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community-organizer-playbook.md

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Dustorf
2019-11-08

Decred Community Organizer Playbook

Goals: We seek to build global awareness and adoption of Decred as a decentralized autonomous organization, and as a store of value and medium of exchange. We will educate, seek new applications and partnerships, including new contributors, and help make Decred a robust and thriving ecosystem.

Contents:

Being a Decred Resource

As a Community Organizer for Decred, you assume a wide range of responsibilities. You'll need to maintain professionalism, and manage operations like a business manager with the objective of growing Decred within your market. You should be a model Decred community member by having an in-depth knowledge of Decred and projecting the curious, intelligent, and helpful community ethos.

To do this, knowledge of Decred's messaging and approach to the following topics is critical:

  1. Money: history of money, theory of money, Austrian economics, store of value, medium of exchange, unit of account. Cyberpunk philosophy and Bitcoin dynamics.
  2. Governance: decision-making, experts/delegation vs direct sovereignty, on-chain vs off-chain.
  3. Security & Network Attacks: consensus mechanisms (PoS, PoW, dPoS, etc, especially comparisons), 51% attacks, forks, fork-resistance, Ethereum DAO hack, etc..
  4. Staking: skin in the game, % staked, ticket price, voter participation.
  5. Development Funding: solving the tragedy of the commons, a new way to organize work, how to become a contractor.
  6. Privacy: why it matters, opt-out vs opt-in, ring signatures, zero-knowledge proofs, MimbleWimble, stealth addresses, CoinShuffle ++, DiceMix, Confidential Transactions (Bulletproofs).
  7. Scalability: layer 2 Solutions, LN, privacy, instant transactions, micropayments.
  8. Comparisons of Decred vs comparable coins (Bitcoin, Dash, Monero, etc.).
  9. Exchanges, Wallets, Partnerships: how to acquire and store DCR, how to participate in the network (solo staking vs VSPs).
  10. Decred DEX details.

Responsibilities

The role of Community Manager includes the following responsibilities:

  1. Organizing local meetups in your geographic area, ensuring that they meet project standards set forth in the Events Guide, employ consistent messaging, and fall within cost standards. In most markets, a Decred meetup every other month is a good cadence.
  2. Increasing the size, knowledge, and contributions of the local community over time.
  3. Management of various social media accounts (Twitter, Reddit, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.). This role requires you to follow the Social Media Guidelines, and also generate original content from within your geographic area on a regular basis that contributes positively to the wider Decred ecosystem.
  4. Acquire and distribute Decred promotional items as necessary, following proper branding standards from https://github.com/decred/dcrdesign/releases
  5. Manage partnerships within the wider crypto ecosystem, including exchanges, wallets, investment funds, accelerators, fintech, journalists, universities and so on. These connections should be leveraged to increase DCR availability, awareness, and event attendance.
  6. Serve as a generator of leads and opportunities for the project as a whole. Community Organizers operate exclusively in major, strategic, global markets where meaningful events take place. It's your role to network opportunities for Decred to speak at and attend larger conferences in an advantaged way. This means penetrating ranks of organizers and early entrants/influencers of the crypto community.
  7. When Decred comes to your town for an event, it's your role to provide logistical support to the team. This means coordinating with the events planner on where to stay, eat, and planning meetings with partners.
  8. Sharing information on a regular basis in Decred chats and social media regarding events, learnings, best practices, etc. Knowledge transfer enables learning, while the simple act of sharing information demonstrates the vibrancy of our community.

Measurement

The work Community Organizers do is paid for and supported by the Decred stakeholders. Being selected is both an honor and a responsibility. All Community Organizers are responsible for reporting a record of their work in the Contractor Management System (CMS) for each month they receive compensation.

Metrics for our success include:

  • Number of Twitter followers, net gain within an epoch reported monthly
  • Engagement metrics on Twitter reported monthly
  • Meetup attendance (per event)
  • Meetup frequency (per event)
  • Geographic expansion of efforts (when relevant)
  • Explicit partnerships, integrations, event presence earned (when relevant)
  • Earned media attention to your efforts - interviews, podcasts, etc. (when relevant)
  • New contractors recruited (when relevant)

Example CMS Submission:

