Sovryn Helping Hands Love & Appreciation Protocol (SHHLAP): pre-proposal

Sovryn Helping Hands Love & Appreciation Protocol (SHHAP): pre-proposal

Hello, Sovryn community.
I would like to propose implementing a decentralized peer-to-peer reward program to express gratitude to outstanding Sovryn community contributors, no matter if they are part of the core team or not.

The initial idea for this Sovryn Improvement Proposal (SIP) was born from my personal experiences with an open-source company I work for, while the drive to make this proposal was forged from my own onboarding experience and contributing to the community for two months.

This SIP should foster the spiritual growth of a Sovryn Mutant (in the form of building the esprit-de-corps and motivation to treat your colleagues well), and allow us to give shout-outs to people who did any combination of the below:

  • Helped us improve
  • Did something marvelous for the project,
  • Went the extra mile in addition to their regular work hours and responsibilities
  • Remained calm, supportive, and team-spirited even when pushed towards the edge of their capabilities

How would it work?

Each Sovryn member on the Sovryn payroll would be granted several tokens of a certain value. The token implementation and its value in USD is yet to be determined, but as an example, let’s use SOV tokens at a price of 10 US dollars.

These tokens would be sent to Sovryn Mutants with their salaries. The tokens, however, would not create anything beneficial for their owners yet. The liquid value of the tokens would only be activated during their second transaction. Thus, it would provide the targeted person with benefits matchable with tokens that are currently staked. That is to say, they would automatically turn into vesting tokens for a dedicated amount of time (such as two months, for example), providing voting power and income generation for the receiver.

Why

Getting an appreciative pat on the shoulder or giving credit during a meeting is a fantastic experience and a mark of a healthy and prosperous community. Sending “thank you” tokens to somebody would be an extension of this experience.

All Sovryn contributors (part of the Sovryn payroll) would be granted a token of gratitude designed to make other people happy, motivated, appreciated, and sovereign. This token would have no other purpose or value until it is given to somebody else.

Sometimes, even 5 minutes of somebody else’s time saves you hours of work and research. Other times, somebody overstretched their working hours to make a deadline happen at the expense of their own comfort. And on occasion, somebody extends a helping hand to those outside their designated team. None of these should be taken for granted. For instance, if a community manager fixes an out-of-date doc, or an overworked COO helps with providing technical support in the Discord channel, you might like to thank them with more than just words.

I cannot, of course, speak for all of us, but I am confident in saying that we all constantly have our plates full, and we are all doing the best we can for this project to succeed and evolve into something truly special. Together, we’re making the world a better place where people can be kinder to one another. But let me ask you: “Why not start doing that right here, right now, with us?”

Personal perspective

As a firm believer in the Golden Rule of reciprocity and a psychology enthusiast, I am sure that motivating people and helping them get better is one of the best things a human being could experience; and it is something that gives our life a purpose and happiness.

In addition to doing good purely for goodness sake, most people are willing to help even more if doing so benefits them back somehow, too. In this proposal, 1-10% of the amount sent would be added to the donor address with the same effects as the gifted person. Help and you will be helped. Appreciate others, and people will appreciate you - and if your gratitude is not reciprocated by the people, it will at least be reciprocated by the platform. Even though it may be a small one-time amount, imagine being rewarded and being active in rewarding others like that over and over for more than 5 years, especially if the price of the token appreciates over time.

Effects and application

Using this reward system:

  • A team member can express gratitude for another team member or a community member.
  • A manager can appreciate a content creator, such as an artist or a YouTuber, for their activities tied to the good of the platform.
  • New members can appreciate their mentors or onboarding buddies.
  • A potential developer can be rewarded for their early contribution and invited for further cooperation.

This also presents the opportunity for those who are not Sovryn participants yet to interact with the platform for the first time. If they help a Sovryn member and receive a SHHAP reward for their efforts, it may motivate them to interact with the platform, read the Wiki, install and set up a wallet, and engage with the Sovryn ecosystem to claim their reward. Therefore, it is also a good approach to enhance the number of Sovryn users.

