Optimystics Tools Impact: Impact on Optimism Governance

Introduction and Context

This page provides an overview of the impact and metrics for Optimystics Tools, a suite of open-source software designed to empower communities with innovative governance solutions on the Superchain. Our toolkit, centered around the Respect Game, includes applications for decentralized decision-making, reputation management, and collective action.

The purpose of this page is to showcase the realized impact of these tools on Optimism Governance, particularly in the context of our application for Retroactive Funding Round 6. For more details on our work, please visit our Optimystics Tools application, our open-source repositories, and our tools articles.

Table of Contents

• Introduction and Context
• Development Team Support
• Important funding clarification
• Impact Measures and Metrics
• Respect Game Usage
• Software Development and Infrastructure
• Developer Engagement
• Respect Token Usage
• Governance Innovation
• Educational Impact
• Ecosystem Growth and Engagement
• Qualitative Impact
• How Our Identity and Reputation System Supports Grants Processes
• How The System Works:
• Direct Support for Grants Processes:
• Specific Examples Demonstrating How Our Identity and Reputation System Supported Grants Processes
• How Optimystics Tools Have Set the Foundation for Scaling Both the Citizens' and Token Houses
• Citizens' House Enhancement
• Token House Enhancement
• Related Projects and Further Context
• Conclusion

Development Team Support

This application aims to support several dedicated developers who have contributed to building and maintaining these tools throughout the past year:

• One lead developer who has contributed full-time for the entire year towards development and maintenance of the core infrastructure

• Three additional developers who have contributed either part-time or full-time for several months building key components and features

• A growing ecosystem of developers who have made valuable smaller contributions to various aspects of the tooling

This grant application aims to support a development team that has grown significantly since the initial toolset was created. For a broader understanding of our work across different projects and our funding context, please refer to the Optimystics Projects and Funding overview.

Important funding clarification

The 30,000 OP listed on this application represents the total funding received by the Optimystics team for multiple projects in RetroPGF Round 3, not solely for Optimystics Tools. Due to the application structure, there was no dedicated field to explain how previous funding was distributed across projects. To ensure transparency and avoid disqualification, we felt it necessary to note the full amount in each related application.

Therefore, the funding specifically allocated to Optimystics Tools is significantly less than the total 30,000 OP grant. The development team that built the initial toolset, composed of Tadas and Vlad, received approximately one-third (10,000 OP) of this total grant for their work. The remaining funding supported other aspects of our work across different initiatives. At the time of the previous funding round, our tools had only been used once at an Optimism Fractal event, with development and implementation still in early stages.

Impact Measures and Metrics

To assess the impact of our software, we've categorized various measurements and metrics, which are outlined in the table of contents below. These categories include both quantitative metrics and qualitative assessments, providing a comprehensive view of our tools' impact on Optimism Governance.

Our software's impact extends beyond traditional governance tooling, offering a multitude of benefits that aren't easily captured by a single metric. To fully appreciate its value, it's crucial to consider these diverse impacts holistically. This approach allows for a more nuanced understanding of how our tools contribute to the Optimism ecosystem.

We invite you to carefully review these measurements, considering both the quantitative data and the qualitative insights they provide. Your thoughtful examination and any subsequent feedback are greatly appreciated, as they help us continue to refine and improve our tools for the benefit of the Optimism Collective.

Respect Game Usage

The Respect Game is at the core of our tools, providing an innovative way to measure contributions and foster collaboration within the Optimism ecosystem. Here's how our tools have supported Optimism governance through the Respect Game between October 2023 to September 2024.

