AIP-142: Establish Communication Team (ApeComms)

Proposal Name: Establish Communications Team (ApeComms)
Proposal Category: Core Ecosystem Fund Allocation
Original AIP: Establish DAO Communications Team and Processes
Original Author: @Vulkan

Abstract:

This proposal puts in place a Comms Team to establish communication channels in order to increase the flow of news, information and educational content within the ApeCoin ecosystem - working group name, ApeComms.

Recent Twitter posts and proposals regarding council elections, staking delays, bug bounties, etc have highlighted the need for clear, concise and consistent communications between the Special Council, Ape Foundation and the ApeCoin DAO.

The ApeComms team will administer information between the community, the Ape Foundation, and related entities and serve to increase Awareness, Participation, and Education of token holders by curating new channels for communication.

The ApeComms Team will be responsible to perform five primary functions:

  1. Build and maintain an official ApeCoin DAO Discord server
  2. Coordinate ApeCoin Twitter for AIP awareness & education
  3. Develop educational content for the community & support members during the AIP process
  4. Administer the lines of communication between Ape Foundation Entities & the ApeCoin DAO community
  5. Increase coverage of the Apecoin DAO ecosystem and cooperate with media contacts

ApeComms requests $998,000 (in $APE) for a 12-month assignment, inclusive of initial set-up costs. Any unused funds at the end of the first term will remain in the ApeCoin DAO Ecosystem Fund.

Motivation:

ApeComms, which will serve the ApeCoin DAO community, aims to increase the frequency, quality, clarity, transparency, and visibility of information running through the community. The ApeCoin DAO community will have access to increased information flow directly from the Ape Foundation, resources to streamline proposals from a draft to voting, and support from ApeComms.

The guiding values for ApeComms are:

  • Awareness: Communication in the APE ecosystem should be transparent and consistent.
  • Participation: Driving proposals forward will create opportunities and more demand.
  • Education: Understanding ApeCoin DAO process & decisions will encourage further action.

Rationale:

The ApeComms Team recognizes the collective responsibility of ApeCoin DAO members to perform essential and non-essential services for the ApeCoin DAO. The purpose of ApeComms is to create a comfortable and secure environment to realize ideas which are relevant to the DAO, while educating the community regarding technical processes or best practices. To accomplish this, it is necessary to increase awareness and education using multiple channels for communication, with transparency as a guiding principle.

Key Terms

ApeCoin DAO - ApeCoin DAO membership is open to all ApeCoin holders. ApeCoin DAO exists because decentralized governance is critical to building and managing a globally dispersed community—and therefore critical to the success of the APE ecosystem.

APE Improvement Proposal (AIP) - AIPs allow ApeCoin DAO members to propose and vote on decisions regarding Ecosystem Fund allocations, governance rules, projects, partnerships, and beyond.

ApeCoin Ecosystem Fund - 470,000,000 tokens to DAO treasury and resources
(117,500,000 unlocked at launch, then 7,343,750 unlocked per month for 48 months)
150,000,000 tokens to BAYC/MAYC (All unlocked for claim at launch)

APE Improvement Proposal Draft & Analysis Report (AIP DAR Package) - both the AIP Draft (submitted by the proposal author) and the AIP Analysis Report (submitted by the project management team engaged by the APE Foundation) as a package after the analysis report is conducted.

ApeComms Operating Fund - The budget included for the ApeComms initiative.

APE Foundation Moderator - Contracted by the APE Foundation to facilitate operations on the forum and otherwise.

Discord - A virtual space to talk and hang out. Discord is among the easiest ways to talk over voice, video, and text.

Discourse - The forum software for our community.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) - KPIs are quantifiable measurements of the improvement or deterioration in the performance of an activity critical to the success of a business. A KPI can have a target, a set of ranges, or both, which measure how well a business is achieving its objectives. A KPI obtains its value either from aggregating a metric or from a calculation based on other KPIs.

Twitter Analytics - Twitter Analytics allows you to track and view key metrics, like follower gain/loss, impressions, engagement rate, and retweets. The tool is secure and available to all Twitter users, including both personal and business accounts.

Snapshot - Snapshot is a decentralized governance platform that makes it easy to vote on AIPs.

