’s information is increasingly created and stored in digital format, it's no surprise that the popularity of blockchain technology is also increasing. As with any new technology, there is still a great deal of research being conducted on how to best utilize blockchain, but it’s clear that the transparency, immediacy, and immutability of this technology offers huge benefits to anyone wishing to store or access accurate information. Businesses and individuals who adopt this new technology early can contribute to a wealth of information available on how to make the most of it.
One of the benefits of conducting research in DAOs is that you develop skills that can help any organization improve processes and stakeholder engagement. For example, in order for a DAO to be successful it must be able to self-regulate and accept feedback from its membership. Whether this is achieved through sentiment analysis, surveys, or interviews, research and self-reflection as a social unit are both integral to the process. The capability to design and execute a successful research project has become a broad knowledge skill which can be applied systematically throughout an organization. PM Guild retrospectives are just one application of a research workstream developed as a product or service for the purpose of continual improvement in the DAO.
As blockchain is still a relatively new technology, there are many potential applications and use-cases that are as yet undiscovered. Beta Testing applications is by its very nature user-generated research and there is likely no other human space where tool development is going through a Cambrian explosion at the same pace as blockchain technology. As a DAO we are testing a few different web3 applications per season; Research Guild is testing dozens of applications a month, and has a repository of about 50 web3 social media applications.
Research is a knowledge building activity. In web3, it not only helps to improve efficiency and identify new uses for the technology, but it can also help businesses and individuals to stay ahead of the curve. With these benefits in mind, the BanklessDAO Research Guild supports members in learning how to conduct detailed research about blockchain technology, sentiment analysis, and broader organizational studies.
How to Get Involved in the Research Guild
Any BanklessDAO member can join the Research Guild — no special skills are needed up front! To join, first react to the Research Guild emoji (a stethoscope) in the #role-select channel in the BanklessDAO Discord server. This Research Guild tag simply allows access to the Discord channels so that you can get started, after which you can follow a learning pathway to improve your understanding of the guild and its tools as well as learn about fundamental skills for effective research. The very first steps are to RSVP to an event and fill out our member intake form.
The Talent Pathway
Research Guild has embraced bDAO’s recent prioritization of guilds as places for talent onboarding, development, and retention by developing clear steps for members to complete as part of a learning journey. Discord and Notion are important tools for staying connected to what’s happening in the Guild, but in terms of progression from new joiner to research practitioner, Dework is where the action is.
There are two different strands to the learning offered by Research Guild, and new members should aim to participate in both.
The first strand is facilitated by the South Wind pod (more on this below) and is dedicated to ensuring members develop knowledge of tools and processes used by the guild (and across the DAO). Actions such as meeting attendance, Coordinape participation, and creation of a Sobol profile will enable members to gain practical experience in guild operations in a methodical way, which minimizes the stress associated with that ‘Firehose Feeling’.
A second, concurrent strand of learning and development is delivered by the East Wind pod. This is a comprehensive course of study in fundamental research concepts such as formulation of a research question, different research methodologies, and managing data to maximize the benefits of collecting it. While the course is self-paced, there are weekly articles to read and three sessions per week available as live learning and discussion opportunities.
As members progress through the tasks in Dework, they will find themselves well-equipped to begin supporting the various research projects happening within the Guild, across the DAO, and eventually with external partners.
Research Guild Organizational Structure
The organizational structure and nomenclature of Research Guild roles is unique within the DAO, and is loosely based on the 8-Shields Model (also referred to as the ‘Acorn Model’) which “is a universal pattern based in natural systems”. Simply put, this is a buddy system for change agents.
In the Research Guild the North and South Wind pods work as a support system for the East and West Wind pods in order to serve the guild membership in an environment of rapid change.
North Wind Pod
The North Wind Pod serves the guild’s governance, self administration, operations and coordination. The members of this pod have a long term vision of the guild and help members understand their role in self-governance and self administration, just like in any good community kitchen.
Currently the North Wind role holders consist of three practitioners who cooperatively manage the responsibilities of the pod, practicing what they have learned as previous support role holders in other pods. This is the second season of a three-season mentorship program experiment, where the apprentices will end the nine-month term with the ability and confidence to gain roles across the DAO.
