AIP Idea: Preserve the Discourse Forum for ApeCoin and ApeChain Ecosystem Projects Post-DAO and add a Section for Made by Apes Licensees.
Author: Ernest Lee, BAYC#8335
Category: Ecosystem
Created: 7 June 2025
Abstract
This AIP proposes to maintain and fund the ApeCoin Discourse platform—forum.apecoin.com—regardless of whether the DAO is sunset by AIP-tbd (“Sunsetting the DAO and Launching ApeCo”) or a similar proposal. The Discourse forum would serve as a neutral, persistent community hub for Made by Apes licensees, ApeCoin holders, ApeChain developers, and other ecosystem stakeholders.
Motivation
Should the DAO cease operations, its Discourse forum remains a vital resource for collaboration, support, and coordination across the broader ApeCoin ecosystem. Maintaining this infrastructure protects years of governance records, project documentation, and community dialogue while preserving an open space for builders and contributors to connect.
Rationale
- Continuity: Ensures ApeCoin and ApeChain projects retain a reliable communication platform and adds a forum for Made by Apes licensees.
- Transparency: Archives AIPs, community feedback, and decision-making processes for historical reference.
- Neutrality: Offers a non-governance-aligned venue for ecosystem coordination post-DAO.
- Trust: Signals long-term commitment to decentralized collaboration, even as operating structures evolve into ApeCo.
Specifications
- Platform: Retain and continue hosting forum.apecoin.com.
- Access: Publicly accessible; new participation open to ecosystem contributors.
- Moderation: Retain a lightweight volunteer moderation team (minimum 1 lead + 1 assistant) to manage abuse and maintain content quality.
- Scope: Categories will support:
- ApeCoin ecosystem discussions
- Integrate a new Section for Made by Apes networking
- ApeChain builder coordination
- General community support and project collaboration
- Branding: Neutral rebranding may remove or de-emphasize DAO references while highlighting ApeCoin, ApeChain and Made by Apes.
- Governance Archives: Lock DAO governance threads (AIPs, proposals, voting results) as read-only, preserving the full history.
Steps to Implement
- Secure operational custody by ApeCo, the Ape Foundation, or a designated steward entity.
- Allocate budget and contract technical and moderation services for first 36 months.
- Publish a new homepage message clarifying the forum’s updated purpose.
- Inform the community via all channels of the forum’s continued availability post-DAO.
- Establish basic analytics/reporting and feedback loops for future improvements.
Timeline
- Week 1: AIP approval
- Week 2–3: Funding disbursement, new agreements, moderation roles confirmed
- Week 4: Rebranding, homepage updates, category updates
- Ongoing: Open and transparent ecosystem communication and project support
Overall Cost
Total Budget: $46,000 USD (36-month period)
- $36,000 – Discourse hosting, backups, infrastructure
- $10,000 – Platform refresh, branding, and analytics/reporting updates
Closing Statement
The Discourse forum has become a foundational layer for communication within the ApeCoin ecosystem. Whether or not the DAO continues, this proposal protects the infrastructure and community investment that have brought us here—ensuring that ApeCoin and ApeChain contributors (and adding Made by Apes contributors) have a trusted home to collaborate, coordinate, and grow.