Specifications:

The ApeComms Team will be launched to perform five primary functions:

  1. Build and maintain an official ApeCoin DAO Discord server
  2. Coordinate ApeCoin Twitter use for AIP awareness & education
  3. Develop educational content for the community & support members during AIP phases
  4. Open lines of communication between Ape Foundation Entities & the ApeCoin DAO community
  5. Increase coverage about the Apecoin DAO ecosystem and cooperate with media contacts

Below are details on the five primary functions mentioned above:

1. Build and maintain an official ApeCoin DAO Discord server
The ApeComms Team will establish and maintain a community Discord server. Prior to going live, proper security protocols will be put in place and the team will schedule appropriate support.

  • Alerts to remind members of upcoming AIPs and Snapshot voting
  • General channels for members of the DAO to engage in an informal manner
  • Support channels to facilitate coordination with future working groups, sub-DAOs & AIP proposers
  • Dedicated education channels with materials for members to learn on their own time

2. Coordinate ApeCoin Twitter use for AIP awareness & education
The ApeComms Team will coordinate with the Ape Foundation to help supplement content for the official ApeCoin Twitter account. This medium will provide an opportunity for ApeComms and the Ape Foundation to host live discussions with AIP proposers, and other token holders.

  • Sparking conversation by introducing proposals and providing community updates
  • Individuals & Teams invited to explain proposals to the community on recorded Twitter Spaces
  • General discussions, proposal support, and technical explanations regarding AIPs
  • Monitor Twitter Analytics

3. Develop educational content for the community & support members during AIP phases
ApeComms will help members navigate the AIP process by creating on-demand educational resources and offering live in-person sessions. Fully complimentary services are available to all token holders.

  • Develop an archive of resources and FAQs to guide new ecosystem participants
  • Hold regular “office hours” where authors can submit ideas for editing and feedback
  • Help members understand nuance and potential obstacles moving through the public AIP process
  • Analyze DAR packages and the associated Ape Foundation moderator notes

4. Open lines of communication between Ape Foundation entities & the ApeCoin DAO community
The ApeComms Team will attend Special Council meetings to help gather and contribute relevant feedback for the ApeCoin DAO community during sessions. This is meant to bridge communications between the community & entities that operate the DAO, including Administrators & Special Council.

  • Establish internal ApeComms Facilitator roles to streamline sharing high priority information
  • Develop best practices for sharing information inside and outside of the community
  • Manage a working document with reasons proposals are sent back for reconstruction

5. Increase coverage about the Apecoin DAO ecosystem and cooperate with media contacts
The ApeComms team will work with the Ape Foundation to maintain a list of media contacts for the purpose of sharing general ApeCoin DAO news, updates, and information about the participants within.

  • Act as an optional point of contact for media inquiries on behalf of the ApeCoin DAO
  • Maintain a list of industry contacts
  • Highlight ApeCoin ecosystem projects and initiatives

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
The ApeComms Team will use surveys and statistical analysis to help guide the direction of the team. Metrics based on ApeCoin DAO awareness, participation, and education will be monitored. Compiled data will be reported to the community monthly and quarterly. ApeComms will remain flexible to adapt or adjust these reporting periods as the initiative develops. We expect there will be plenty of relevant info to report regularly.

  • Organize data around DAO communications, including metrics from discussion, voting, and
    proposal platforms (Snapshot, Discourse, Discord, Twitter, Dune)
  • ApeComms will develop surveys to gauge awareness & education levels inside and outside of the community
  • Editorialized reports generated by the team will be made available to the community at regular intervals

Operating Fund & Expenditures

ApeComms budget requires an Operating Fund for ongoing expenses:

  • General operating and setup costs
  • Maintenance and security costs for a community Discord
  • Potential developmental & ongoing tech expenses
  • Relevant content creation
  • Legal support

Working Group Information & Considerations:

The ApeComms Team works autonomously to support ApeCoin DAO.

  • Coordinates with the Ape Foundation, community, and ecosystem projects
  • Suggestions for activities & improvements can be made by any $APE token holder
  • Majority voting within team to make decisions regarding Operating Fund allocation & current membership status
  • The final results of decisions requiring team votes will be verified and made public

ApeComms begins with the following members from the BAYC/MAYC community & the Apecoin DAO:

This team was selected for their continuous long-term participation in the DAO including assisting w/ proposals, creating newsletters, helping others through unofficial channels, and more.

