Index Coop Discord Split (community discussion + request for feedback)

[bradwmorris]

Thanks to everyone who attended the workshop and discussion in the leadership forum! Acknowledging there was still a fair amount of concern around transparency. I’ve updated the roadmap at the bottom of the post with an additional step to check-in next week with everyone. If the majority votes yes to creating a new server for contributors, we won’t delete or archive anything. We’ll create the new Server, and then share a more detailed roadmap on how we plan to modify the main community server to ensure transparency and ensure we’re prioritising the community first.

Please vote If you’re unsure, please read the information below and/or watch the replay of the leadership forum.

Should we create a separate contributor Discord server?

• Yes. Create a separate contributor Discord Server
• No. I would like us to maintain the single server

Reviewed: @allan.g @MazyGio @TheYoungCrews @Pepperoni_Joe @coolhorsegirl @ StepvhenH @0xMitz

Please note: We (Community Nest) were initially against separating the Discord server into two separate servers, but after more careful consideration most of us now agree it’s in the best interests of our community to divide the server. Please read the document below and attend the leadership forum (Wednesday, Feb 9, 2022) where we’ll be requesting community feedback. After the forum, we’ll add a poll to this forum post to collect feedback from everyone and make a decision.

Introduction

Over the past two months we’ve had several conversations regarding branching the Index Coop Discord server into two separate servers. From brief pulse checks/conversations, the sentiment appears to be leaning towards the separation, but there is some hesitation (understandable) which we hope to address.

We think this should be a group decision made by the broader community.

Background

We haven’t placed enough effort into engaging, supporting and growing our community of non-contributors. Products can be forked, the community cannot. As we enter Season One, Community Nest’s main focus will be exactly this, serving and growing our community.

As it currently stands, our Discord Server is attempting to serve two different audiences and not doing a great job of either. New non-contributors are often met with a poor and overwhelming user experience with numerous channels and conversations dedicated to contributor work and collaboration, while our contributors are struggling to effectively collaborate and maintain productive conversations due to the noise in the server.

While there are some obvious drawbacks, we believe that branching the server into two will ultimately best serve our community and contributors. Toward the end of last year, we did implement changes to limit the views that new contributors would see through emoji role selection options. But it’s becoming more apparent that a clear separation is the best path forward if we are truly going to serve and engage our community.

Up until now, the Coop has focused primarily on its contributors. We’ve reached a threshold where flooding the DAO with more contributors is no longer productive or sustainable. Our contributor recruitment will be much more proactive and strategic, while our main focus will pivot toward onboarding and serving engaged community members (non-contributors). There will still be ample opportunity for new contributor onboarding.

We also find ourselves in an incredibly unique and challenging position where we’re not just growing a single community of $INDEX token holders, we are also growing a number of sub-communities for each of our products. We need to ensure that our product holders are prioritized, supported, engaged and given an all round exceptional experience within the Index COOP server. As our product range expands, managing the both contributor and community within the one server will become increasingly challenging.

This will also give us the chance to identify, acknowledge and reward our community legends who aren’t necessarily core contributors, but support and champion our products relentlessly.

Priorities:

1. Create an environment which most effectively engages, supports and grows a vibrant community of $INDEX holders and Index Product Holders
2. Support our core contributors to work efficiently and effectively together, and get shit done

Weighing the Pros and Cons

Cons

• Branching the server could lead to fragmentation of the community. Some of our core contributors are also our most lively, engaged and supportive community members. It’s possible they would be less likely to engage with our community if the servers were separated
• Could potentially create a rift between core contributors and community and reduce transparency
• We might lose some potential talent by pivoting toward community focused onboarding

Pros

• Clearly delineating the purpose of our main server as community servant will allow us to focus our efforts and create a better UX for our non-contributor community
• Managing roles, responsibilities and access is a nightmare at the moment. Cleaning out all of the contributor focused roles and notifications will allow more effective communication and notification
• As we launch more products, some of which have active components, we need to ensure new/potential product holders are quickly and easily able to receive the support they need. A separate server would make this much easier
• A separate server for core contributor collaboration will significantly reduce the noise/notifications and enable more efficient work
• Measuring contributor vs community engagement metrics will be easier with two servers
• Increase coordination efficiency for contributors
• Reducing the need for us create private chats to coordinate and execute on product launches

Alternatives

• We can further explore using channel hide role selection to clean our server and improve the UX within Discord before we make the branch.

Potential Roadmap

The existing server would remain the community focused server. We would create a new server which would serve the core contributing owls listed in each of the proposals.