Participant Quantity and Transaction Impact

• Over 50 unique builders have participated in onchain governance experimentation via the Respect Game at Optimism Fractal events using our software
• Each participant has created immutable onchain attestations of their contributions to Optimism governance
• Verifiable on-chain through OPF token holders: Token Holders
• ~350 consensus-based governance transactions recorded onchain (October 2023 - September 2024)
• Each transaction represents a full breakout room reaching democratic consensus on contributions to Optimism
• Each consensus decision involves 3-6 governance participants evaluating each other's impact
• All consensus decisions are permanently recorded on the OP Mainnet for governance analysis
• Verifiable through contract transactions: Contract Transactions

Governance Participant Quality

Our tools have attracted and retained high-impact governance participants:

• Core Infrastructure Builders: Leading developers of Optimism governance infrastructure and tooling regularly use our software to coordinate and evaluate contributions
• Delegates and Thought Leaders: Several active Optimism delegates and prominent thought leaders have used our tools to experiment with novel governance processes
• Council/Commission Members: Multiple members of the Optimism Grants Council, Code of Conduct Council, and other key governance bodies have participated
• Cross-Chain Leaders: Governance experts and business leaders from Base, Mode, and other Superchain networks have used our software at events

This diverse set of governance leaders demonstrates the broad appeal and utility of our tools for Optimism governance. Videos of their participation and impact are available in our event recordings, with timestamps provided for easy navigation. You can gain a better understanding of the outstanding quality of governance leaders and builders who’ve used our software on our draft contributors page and verify token distributions on the block explorer.

Sustained Governance Engagement

The Respect Game has shown strong retention metrics demonstrating sustained governance engagement:

• Weekly Event Cadence: Consistent governance experimentation at 43 events
• Long-term Participation: Many top contributors have consistently participated for 6+ months, as evidenced by their accumulated Respect scores following the Fibonacci distribution (55, 34, 21, 13, 8, or 5 Respect per consensus)
• Growing Implementation: Several other communities are now using our governance tools, including the ZAO Fractal with 20+ events
• Expanding Impact: Each retained participant has helped onboard 2-3 additional governance contributors on average

We're working on finding blockchain analysis tools to include statistics on repeat participants and long-term engagement.

Software Development and Infrastructure

Since October 2023, Optimystics Tools has provided and maintained essential infrastructure for decentralized decision-making:

• Initial Toolset: Our core tools have facilitated weekly Optimism Fractal events, enabling consistent governance experimentation and community building. You can see the original toolset here.

• Respect Infrastructure: We've maintained and upgraded the system for distributing Respect tokens, enabling a decentralized distribution amongst leading builders and governance enthusiasts.

• Council Support: Our tools have enabled the weekly formation and operation of the Optimism Fractal council, demonstrating scalable governance models.

This consistent infrastructure has allowed for the release of next-generation tools:

• Respect Games App: An all-in-one application for empowering communities and building decentralized, autonomous organizations with Respect Game. It is now open to all at Respect.Games. You can learn about the app’s many benefits and watch videos in this article.

• ORDAO: An onchain governance protocol using optimistic quorum systems, featuring the Optimistic Respect-based Executive Contract (OREC). You can more about the elegant smart contracts of this app and watch several video demonstrations in this article.

• Fractalgram: An intuitive web app client for live community engagement with the Respect Game, which is now in testing and can be accessed at respect-game.vercel.app. You can learn more about this app’s powerful features and watch video demonstrations in this article.

These tools represent significant advancements in on-chain governance protocols and engagement, providing the Optimism ecosystem with powerful mechanisms for decentralized decision-making. You can find detailed articles and videos about these apps at Optimystics.io/tools and explore more about our fractal apps on this page.

Developer Engagement

Optimystics Tools has fostered significant developer engagement on governance tooling:

• GitHub Activity: Active development across multiple repositories, with ongoing code additions and commits

• Developer Attraction: Multiple teams of developers have been drawn to build tools inspired by our software

• Open-Source Contributions: Our tools have inspired contributions from developers outside our core team

• Tool Development: Most of the tools featured on Optimystics.io/tools over the past year were inspired and/or largely fostered by our software, including other important governance tools such as Respect Trees and the Optimism Fractal Hats Tree

Respect Token Usage

The Respect token, earned through the Respect Game, has become a cornerstone of various governance processes within the Optimism ecosystem. Our software for Respect tokens has enabled several innovative use cases, demonstrating the token's versatility and impact on decentralized decision-making.