By appreciating others we:

  • Promote better working relationships
  • Prevent burnout syndrome
  • Recognize the hard work that goes into the platform
  • Motivate people to contribute more frequently
  • Incentivize self-improvement
  • Help others in reaching the finish line that may be beyond their capabilities, and thus improve the ecosystem as a whole

Overview

Why should peer-to-peer (P2P) recognition be tied to Sovryn competencies?

At Sovryn, our culture, ideas, and hard work play a huge part in what makes us successful as a project today, even in its Alpha phase. Nevertheless, our culture does not simply exist in the walls or the furniture - it depends on our people and the behaviors we demonstrate. Our Sovryn competencies define the behaviors that inform the culture we participate in. So by encouraging and rewarding these behaviors in each other, we are continuously reinforcing and strengthening the culture that makes us so successful.

What behaviors are eligible for points rewards?

  • Connect - Connect with other people to create a business or other collaborative opportunities
  • Extend trust - Help others
  • Be transparent -
    • Help to spread awareness about the project
    • Provide constructive feedback
  • Collaborate - collaborate between the teams
  • Promote meritocracy - Reward those who deserve it the most, as well as those who recognize and support meritocratic culture
  • Crucial contribution - Save the day
  • Champion of the Circle - Contribute something amazing
  • Customer Focus - Appreciate the Wiki docs or technical support soldiers

Who can send a reward?

All Sovryn contributors on the Sovryn payroll can submit a reward nomination. This could be done by:

  • Using the Sovryn app

Who is eligible to receive rewards through the program?

All Sovryn contributors are eligible to receive rewards. However, as a “come and claim” incentive, rewards could also be deposited to the address of any contributor to the Sovryn ecosystem or a community member who made a greater effort for the common good.

How many rewards can I give?

Each associate is allocated a monthly point budget (displayed on your individual Portfolio page) to reward your peers with a limit of two people per month.

  • One reward, one address, one transaction.

Why two people only?

To create an element of a choice, but at the same time to preserve the spirit of competition.

What are the prerequisites before I could send a gift?

  • To be on the Sovryn payroll and obtain at least one salary.

When and where does a member obtain these “thank-you” tokens?

  • Next month with their next salary, if and only if they spent their previous reward tokens.

Can I add verbal thank you to my gifted tokens?

This depends on the technical implementation but would be a great feature that would enhance the whole thing.

  • Option 1 - Using Discord bot
  • Option 2 - Have a message box on the dapp (but I am not sure if users want to connect their emails to their addresses…)

The thank you message could be in this format:

Example:

tItem -> Collaborate * Required

Description of Achievement: (description) * “Saving my ass during the community call” * Required

Message for the nominee: (message) * Optional - “Thank you for helping me during these times. Your quick and kind reaction was a nice showcase of kindness, professionalism, and humanity :)”

But wait, there is more to the rewards of SHHAP!

Again, from the psychological perspective, it feels good to reward and also to be rewarded. But on top of that, a simple counter would also be applied to count how many rewards you have given or been awarded - to foster the growth of this behavior.

For example, if a user grants somebody a reward 10 times, they will get a rank - similar to the achievement system in online gaming or labels on the Discord. If a user is being rewarded more than 5 times, they can also obtain an NFT token, which can act as a coupon for Sovryn goods or could be exchanged for artist craftwork, such as a personalized animated profile picture.

Example:

NFT as an additional benefit to reward tokens

Gimp was rewarded 100 times already -> He will be provided with a special NFT that can be used as a coupon on the Sovryn store or exchanged for a cool profile picture - made by Sovryn artists. On top of that, he also received the Discord label “Champion” :)

Ladder

Finally, we could use our Sovryn web pages to display the current ladder, which would be built from points obtained for participating in the protocol in the following way:

  • Reward obtained - This grants the receiver with 3 points

  • Reward distributed - This grants the donor with 2 points

To be ranked and mentioned on a ladder could motivate people not motivated by money. Alternatively, this could not be a motivational perk, but just a nice feature on our website or app to show how great this community is and to demonstrate that we appreciate being fair and respectful to others.

