Establish DAO Communications Team and Processes

Withdrawn AIPs
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Proposal Name: Establish DAO Communications Team and Processes

Proposal Category: Core Ecosystem Fund Allocation

Requested Funds: $525,000 For One Year Of Service

Abstract:

This proposal is intended to establish a formal communications team to maximize positive coverage of the Apecoin ecosystem and further engage participation from stakeholders. The role of the first seven (7) contributors are highlighted below.

Motivation:

Increasing participation and awareness in Apecoin is critical to improving the perception of the DAO. The goal of this team will be to increase the frequency and depth of information being shared publicly, and do so in a way that feels more accessible than current comms channels and approaches.

Rationale:

The flow of information within the DAO is steady, but unfiltered and often unrefined. The communications team can delegate key information to the public in a way that serves the Apecoin community. To ensure that the communication team itself remains incentivized to do the best work and be held accountable for output, a stipend is being recommended as a means of compensating the team.

Key Terms:

Moderators: The Cartan Moderator Team
Special Council: Alexis Ohanian, Amy Wu, Dean Steinbeck, Maaria Bajwa, & Yat Siu

Specifications:

The Communications Team has five primary functions to be created with this proposal:

  1. Moderate an official community-led DAO discussion platform (tbd)
  2. Schedule and host weekly Twitter spaces for AIPs, social updates, and “Twitter Takeovers”
  3. Educate voters and the public around the specific nuances of proposals, and assist AIP drafters with building consensus (when appropriate).
  4. Serve as an open line of communication between the Special Council, Moderators, and Community.
  5. Actively seek positive coverage about Apecoin developments from media and influencers, as well as proactively run publicity campaigns to generate visibility. Additionally, conduct media training Apecoin spokespeople when needed.

The primary functions of this communications team are explained in more detail below:

1. Moderate an official community-led DAO discussion platform (tbd)

The Communications Team has set up a secure Discord that can be accessed immediately. However, before committing to this option, the team will engage the community to assess if better technical/secure options are available. This discussion platform would include but not be limited to including:

  • Dedicated area to provide frameworks/guidelines that will explain the AIP process and what it involves, inclusive of materials that community members can learn from on their own time.
  • Recaps of ecosystem projects, multiple newsletters, Twitter Spaces and other key news curated by the comms team
  • Private channels that facilitate coordination between working groups and members of the core team
  • Areas to chat with members of the community in a less formal way.

2. Schedule and host weekly Twitter spaces for AIPs, social updates, and “Twitter Takeovers”

The Communications Team will host & promote open Twitter Spaces every 1 to 2 weeks. This medium will provide an opportunity for passive consumption of top ecosystem news, and a forum for members of the ecosystem to discuss proposals. Slate of content would include but not be limited to:

  • Familiar hosts introducing new proposals & provide community updates

  • Individuals & Team Guests will be invited to pitch proposals to the community

  • Meaningful conversations including advice & help will be provided live on spaces

  • Proposals will be subject to constructive criticism through community-led questions

This would also include organizing “Twitter takeover” sessions where someone from the community could tweet/quote tweet for a specified amount of time.

3. Educate voters and the public around the specific nuances of proposals, and assist AIP drafters with building consensus (when appropriate).

The Communications Team will help AIP writers navigate the AIP process through on-demand educational resources as well as in-person sessions.

  • Maintain an archive of helpful resources to guide new participants in the AIP submission process, potentially including written content and videos that offer guidance on what the community looks for in proposals
  • Holding “office hours” where proposers can be submit ideas privately or publicly for editing and feedback
  • Maintain a working document containing reasons proposals are sent back for reconstruction (i.e. there was no request for funding)
  • When appropriate, offering proposers assistance in consensus building prior to AIPs going live. Not acting as a “lobbying” arm for proposers, but helping them understand risks and potential obstacles during the public process.
  • Members will also help these proposal writers make connections with prominent members of the community & assist in hosting Twitter spaces for awareness.

4. Serve as an open line of communication between the Special Council, Moderators, and Community.

The members of the Communications Team will be invited to attend Special Council meetings as spectators only, unless asked to contribute community feedback during select meetings.