South Wind Pod
If the North Wind serves the guild, the South Wind serves the membership. This is the cross-functional team responsible for onboarding and taking care of members that are new to the DAO or guild. South Wind role holders also manage the guild’s recognition program — known as the MOMA (Member of the Month Award). Each month members nominate potential winners and the recipient is awarded a member-made NFT.
The South Wind pod has a Lead role and a Support role, again using the buddy system. The Lead is expected to lead by example, which is one of the oldest human protocols for transferring knowledge, and the Support is responsible for following along, asking questions, and learning the self-administration and self-governance activities in Dework.
West Wind Pod
The West Wind pod is known as the DAOlationship function of the guild, and cares for the reciprocal relationships of the guild. They help to establish mutually beneficial partnerships with other guilds or projects as well as other DAOs, if the opportunity arises. This is a very slow-solutions-oriented Guild. In Season 6 you may meet some of the West Winders in your guild or project asking about any research needs you may have.
East Wind Pod
The East Wind pod is the upskilling function, there to develop the talent needed to meet the demand for research projects within the DAO. You don’t have to do the research in the Research Guild; we want to support your research workstream wherever it is needed. That being said, the guild has the tools to help folks understand how to develop and organize research projects. Don’t do it all yourself if you don’t have to; #DoYourOwnResearch but #DAOItWithFrenz.
Start your #banklessjourney in the Research Guild. Join us in the Lab and let’s be change agents together!
🗓 Weekly Recap
Community Highlights
📺 Weekly Rollup Recap With Liquidiot
Do yourself a favor and join Liquidiot (Allyn Bryce) for a hilarious and informative recap of last week’s Rollup! It’s worth watching even though you’ve already read the newsletter, just for the sheer fun of watching Allyn make comedy magic on screen. You can catch up on previous recap videos, produced by Liquidiot and WinVerse, on the BanklessDAO YouTube channel.
📒 Bankless Academy — Constitution Lesson Launch
As the saying goes, "Governance is everyone's responsibility", and this is why Bankless Academy will launch a lesson on the BanklessDAO Constitution. The launch will take place on November 28. Complete the lesson and earn a Bankless Academy badge. You can also get a hold of the limited edition BanklessDAO Constitution collectibles here.
😎 Community Call Facelift
A rebranded slide deck will be in use starting with next week’s Community Call, with upgraded features such as an update section, call to action, and space for one image for guilds/departments and projects. There is still time to give feedback on some of the features the CC workstream would like to add, including:
Important updates from workgroups, i.e. 3-5 bullet points and call to action.
Available bounties from different workgroups, especially Bounty Board.
Check out the newly rebranded slide deck and post your feedback to the #community-call-workstream channel.
🏆 AMA With MetaFactory
Check out this AMA with MetaFactory! BanklessDAO is teaming up with web3’s top protocols to bring you a series of AMAs that get at the stories behind the success. Listen in, show your support, and share some lessons learned on Twitter. There will be reputation NFTs available for the biggest supporter of this series!
What’s New
The Doin Gud Membership Is Now Open to Mint
DoinGud, a web3 ecosystem promoting positive social and environmental endeavors, is celebrating the launch of the ‘Gud Souls’ membership by cleaning up a local Barcelona beach on ‘Giving Tuesday’ — November 29. The Gud Souls membership is in the form of a soulbound token: a non-transferable NFT. As a non-transferable token, it acts as a form of reputation by forever identifying those who are early adopters and removing what many see as the toxic aspect of NFTs bought and flipped solely for profit.
Since the beta-launch of its NFT marketplace back in November 2021, DoinGud has onboarded more than 60 nonprofit organizations and raised $91,000 in funding for causes across all 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Gud Souls membership is another way of involving the greater public in this impactful mission. All BanklessDAO members (with 35,000 BANK or more) will get a special discount to mint this membership NFT!
📕 The BanklessDAO Story
Have you ever wondered how BanklessDAO came into being? This interview with one of the founding members, Lucas Campbell, charts the history of bDAO and what might be its future (hint: Lucas says he thinks “at some point the goal is for BanklessDAO to eat HQ. HQ should be a subsidiary of the DAO.”). bDAO strong!
