[DAO:d0747fe] A shared mission for the Decentraland DAO

by 0x511a22cdd2c4ee8357bb02df2578037ffe8a4d8d (ginoct)

Linked Pre-Proposal

Should we restructure the way our DAO operates?

Summary

This proposal seeks approval of the mission of the Decentraland DAO: To ensure the sustainability of the Decentraland ecosystem through representative governance, efficient management of collective resources, and technical innovation.

Abstract

The Decentraland DAO plays a critical role in the long-term sustainability of the Decentraland ecosystem. By defining its mission, the DAO will be equipped to drive meaningful governance decisions, manage its resources better, and drive innovation for the Decentraland protocol. This proposal presents the mission for approval, ensuring that the DAO is aligned with Decentraland’s shared proposed vision: “Own your digital life through open standards to enable social connections.”

This proposal came up after conversations held at the DCL DAO: Regenesis meeting in September 2024.

Motivation

The Regenesis Summit aimed to discuss and define the vision and mission for the Decentraland DAO, establishing its purpose within the ecosystem. Participants agreed that Decentraland’s vision should be ever-lasting and shared across the community, while the Foundation’s mission should focus on short- to mid-term goals and the DAO’s mission on long-term objectives.

The shared vision is to “Own your digital life through open standards to enable social connections.” Although the DAO is not solely responsible for achieving this vision, its mission is essential in sustaining the ecosystem through governance and innovation, empowering users to control their digital experiences.

Key motivations include:

  • The need for a mission that enables the community to actively shape Decentraland’s future, in alignment with the broader vision of open standards and user ownership.
  • Providing long-term clarity for the DAO’s operations enables it to lead innovation within the metaverse.
  • It is necessary to clearly distinguish the roles of the Decentraland Foundation and the DAO, with the Foundation focusing on infrastructure and the DAO on governance and collective resources management.

Specification

The mission proposed for the Decentraland DAO is as follows:

Mission: Ensure the sustainability of the Decentraland Ecosystem through representative governance, efficient management of collective resources, and technical innovation.

The DAO’s mission is focused on the long-term sustainability and success of the Decentraland ecosystem. By concentrating on governance, resource management, and innovation, the DAO seeks to secure the platform’s future for its community, developers, and creators.

Key elements of this mission:

  • Governance: Establishing representative governance ensures the DAO reflects the community’s voice and aligns with Decentraland’s goals while maintaining efficient decision-making.
  • Collective Resources: The DAO supports creating, curating, and discovering metaverse content. It also manages the Treasury to secure the project’s future, fostering a community of people committed to Decentraland’s vision.
  • Technical Innovation: By supporting innovation, the DAO keeps Decentraland at the forefront of metaverse technology, promoting decentralization and open standards.

Responsibilities of the DAO:

  • Fund strategic projects that improve the experience of visitors, creators, and developers: The DAO will allocate resources to projects that enhance the in-world experience for visitors, streamline creation tools for creators, and lower barriers for developers to build in Decentraland, all while adhering to the core values of openness, decentralization, and respect for privacy.
  • Safeguard the critical smart contracts of the project: As a decentralized organization, the DAO will ensure the security and integrity of the key smart contracts that underlie the functioning of Decentraland, maintaining the trust of the community.
  • Manage the Treasury responsibly to extend the runway of the project: The DAO will focus on long-term financial sustainability, managing its treasury in a way that maximizes the runway and ensures the continued growth and evolution of the platform.
  • Enable stakeholders to participate in decision-making about the project’s future: In alignment with the vision of enabling individuals to “own their digital life,” the DAO will create mechanisms and opportunities for community members to actively shape the direction of Decentraland, reinforcing decentralization and community ownership in the governance process.

Additionally, this mission, along with the shared vision of Decentraland, should be clearly stated and reflected in all relevant documentation of the DAO, including governance processes, communication materials, and any documents that represent Decentraland, the DAO, or the project as a whole.

Conclusion

By approving this mission, the Decentraland DAO will be positioned to take decisive actions that ensure the sustainability and growth of the ecosystem. This mission will serve as a foundation for future governance decisions, aligning the DAO’s actions with the broader goals of the Decentraland project. The community is encouraged to participate in discussions, provide feedback, and vote to approve this mission, setting the stage for a more empowered and sustainable DAO.

Vote on this proposal on the Decentraland DAO

View this proposal on Snapshot

1 Like

This mission makes sense.
But I think the mission is lacking personality and doesn’t feel very inviting.

Ensuring sustainability doesn’t sound very prosperous.
If our focus is to solely “sustain” then it lacks drive as we pitter towards our ultimate and inevitable doom.

representative governance is not something that I think we should be focused on or draw attention towards. As it sounds centralized.

efficient management of collective resources - Once again kind of lacks prosperity. But this is ultimately decided by the higher tier members. So this part is becoming out of the hands of the general DAO user anyway. So it won’t be the DAOs focus to manage the resources anyway. This creates a confusion between who is running the DAO.

technical innovation. I like this terminology.

I feel like the mission should focus more on
Longevity. (Makes it seem like we are thriving and live forever!)
Decentralization.
Inclusiveness of all members rich or poor. (autonomy)
Better organisation.

In the tier system the mission is decided by the 1 member in the “GOD tier”…
If the users of a DAO need to constantly redefine the terminology of what a DAO is then it only adds more confusion and divide between regular DAO users and the people that are getting paid to build the technology. A divide of classes won’t appease everyone.

TLDR;
Deciding the mission statement should be the job of the higher tiers.
So we need a tier system so we can all figure out what our roles are.

1 Like

@ginoct Can u please elaborate on this.

1 Like

A shared mission for the Decentraland DAO

This proposal is now in status: PASSED.

Voting Results:

  • Yes 97% 12,048,674 VP (32 votes)
  • No 2% 288,193 VP (7 votes)
  • Abstain 1% 1,095 VP (1 votes)

@BET I’d like to leave my comments here since I’m working on the Governance stage proposal for this.

Since Decentraland is a public good with a non-profit approach, sustainability makes sense. I agree that sustainability does not mean staying stable but growing for a project to thrive. The goal of the DAO should be to ensure that the resource influx grows so we can invest more in our community and the protocol. But the end goal is not the profit but having a sustainable ecosystem.

I believe that representative governance is the best we can do given the state of the community and the project. Delegates, councils, people with high context taking decisions while being accountable to the community.

The missions drives and inspires everyone on the ecosystem, not only members who make some decisions.

Regarding your proposal:

Longevity and sustainability for me are kinda the same thing.
Decentralization is something we discussed in Lisbon for hours, technical decentralization and openness are critical for the project, but decentralization in the abstract sounds like a buzzword. And should be part of the vision (Currently: “Own your digital life through open standards to enable social connections.”)
The autonomy part is reflected in the vision as well, ownership means autonomy.