Facilitators (Project Managers): @Waabam @Lost
Coordinates ApeComms projects to ensure tasks are relevant and help set reasonable milestones. Serves as the primary point of contact with the Ape Foundation Administrators, Moderators and Special Council teams. Responsible for communicating verified ApeComms team consensus for additional costs and personnel changes.

Campaign Managers: @AdventurousApe @boredelon @Lost
Coordinates with projects in the ApeCoin ecosystem to help others become more informed about prospective new proposals and existing proposals.

Data Analyst: @Waabam @Amplify
Compile ecosystem data for ApeComms & ApeCoin community. Record and present ApeComms data, interproject communications, and broad ecosystem stats. Develop relevant surveys to help aggregate community feedback.

Discord Moderators: @Amplify @Halina.eth @Lost @0xSword @SSP1111 @Waabam
Answers community questions, helps to maintain the security of the server, engages with the community.

Educators and Consultants: @AdventurousApe @Amplify @Halina.eth @Lost @0xSword @SSP1111 @Waabam
Helps the community to understand the steps forward from a discussion to an AIP Idea, and moving beyond that to a vote. Develop educational material about the ApeCoin DAO for the community. Direct point of contact for proposal authors to help discuss ideas and gather feedback.

Steps to Implement:

Communications Structure

  • Directs Ape Foundation to facilitate ApeComms attendance at Special Council & Administrator meetings, including “Office Hours” calls
  • Directs Ape Foundation to provide proposal status updates to ApeComms
  • Directs Ape Foundation to coordinate with ApeComms for use of ApeCoin Twitter Account
  • Directs Ape Foundation to assign Moderator(s) to co-host Spaces using ApeCoin’s Twitter Account
  • Directs Ape Foundation to join new & existing channels for interacting with ApeComms Team
  • Directs Ape Foundation to provide a direct link to the ApeCoin DAO Discord server on apecoin.com
  • Directs Ape Foundation to immediately begin sharing with ApeComms all past, present and future DAR packages, including the Ape Foundation moderator notes from the AIP Moderation phase

Operating Fund

  • ApeComms team will verify team consensus for expenses
  • Facilitators of the ApeComms Team will provide invoices to the fund moderator
  • Directs Ape Foundation to assign a Moderator(s) to co-manage the Operating Fund with ApeComms
  • The Moderator(s) assigned shall be granted signing authority for invoices submitted by Facilitators
  • Any unused portion of this budget will remain in the Ecosystem Fund if ApeComms dissolves

Timeline

The timeline to implement the ApeComms initiative begins immediately upon approval. The ApeComms team formed and began work several months before proposing this formal AIP, so much of the initial legwork has already been done.

Since this initiative is among the first working groups from the ApeCoin DAO, and as we are reliant on information from the Ape Foundation itself, ApeComms may exercise a certain amount of discretion in implementing this timeline

Phase 1 : First Quarter (Months 1-3)

  • ApeComms has already joined together with members of BAYC to begin pre-seeding a Discord server with some of the first token holders to make proposals, interested brands, builders, and other APE token holders. ApeComms will finalize initial staffing, setup, and security for the ApeCoin DAO Discord server so that more token holders may join.
  • ApeComms will begin supplementing blog content and live audio content via Twitter Spaces for the ApeCoin Twitter account.
  • ApeComms will develop and accommodate multiple channels of communication with Ape Foundation members. Slack, Signal, and Discord channels will be set up based on feedback from members of the community and the Ape Foundation.
  • ApeComms will work with the Ape Foundation to set up best practices as an optional point of contact for media inquiries. The team will begin to develop and maintain a list of relevant media contacts.
  • ApeComms will begin analyzing DAR packages as soon as we begin receiving them. There is some considerable backlog and we will aim to prioritize the newest DAR packages as they should contain the most up to date guidance. The team will coordinate with the Ape Foundation to avoid creating overlapping content.

