There are many critical steps that need to be taken now that the ENS Constitution has been ratified, but after careful consideration I feel that creating some type of Mission Statement for ENS DAO should be among the first steps we take. That way there is something at least at the symbolic level to point to for direction, even beyond what is covered in the Constitution.
What do you want ENS DAO to stand for? I feel it is more constructive to take that approach, rather than what it should stand against. That was the main criticism that was leveled against Occupyā¦ a past approach at an analog DAO, if you will.
What ideological, philosophical, and real world causes should the ENS hope to empower and advance? Anyone that would like to contribute, please do so. What should we help to build?
While I have my own opinions on the topic, I would like to foster input on the subject more than expound on my philosophy here. That being said, since I started the topic, I would like to start the discussion with some recommended reading that I have drawn inspiration from. I found the first article posted by another user here on this forum actually, but then couldnāt find the thread later. So shout out to whoever that was. Edit @ceresstation
Thanks for the resources, Daylon! I noticed the discussion that slobo.eth started in the Discord about the mission statement. A well-defined mission statement is essential for unifying the DAO. In my mind, the key elements to brainstorm are: What exactly does the DAO want to accomplish (philosophically or actually) and how?
A possible roadmap for developing a universally agreed upon statement. 1. Identify DAO objectives. 2. Identify pathways to those objectives. 3. Draft proposed mission statements based upon a formula similar to ā[objectives] + [how, why]ā. 3. Present short-list of prospective Mission Statements to be ratified by DAO.
*(Alternatively, present drafted missions to be voted on w/less communal brainstorming.)
Although there are differing opinions on how the DAO may achieve itās goals, a lot of the objectives seem to be previously identified such as, ācreate a decentralized naming standard,ā for āwallets, websites, and more.ā Additionally, the ethos has been established that Ethereum Name Service is a global public good.
Because the community is large and the use cases are potentially limitless, a deliberately broad mission may be favorable.
I combined one of slobo.ethās ideas with some website copy below: āThe global empowerment of people, organizations, and smart contracts through continued development of a decentralized, human-readable naming standard as a global public good.ā
A verbose sample, but it emphasizes empowering people, organizations and blockchain technology. Promotes the continual development of Ethereum Name Service and solidifies that it should remain decentralized and a global public good.
The DAO should be open to revising the mission statement in the future as needs evolve. A vision statement could encompass narrow, more nuanced, specific DAO objectives.
@daylon.eth I agree. A Mission Statement is something distinctly different from a constitution and tells the world why we exist. As I have come to know them, a Mission Statement is, generally, an expression of the aspirational vision of an organization that is articulated in a concise, easily understood statement.
It is better that we keep this thread to creating a mission statement only. Letās avoid defining objectives or ways that those objective could be achieved.
One step at a time.
With the mission statement as the focus, letās post as many version of short mission statements as come to mind. The best will emerge through mutual inspiration.
What coltron.eth proposed was better than what any of mine were, included below for completeness.
Our mission is to name all the things, without collision
Our mission is to empower people and organizations to control their own identity
Our mission is to empower web3 citizens to interact easily with people, organizations, and smart contracts through human readable names
Our mission is to give web3 citizens the naming system they deserve
Yup, agree that theyāre different things. But I still think some of the thoughts in Article 0 might be helpful in thinking about a mission statement!
@slobo.eth, Ultimately, a voice chat may help get the creativity flowing.
From an academic perspective, itās also important to remember the semantics of a mission statement vs vision statement vs tagline vs slogan. The function of these terms may vary slightly from person to person in a creative discussion in our multi-national group.
I think itās possible to make it a concise, inspiring rally call while still remaining rooted in the verbiage of the constitution or Article 0ā¦
Attempts at brevity with existing constitutional language:
".. to extend the namespace globally as a decentralized public good."".. to decentralize the namespace as a global public good."
Less technical, more marketing focused:
"...to provide decentralized names for everything, for everyone.""...empowering the future of Web3 for everything, for everyone."
Reference: Other Mission Statements in Business.
MIT: "To advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century".
Oxfam: "We fight inequality to end poverty and injustice."
NIO: "To shape a joyful lifestyle by offering premium smart electric vehicles and being the best user enterprise".
Tesla: "To accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy"
I like the idea of āhumanifying the web3 worldā by bringing names to the nameless. - obviously thats just an idea and would need work on phrasing, lol.
Names are such a powerful tool. They become an identity. Thus we can provide an identity to humans who may have never had one before. That is such a unique and powerful opportunity. Beyond that, we even go above and give them a voice, a platform, from which to do it. Avatars, routing, etc. all unstoppable and censorship-resistent on-chain.
While I agree with this, we need to remember that those who have no identity most likely also do not have regular access to the internet/computers/smart phones. So, thatās something to consider if your wording would be used in a mission statement.
It could work if the DAO has plans to be charitable in the area of assisting under-privileged populations in developing nations acquire these things.
Not sure ENS is the proper vehicle to get internet and infrastructure to various parts of the world. IMO, while ENS can provide the medium, it should not also need to provide the means. Otherwise one could say the same for nearly every mission statement out there:
Not everyone has the means to attend MIT, it does not change MITās mission.
My point being, the means and access, or lack there of, for specific people should not dictate the ENS Mission.
I agree that this shouldnāt necessarily be something that ENS is focused on. I was just using it to show that we need to be careful with our wording.
In the example of MIT, they threw the word āstudentsā in there, so itās implied that itās only for students and for those who can afford to go there (or those who get a scholarship to go there).
In any case, wording matters is all Iām saying, especially when you are an organization (like this ENS DAO) with a large global reach. Using the proper wording can help avoid issues down the road.
@Coltron.eth suggested getting on a voice call and I agree.
How about those who want to participate reply here or on discord and we will organizing something that works. I see this as a brainstorming session with the outcome being a couple potential mission statements. Afterwards we can circulate to folks who werenāt able to attend and then make a formal proposal.
I donāt think we need to rush, ethereum and ENS have a long time span ahead of them. Iād rather sacrifice a little bit of speed for greater participation. At the same time getting a call going in the next 2 weeks would be ideal.
Iām in central time (UTC minus 6), and Tuesday November 23 is fairly open.
If someone has a better way to schedule a call, Iād love to hear it.
I think idea here is that you donāt have to be invited for this
Rather we are looking for like minded individuals who really understand what ENS is about, so that we can think together how to enhance ENS image
that is to build and refine mission statement, slogan, overall image, make it very snapy, so that it jumps on to consumer, conveys a message and very easy to understand
as @slobo.eth pointed out this is very difficult piece of work, requires some thinking and iterations
it is unlikely to win anyone fast political points on delegates arena , but could be really interesting discussion and interesting work
so that being said, I just keep wondering, maybe we have any professional image makers in our midst?
also there was this lady, I was randomly helping her to fix .eth name, and it just turns out that she is one of those consumer know all strategist branding person, lets see if she might be interested
Agree.