Optimism Fractal Snapshot Space

The Respect token has been instrumental in facilitating community-driven governance (based on the revolutionary concept of fractal democracy) in the Optimism Fractal Snapshot Space:

• 27 proposals created for OPF voters
• 220 votes from participants with Respect
• 31 weekly council selection processes for OPF holders

This usage has significantly enhanced community engagement and ensured that governance decisions are made by those who actively contribute to the ecosystem. You can verify this participation by viewing the leaderboard in the Optimism Fractal snapshot space and see the proposals here. For a deeper understanding of how the Optimism Fractal council operates using our tools, visit the Optimism Fractal council page. Optimism Fractal’s core intents, protocol specifications, and the history of governance changes using our software are detailed on the details page.

Optimism Town Hall and OPTOPICS Snapshot Spaces

Respect tokens have played a crucial role in fostering community-driven agenda setting and discussion prioritization:

Optimism Town Hall Snapshot Space (May to September):

• 35 topic proposals created
• 49 votes cast using OPF Respect tokens
• 9 unique community members participating
• You can verify these on the leaderboard

OPTOPICS Snapshot Space (September 3rd to September 26th):

• 8 topic proposals created
• 19 votes cast using OPF Respect Tokens
• 6 unique community members participating
• You can verify these on the leaderboard

These initiatives have significantly enhanced the community's ability to steer governance conversations and ensure that the most pertinent issues are addressed. To learn more about how these Snapshot Spaces utilize OPF Respect tokens, visit OptimismTownHall.com and explore the detailed explanations on the FAQ.

Hats Protocol Integration

Our Respect token tools have been integrated with Hats Protocol to create the Optimism Fractal Hats Tree, showcasing their interoperability and potential for broader ecosystem impact:

• Approximately 15-20 hats claimed using OPF Respect in September
• Won competition hosted by Hats Protocol founders

This integration has opened up new possibilities for role-based governance and reputation management within the Optimism ecosystem. For more details on this innovative use case you can read this article, watch these videos, and explore the Optimism Fractal Hats Tree here.

These diverse applications of the Respect token demonstrate its versatility and potential to revolutionize decentralized governance. By enabling more nuanced, contribution-based participation in decision-making processes, Respect tokens are paving the way for more engaged, fair, and effective governance models in the Optimism ecosystem and beyond.

Governance Innovation

Our tools have enabled novel approaches to decentralized governance:

• Decentralized Reputation System: The OPF Respect token distribution has created a democratic allocation of governance power based on peer-judged contributions

• Scalable Decision-Making: Our council formation process demonstrates a novel approach to representative governance that can scale to large communities, via fractal democracy

• Onchain Governance Experiments: Tools like ORDAO and Respect.Games have enabled new forms of on-chain decision-making and execution

Educational Impact

Optimystics Tools has contributed significantly to governance education in the Optimism ecosystem:

• Documentation Growth: Tool usage motivated 15+ detailed articles and extensive notion site resources, including the Optimism Fractal Developer Hub, facilitating user and developer onboarding

• Event and Video Production: Our tools have been instrumental in facilitating community events and the production of video content. You can see our event calendar for details and visit our videos page for examples of how our tools are used for these purposes. Here are some stats last September:
• 60+ events hosted using our software
• 50+ videos produced, facilitated by our Respect Game software
• 4,000+ views across all videos facilitated by our software
• Demos and Tutorials: Regular demonstrations of our tools during Optimism Fractal events, educating participants on governance processes

• Open-Source Learning: By making our tools open-source, we've provided valuable learning resources for developers interested in governance infrastructure

Ecosystem Growth and Engagement

Our tools have played a crucial role in growing and engaging the Optimism community:

• New Participant Onboarding: Our user-friendly interfaces have lowered the barrier to entry for governance participation

• Cross-Community Collaboration: Tools like Fractalgram have facilitated easier communication and collaboration across different Optimism communities

• Governance Accessibility: By gamifying governance processes, we've made participation more engaging and accessible to a wider audience

• Community Expansion: Our tools have supported the growth of Superchain communities beyond Optimism Fractal. For example, the ZAO Fractal has adopted our processes and hosted over 20 weekly events based around the Respect Game, empowering musicians in their community with fractal democracy processes. For more information on communities and organizations who have expressed interest or integrated our software, visit Optimystics.io/communities.