In addition to this, the Communications Team will select a “Facilitator” for coordination w/ the Ape Foundation. This role is designed to bridge communications between the community & entities that operate the DAO, including Moderators & Special Council. The facilitator will be selected by the communications team and be approved by the Special Council. This individual will:

  • Act as a point of contact w/ both Moderators and Special Council
  • Be responsible for notifying Moderators of additions to or removal from the Communications team
  • Approve & submit content / posts to be made on the official Twitter account

5. Actively seek positive coverage about Apecoin developments from media and influencers, as well as proactively run publicity campaigns to generate visibility. Additionally, conduct media training Apecoin spokespeople when needed.

  • Maintain and grow a list of contacts within realms of traditional and digital media to help proliferate positive news coverage around ecosystem developments.
  • Serve as primary contact for media inquiries about Apecoin activity
  • Plan, execute, and measure PR campaigns to increase reach and engagement around Apecoin ecosystem
  • As needed, provide key stakeholders and spokespeople with media training prior to public engagements related to Apecoin

Considerations & Compensation Information:

The Communications Team is designed to empower the DAOs most active members.

  • Acceptance is based on contributions to date & available funds granted by DAO
  • Members enter into a contractual service agreement w/ the Ape Foundation
  • Team will use a majority vote system for making decisions impacting the group
  • Status as a team member is continued until removed by majority vote within program

The team members are not employees of the DAO or any third party entity. They are contracted to provide the above services for the DAO, including Discord moderation, hosting twitter spaces, and providing proposal assistance to the general public, as outlined in this passing proposal.

Each member is subject to income & tax regulations in their various countries and states.

Team Members Involved:

The Communications Team is made up of 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 discord channels, and more.

Steps to Implement:

  • Directs the Ape Foundation to create a contractual agreement for team members

  • Directs the Ape Foundation to create channels for communicating with the Communications Team

  • Communications Team members are to be invited to attend Ape Foundation meetings (as spectators only)

  • Facilitator may additionally ask for general status updates on proposals in process

  • Directs the Ape Foundation to coordinate with Facilitator on use of Twitter Account

  • Make available one Moderator to silently host official twitter space ever 1-2 weeks

  • Twitter spaces will be co-hosted by Communications Team on Thursdays

  • This proposal is written to cover one (1) year of operations for the Communications Team

Overall Cost:

The Communications Team will require a total funding cost of $525,000 for one year of operation. Individuals will be compensated monthly by the Ape Foundation as described below.

  • Seven (7) team members compensated $6,250 (paid out in APE) at the end of each month for one (1) year

  • Members can be removed from the program by majority vote of the Communications team

The Communications Team is an exploratory reward structure for active members of the DAO to assist with proposals & increase social engagement within the ApeCoin Ecosystem.

Future Plans:

Down the road, we also have plans of adding additional qualified people to the Communications team via an Application process.

4 Likes
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This proposal has been in the works for nearly 2 months w/ the most active contributors working together. We all started by helping proposers w/ advice & feedback. It features members from across BAYC/MAYC and the APE DAO. We’ve networked & built this w/ a bunch of people!

It represents a huge amount of time spent meeting w/ people from across the ecosystem, there’s absolutely no better team for it, and we’re joined by Bored.eth(BoredElonMusk) to really level up .

  • Gives us co-management of the twitter account
  • Hosts Twitter spaces every 1-2 weeks
  • First thing handled: moving beyond Discourse (discord or other platforms?)
  • Proposes spectators into Board Meetings

This is a serious proposal w/ hundreds of manhours from a dozen or more people. We’ve done the calls w/ Cartan for months to learn about the details of the DAO. We’re ready to share that.
We’re ready to get into the media’s eyes, build contacts at mainstream news outlets, and more.

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Thanks @0xSword and @Vulkan for leading the charge on this group. A quick background on me and potential value I can bring to this function within the DAO:

In addition to building a large distribution channel via the @BoredElonMusk Twitter account, I have spent 10+ years professionally in the video games industry specializing in communications and marketing. My experience in gaming and communications has included work at the highest levels of games business, and can be useful as the Apecoin ecosystem considers pushing into that vertical of development. I have been part of the BAYC ecosystem since launch, visible via wallets Bored.eth and MasterOfCoin.eth

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hey, cool proposal guys. Only part I want to comment on is this - discord is fairly straightfwd & cheap to setup but it has its drawbacks that can be resolved by a custom website for the nuances of what a DAO requires. If that’s something that the community decides. Will this be funded through this or require another proposal?

