If you've just joined D_D, welcome! It's a big, wide Internet out there and I'm glad you found your way here. In DAOs, there are two categories of involvement: participation and contribution. This concept is acknowledged in many forms across DAOs, but I've borrowed those words from Chandler De Kock's "The Future of Social Coordination of DAO's" Devcon talk.
Participation is a good starting point.
How do I participate in Developer DAO?
Participating in the DAO can be done without a lot of context or time. Here's a list of (mostly) quick ways to take your first steps in the community.
- Introduce yourself. We've got an #introductions channel where you can say a few words and share your socials. You should get some welcome emojis and an invite to join an onboarding call.
- Attend an onboarding call. The onboarding team will help orient you and answer questions in real time. This is a great way to make your first new connections in the DAO too.
- Vibe. Hang out and chat in the general, location, or language channels. At its core, Developer DAO is a social space. Most members are here to meet more builders, grow their networks, and make some global friends.
- Vote on D_D proposals. Updates to how Developer DAO is governed are discussed publicly in Discord, more formally proposed and voted on in the forum, and ultimately approved or denied on Snapshot. All members are encouraged to voice their opinions, doubts, or support.
- Gather IRL. Even (or especially) in our digital world, we find that few things galvanize a community like gathering in person. Keep an eye out for lunches, dinners, or a Vibes IRL event alongside many of the biggest conferences and hackathons.
- Attend a DevNTell. These are 30-minute sessions where someone in the community shares a bit about a project they're working on or technology they're excited about. View the schedule here.
- Attend a workshop. Workshops are 60-90 minute sessions where members or season partners present a more interactive lesson on their technology or tool of choice. For upcoming workshops, watch for announcements in Discord and Twitter.
- Ask for and give help. Many galaxybrains await in the technical support channels. Make sure to also give back when you see a question you know the answer to!
- Join a hackathon. Members regularly form teams and compete for prizes at hackathons around the globe or virtually. Use our
#join-hackathons forum channel to organize.
- Learn together. Run through the D_D Academy (or other) curriculum and pair up with others to reinforce the learning and give yourself some accountability. You are welcome to solicit interest in forming study groups.
- Share your content. Our community encourages learning in public and will often amplify your tweets and blog posts that get shared in the #boost-your-content channel.
- Share or hunt for jobs. Keep an eye on #jobs-and-gigs for your next exciting opportunity.
How do I contribute to Developer DAO?
If you think you're ready to help out behind the curtain, the first rule is don't be shy! Most of our teams have a long list of todos they wish they had time and an extra pair of hands for! Included here is a list of starting points, but this is far from comprehensive.
- Attend meetings. Contributors sync up on a weekly or bi-weekly basis to check-in on progress and keep things moving. Ask clarifying questions or volunteer to take on an action item when you feel comfortable! Check the #d_d-events channel for the schedule or add the generated calendar to your own.
- Attend the DAO Coordination sync. While each initiative has its own rituals and meetings, a DAO-wide call occurs every Thursday to bring leaders from across the DAO together and ensure we're moving in one direction as a whole. Kudos, blockers, requests for help or clarity, and relevant updates are voiced by the various initiative leaders. This is a great place to gain context and identify opportunities to step in.
- Mentor. Teaching is the best way to solidify your own understanding of a topic. If you've got even a little experience under your belt, sign up to mentor someone for an hour or two each week. You'll be paired with someone at an appropriate skill level. Reach out in the #mentorship-team channel.
- Scribe for a meeting. Scribes help our world go 'round by making activity in the DAO accessible to members in all timezones. Taking notes for a meeting is also a great way to meet people and gain context rapidly. Scribes often end up being some of the most knowledgeable members about activity in the DAO. Reach out in #scribes to get started.
- Contribute a blog post. Already writing content? You can publish or republish your educational content on the Developer DAO blog for more reach. Instructions here.
- Write for the newsletter. One of the best ways to keep up with the DAO is via the newsletter, Probably Nothing. The team can often use an extra hand at sourcing the latest events in the DAO and around the industry. Introduce yourself in #newsletter if you're interested.
- Present at DevNTell. Got a passion project or a protocol you're excited about? You can sign up for a 30-minute slot to present that to our community and beyond. The sign-up sheet lives here and questions can be raised in
#dev-n-tell.
- Present a Workshop. This is an opportunity to present a more hands on tutorial or walkthrough over 60-90 minutes. View the sign-up sheet here and check in with the
#workshops channel.
- Contribute content for D_D Academy. Those writing, reviewing, and editing content on our education platform are playing a role central to Developer DAO's mission to onboard the next wave of web3 contributors. Get started in the
#d-d_academy channel.
- Contribute your skills to DAO projects. PRs are warmly welcomed at our projects, e.g., the DAO website, D_D Academy. Start with open GitHub issues and communicate in the issue and/or in Discord to let the relevant team know of your interest. Code isn't the only way to contribute though; design, project and product management skills are always in high demand.
- Serve as an external delegate. Developer DAO acts as a governance delegate to a few other DAOs, including ENS DAO, Gitcoin, and Safe DAO. If that's your thing, please weigh in on our say in the governance of these other organizations!
- (Your idea here.)
The beauty of this whole DAO thing is that you've got every right to influence the direction of this community. Most initiatives get started by average members with an idea and some level of commitment. The latter is the especially important bit; just suggesting an idea may have a positive outcome, but meaningful activity usually occurs when someone suggests a way forward and volunteers to take the first action steps themselves.
In most cases you won't need "permission" to run with an idea, but it is a good idea to build some consensus. Try this as a template:
"I would love to see X happen in Developer DAO. The simplest version of that might look like Y. If this idea is interesting to the community, I'd be willing to take the first steps: Z, Z, and Z." And that quickly, you may find yourself in a leadership position in the DAO!
Welcome - we're glad you're here! Pace yourself and have fun! 🍻