Technical implementation

What needs to be decided:

  • A Smart contract implementation - Designed by Ororo

  • So, what’s to stop somebody from sending these tokens to another address they own?

    • Some kind of address list of team members and list of potential receivers (aka YouTubers or new developers)?
  • USD valuation of the reward tokens/amount of SOV tokens

  • Their vesting period and potential additional effects

  • Distribution and a possibility to say thank you for doing this and that (tagging on the Discord or a text box in the app, for example)

ORORO’s Design - Powerd by Ororo :slight_smile:

The following section describes the technical implementation of this idea into the Sovryn ecosystem using the existing smart contract solution. - Written by Ororo

The reward allocation mechanism could be handled by a simple smart contract, which contains:

  • A list of team member addresses and names
  • A list of potential receiver addresses and names (with team members being eligible as receivers by default)
  • A monthly SOV allocation limit per team member, which allows allocation to X receivers.
  • A smart contract rule that will send the reward tokens to a team member only if they participated in the previous round and depleted the given amount completely.

These funds would be sent to the LockedSOV contract where the receiver can exchange them for vested SOV at any time on the Rewards interface of the Sovryn dApp.

At the end of each month, the amount of distributable SOV is restored to the monthly allocation limit.

This smart contract would require an interface, which would show your available allocation and a list of potential receivers, which allows you to reward someone with a simple click. There would also need to be a simple process to add a receiver to the list - for example, adding a community member who created a stunning Sovryn-themed artwork. Preferably, this would include the contact of that receiver (Twitter handle/discord username, etc.) to verify the team member is gifting to a legitimate community/team member - and not themselves.

SIP or NOT-SIP by Mr. Light

  • It might not need to be a SIP if no new funding needs to be allocated to develop it. However, if new funds are needed, then I think this would be a Finance track SIP, and will need to specify who will receive the funds and manage the project to ensure it is delivered.

  • You will also want to confirm that you have buy-in from the team members who will be helping to build the project, or else specify in the SIP that you will need to use the funds to hire someone to work on this.

Alternatives that could be applied or additions

The list of community suggestions (this is where you, the reader, come in!)

  • 1 - The name of the protocol was changed to Sovryn Helping Hands Love & Appreciation Protocol (SHHLAP)
  • 2 - ExiledSurfer propose GitCoin NFT integration
  • 3 - Ororo propose to make this a Sovrython challenge
  • 4 - It will likely use the same Identity integration Sovryn wants to use for delegates too
  • 5 - Unikum wants to raise the number of possible monthly receivers to match the current number of Circles

A time frame I would like to see this happen

End of Q3, 2021

Subjects to change based on the discussions

All objects or numbers mentioned in this proposal can be tuned to match the consensus voice of the community.

Thank you for contributing to the Sovryn ecosystem and cultivating our unique culture at Sovryn.

Mickey Maler

P.S - Thank you, Gimp, for the additional proofread, and thank you, Ororo, for the description of the smart contract implementation- You guys, stay awesome!

11 Likes

Firstly, great idea to show appreciation to the folks that are working tirelessly behind the scene!

I would like to suggest that we also include quantitative performance targets that are decided by the community and we reward the team that meet the targets.

To give an example, for instance, lately I am seeing a lot of issues that are flagged out by new users (as we expand with bridges to all blockchains) that are using the Sovryn platform.

I would propose that we can come out with a “fix-the-basics” initiative that encourage the team to resolve and enhance the platform to make it more stable and usable.

Key target is to have a 50% reduction in bugs/errors when new users are using the platform to do margin trading, spot or yield farming/lending (Basically all features currently available in the platform) for a period like quarter to quarter basis.

If on a QOQ basis, the bugs tickets are down by 50%, rewards will be distributed out to the team! :grinning:

1 Like

This is an awesome proposal, Mickey.

Compensated contributors to sovryn already receive quarterly bonus SOV. Why should there be another method of rewarding them?

additionally:

Implementing something like this does not require a SIP, or integration at the protocol level of Sovryn.

Have you discussed this with Ororo already, or are you making a request of her time to code this?