Qualitative Impact

Beyond quantitative metrics, Optimystics Tools has had significant qualitative and emergent impacts on the Optimism:

Fostering Governance Culture: Our tools have cultivated a culture of active participation and collaborative decision-making within Optimism Fractal and beyond. By providing accessible, gamified governance mechanisms, we've lowered the barrier to entry for community members to engage in governance processes. This has resulted in a more diverse and engaged participant base, enriching the quality of governance discussions and decisions.

Innovation Catalyst: As open-source governance infrastructure, our tools have sparked further innovation in governance tooling on Optimism. Developers and governance enthusiasts have used our codebase as a foundation to build and experiment with new governance concepts. This has created a virtuous cycle of innovation, with ideas tested in our tools often evolving into more advanced governance proposals.

Enhancing Trust and Transparency: Our onchain tools have significantly improved trust and transparency in governance processes. By recording decisions and reputation on the Optimism blockchain, we've created an immutable, verifiable record of community contributions and governance actions. This has increased confidence in the fairness and integrity of decentralized decision-making processes.

Governance Education: Through hands-on interaction with our tools, users gain practical experience with complex governance concepts. This experiential learning has proven invaluable in preparing community members for more active roles in Optimism governance, creating a more informed and capable governance participant base.

Cross-Ecosystem Influence: The governance models enabled by our tools have started to attract attention from other blockchain communities. While the full impact of this cross-pollination is still emerging, it suggests potential for broader influence beyond Optimism, positioning the Optimism ecosystem as a leader in onchain governance innovation.

Evolving Governance Standards: The patterns and best practices established by our tools are beginning to influence discussions about future standards for onchain governance. As these tools continue to be used and refined, they have the potential to shape the development of governance frameworks not just within Optimism, but in the broader blockchain space.

Foundation for Future Governance: By consistently providing and iterating on these tools, we've created a robust foundation for Optimism's evolving governance structures. The modular and adaptable nature of our toolkit allows for rapid experimentation and implementation of new governance ideas, positioning Optimism to remain at the forefront of decentralized governance innovation. The interoperability of our tools across different communities creates the foundation for a unified, scalable governance layer across the Superchain, significantly enhancing coordination and decision-making as the ecosystem grows.

While the full potential of these innovations is still unfolding, the governance infrastructure we've built over the past year has positioned Optimystics Tools as a key driver of governance evolution in the Optimism ecosystem. As the community continues to engage with and build upon these tools, we anticipate their impact to grow exponentially, further solidifying Optimism's position as a leader in decentralized governance.

How Our Identity and Reputation System Supports Grants Processes

Our tools have directly supported Optimism Governance through verifiable work on identity and reputation infrastructure that has enhanced both the RetroFunding process and Token House grants process. Our system fits the grants tooling subcategory by providing critical infrastructure for evaluating contributor impact through a decentralized peer review system and onchain attestations, using non-transferable reputation tokens called Respect.

Key Impact Measures:

Between last October and September 26th, our tools created the following impacts:

• Over 50 unique builders participating in peer evaluation processes across 43 weekly events

• ~1,500 onchain attestations evaluating builder impact (via ~350 complex multi-party transactions where each participant ranks each other’s contributions)

• Multiple engagements from delegates and grant recipients, demonstrating benefits and utility for key stakeholders in Optimism Governance

• Open and accessible to all community members, enhanced with comprehensive promotional outreach across Optimism governance forums and social channels

These impacts metrics are verifiable on-chain through OPF Token Holders and Contract Transactions. Details about the engagements from key ecosystem participants and accessibility of our identity and reputations are provided below. More comprehensive metrics and measurements can be found at Optimystics.io/impact.