Phase 2: Second Quarter (Months 4-6)

  • ApeComms will coordinate with the Ape Foundation to include a link to the ApeCoin DAO Discord on the apecoin.com website. Continued development, maintenance, and learning best practices to serve the community. Server will be open to all token holders.
  • ApeComms will continue to introduce consistent mixed media content through the ApeCoin Twitter account to better alert and inform the community.
  • ApeComms will continue to elevate projects and initiatives from the ecosystem using media resources.
  • ApeComms will continue to develop best practices for the volunteer and recruiting initiative.
  • ApeComms will begin to roll out educational material based on ApeCoin DAO process and historical best practices. We expect there will be changes with the DAO process and the Ape Foundation/Special Council going into 2023. The ApeComms team is prepared to adapt to changes and educate the community.

Phase 3: Third Quarter (Months 7-9)

  • ApeComms will continue to work with the community to curate the culture of the ApeCoin DAO Discord.
  • ApeComms will use metrics gathered from the ApeCoin Twitter account to improve content and gain better understanding of the team’s impact from the first 6 months of the initiative.
  • ApeComms will continue to develop a working document with AIP submission best practices, for the community, including reasons proposals are quickly sent to Snapshot for vote or sent back to the proposer for reconstruction.
  • ApeComms will begin to formally draft the next iteration of the ApeComms proposal based on the first several months of operations and continued feedback from the community.

Phase 4: Fourth Quarter (Months 10-12)

  • ApeComms will continue to develop internal guidelines and best practices for the team following our experience in the previous quarters. Our goal is to onboard significantly more contributors through this program and to the ApeCoin DAO as a whole.
  • ApeComms will continue creating initiatives to engage the community and encourage participation from new and existing ApeCoin holders.

Overall Cost:

ApeComms requests $998,000 (in $APE) set aside for ApeComms initial setup and the first year of contribution. This budget includes funding for operations and developmental expenses. Additional initiatives with costs exceeding the proposed budget may be submitted later through specific AIPs. Any unused funds at the end of the first term will remain in the ApeCoin DAO Ecosystem Fund.

Operating Fund

  • $110,000 set aside for the Operating Fund

ApeComms Compensation

  • Compensation is entirely in ApeCoin to further align incentives of ApeComms with DAO Members
  • Each ApeComms member receives $111,000 in ApeCoin for 12 months of service, subject to equal monthly vesting over the course of their term ($9,250.00 of ApeCoin/month for 12 months).
16 Likes

Hi ApeCoin Community

The authorship of this topic was changed due to @Vulkan, the original author, request to delegate it to @Lost, the new author. Please refer to Establish DAO Communications Team and Processes for the initial comments on the AIP Idea phase.

@Lost has completed editing their AIP Idea to be their AIP Draft.

Follow this Topic as further updates will be posted here in the comments.

Kind Regards,

-Pearson

6 Likes

Hey everyone,

Thank you to @Pearson and the moderator team for helping us through the process of transferring authorship of this topic. This new post feels dually appropriate given that we have made several adjustments to our proposal based of off feedback from the community and in light of new information. We’re looking forward to finalizing the Draft and continuing to work with the community.

-Lost
:gorilla::orange_heart:

14 Likes

Thank you everyone for taking the time to read our proposal. :slight_smile: We really appreciate your feedback. :handshake:

I wanted to introduce myself as I am a new addition to the proposed ApeComms team. My name is Amplify. I am a very active long-time contributor to the ApeCoin DAO since it’s inception. I am also a BAYC holder since June of last year. Some of you may have met me at Apefest this year or last, (my girlfriend was setting high scores on the pinball machine) or maybe you have seen me around the forums asking questions or co-hosting a Twitter Spaces with @boredelon for our AIP Roundup.

I am a 6+ year crypto-native researcher who has been working full-time in “web3” since before we called it DeFi and when there were far fewer (2) DAOs. I used to be very active trading the markets but have decided to shift my focus towards building something collaborative that we can all be proud of. :slight_smile:

I spend most of my time collaborating with members of our DAO, helping them draft proposals, understand the AIP process, and helping to get the word out to the rest of our community through Twitter Spaces Q&A with AIP Authors.

Coordination among people is very hard, we even joke sometimes there’s a God of Coordination Failure named Moloch. Having this working group in place allows us to more proactively coordinate with the Foundation, the Administrators, and community members.