This is something that anyone could code, and that could then be implemented for example with Neo’s Sovryn Sage bot in discord, and on other platforms.

1 Like

The Operations team will be implementing KPI’s (key performance indicator) standards this quarter for this purpose. I don’t see the need for an additional token to motivate contributors.

Ok, didn’t know that. I wrote that without knowledge of the tracker on the performance targets.

Yes, I would agree that there isn’t a need for duplicated initiative since it’s internally managed.

Ultimately, I wouldn’t want to take away precious resources and time for things that are already planned out.

I think a tab in the Sovryn interface would be ideal, to show who was awarded what/a leaderboard - meaning it would require development, design and front-end team contribution, regardless of the specific technical implementation.

I agree payroll team members have other motivations (salary and bonus) so we should make this a purely community targeted program if there is strong opposition to further team incentives. I think internal recognition is enough - we all know how hard each other works and how many late nights are spent coding/scheduling/writing/editing etc etc.

I would REALLY like this to be implemented for community members who do/create amazing things such as CEK’s on-chain analysis in the Dojo, Pikachu’s art (https://twitter.com/Pikachu87517895/status/1405148764227072001?s=09) and VolvoSmash’s rap (DIAMOND HANDS & LASER EYES (ONE TAKE BITCOIN RAP) Inspired by El Salvador making BTC Legal Tender - YouTube) to name a few. I would love to publicly be able to award this sort of creativity to encourage this sort of creation to continue, super valuable imo.

If the interface allowed drill-down into each receiver’s profile and accomplishments it would be another method of amplifying the great things the community generates, as these things can be forgotten soon otherwise. More thoughts to follow when I have some :wink:

2 Likes

Totally understand, and agree on this type of feature. I am not opposed to it in any way.

I do not see any sovryn developer resources being available to develop or implement it at anytime in the upcoming quarter.

What i could imagine is a team submitting an mvp of this to the Onchain Identity Sovrython bounty integrations-onchain-identity | SovrynBTC Funded Issue Detail | Gitcoin | Gitcoin or to the Research Bounty without an mvp, to get initial funding for development of the smart contracts, research | SovrynBTC Funded Issue Detail | Gitcoin | Gitcoin which, upon successful completion, the Front-end team could implement, based on a Succesful SIP vote. Or maybe it could be done without a SIP vote even.

3 Likes

Agreed it would have to be left on the back burner until there is team availablity, regardless of if there is large support for it. Sovrython bounty you say? :thinking: I like it.

Since the only change would be to front-end (which already works at designer/team discretion) and possibly the spend of exchequer budget funds (which already has SIP approval), I would think this sort of feature would not need a vote to be implemented. It has no impact on Bitocracy controlled protocol(s), staking, existing features etc so forum discussion conseucus will dictate whether or not - unless I have misunderstood - @light 's thoughts would be of great intrest to me

2 Likes

Yes! I spoke with Ororo this morning and she told me that something like this should be really easy to implement. She is also the author of the Ororo’s-design part of the SIP. :slight_smile:
@Ororo

2 Likes

Thank you for the feedback!
The reason why is to allow people to recognize and appreciate others. To give them a possibility to speak up for a buddy or a colleague and do additional human/kind gesture, which is pleasable to obtain. It is not only about getting a bonus SOV but to get the additional benefits of this behavior I described in the SIP.

1 Like

Conversation on Discord:

Community member:
I tend to view things sometimes a bit overcomplicated
For example…will users input their own data (as should be in a trustless system)…if so…what stops someone from just writing nick “theGimp”…scammers are everywhere
Or will a person be responsible for the list and by that make a soft KYC
Lol, and in a bit of a joke, but might happen…around 50% people will just say like “send me yours and i’ll send you mine”…sorry, i’m in a bit of a hurry, could not articulate more proper

The Gimp’s response
I would imagine soft KYC, if a team member wants to nominate/reward a community member they would ask that member for their address and create the profile. The community member being rewarded simply engages that/their wallet with sovryn to ‘login’ to the program. The team member would then add a link to what is being rewarded (art/rap/description of something they did) and send the reward to them, there the community member can then begin the vesting/claim them. Having only team (the only ones who could dish out rewards anyway) create the profiles has a couple of benefits: It avoids scam/fake accounts, like you mentioned, it ensures the correct people are being rewarded and the community member can opt-out of participation in the program simply by not giving their address.

