[DAO:4821ae3] Information Preservation in Decentraland: A Historical Perspective

[dao]

by 0x4cd50f3c3d99a552f3ed1e6d24e2cef7db4e9269 (Alias)

Should the following $24,000 grant in the Documentation category be approved?

Abstract

I want to explore the importance of preserving information related to Decentraland’s history and development. By documenting its evolution, milestones, and key events, we gain insights into the growth and transformation of this unique decentralized ecosystem. The historical record of Decentraland not only serves as a valuable resource for researchers, enthusiasts, and stakeholders but also plays a crucial role in fostering transparency, accountability, and trust within the growing community and interest.

It is my aim to secure as much historical content as possible on one of the biggest online resources for online communities. Fandom, similar to Wikipedia, is an established platform on that regard and is widely used.

Grant size

24,000 USD in DAI

Project duration

6 months

Beneficiary address

0xffbf85d4a3b3cf35bcd7ad61dd4c48b9e29cc4c5

Email address

elijah221@protonmail.com

Description

By documenting the platform’s evolution, milestones, and key events, it addresses several crucial challenges:

Preservation of Decentraland’s Legacy:
This initiative safeguards the historical record of Decentraland, ensuring that its history is not lost to the passage of time.

Transparency and Trust:
The project enhances transparency and accountability within Decentraland. By providing a reliable source of historical information, it minimizes the risk of misinformation, ensuring that users can trust the platform and its development processes.

Educational Resource:
The documentation becomes a valuable educational resource. Researchers, enthusiasts, stakeholders, and newcomers can access a well-preserved history, gaining insights into Decentraland’s unique journey.

Support for Decentralized Governance:
In a digital realm where decentralized governance and ownership are paramount, information preservation serves as a fundamental pillar. It empowers the community to make informed decisions based on historical context, contributing to the platform’s continued success.

Promotion of Innovation:
By acknowledging the intrinsic value of historical documentation, this project promotes innovation within Decentraland. It encourages a deeper understanding of the platform’s past, which can inspire future developments and creative endeavors.

This project ensures that Decentraland’s history remains intact and accessible to all, enriching the platform’s culture and providing a solid foundation for its future. It strengthens Decentraland’s position as a pioneer in the decentralized virtual world space and reinforces the platform’s appeal to a diverse audience.

It has the potential to emerge as the definitive source for all things Decentraland. In my ideal scenario, there would exist a dedicated Decentraland Wiki, distinct from the official documentation, that comprehensively covers everything related to Decentraland not included in the official sources. This independent Wiki would serve as one of the primary information repositories, accessible to all.

Reflecting on my journey from back in May, when I embarked on this endeavor and started a few initial pages, it became evident that this project demands a significant investment of time and effort. In the event that this proposal doesn’t come to fruition, I see it as an opportunity to raise awareness. I’m determined to write articles regardless of the outcome, although I may not be able to dedicate as much time as I initially envisioned.

Roadmap and milestones

Instead of stating dates for a Roadmap, I ld like to use this space for bullet points I want to address and cover. This list is far from complete and shall only give an overview. (In Alphabetical order)

Avatars -
Everything avatars (Non-NFT)

NFTs in Decentraland/Digital Ownership -
Land/MANA/Wearables/Emotes. How to earn MANA?

Brands and Partnerships -
List of brands and their activations (Date/Where/…)

Communitites -
Link collection to everything Decentraland

Contests (Submissions & Winner) -
Gamejams,
#DCLFilmClub

Creators -
List of creators & creations,
3rd party tools

Development -
History of Decentraland’s development.
Key milestones & updates.
Technology stack behind Decentraland.

Events -
Covering major Decentraland Foundation events since 2019 to 2023

Governance -
What is the DAO?
Why does Decentraland need the DAO?
Tracking funded grants & their benefit to the ecosystem (Who, Date, Grant size, where/how to find it/contribute to it).

Introduction to Decentraland -
What is Decentraland?

Legal and Ethical Considerations -
Legal challenges & regulations in virtual worlds.
Intellectual property & copyright issues.

Map -
Districts, Genesis Plazas

Overall Experiences -
Games/P2E/Galleries

I aim to complement written content with an extensive array of media, recognizing the significant impact of visuals on articles and the added value they offer, as a visual enthusiast myself.

Vote on this proposal on the Decentraland DAO

View this proposal on Snapshot

[jar0d]

Would need to see your recap of the Auction and district-forming process to get a sense of your style and perception of events.