No Type Domain Subdomain Description Proposal Token Labor (hours)
1 1 Marketing Community Management community building in Argentina c84a766.. 11
2 1 Marketing Community Management weekly podcast for New Zealand c84a766.. 13
3 1 Marketing Community Management Telegram AR https://t.me/... c84a766.. 4
4 1 Marketing Community Management Instagram AR https://www.instagram... c84a766.. 4
5 1 Marketing Community Management Twitter AR https://twitter... c84a766.. 4
6 1 Marketing Community Management Meetup AR https://www.meetup... c84a766.. 1
7 1 Marketing Community Management YouTube AR https://www.youtube.. c84a766.. 2
8 1 Marketing Community Management Twitter NZ https://twitter... c84a766.. 4
9 1 Marketing Community Management Meetup NZ https://www.meetup... c84a766.. 1
10 1 Marketing Community Management educate on social media c84a766.. 3.8
11 1 Marketing Events Consensus 2019 (2 days) https://twitter.com/... d3e7f15.. 10
Total 57.8

Events

As our global network of community leaders expands, we thought it would be a good idea to share best practices for event hosting across the world.

Stakeholder engagement and the delivery of meaningful experiences is one of the most difficult and undervalued tasks in building out a community. Consistent and excellent execution of events will be rewarded with a proactive community that participates and sustains the long term growth of the Decred ecosystem.

Attention to detail and planning is the best way to ensure you deliver a solid event for your community. To simplify things, we've broken the events guide into key categories as you start the journey of putting together an event. For examples of past events visit our event reports repository.

How to plan an event

Network Scan

With whom can I collaborate?

You will want to go beyond the immediate Decred network to generate interesting content, and to expand beyond our base community. Leverage your personal and professional networks to tap into a wider audience, including speakers, other projects, ecosystem partners, co-working space owners, community leaders, industry influencers etc.

Pre Event Shaping

What is your goal?

Are you trying to raise awareness about Decred, recruit developers, or promote a new feature release? Your goal(s) help shape the kind of event you host.

Who is your audience?

Your intended audience will inform the content and event format: formal vs informal, technical vs investing, OG vs newbie, Decred users vs crypto enthusiasts.

Is it aligned to Decred's values & strategy?

Decred seeks to grow its community worldwide in a way that aligns with its ethos and values, but local customs and standards vary. Sync with the Decred team in the Matrix rooms with any concerns.

Can I work with others?

Collaborating with other people and projects can tap new audiences and introduce new ideas. Potential event partners include: other cryptocurrency projects, ecosystem partners such as wallets and exchanges, crypto investment funds, corporate blockchain users, lawyers and media. If you would like to work with a partner, but don't have a local contact, check in Decred Matrix chats to see if others have connections and could make an introduction. Check out this example of a creative event: https://www.meetup.com/BlockchainMelbourne/events/256295215/

Event Space

Where can I host my event?

Co-working spaces and innovation hubs are great places to host your events, and they typically offer it at no cost because it helps enrich their ecosystem. Another solution is institutional investors, exchanges, or other partners. These groups are vested in their relationship with Decred, and are almost always willing to lend space, and even libations and marketing support.

Time & Place

What is a good example of time & place?

We recommend events be held immediately after work on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, in high density locations close to public transportation. Making the event accessible will maximize attendance.

Event Format

Definitions:
  • Panel Discussion: Two to four panelists discuss topics facilitated by the host.
  • Open Question & Answer: Attendees ask the host or panelists questions.
  • Demo: Displaying and explaining how a technology works and what it achieves.
  • Debate: Two guests who hold opposing positions debate viewpoints.
  • Technical workshop: A deep dive into the code or systems architecture.

There are myriad ways you can format your event. The best format to use will be determined by your audience, goals, and potential speakers. Below are a few combinations that most people use, and some I recommend [R] as your community matures:

Event Ideas
  • Panel Discussion + Open Question & Answer
  • Presentation + Panel Discussion + Open Question & Answer + Networking
  • Presentation + Open Question & Answer
  • Community Networking
  • [R] Demo + Presentation + Open Question & Answer + Networking
  • [R] Panel Discussion + Debate + Networking
  • [R] Multiple Demos + Open Question & Answer

Pro:

  • [R] Technical Presentation + Open Question & Answer
  • [R] Technical Workshop + Live Coding Session

Marketing Your Event

Where will people register?
  • Set up a registration page via meetup.com, eventbrite, Telegram channel or an equivalent. Ex: https://www.meetup.com/Decred-Australia/
  • Reach out to the Decred designers in the #design Matrix room to get an iconic image for your meetup group or event.
  • Invite people to your meetup.com page. Promote it via social media.
  • Create an event and draft a simple 200-300 word description that includes an event description (including day, time, location), reason to attend, event format, and speakers with descriptions.
  • Create an easy to digest visual tile that will be displayed in all future links on other platforms.
How to promote the event?

