# Attributes
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Author: @zaatar (with lots of amazing ideas from the community)
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Recipient(s): GRIP team (see “Contributors” below)
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Category: Allocation of DAO Treasury
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Asking Amount: $5,000 a month (see “Budget” below) (revised November 14, 2022)
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Acknowledgements: All GRIP team members, @jinx, @PoktBlade, and others for feedback, dissenting views, etc.
NOTE: Since the posting of PEP-45 and due to community input, the details on budget and contributors have been revised. All revisions have been flagged so readers can identify them.
# Summary
TL;DR: PEP-45 proposes creation of a team (GRIP) to help contributors develop proposals. The team will comprise specialists (technical and economic), an editor and a graphic artist.
Once a proposal has received community feedback in the soon-to-be-created Pre-Proposal Forum category, if needed, the specialists would do a final review.
If needed, the editor will work with the specialists to create a lay-friendly version. The graphic artist will add infographics as required. Just before a proposal launches, the editor will fix typos, spelling and grammar. At the same time, and if the proposer requests, the editor can provide writing assistance.
This proposal is for implementation on a three-month trial basis. After that, the team would report on its contribution and the community would gauge its value. A follow-up proposal, tweaked to reflect lessons learned and community input, would then be floated for open-ended adoption of GRIP. GRIP would continue to operate pending the follow-up vote.
# Motivation/Rationale
TL;DR: By leveraging community expertise and making proposal preparation easier this proposal will invigorate the proposal process, widen community participation, enhance debate and improve governance.
By offering help with writing and organizing ideas, the group will make submitting proposals easier for everyone. Some contributors are intimidated by the proposal process - GRIP will make it friendly. GRIP’s services could encourage submissions from non-native English speakers who hesitate due to language difficulty.
Contributors who invest resources to prepare proposals want to convey professionalism and maximize the likelihood of adoption. GRIP will help by making proposals as flawless and understandable as possible.
Proposals that deal with technical and economic matters may be hard for community members to follow and lead to voter tune-out. Making these proposals digestible will broaden community participation in governance.
Complex technical and economic proposals may be flawed due to errors and lack of research. While most errors may be detected through pre-proposal community evaluation, GRIP, where appropriate, will do a final vetting. It’s better to catch failings and have would-be contributors address them before putting proposals up for time-consuming debate and voting.
Proposals can contain typos and spelling and grammar mistakes that are distracting. Or they may be poorly written. Bad writing and errors can reduce clarity and obscure meaning. Providing writing assistance where needed and fixing errors will produce clearer proposals and better debate and governance.
# How Will It Work
Pre-posting review: Proposers will be encouraged to submit an outline or draft of their proposal in the Pre-Proposal category of the Forum for review and feedback by the community.
The Pre-Proposal category is a new public category in the Forum where ideas and rough-draft proposals can be published for consideration, review, and editing before they’re published to a formal Proposals category. It will be open to anyone to participate. The Pre-Proposal category is the brainchild of the core governance team.
To be clear: Use of the Pre-Proposal category will be optional; contributors can post a proposal directly to a proposal category. However, for all but the simplest proposals this is not recommended since Pre-Proposal scrutiny will produce better proposals.
Purview
The economics specialists will help with proposals requiring economic analysis including inflation controls, stake minimums, stake weighting, and validation of pool targets.
The technical specialists will help with proposals related to Pocket Network technology, including protocol upgrades, parameter adjustments, security enhancements, and community developed tooling.
The Process
Contributors will submit a proposal outline or draft in the Pre-Proposal category of the Forum for community feedback before devoting time and effort to drafting a formal proposal or technical scope document with a budget ask.
The technical specialists will consider any amounts being sought for reimbursement or advance funding and opine regarding the appropriate budget. They will consult the PNI Protocol and Engineering teams, as needed, to assess the impact of proposals on security, efficiency, and scalability.
We recognize that a small number of contributors may be uncomfortable going public with their ideas and writing, or publicly receiving criticism. To accommodate such contributors, and encourage their contributions too, GRIP, upon request, will privately review outlines, drafts and pre-proposals. Likewise, upon request, GRIP will confidentially relay its views to any contributor at any stage of the pre-proposal process. For transparency, GRIP will disclose its private contacts after the fact.
Some proposals may be so simple that posting in the Pre-Proposal category for feedback seems unnecessary. Proposers of such proposals are encouraged to submit them to GRIP for copy editing before launch.
For proposals that bypass the Pre-Proposal category and post unedited as a votable proposal, infographics could be added but no editing will be provided.