2 Likes

Amen, bro. Thank you!

This is why i suggested the on-chain identity bounty on gitcoin. Perfect use case.

4 Likes

awesome, please edit your post to reflect that this is not a proposal for her time, but her part in the proposal, for clarity :slight_smile:

3 Likes

i totally understand the reasoning, and the goal.

On gitcoin, this is called “kudos” and is implemented with NFT’s

https:// gitcoin. co/kudos

As i noted earlier, i would see implementing monetary incentives between team members is not the proper approach for a project which will be measured by kpi’s, but totally understand them recognizing each other for their contributions, or for community members to do so.

When we have our rsk-native nft platform, i would see a kudos program as being the proper place for this initiative. The model (and the contracts) is there with gitcoin, or poap.xyz (proof of attendance protocol).

If you, and or a team of people want to submit to the sovrython bounties, i would include that as part of the goal with the project, for this project to be NFT based, thus bringing a new use case for SOV. The advantage of this approach would be that the “internal contributor” recognition / reward program could be easily supported by non- team members, and non-team members could create other types of kudos (or whatever they’re called in the Sovryn implementation) for the community as a whole.

1 Like

Yeah, but I was proposing to have both - SOV and NFTs. The reason for this approach is simple. I wanted new users to experience the platform and also enable them to participate in the most feature-rich Bitcoin-based DeFi ecosystem by providing them with something they can start with and try those financial gambits Sovryn provides. Furthermore, also with something they can easily sell when the time comes and buy a piece of a cake with it! :slight_smile:

If this thing goes through I think julio should be the first nominee

2 Likes

We could add a bounty for this. It’s not hard to implement.

@exiledsurfer is right that this should ideally be linked to onchain identities - which we also want for delegations.

While @MickeyMaler mostly proposed this setup for rewards within the team, it might also serve as an easy way to show appreciation to community members, which are not on any payroll. For example for those guys who are providing awesome feedback or take load off the CMs shoulders by supporting other users. This could help to increase community engagement.

This does not mean that I would oppose adding this reward mechanism for team members as well. No need for high amounts, but as a sign a sign of appreciation. It might be a playful way to keep the motivation in the team high.

Regarding the question if a SIP is required: I guess this depends on where the funds come from. If they come out of the treasury, it requires a SIP. If they come out of the dev fund, it does not, because we have a considerable amount unlocked, but not yet spent. If it does not require a SIP, we should have a team-internal discussion. @light might have a view on this.

4 Likes

@Ororo Hello and thank you for the initiative and the technical solution for this! :slight_smile:
Actually, I do propose to reward also a not team members. Here, in these two sections:

Effects and application

Using this reward system:

  • A team member can express gratitude for another team member or a community member.
  • A manager can appreciate a content creator, such as an artist or a YouTuber, for their activities tied to the good of the platform.
  • New members can appreciate their mentors or onboarding buddies.
  • A potential developer can be rewarded for their early contribution and invited for further cooperation.

This also presents the opportunity for those who are not Sovryn participants yet to interact with the platform for the first time. If they help a Sovryn member and receive a SHHAP reward for their efforts, it may motivate them to interact with the platform, read the Wiki, install and set up a wallet, and engage with the Sovryn ecosystem to claim their reward. Therefore, it is also a good approach to enhance the number of Sovryn users.

Who is eligible to receive rewards through the program?

All Sovryn contributors are eligible to receive rewards. However, as a “come and claim” incentive, rewards could also be deposited to the address of any contributor to the Sovryn ecosystem or a community member who made a greater effort for the common good.

The gitcoin bounties are coming out of the dev fund. Really, this should be a gitcoin submission, even if ororo provides the code - sovryn contributors are not excluded from the hackathon.