Gm! Here’s the tldr of DePolis proposal and discussion:
- DePolis proposal
We’re proposing the creation of a decentralized version of Polis (pol.is) for the Arbitrum DAO. DePolis, in its first (proposed) iteration, is a tool for “smart” (enhanced by advanced statistics and machine learning techniques) gathering of Arbitrum users’ opinions on specific topics. This enables the Arbitrum DAO to better understand its users by identifying dominant opinions, points of consensus and disagreement, which ultimately improves the efficiency of Arbitrum governance. Inspired by original Polis irl-success stories and Vitalik’s ideas (one, two, and three).
An example of Polis conversation can be found here https://pol.is/5jbzpjw2t8, an example of Polis report (Gitcoin DAO conversation) - here https://pol.is/report/r2dxjrdwef2ybx2w9n3ja.
- Purpose of DePolis, the possibility of DePolis replacing the existing forum
We’re not talking about moving discussions to a new platform or creating any kind of “competition” between DePolis and the existing forum. DePolis (at least in its first iteration) is intended as a useful tool for delegates and the broader Arbitrum community to gain insights into the collective views of Arbitrum (or its domain like DeFi or GameFi) users. In other words, forum - for skilled participants (delegates, service providers, large stakeholders), DePolis - for ordinary users. You can find the comparison between the existing forum and DePolis here [Non-Constitutional] DePolis, collective sensemaking for Arbitrum DAO - #12 by DePolis
- What questions exactly should be asked through DePolis?
Technically, a conversation on any topic can be organized using DePolis. As a starting point, it’s better to choose the most canonical and straighforward use case - to ask Arbitrum users open-ended questions on highly contentious topics, where opinions are polarized. For example, large grant programs are definitely contentious topics. Discussions related to defining key development directions, policies, or guiding principles for the DAO are also well-suited. For more details, check out this reply [Non-Constitutional] DePolis, collective sensemaking for Arbitrum DAO - #16 by DePolis
- Why built-in forum polls and Snapshot voting are not enough?
DePolis is fundamentally different from built-in forum polls and Snapshot, and the output it produces provides decision-makers with far greater and more profound insights into user perspectives. For more details, check out this reply [Non-Constitutional] DePolis, collective sensemaking for Arbitrum DAO - #16 by DePolis
- Long-term maintenance and support for DePolis after its launch
We want to start with a relatively simple implementation of DePolis that will enable the Arbitrum DAO and its delegates to independently launch conversations without our involvement (including defining the participant pool and providing incentives for participants). Maintenance for DePolis after its launch will not require a dedicated budget, apart from minimal infrastructure costs such as server expenses. For more details, check out here [Non-Constitutional] DePolis, collective sensemaking for Arbitrum DAO - #10 by DePolis
- DePolis conversations’ incentivization
The idea is to incentivize two categories of statement authors:
- those whose statements received the highest number of upvotes (participants who helped identify points of consensus);
- those whose statements received the most upvotes within their opinion groups (participants who helped identify points of disagreement).
You can find more details here [Non-Constitutional] DePolis, collective sensemaking for Arbitrum DAO - #12 by DePolis and here [Non-Constitutional] DePolis, collective sensemaking for Arbitrum DAO - #21 by DePolis