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  • What KPI for five primary functions you will use to measure quality of your work?

  • How often each team member will report to the DAO about what was done? Can you describe how such reports will look and what information the reports will contain?

  • If the DAO is not satisfied with your performance what is the process to refund invested resources and stop your funding?

  • What measurable criteria did you use to choose the exact 7 members out of all DAO contributors?

  • How much time per day and for what exact tasks each team member will allocate their time?

  • How the DAO can assign tasks to The Communications Team?

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this function is necessary. great proposal. would like to know more

  1. KPI
  2. Time resources from the contributor or other measurement for control purpose
  3. would be great to know more about the whole team (boredelon reply is well noted)

good work. thank you all

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I am in favor a communications branch for sure. Great AIP team.

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gm gm fellow ApeCoin holders, @ssp1111 here :v:t4:

Thrilled to work with these brilliant community members in an effort to truly make communications a priority as we grow this DAO together.

Just a few quick highlights on me:

Tech

  • Sold small virtual games studio to King.com just before they released Candy Crush

IRL Events

  • Assisted CoachellaFest founders in early days and managed Luxury Brand Activations IRL up until 2019 when festival postponed due to pandemic
  • Director of Events Starwood Resorts (previous)

Web3

  • All in on ApeCoinDAO - and all things Yuga and Proof
  • Strategy and Brand Marketing for gaming and DTC startups
  • Advising Web2 brands wade into the choppy waters of Web3😆

Discord and DAO Experience

  • Moonbirds, FWB, Seed Club, Lil Nouns, OCM, Sup3rfest, ZenAcademy, etc
  • Metaverse Co-Lead at FWB
  • 1st Discord Community Manager at Jadu AR
  • 1st Discord CM and Core Team at xPunks
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Thanks @0xSword and @Vulkan for spearheading this! Just want to introduce myself to anyone who may not know me.

As a part of the BAYC Community since the day after mint, I believe I have a real feel for what can make the Apecoin DAO one of the best communities in the world. I helped organize the inaugural Ladies of BAYC “Not a +1” event held during NFT NYC and have been a mod for the Ladies Lounge discord since June, 2021. I’ve been an active participant here in discourse and am very active in the unofficial discord. I’ve also been sought out for advice and feedback for proposals before they are posted here. I’ve been in or listened to the recordings of every twitter space about the DAO, attended the last Office Hours held by Cartan, and listened to the prior ones.

I believe that lack of communication is the biggest problem with the DAO right now and this AIP is a start at fixing it. Look forward to facing this challenge head on!

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Thanks for taking the time to read through the proposal @akhilttm and we appreciate the feedback! Our initial solution of a Discord server would be a working solution until we could assess others (with the help of the community) to find one that works best. Subsequently, a separate proposal would be introduced to fund this potential switch.

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Thanks everyone for taking the time to read through our proposal, provide feedback, and ask questions. Here is a quick background on myself.

I joined the BAYC ecosystem on “Mutant Saturday” and have been actively involved with our Apecoin DAO since its inception.

I currently write an official newsletter for our DAO (can be found at https://vulkan.substack.com/) and over the past several months have participated in numerous calls and chats helping people of our community become familiar with the AIP process and what to expect along the way. These calls have also included ones with @bc and other members of the Cartan Moderator team to clarify questions and learn more about the structure of our DAO and how things operate.

While others on our team like @boredelon and @ssp1111 have the professional background and experience they will utilize to push our team and community forward, I will draw on my experiences mentioned above to augment the team.

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Hey everyone, my name is Ryan and I’m the Head of Partnerships/Community at Vy Worlds. Our team recently submitted a proposal to the DAO (AIP-78/AIP-103). I can personally attest to the need for the DAO to have an actively managed communications team to highlight, research, and share information about ongoing Ape Worlds proposals.