I look forward to working more closely with the rest of you all in a more full-time capacity!! :raised_hands:

14 Likes

Hi ApeCoin DAO Community,

@Lost has updated their Draft and it is in our review once again. You can check out the changes by clicking the pencil icon at the top right of the post.

Follow this Topic as further updates will be posted here in the comments.

Kind Regards,

-Pearson

2 Likes

We’ve built up a reputation for doing Zoom calls and being incredibly helpful for people looking to propose new ideas. This proposal represents hundreds of hours of work, and we’re so proud to have incorporated much of the feedback that’s been given. You can view the first proposal thread to see many endorsements! https://forum.apecoin.com/t/establish-dao-communications-team-and-processes/

Collectively, we’ve assisted over two dozen potential proposals. We have engaged members, always in a 1:1 or group setting, we’ve had multiple calls w/ Ape Foundation administration, our track record is consistent. Many of us have worked really hard since the beginning.

Additionally, we answer and assist delegates. Hearing their ideas and turning them into actionable proposals is important, as they represent many many holders within our ecosystem. It’s an incredible amount of work, and it’s something our whole team has performed well.

This proposal empowers our team to do the following:

  • Discord, Weekly Twitter Spaces, & Better Communications
  • Engage members of the community to get more involved in ApeDAO
  • Request access to Board Meetings & Use of the Official Twitter Account

New technology enables communities to do great things. We’re the people who have always been the first to say “welcome, here’s what you could be doing to help.” This proposal gives us the ability to do that at scale. By enabling things like Discord and Twitter Spaces, we can build great things!

Thank you to all for the huge amount of support. We will pay that forward 10x!

12 Likes

I’m the first to say that many of the apes on the list above were my first contact here. For all of the talk around “new opportunities” and “inclusivity,” web3 is not automatically either of these things. It takes people taking initiative for that to happen.

I have confidence in the team above to fulfill the mandate set forth in this AIP, and they have my full support. This AIP should pass!

10 Likes

Congratulations to @Amplify for being a new member of ApeComms! Look forward to seeing your future work in the community. Thanks to @0xSword for summarizing the past work of the team. We appreciate all the support. Wish to see the continued development of ApeCoin DAO from the effort of all members. :partying_face:

10 Likes

I will let @Lost reply on behalf of the team.

2 Likes

Hi Swarm,

It looks like the proposal in question was rejected at large by the community. If you need help restructuring your proposal or making connections in the community we’d be happy to help you, as we have been with any other contributors, for no cost. The ApeComms team does consider this a serious allegation, please feel free to post evidence.

https://snapshot.org/#/apecoin.eth/proposal/0xad108a2d3222680089d0762a75955efc7919a90fc6b54d4c8554bd15b699e4bc

6 Likes

Hi,

Firstly thank you for the proposal, the Apecoin’s communication needs to improve.
As for the general public & also for Apecoin holders to get active to help with Apecoin’s growth.

I would like to kindly ask you if you can elaborate/provide more details:

  1. about the roles of the proposed people and introduce them. What will be their roles and responsibilities & why?
  2. I’m curious about their expertise and if the team contains all the needed roles for these content marketing activities for $888,000 annually.

For this kind of budget is possible to hire a professional content agency with the full spectrum of roles, such as:

  • idea makers
  • strategy planners
  • content managers
  • designers, animators
  • ads specialists
  • etc.

The professional content agency isn’t something I want to propose because passionate community members are always better. Still, I see the team’s experiences and structure as very important to deliver the full spectrum of Apecoin communication activities, which is needed.

I think that only links to the Twitter accounts (where some do not work) are not enough:

Thank you a lot,
withoutname

9 Likes

Hello everybody, I’m Halina, also known as Halina.eth! Like @Amplify, I’m a new addition to the proposed ApeComms team and am excited to get to know you all and collaborate towards building a thriving ecosystem for ApeCoin DAO.

My first experience with crypto was actually with NFTs- I purchased an art piece in February 2021, and have since become a Mutant Ape holder and active member of communities such as the Mutant Cartel, Bay Area Apes, Ladies of BAYC, and Chinese Ape Club.