How The System Works:

Optimism Fractal provides an example implementation showcasing how our open-source tools can be used for governance. Each week, participants join randomized breakout rooms of 3-6 people where they share their contributions to Optimism.

After presentations, groups use our software to reach consensus on rankings which are submitted onchain. This creates a sybil-resistant identity system since participants must:

• Join live video calls and demonstrate their work
• Receive consensus approval from randomized peers
• Build reputation through consistent participation over time
• Follow clearly defined rules and specifications detailed in our protocol documentation

The value of this reputation system comes from:

1. Decentralized peer review structure
2. Clear, immutable rules for token distribution
3. Community consensus process ensuring adherence to protocol intents
4. Public verifiability through onchain data and snapshot space implementation
5. Open accessibility to all community members

Specifications for how this reputation and identity system works can be found at OptimismFractal.com/details.

Direct Support for Grants Processes:

RetroFunding Process Enhancement:

• Badge holders can evaluate impact through comprehensive peer review history
• Creates transparent, immutable record of weekly builder contributions
• Enables objective measurement of ongoing funded project impact
• Improves accountability and traceability of public goods funding
• Multiple RetroFunding recipients have built verifiable contribution records.

Token House Grants Process Support:

• Grants Council can reference extensive attestation data for decisions
• Several builders evaluated through system have received mission grants
• Enhances ability to track post-funding project progress
• Improves accountability through continuous peer evaluation
• Provides foundation for measuring ongoing grant recipient contributions

More details or examples of direct support for Grants Processes are being curated and can be provided upon request.

Specific Examples Demonstrating How Our Identity and Reputation System Supported Grants Processes

Our tools have enabled a decentralized reputation and identity system that has made significant verifiable impacts in supporting the Optimism Collective's grants processes. Through on-chain data and recorded interactions, we can demonstrate how this system has enhanced grant evaluation, facilitated connections between key stakeholders, and improved accountability. Below are some curated examples showing how our identity and reputation infrastructure has supported various grant processes within the Optimism Collective.

1. Grant Recipients & Project Showcases:

2. Delegates & Councilors

3. Governance Tool Builders
• Suede demonstrated the innovative GovMatch delegation tool through our system, earning high-level respect through peer consensus. This tool, which helps delegates align with constituents, exemplifies how our reputation infrastructure can foster development of new governance solutions.

4. Team Accountability:
• The Optimystics development team has demonstrated consistent accountability through regular participation in the reputation system we built. Team members' contributions are continuously measured and recorded on-chain through peer evaluations, creating transparent proof of their work on governance tools and processes. This system has motivated ongoing improvements to the tools while providing verifiable evidence of impact from previous funding. High reputation scores visible on the block explorer reflect the team's sustained contributions to Optimism governance.

5. Grants Tooling Development: Abraham's journey from participant to governance tool developer shows how our reputation system inspires broader contribution to the ecosystem. Motivated by his interactions with grant stakeholders, he became a delegate and developed an app that helps assist Grants Council evaluation processes through onchain peer evaluations. His progress is permanently recorded through onchain attestations and videos.

We are in the process of curating links to the exact timestamps and block explorer transactions where you can verify the impact of our tools and infrastructure for the reputation identity system on the Collective's grants processes.

You can find much of the feedback at optimismfractal.com/feedback and the on-chain records using our software in the block explorer for the Optimism Fractal account where our software is deployed. Specific links can be provided upon request.

We continue to document more examples of how our reputation and identity infrastructure supports the Collective's grant processes. Please reach out with any questions about these implementations or to learn more about specific cases.

How Optimystics Tools Have Set the Foundation for Scaling Both the Citizens' and Token Houses

Our tools provide essential infrastructure for Optimism Governance through fractal democracy - a revolutionary framework that enables democratic coordination at any scale while maintaining decentralization. These tools are pioneered by Optimism Fractal, whose core intents directly align with Optimism governance: fostering collaboration, awarding public goods creators, and optimizing governance on the Superchain.