Fresh Content
🎙 BanklessDAO Podcasts
🧠 Crypto Sapiens Podcast
🌍 Bankless Africa
💰 Making Bank
🏹 Quorum
✍️ Bankless Publishing
🌏 Bankless Africa Newsletter
🗞 The Rug Newsletter
👩🏼💼 Bankless Consulting
Get Involved
🤝 BanklessDAO x Coinvise at ETHIndia
We are happy to announce that BanklessDAO will be featured as a media partner at Coinvise Cosmo night at ETHIndia, which will take place on December 4, 2022 in Bangalore, India.
Coinvise is hosting an invite-only side event with a community of 1500+ builders from around the globe. Join us in building a world where everyone is self-sovereign.
In partnership with the event, we will be giving out FREE tickets that are strictly for the bDAO community! In order to be eligible for a ticket, you must be sure that you can make it to the event (so the ticket doesn't go to waste). You can sign up via this form until December 1, 2022.
📈 cNPS Survey Results — Season 6 Month 1
BanklessDAO achieved a cNPS of 37, a 9-point decrease from the October score. This analysis pertains to the survey of BanklessDAO members taken during the Coordinape period ending November 16, with the total sample size being 181 members.
This month’s score marks the lowest cNPS recorded since we began measuring 12 months ago. A major part of this is because of the market downturn, with contributors expressing dissatisfaction about BANK utility. However, even though things are down bDAO continues to engage with its community — which was once again the most positive aspect chosen by members. Read the full analysis for a more in-depth understanding of how we arrive at this score.
Learning Opportunities
🤼♂️ Guide — Building Intra-Guild Relations Within BanklessDAO
Building intra-guild relationships within BanklessDAO is a major focus this season. If you wish to learn, understand, and get involved with DAOlationships and intra-guild relationship building, join anointingthompson1.eth on Tuesday, November 29 at 14:00 UTC in the DAOlationships voice channel. To set a reminder, RSVP to the event.
🎁 Coinvise Demo — Launch and Distribute Tokens
Coinvise is a no-code platform for creators, communities, and brands to launch a token, create airdrop campaigns, and tokenize with NFT memberships. Their tooling helps creators reward community participation with exclusive perks and benefits. This is the platform where we received the JokeDAO airdrop for bDAO members a few weeks ago. Join us on Wednesday, November 30 at 19:30 UTC in the watercooler voice channel to explore the platform and learn how BanklessDAO projects can use and benefit from it. To set a reminder, RSVP to the event.
🎇 How To Sobol Session
Sobol is a web-based platform that provides flexibility for teams to govern themselves and run their organization according to their unique culture. If you want to know the organization of the DAO and how to find different information about roles, guilds, Notion pages, multi-sigs, and members of our community, join Quietfox in the watercooler voice channel on Tuesday, November 29 at 15:00 UTC as she conducts a learning session on how to use Sobol. To set a reminder, RSVP to the event.
🧑🎓 Knowledge Session: Stablecoins
Would you love to learn all about stablecoins and the part they play in the smooth running of DeFi? If yes, then this knowledge session is for you. Join 0xZfi on Wednesday, November 30 at 14:00 UTC in the watercooler voice channel. To set a reminder, RSVP to the event.
🤖 How To Discord Session
If you are lost on Discord — and it can be intimidating at times — join Ernest-of-Gaia on Thursday, December 1 at 14:00 UTC in the watercooler voice channel to get help in navigating Discord. To set a reminder, RSVP to the event.
🏛 Governance
Proposals in Discussion
🔐 Delegate SAFE Tokens to DAOstewards.eth
This proposal replaces the previous version due to a bug which prevented voting by some members. If you were one of the sixteen DAO members who did successfully vote in that poll, please make sure to cast your vote again.
This proposal only aims to delegate SAFE tokens from banklessvault.eth. Guilds and projects of BanklessDAO are free to follow their internal governance structures when determining SAFE delegation. For information on DAOStewards, please review their funding proposal.
✅ Action Items
📖 Learn new skills with any number of opportunities this week at bDAO!
🔍 Assess and give feedback on the newly rebranded Community Call slide deck.
🏃♀️ Catch up: Review this week's Community Call notes or listen to the recording.
🤣 Meme of the Week
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