Here are some examples of how to promote events locally and nationally:

  • Post it on your local Decred Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook (https://twitter.com/DecredAustralia/status/1093096654217965568)
  • Request main Decred Twitter to promote or retweet (RT).
  • Reach out to local community influencers to share via their social media.
  • Reach out to relevant community groups on Facebook.
  • Reach out to people in your network who work in a corporate and can share a link about the event in their internal communications platforms.
  • List the event on startup, fintech, innovation related websites.
  • Ask startup and technology newsletter editors to include the event as a recommendation on their weekly push.

If you are collaborating with partners on the event, they can also leverage their network and social media channels to spread the word. Example: https://www.meetup.com/BlockchainMelbourne/events/258258787/

Logistics

Is my event meant to look pretty?

Your event is meant to look and feel authentic. It's a grassroots community initiative so the primary focus should be on the quality of the content delivered.

If you are working closely with the Decred marketing team and have budget approval, you can order some promotional items for your event. Everything we produce with a Decred logo on it reflects on the project.

"It's better to have no swag than to give people low-quality items with our branding on them. E.g., a five cent pen that I can crush in one hand or a t-shirt that feels like it's made out of sandpaper. Everything Decred should convey high quality." - JZ

More information on swag can be found here:

https://github.com/decredcommunity/events/wiki/Best-Practices

Additionally, if the budget allows, buy some beer and snacks.

What else should I worry about?

Go to your event space early and test the audio and visual setup. Line up the chairs and put up some signs that will help people easily access your events room or space. It is laborious but it goes a long way into ensuring people have a smooth experience.

Expectations & Conduct

Decred's very own JZ:

"One of the best things about the Decred community, in my opinion, is how multifaceted it is. We have people with all sorts of different skills, life experiences, and varying rationales for getting involved in the space. An area where we really excel is having well-educated people attend events on our behalf. I often receive great feedback about how some community member did a great job of explaining what we're about. It's important to maintain this standard. I'm also not a fan of everyone dressing the same, I think it's preferable for people to wear a Decred t-shirt of their choice, be presentable and professional, but not look like clones."

Other standards we encourage are:

  • Spend time with new members of the community during the event and offer your support for helping them better understand Decred.
  • Encourage people to sign up for your community page on meetup.com or equivalent.
  • If there are some high value targets present, ask to follow up with a meeting.

Persona of a Decred Community Leader

How should I spend my time outside of Decred?

Network Network Network! The larger your network, the more opportunities you have to help Decred grow. Conversations with diverse groups of people will yield new ideas and help you to continuously generate quality events for the community.

Attend other locally based community initiatives and present yourself as an educated, engaging and collaborative person.

Spend time on social media contributing to discussions around cryptocurrency, and don't be shy to share your own opinion that fits into Decreds expectations and conduct. It is Decred's policy to always remain professional and educational on social media.

Tips

  • Connect with Decred presenters for the latest version of their decks. You can either use them as is or repurpose the content. They're also available here: (https://www.notion.so/Decred-Keynotes-5c3fdfb0a73841c0a394efe002003409)
  • Awareness is key. Having an understanding of blockchain events, conferences, and organizers will help you schedule a conflict free time.
  • If you are bringing in non-Decred speakers, spend time with them before the event to craft the presentation content and ensure their quality.
  • Post clear pictures with hashtags during the event.
  • Follow up with an appreciation post after your events (https://twitter.com/DecredAustralia/status/1097478053763018752), and spend the time to send a thank you note to all attendees via your registration page.
  • Be aware of price conversations, hedge as necessary, and clarify that the presentation is not financial advice but rather tech education.
  • Remember to invite your audience to follow our social media accounts for more information about the project.

Onboarding New Contributors

  • Talk to them about how they want to help.
  • If it is a technical contributor, sync with the Decred team to get their opinion and suggestions on whether their skillset is aligned or needed.
  • Ask the interested contributor to join Decred Matrix as a first step and say hi at chat.decred.org
  • If you are still confused about the onboarding process, reach out to other long time contributors or consult this blog.

Expense Guidelines

Do I have a budget to run events?

If you're a community leader and you are thinking of hosting your first local event, reach out to the Decred community on Matrix and engage in #events room.

Is there a general costing structure?

We strive to respect the project Treasury while ensuring a great experience for our community.

As a general rule, we encourage the below costing structure:

  • $250 for events up to 10 people
  • $500 for events up to 20 people
  • $1000 for events up to 40 people

As mentioned previously, event spaces should typically be sponsored by your local co-working space and innovation hubs, giving you budget to purchase food & drinks as required (and within reason).

Resources & Links

In the event our standard templates are not aligned to your presentation topic, we've put together a list of Decred related content pieces written by a diverse range of publications to inspire some of your thinking: