Polkadot Governance News #17 APR24: Messi with a Polkadot Jersey
Welcome to Polkadot Governance News #17 APR24. Are your ankles soaked in OpenGov? If so, you probably know that there is a referendum going on regarding sponsorship, or rather a partnership, with Inter Miami. The same soccer (football for non-US) club that owes David Beckham, a superstar of the English national team, Real Madrid and Manchester United! And yes, the same club that Lionel Messi has chosen for his next destination.
Will Polkadot become one of the main sponsors of Inter Miami? Can PolkaBiz help founders with business connections? Should Polkadot be rebranded to JAM? Would AssetX become the main DEX for the Asset Hub and is it needed? These questions and many more will be, as usual, decided by the tokenholders in the OpenGov.
1. Referenda Digest
1. Polkadot Referenda 644: Polkadot & Inter Miami CF Main Partnership & Training Kit Seasons 2024 & 2025
- ORSEN SA is asking for $8.8 million to invest in a partnership with Inter Miami CF for seasons 2024 & 2025
- This sponsorship includes the promotion of the Polkadot logo on the training kit, stadium banners etc.
- Besides sponsorship, there is also the engagement part, where fans could be possible to compete for quests and win valuable things such as game tickets, merchandising etc.
- Polkadot tech is going to be involved such as NFT minting etc.
- Requested amount: 968k DOT
Polkadotters opinion: ABSTAIN. Inter Miami is one of the biggest brands worldwide and the number of social followers skyrocket since Leo Messi, one of the biggest marketing brands on the planet, joined them. Besides brand awareness, there could be a direct fan engagement using Polkadot tech, such as wallets, NFT mints, marketplaces etc. The main goal of this partnership is in our eyes to handover the successful story of Inter Miami & Polkadot tech connection. Since we are a bit concerned about results being compared to Tezos sports partnerships, we decided to abstain from voting in this case.
2. Polkadot Referenda 657: PolkaBiz — Where founders forge investment-ready innovations.
- PolkaBiz is a program that helps new Polkadot Blockchain Academy graduates build successful products.
- PolkaBiz focuses on business skills.
- PolkaBiz will launch a test program to prepare founders for investment readiness before Polkadot Decoded in July 2024.
- Participants will receive help refining their pitch decks, lite-papers, and business value propositions.
- Requested amount: 8 420 DOT
Polkadotters opinion: AYE. We support this proposal as it aims to empower new projects and their founders in building successful products by offering a program that focuses on business skills. If this could help new shiny projects to be more successful in the Polkadot ecosystem (and beyond), that’s a big plus for the eco. Great that someone is doing this kind of support.
3. Polkadot Referenda 669: Polkadot Drone Shows Over VELD Music Fest (100K+ Attendance) — Brand Awareness + PR Campaign
- Toros is a marketing agency that wants to help Polkadot increase its value and presence in the public eye.
- They want to sponsor three drone light shows over Canada’s Canada’s premier electronic music event Veld Music Festival (100k+ attendees) and have a corresponding social media push to enhance visibility and generate online engagement.
- Requested amount: 21,6k DOT
Polkadotters opinion: NAY. We are not sure that this initiative is worth that amount of money. In our opinion, this is not effective at all, even though from my personal feeling, it might be a nice event and show.
2. Community Spotlight
In the community spotlight, we focus on important members of the Polkadot ecosystem commenting on actual referenda.
In this edition, we hosted Bill Laboon, Director of Education and Governance Initiatives at Web3 Foundation Team. We decided not to focus on any referenda, but this time rather on the Decentralized Voices program, in which creation Bill played one of the main roles.
Decentralized Voices (DV): Decentralized Voices in Polkadot allocates voting power to active users in the ecosystem by delegating significant voting power from Web3 Foundation. DV aims to rotate delegates every 3 months to ensure diverse perspectives shape governance proposals, empowering community voices in network decisions. Polkadotters are one of the delegates in DV for Polkadot.
Bill Laboon on DV: We’re generally happy with the Decentralized Voices program. Participation has increased and a wider range of opinions are now involved. Over 60% of the time, delegates agree on votes, showing a diversity of informed opinions.
However, even with this program, there’s healthy debate — some votes see strong disagreement. Decentralized governance is hard, after all; it won’t always be perfect. But it opens doors to deeper involvement in OpenGov.
The Web3 Foundation acknowledges its challenges and wants the program to evolve, with a focus on transparency and potentially a shift towards more bounties. While satisfied with the expertise delegates bring, some aspects of the program are under review and we will inform about possible changes in a few weeks.
3. Polkadot Forum View
1. Re-name Polkadot to JAM
This forum post by batdavinci suggests rebranding Polkadot to JAM to coincide with the rollout of the JAM protocol upgrade, marking a significant advancement in scalability and accessibility for decentralized apps.
JAM embodies seamless interoperability and collaborative innovation. Renaming would attract attention, expand mindshare, and open new branding opportunities, positioning the platform for wider adoption and leaving behind legacy perceptions. It’s a strategic move to amplify impact and accelerate growth in the blockchain space.
Do you think Polkadot should be rebranded to JAM? Then discuss…
2. AssetX the new Polkadot Asset Hub DEX
This forum post by Steak-King addresses the need for a DEX on Asset Hub. He is working on one, called AssetX. Designed for non-tech users, it is going to enable minting and trading with ease, enhancing liquidity.
Do you think there’s a need for something like AssetX? Then discuss…
4. Final Word, Meme Time
Well…..even Leo Messi has to follow OpenGov rules!
Delegate your DOT or KSM to Polkadotters for easy participation in the on-chain governance via Talisman or Nova wallet
- Strengthen Polkadot by nominating your DOT tokens to POLKADOTTERS, community builders for the Polkadot ecosystem
- Support Polkadotters Shrimp and Polkadotters Octopus on Polkadot and be a part of a more secure Web3 future