Examples of your work to help understand what the following would look like.

@dao

I aim to complement written content with an extensive array of media, recognizing the significant impact of visuals on articles and the added value they offer, as a visual enthusiast myself.

[Alias]

Hey @SugarClub, thank you for the heads up. Will definitely do.

[Alias]

Hey @jar0d,
conducting research, particularly regarding the history of the LAND auction and District creation, is quite essential in my opinion. I aim to maintain objective information with historical references, such as GitHub repositories and other credible sources. I plan to allocate extensive time to delve into the history and timelines related to these aspects, given their significance.

As for example work, the below links hold some videos I made in the time, working for the Foundation:

https://twitter.com/decentraland/status/1648333057890607109
https://twitter.com/decentraland/status/1421183732631867393
https://twitter.com/decentraland/status/1635996773356568579
https://twitter.com/decentraland/status/1633167302991712256
https://twitter.com/decentraland/status/1354070407440179200
https://twitter.com/decentraland/status/1577736877485924352

The media content that will accompany an article will certainly vary, depending on the subject itself. But I hope the above links can share some insights of how I approach my work.

[jar0d]

My only concern is that you wouldn’t be willing to shine a light on the mistakes Decentraland made in the past. As a former Foundation employee, I imagine you aren’t super interested in preserving the history that paints the project or founders in a negative light.

For example, why did @esteban delete this blog post?

And why does Esteban insist that they (the founders) never said “buy” when selling Districts to contributors?

The content you provided, is great and otherwise I have no doubts in your ability to deliver something worth while

[3Point1Four]

Love the idea! I wish you all the best.

Hopefully this stays as objective and accurate as possible.

Documenting history and development does not encompass passing judgement on the actions taken by various entities. That’s for readers to do.

[Alias]

Appreciate the feedback @jar0d, thank you. Valid point. While I cannot answer in the name of Esteban, it is crucial to recognize that this proposal aligns with the open and public nature of Decentraland and any Wiki should reflect that in my personal opinion. As well it should go hand in hand with being objective and transparent. While my goal is to initiate the project and lay the groundwork, my intention is not to restrict access or monopolize contributions indefinitely. Everyone is encouraged to participate wherever they believe their contributions are valuable. Whether someone, including myself, is lacking information or certain topics remain uncovered.

[Alias]

Thank you for the kind words @3Point1Four, will do my best, regardless of whether this proposal is passing or not.

[3Point1Four]

It is, unfortunately. Which is why we have to stand for facts and not opinion.

[Skazi]

The proposal has valid and commendable goals for preserving Decentraland’s history.

However, 24k in USD for this is too much!

NO

[HPrivakos]

6 months of work for a knowledgeable person and great work ethics, it doesn’t sounds too much IMO.
People have asking me to write about the history of DCL many times but I don’t have the time to do that.
Cata has been here for many years and is capable to document the history and progress of Decentraland since before the open beta.

[Skazi]

“6 months of work for a knowledgeable person and great work ethics, it doesn’t sounds too much IMO”

The proposal could be denied based on the potential for more cost-effective and time-efficient alternatives, like exploring collaborations or utilizing community resources, to achieve the same historical documentation goals within Decentraland.

Its clear you want this to pass because its ur friend?..

[HPrivakos]

@Skazi

exploring collaborations or utilizing community resources

So basically jar0d asking me questions on Discord?

[jar0d]

I’ll vote yes. I think this is a good idea and you seem reasonable.

[jar0d]

I’ll split a 10k grant with you for this

[Skazi]

… it cant get more obvious.

[Alias]

I appreciate your feedback @Skazi. Thank you. I won’t dive into the financial aspect, as we all have our individual perspectives. However, if someone is willing to accomplish the same work more efficiently and cost-effectively, it would be a win-win situation for the platform either way. Decentraland getting its own Wiki, which, in my view, is greatly needed, as information sources already pop-up left and right and its getting harder to stay on top of everything. And people genuinely looking into the subject, as its simpler to make a statement without the action to support them. The official Wikipedia page can serve as prime example. Given Decentralands big community, it could benefit from more comprehensive information and engagement, yet it appears to be receiving limited attention.

[Alias]

Thank you very much @jar0d.

[akasya.eth]

$24K is too much for this kind of work.
Is this the new meta for draining the DAO?
Well, not bad!

[JasonX]

I like this idea. Happy to give access to one of my names if this proposal comes to life.