1. Duplicate server, creating a new streamlined contributor space specifically for core contributor coordination and work. Once the migration is complete, archive the contributor focused channels, leaving one public channel for each Nest to connect with the community, advertise bounties and answer questions from those still wanting to get involved. We will encourage each pod to have it’s own channel, with threads for projects
2. Identify Discord ‘Allstars’ and ensure increased community engagement in the community Discord and still encourage all our contributors to remain active in both servers

2.5 Check-in with each Nest in Leadership forum February 16, 21 to share updated roadmap.

3. Audit and revise all roles and permissions in the existing community server, delete non-active community members, remove redundant roles and simplify the role access/permissions. Clean up wording to focus on community engagement. Design new product/community specific projects.
4. Build out better categories/channels for each of our products, increase product support. Create more intuitive areas in Community Discord for our different investment personas and products
5. Create systems to identify key sub-community managers to increase our support and horizontal growth

Next steps

1. Speak with Discord Allstars
2. Post the request for feedback to the forum
3. Schedule and host Discord workshop during leadership forum
4. Add poll within this forum post (after workshop).
5. If in favour, commence the branch (with aim to complete by the end of February)
6. If largely against, revise the project to focus on improving community UX with role selection

Sending massive amounts of gratitude to all of our existing contributors and community members who have been the lifeblood of our Discord thus far. We are aiming to use this opportunity to work more closely with you and give more resources to ensure we have the most vibrant community in the Web3 space! We’d love your feedback and look forward to speaking with you soon.

@MazyGio @mel.eth @ funkmasterflex @TheYoungCrews @kindeagle @coolhorsegirl @Crypto_Texan @allan.g @0xMitz @pujimak_in , LONG-Nostradamus & Cloughie and anyone I missed, I know there’s many more.

[MazyGio]

I like the plan! I also feel that if the split happens, we’ll have to keep an eye on the comms work from the contributor side to the community side and make sure to maintain enough engagement. I.e. We want contributors to be able to focus, but we also don’t want the community to feel like they’re talking into a void. I don’t think it’ll be much of an issue, just saying we’ll want to keep an eye on it.

[coolhorsegirl]

From a community management perspective, I am strongly in favor of splitting the Discord. This plan aligns very much with the organizational goals of Index 2.0, and now that we have restructured into Nests and Pods, this division into Community Discord and Contributor Discord is the final step to restructuring.

Firstly, I want to point out the two evergreen stipends currently in the Community Nest Proposal. Currently, community managers like me, @0xMitz, @TheYoungCrews, and @kindeagle have a somewhat undefined role that ends up in uneven pay distribution and confusing responsibilities. Splitting the Discord would give community managers who receive this stipend a clearly defined role: to facilitate community-building in the community’s Discord. Hopefully this quells some of @MazyGio’s valid concerns, as there would be two roles dedicated to the very thing this concern addresses: “keeping an eye on the comms work from the contributor side to the community side.”

As it currently stands, it’s very difficult to direct people to channels that they may/may not have access to and lurkers/those unfamiliar to DAOs are constantly expressing their confusion in random channels. Additionally, it’s important to realise that over 50% of people who join our Discord do not go on to contribute in any way. A smaller Discord free from “fans,” people with customer service enquiries, and potential investors will allow us contributors to focus on specific tasks, reflective of the goals of Index 2.0.

Finally, consider privacy. While we will remain open to everyone as a DAO and in the spirit of web3, there are over 9,000 people in our Discord. It is important that we create some sort of official gate into things we want to keep more private in Index. While dividing the Discord may be a temporary annoyance, this will in the medium-term simplify community management and protect our DAO. Also, it’ll be done by the end of February. Let’s make it happen.

[allan.g]

I was a bit hesitant when I first heard of this, but functionally, I do think it would make things significantly easier to have a contributor discord where we can coordinate and have (some) confidentiality.

From a Product perspective, we’ve had to stand up 10+ private chats so that we can coordinate product launches with Design, Growth, Engineering, DFP, Set, etc. This cripples continuity across conversations, so if I could simply jump into the Design channel to sync with @Static121 or jump over to the Engineering channel to chat with @edwardk (where other relevant contributors could see it too), I see that as a major win! This should also cut down on the number of chats/channels that we ask methodologies to join, so it simplifies things for our partners also.

That said, there must be a concerted effort to encourage all contributors to engage with the community in the separate server. It’s very important that we stay close to our customers and offer top-notch support, especially for the Product team!

[JosephKnecht]

I support splitting the Discord. One important question is where to divide the product pipeline. I’d suggest putting the launched and post-DG2 products in the ‘external’ server and pre-DG2 products in the ‘internal’ server. Putting the post-DG2 products in the external server will let us engage the external community ahead of launch and pre-empt all the questions around wen token ABC, DEF.

[MrMadila]

FOR 2 servers, a dedicated “customer” support discord would be slick!

[mrvls_brkfst]

Thank you for the proposal and for coordinating the discussion. As we’ve all come to see, it’s a knotty problem that affects pretty much anyone who interacts with the Coop and can foster some strong opinions as well.

The current Discord has become more difficult to navigate and there are usability problems for new users and long-time discord-familiar contributors alike:

• usability,
• searchability,
• archival,
• privacy, and more.

My question is do we really want to split it? Doesn’t splitting only address usability and privacy, while also introducing new issues, mainly transparency and us-and-them?

Why not use a separate platform for contributors? One that resolves the issues listed above and avoids transparency perception problems and rift/us-and-them issues by just being a different tool for a different task. Contributors and non-contributors could then take part in a Coop Discord equally and for the same reasons.

Also, Discord is designed for gaming. It is not a business tool – are any enterprises or serious money-making ventures relying on it? I can’t think of any, and we should question hosting our own contributor communications there.

Yes, Discord is the platform to gather on and talk web3, but it is not web3, and has even rolled back plans for crypto-related sign-in due to the public response to the idea. It would not be hard to see communities moving on from Discord soon and quickly, and that is fine, but not for work communications with references, archives, and so on.

Where to hold contributor communications?

The Coop already uses Google and the Google Chat app arguably outpaces popular competitors like Slack and Teams, certainly it would integrate with Coop meetings and docs. Really, it could be the way to go. Maybe it doesn’t feel very web3, but neither is Discord, and it would serve the business needs. For the sake of interest, something half-way crypto may feel better. Like, element.io, used by the German Army and the G7, among others, distributed and self-hostable.

About web3 though, maybe we should be championing it, living it. Fine, while people want to stay on Discord, let it be. But for Coop contributors, why not use a web3 platform instead of settling for the problems of Discord? While xx.network might not be ready, Status from the Nimbus team could well be.

I realise that another platform is probably the last thing anyone wants to deal with but I strongly feel that a Discord split won’t be as rewarding or beneficial as it may at present seem. Google Chat, as crap as that name is, can be used right this second while the others would need some hefty enthusiasm to get started.

[bradwmorris]

Hey @mrvls_brkfst ,

Thanks for the thoughtful response. It’s definitely a knotty challenge - we’ve been through and discussed the same challenges you’ve mentioned in your reply.

@mrvls_brkfst

My question is do we really want to split it? Doesn’t splitting only address usability and privacy, while also introducing new issues, mainly transparency and us-and-them?

The main consideration is ‘how do we best serve and support our community (non-contributors)’. So I guess it is a usability challenge. It’s incredibly difficult for us to create a really good community experience and grow/support our product holders when we’re mixing in contributor communications and onboarding. We tried implementing several different options to make it work, but it’s a sub-optimal outcome. Privacy and transparency is a separate consideration - the proposal wasn’t in any way motivated by a want to increase privacy. Having everyone and all conversations in the same server sounds like transparency, but in reality it’s not. Most private conversations are happening via DM anyway because the server is too messy, and it’s impossible/overwhelming for a new joiner to follow along. We still want to maintain high levels of transparency (we’re going to have to work hard on this) but the community should have the choice to engage in those conversations rather than decipher often irrelevant conversations happening amongst many different channels.

We’ll be able to consolidate and present ongoing information to the community in a more digestible way. If there’s anything specific that you, other contributors or the community would like more transparency around, we can work to open those conversations up and have them in a more public forum.

The ‘us and them’ thing you mentioned is my biggest concern. If we do it correctly, I think we will actually strengthen the relationship.

@mrvls_brkfst

Where to hold contributor communications?

I agree it’s a sub-optimal platform for contributor coordination, but everyone is so used to it, and transferring to a new platform would be a big lift. I think we just need to get everyone in a new server, then explore a different platform if that’s what the contributors want.

[JMoss]

First to the reviewers! @allan.g @MazyGio @coolhorsegirl @Pepperoni_Joe @TheYoungCrews I remember being part of this conversation, virtual and voting. And I think it’s not within our core principle to let a contributor like me, shot out of having access to the productive conversation! It would mean that I would be in too ma DMs which was one of the initial srong point! For the spliting. @DocHabanero @BigSky7 @overanalyser @mel.eth, I have to now officially ask the process that lead to the finial action of splitting? And that I be granted access.

[bradwmorris]

Hey @JMoss , I’ve sent you an invite to the new server

[JMoss]

Hello Brad,

You could track all my contributions, if you have backend access.

So many times I needed an Indexcoop.com address, other times it make my contributions not valued properly or not even paid for at all or properly.

My Goal is to be part of the team productively, with well-grounded overall perspective .

Perhaps I’ll be nominated soon as part of the Wise Olws.

My first contribution!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1U7tlbUZ8RZ9fofEG0ZodN_JVvjvVGiCK3hEyJg85zac/edit

My last contribution

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K9U97GAtdZw2p2vVy90Nb-lQdEtoUdlPZ8Qy3MkY5dI/edit

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Arzq3xm7Kke1HNY18W6lBCqjvUVOoK0HgMyNcIqV-s8/edit#heading=h.arolcxe0i15c

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1znQt-xnSa5ZlGBFtQV3L2BwvGpuBDN0tByWsivr49qQ/edit

Yours sincerely,

[JMoss]

Is this how I would be laid off with nothing to show for it! as a contributor.
Would I be discarded just like that, or is it because I wasn’t employed full time?

I feel hurt, and laid off without appropriate consideration. Am I suppose to just walk back into TradFi or am I suppose to Unblockchain myself? I literally just saw that I was kicked off the contributor sever. After I saw contributors compensated for and respectfully laid off.