Without this in place, teams are left dedicating substantial time and effort to Twitter outreach with minimal effect. And it may even force good teams to decide not to submit their proposals if they feel they can’t effectively communicate to DAO holders.

Our team spoke with @0xSword @Vulkan and asked for their help in reviewing our proposals and can attest to their reputation and thoroughness in reviewing AIPs and their value to the overall Ape Coin DAO.

I’m happy to vote in favor of this proposal.

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Thanks for all the comments so far folks, and thanks to @Vulkan and @0xSword for their contributions in leading the development of this proposal.

Here is a bit of background about me:

I have been a BAYC holder for just under a year, and am a big proponent of everything that Yuga, and the ApeCoin DAO, are building.

I have been involved in the ApeCoin DAO since its inception, through participation on discourse, on twitter, and in the unofficial discord channel.

I am a lawyer by trade. I have recently left my firm so that I can transition into full-time participation in web3.

I have been involved in crypto since 2017. Over the years I have assisted with a number of projects in various capacities. Most recently I have become an ambassador for NFTfi, the leading NFT collateralized lending protocol. I am also a member and frequent contributor to ReidarDAO, an NFT-focused investment DAO.

I view participation in the ApeCoin DAO as a historical opportunity and experiment in decentralized governance.

I think that communication is one of the most pressing issues facing the DAO and that addressing this issue is going to be essential for the DAO to achieve its potential. I look forward to receiving your feedback and to continuing to develop this AIP with the community.

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We’ve had a lot of feedback and there’s quite a bit to cover. One thing we did really good about was reaching out to many members of the community. It’s been an ongoing process since the inception of the DAO by many of us. We’ve come together through helping proposers. In zoom calls w/ many like Magic Eden, we’ve shared our experiences & have built up a network.

So naturally, when @boredelonmusk showed interest, we were eager to put him to work. Many of us have deep ties in both BAYC/MAYC & ApeDAO. What’s important to know about this is that these team tasks are output-based. We don’t measure in twitter impressions or numbers of holders increased. This is building internal comms w/ Special Council & video guides & more!

You’re gonna physically see what we do. And we’ll be proud to show “hey this video guide has tons of views!” But we’re not going to set hyper-specific metrics that may have nothing to do w/ us. We’ll be tracking those & more, but again we’re creating content & new comms channels.

My favorite part of this is that it proposes getting the community into Board Meetings! We’ll know what’s going on, who’s doing what, and more. It’s a big deal we all can agree on. We’re ready!

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As someone who isn’t involved with this AIP what-so-ever … I am going to answer your questions, although fair, how I would want them answered based on current DAO framework structure.

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What is the unofficial discord they are talking about?

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What expirience each team member has with public relations?

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I am all for moving forward with a communications devision, and don’t have an issue with the money, but here are my thoughts.

  1. Needs leadership, can’t have 7 cooks in the kitchen and no one is in charge haphazardly interacting without a big picture plan

  2. Organization and Key Performance Metrics- Clear goals, what does success look like what does failure look like, who is in charge of what parts of marketing.

  3. You don’t need 7 people for marketing, I am not apposed to paying $1m for marketing for 12 months but 7 people is a messy large number you need 1 leader and maybe 1-3 people working under them (just my opinion from my experiences)

  4. Shorter term… There is no need to lock people in for 12 months before we see any level of performance, I recommend a trial period to evaluate how well things go, maybe 3 months then we can re-evaluate for a longer timeline.

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It’s been around since day one of the DAO

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  1. I agree … someone needs to be head of the kitchen somewhat

  2. I think there isn’t a perfect answer to this in a wildly new market field. Twitter data, discord/discourse metrics, and maybe voting turn out? That’s the kpi I support

  3. Highly disagree … if I’m on a 3 man team for communications of a billion dollar market cap coin I’m asking for absurd amount of money. :rofl::rofl: that sounds awful

  4. Slippery slope we can fall into by constantly saying “let’s see how well you do first … trial run” … we will accomplish nothing … it’s not like we are replacing our current comms team … there literally isn’t one … I don’t think 3 months is enough time to do much … and in general I think all contracted grants should be 6-12 months minimum.

My 2¢ as an unaffiliated supporter

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