These tools directly support Optimism Collective Governance by:

• Processing all governance transactions on OP Mainnet
• Engaging over 50 active builders contributing to Optimism
• Creating critical infrastructure for governance scaling
• Following the axiom of Impact = Profit through decentralized peer evaluation
• Attracting participation from multiple delegates including Jrocki, Marc, Abraham, Zeugh, and others

You can find feedback demonstrating how our tools have benefited delegates at OptimismFractal.com/feedback. More direct links can be provided provided on request and will be curated as soon as possible. Verifiable onchain metrics can be found at Optimystics.io/impact.

Optimystics Tools and Infrastructure supports scaling both houses through:

Citizens' House Enhancement

• Provides scalable system for onchain Citizens' House voting
• Enables systematic citizenship selection and expansion
• Creates sybil-resistant onboarding through peer evaluation
• Allows dynamic updating of governance power through participation

As the Optimism Foundation recently noted in this forum post: "Allowing for onchain governance to expand the Citizen set over time presents an extremely large design space, with less prior industry work to draw from than token voting systems. Because of how complex this design space is, more experimentation and clarity is needed before any productionization could begin." These tools provides essential infrastructure that the Foundation has identified as needed.

Token House Enhancement

• Enables coordinated decision-making across delegate groups
• Creates framework for reputation-based delegation
• Maintains decentralization while scaling participation
• Provides novel solutions to increase engagement of delegates
• Provides superior infrastructure for governance bodies like the Anti-Capture Commission

More details about how Optimystics Tools provide an essential infrastructure for the Token House can be found in this article.

You can find more important details about why Optimystics Tools are critical for the long-term sustainability and well-being of both the Token House in the article, Why Fractal Democracy is Necessary.

Related Projects and Further Context

It's important to clarify that the 30,000 OP funding mentioned in our application represents the total funding received by the Optimystics team for multiple projects in RetroPGF Round 3.

The large majority of the impact described in this document has been the result of countless hours of multiple team members volunteering on a full-time basis since then. For a comprehensive understanding of the Optimystics team's work and its impact across different initiatives, please explore our Projects and Funding Overview.

All of the impact described in this document has been achieved through substantial volunteer work from our development team members over the past year. Despite minimal funding, they have consistently contributed their time and expertise to build and maintain these critical governance tools. For a comprehensive understanding of the Optimystics team's work and its impact across different initiatives, please explore our Projects and Funding Overview.

We are committed to continuous improvement in measuring and reporting our impact. In the future, we aim to develop this page into a comprehensive, real-time dashboard. This will provide even more transparency and insight into the impact of Optimystics Tools on Optimism Governance.

Team Development

This application aims to support several dedicated developers who have contributed to building and maintaining these tools throughout the past year:

• One lead developer who has contributed full-time for the entire year towards development and maintenance of the core infrastructure

• Three additional developers who have contributed either part-time or full-time for several months building key components and features

• A growing ecosystem of developers who have made valuable smaller contributions to various aspects of the tooling

This grant application aims to support a development team that has grown significantly since the initial toolset was created. For a broader understanding of our work across different projects and our funding context, please refer to the Optimystics Projects and Funding overview.

Conclusion

Thank you for your consideration and support of governance tooling and infrastrucutre on Optimism. We invite you to:

• Explore our tools at Optimystics.io/tools
• See our open-source repositories
• Watch our videos to see how people use our software
• Try out new tools like Respect.Games
• Experience our tools first-hand at our weekly events

If you have any questions or would like more information, please don't hesitate to reach out to Dan Singjoy, the developers of our software (including Tadas, Vlad, Abraham, Lennar, Dan, Howard, and others) who you can find our Github page, or the Optimism Fractal discord. We appreciate your time in reviewing our impact and look forward to your feedback. Thanks!