Making Proposals More Effective
After community feedback in the Pre-Proposal category has been taken into account, GRIP would perform adjustments for clarity, add detail where necessary, and make proposals digestible for a general audience.
Language errors: Once the specialists have added their final touches and a proposal is ready for posting, the editor, unless otherwise requested by the proposer, will fix typos and grammar and spelling mistakes. The editor might also make suggestions on content and structure (e.g., make unnecessarily long proposals more concise, have the contributor address unanswered but obvious questions).
The proposer can discuss proposed changes with the editor and accept or reject them. Apart from grammar and spelling, the proposer has the final say on how the proposal reads.
It’s recommended that all editing occur pre-launch since once a proposal goes live (prior to voting) community members form their views and provide their feedback based on the proposal as published. If proposals change after publication it can create confusion. It forces members to constantly return to the proposal and follow updates for feedback purposes and to do so again before voting in order to check if what they’re voting on is still the same proposal.
While PEP-45 does not eliminate editing post-launch, it’s worth noting that restricting editing to the pre-proposal stage will improve debate over proposals and simplify voting.
Infographics: GRIP will determine whether to create visual aids before a proposal floats, or afterward, or may do so upon community request.
Summaries: For complex proposals that have been formally launched, after most opinions appear to have been expressed, GRIP will draft a summary of the competing viewpoints in consultation with their proponents. This will help the community better appreciate the different sides. Infographics may be useful here as they can contrast the opposing views. (Infographics assisted during the debate on PIP-22 regarding stake-weighted servicer rewards.)
NOTE: A contributor is free to do work or complete a project before posting a reimbursement request in the Forum.
# Budget
(New & Revised on November 13-14, 2022)
The DAO will grant $5,000 to GRIP at the end of each month to disburse to its members as it sees fit. If over the three-month life of this project, the contributions come under $15,000, any unspent funds will be returned to the DAO or, if GRIP is renewed, roll over to the next funding period, reducing subsequent DAO grant(s) accordingly. Conversely, if appropriate compensation for the first three months of GRIP contributions goes over $15,000, a request for further funding can be submitted to the DAO.
Members will be compensated based on their contributions. These will mostly, if not all, be visible in the Forum so that it’s clear to the community what they’re getting paid for. Payment to each member will be made public with details on the work performed.
# Actionable Items
A vote for GRIP is a vote that the DAO and/or core governance do the following:
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Set up the Pre-Proposal category in the Forum within 24 hours from the end of voting, unless it’s already been created.
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Adjust editor permissions in the Pre-Proposal category to allow editing by GRIP and in the Pre-Proposal and Proposal categories to allow posting of summaries and infographics.
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At the end of each month, allocate $5,000 to GRIP for distribution among its members for work done. (Revised on November 13-14, 2022)
# Dissenting Opinions
Creating a review and editing group will foster a culture of dependency. It’s more beneficial to have a DAO culture where we all chip in and help each other. Extrinsic motivators are not the best incentive to create a healthy and sustainable community. Intrinsic motivators like reputation, praise and the feeling of being part of something much bigger than ourselves are proven to be much more valuable and long lasting.
- Money may or may not be the best incentive long-term, but as a matter of fairness, if not necessity, people should be paid for their work.
- Technical and economic analysis of proposals can demand considerable time and effort. Given the value and importance of analysis, we should pay specialists to do it – to ensure that it’s done and that it’s comprehensive and competent.
It’s dangerous for the DAO to start paying people for something they should care enough about to do anyway. And it may turn off other people from helping with pre-vetting proposals if they don’t get paid. It’s a slippery slope.
- If people care about Pocket Network and have a stake in its future, they will continue to weigh in on how best to grow the project and spend the treasury’s funds.
All GRIP communications with contributors should be in the open. Behind-doors conversations are counter to the culture we are trying to nurture.
- Connected community members invariably seek counsel privately from their colleagues. While not to be encouraged, providing an opportunity for private discussion for the timid and unconnected simply levels the playing field. In addition, a private communication could provide the nudge needed to prompt a contribution.
Proposers should be responsible for their own infographics. The DAO should not have to pay to prepare these.
- Proposers are welcome to create their own infographics. However, for proposals that are not accompanied by infographics, GRIP should have discretion to add these for clarity. Ensuring that proposals are understood serves the interest of the entire community and will enhance decision-making and governance.
# Deliverables
Review, feedback, summaries, editing and infographics and all other assistance will be provided based on the unpredictable flow of pre-proposal material and proposals.