As a newer contributor to the ApeCoin DAO, the learning curve to becoming a meaningful DAO participant has been top of mind when I think of how we can catalyze brilliant ideas & attract talent.

I believe in ApeComms’ ability to lower this learning curve, with not only the public Discord and regular Twitter spaces, but also visual infographics breaking down AIPs, short and long-form video content, and content created in various languages for our global community. I’m thrilled to work on designing some of our visual content, and hopeful that the more digestible and sharable formats will spark interest and empower new members to contribute with us!

The opportunity to embolden other builders in this space is also one I’m beyond excited to fulfill with the ApeComms team. I can’t wait to get to know everyone and bring forth our combined potential!

~Halina.eth :cherry_blossom:

11 Likes

I get the instinct to be responsible with money. At the same time, I’m not a huge fan of paying people the bare minimum as you can possibly justify based on web2 notions of experience. When people put in months of work with no pay, then come up with a legit idea, IMHO you give them some breathing room financially to let them explore the glut of ideas that are probably built up over that time of working for free. :smile:

So it’s certainly a respectable comparison you made, the Comm team vs. professional content agency pricing. But I don’t think it’s the right comparison when you consider this is a new paradigm and people who are here are basically performing the riskiest internships on the planet.

8 Likes

I can 100% confirm all your points here as a DAO and BAYC member who has been in both ecosystems since day 1! I’ve seen you and nearly everyone in your team work so hard for months to help others in a voluntary capacity. It really makes sense that your work is recognized and compensated officially and thoroughly. The high quality and depth of your proposal is testament to your capabilities, skills and knowledge. You and your team are an asset to the DAO and the wider ecosystem. You have my full support. :saluting_face:

8 Likes

Blockquote
I get the instinct to be responsible with money. At the same time, I’m not a huge fan of paying people the bare minimum as you can possibly justify based on web2 notions of experience. When people put in months of work with no pay, then come up with a legit idea, IMHO you give them some breathing room financially to let them explore the glut of ideas that are probably built up over that time of working for free. :smile:

To be honest, this isn’t my point at all.

I’m curious and want to know the real expertise of the proposed communication members. And how the suits all together into the communication team from an expertise/skills point of view. What will be their role, and how are they skilled? As from the person level or the whole team level.

The team is crucial in this case to deliver better Apecoin communication. And right now, it’s impossible to consider if they have the experience/skills to deliver that on the needed level. I do not see anything wrong with this kind of question.

I guess it could help to get the AIP draft/proposal approved by the community later.

6 Likes

And right now, it’s impossible to consider if they have the experience/skills to deliver that on the needed level.

It’s not impossible to consider; I’ve experienced it firsthand. I’ve been around to many DAOs and never received the immediate welcome as I have in this one, from this team.

7 Likes

With all respect, Apecoin’s communication strategy and content marketing production are completely different from the welcome you got from the team.

2 Likes

I disagree 100% with that statement and would argue the exact opposite.

As for the general public & also for Apecoin holders to get active to help with Apecoin’s growth.

Their “communication strategy” with me was to make me feel included and listened to. Now I’m an Apecoin holder who is now active bringing trillion dollar ideas here instead of NounsDAO or Aavegotchi or NFA, which is exactly what your statement is looking for.

6 Likes

Hello @withoutname! Thanks for the questions. It’s very important that we clarify first off that this is not a marketing proposal.

Our primary functions are to provide and maintain an official discord, to provide proposal assistance and other support during the AIP process, to organize and host weekly twitter spaces, and to ensure open and enhanced lines of communication between the Ape Foundation and the larger ApeCoin DAO. We will create some content, but this will be for reporting or educational purposes.

We are not performing the functions of a professional content agency.

In response to your request, we have edited the AIP to show our detailed role breakdown. The edits have to flow through the discourse moderators and should go live shortly. We will also post fresh introductions on this post, through which the proposed ApeComms team members may choose to describe their expertise.

Thank you for your comments.

10 Likes

Hi ApeCoin DAO Community,

@Lost has updated their Draft and it is in our review once again. You can check out the changes by clicking the pencil icon at the top right of the post.

Follow this Topic as further updates will be posted here in the comments.

Kind Regards,

-Pearson

3 Likes