Proposal Preparation Guide: As soon as this proposal passes, GRIP will create an easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide on how to write up proposals. This will facilitate preparation especially for first-timers.
# Contributors
Any community member can apply to join GRIP. Once they have demonstrated sufficient skill, knowledge and/or expertise and existing members of the group vouch for them they will be added to the GRIP roster. If GRIP renews, acting GRIP roles will rotate among interested roster members every three months. (New – added on November 13, 2022)
Initially, the following individuals will make up the GRIP team.
Specialists:
Technical: @Steve | Dabble Lab (Steve Tingiris). Steve has worked as a software engineer for 25+ years. He heads Dabble Lab, a technology R&D firm, focused on blockchain, machine learning, and other emerging technologies. He has authored over 500 technical articles/tutorials including the official Zero-to-Node video tutorials and official node setup documentation. Involved with Pocket since before mainnet launch, he runs over 700 nodes.
Technical: @RawthiL (Ramiro Rodríguez Colmeiro) is part of POKTscan’s data science team, where he analyzes and models Pocket Network’s data. He has a Ph.D. in Complex Systems Optimization (University of Technology of Troyes, France) and Image and Signal Processing (Universidad Tecnológica Nacional, Argentina). He has created statistical models and machine learning algorithms for nuclear medicine applications and currently he is an assistant professor at the UTN-Facultad Regional Buenos Aires.
Technical: @bulutcambazi | C0D3R#5571 (Baris Saydag) is a founding member of C0D3R, one of the largest Pocket node-running services. Prior to COD3R, he worked for 15 years doing/managing systems security at Microsoft (Windows) and Facebook (Metaverse). He values innovation, agility and solid foundations.
Technical: @qspider (Geoffrey Diaz) has run a “friendly neighborhood” company providing web-hosting services and server infrastructure since 2013. After graduating from Tampa Technical Institute in 2001 with an A.S. in Computer Science, he did “just about every job in IT you can think of,” from support to creating websites in CSS/HTML, WordPress and other CMSs, while also working towards a college degree in computer engineering. He is proficient in some Linux distros, mainly Red Hat and Debian/Ubuntu. His background in infrastructure and database management made it easy to move more towards blockchain technology in the last few years.
Technical/Economics: @shane (Shane Burgett) With a background in business development, marketing, design, and media production, he has been a full-time business development contributor to Pocket Network since January 2019. He is the founder of Orlando-based Decentralized Authority which builds products and services that enable anyone to deploy and manage blockchain nodes and validators. He is the co-creator of Node Pilot, Node Launcher and Pokt Lint.
Economics: @Tracie | poktpool.com (Tracie Myers) is a blockchain veteran and IT maven whose passion for numbers led to reverse engineering the Clash of Clans matchmaking algorithm, rocketing her team to the no. 2 spot on the multiplayer strategy game’s global leaderboard. She created the foundation for Pocket’s economic model, and co-authored the white paper. Most recently, she is the CEO and co-founder of poktpool, Inc., a fractional-staking platform with over 3,100 users and 120MM POKT under management.
Economics: @pikpokt (Adam Liposky) is a seasoned member of the Pocket community, serving in several core team roles, including COO. Having a background in venture capital, startups, and finance, Adam led the way on several key governance improvements over the last few years with a focus on economics and scalability. Having authored much of the latest economics documentation and models, Adam established himself as an economics thought leader. He currently serves as a Partner at NachoNodes and Head of Staking at DLTx.
Editor:
@zaatar is a criminal lawyer and former journalist. He has 10 years of newspaper copy-editing experience and over 25 years’ experience as a trial lawyer. Information organization and clear presentation are key in trial litigation.
Graphic artist:
Ale_dVG (Alejandra (Ale) del Valle) has a degree in Marketing & Graphic Design from Universidad Rafael Landivar in Guatemala. She worked as a graphic designer for Telus Corporation before switching in 2013 to helping start-ups develop corporate image and create presentations. She also holds an MA in Public Relations and Graphic Communication from the University of the Arts London. She does the art for the poktpool infographic series.
Cryptocorn (Alex Devoto) has built and run several tech start-ups and raised capital. His companies have sold product to Fortune 100 companies. Last year, one of his companies was awarded a U.S. patent. He heads marketing and community management at poktpool, Inc., and writes and helps design its infographic series.
Ale and Alex will collaborate.
Copyright
Copyright and related rights waived via CC0.