Introduction

As Optimism continues to grow and evolve, innovative approaches to measuring impact and rewarding contributions become increasingly crucial. Today, we're excited to introduce RetroSeason, a groundbreaking initiative that aims to revolutionize how we evaluate and reward public goods creators within the Optimism Collective.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Optimism and Retro Funding: A Brief Overview
• Optimism Fractal’s One Year Anniversary
• RetroSeason: A New Approach to Impact Evaluation
• RetroPitches
• Optimism Governance RetroPitches
• Optimism Fractal RetroPitches
• RetroPitches Schedule
• RetroPolls
• Onchain Polling
• Voting Strategies
• RetroReport
• Context and Inspiration
• RetroPitches and Public Goods Games
• RetroPolls and Respect Trees
• Optimism Fractal and RetroSeason
• Get Involved

Optimism and Retro Funding: A Brief Overview

Optimism is an interconnected network of blockchains scaling Ethereum on a open-source codebase called the OP Stack. It’s called the Superchain and it’s working to create a more equitable internet for all, while making onchain transactions faster, cheaper, and more accessible.

At the heart of Optimism's philosophy is the concept of retroactive public goods funding (RetroPGF), a novel approach to supporting projects that benefit the ecosystem. Unlike traditional grant programs that try to predict future value, RetroPGF looks back to reward projects that have already demonstrated their impact. This aligns incentives and encourages developers to create value first, knowing they may be rewarded later. You can learn more about Optimism and RetroPGF at Optimism.io.

Currently, Optimism is in the midst of RetroPGF Round 6, focusing on contributions to Optimism Governance. This round will distribute up to 3.5 million OP tokens to projects that have made significant impacts in this area.

Optimism Fractal’s One Year Anniversary

Optimism Fractal is a community within the larger Optimism ecosystem, dedicated to fostering collaboration, awarding public goods creators, and optimizing governance on the Optimism Superchain. Over the past year, Optimism Fractal has been pioneering innovative approaches to community coordination and impact evaluation.

Central to Optimism Fractal's approach is the Respect Game, where participants earn non-transferable Respect tokens by contributing to the community. These tokens serve as a measure of reputation and impact within the ecosystem, and enable decentralized governance and capital allocation systems that can greatly benefit the Optimism Collective.

You can learn more about Optimism Fractal and the Respect Game at OptimismFractal.com and get involved by joining the weekly events.

RetroSeason: A New Approach to Impact Evaluation

As Retro Funding Round 6 nears and Optimism Fractal approaches its one-year anniversary, we're launching RetroSeason, a multi-faceted initiative designed to showcase our community's achievements, explore innovative ways to measure impact, and potentially shape the future of retroactive public goods funding on Optimism.

RetroSeason consists of three main components: RetroPitches, RetroPolls, and the RetroReport. RetroPitches provide a platform for public goods creators to showcase their contributions, while RetroPolls enable community-driven evaluation of these contributions. The results will be compiled into a comprehensive RetroReport, offering valuable data on the impact of public goods creators on Optimism Governance in Retro Funding Round 6. This initiative aims to assist badge holders in fairly evaluating impact and inform the broader community about the diverse range of projects contributing to Optimism's growth.

RetroPitches

RetroPitches are fun, friendly competitions where public goods creators present their projects and contributions to the Optimism ecosystem. These events provide an engaging platform for projects to showcase their work and for the community to learn about the diverse range of initiatives contributing to Optimism's growth.

Participants compete to deliver the most impactful, exciting, and informative pitches, with the audience voting on various categories. This format not only educates the community about valuable projects but also helps presenters refine their messaging and potentially improve their chances in the Retro Funding evaluation process.

This concept builds on our successful RetroPitches pilot program during Retro Funding Round 3, which received enthusiastic feedback from both presenters and audience members. You can learn more about the original RetroPitches and watch videos from previous events here.

This RetroSeason, we’ll be hosting RetroPitches events focused on two areas:

Optimism Governance RetroPitches

These events are open to all projects applying for Retro Funding Round 6, focusing on contributions to Optimism Collective Governance. Each participant will have the opportunity to present their retroactive work and impact on Optimism Governance in a concise, engaging format.

This platform allows governance-focused projects to showcase their achievements, network with the community, and provide valuable context for the Retro Funding evaluation process. We encourage all applicants to participate, as these pitches can significantly enhance your project's visibility and help the community better understand your contributions to Optimism Governance. If you're a Retro Funding Round 6 applicant, stay tuned for an upcoming announcement with details on how to sign up for your pitch slot.

Optimism Fractal RetroPitches

As part of Optimism Fractal's one-year anniversary celebration, we're hosting special RetroPitches for Optimism Fractal community members. This event will highlight the journey and contributions of individuals within the Optimism Fractal ecosystem over the past year, demonstrating personal growth, community impact, and contributions to Optimism's broader goals.

All Optimism Fractal community members are encouraged to participate and share their experiences. This is a great opportunity to reflect on your growth, showcase your contributions, and inspire others in the community. This event not only showcases individual achievements but also demonstrates the collective progress of Optimism Fractal over its inaugural year.

RetroPitches Schedule

We're committed to providing ample opportunities for both Optimism Governance projects and Optimism Fractal contributors to share their work and impact. The planned schedule includes dedicated events for both Optimism Governance and Optimism Fractal RetroPitches. However, we're prepared to adjust the number and timing of these events based on community demand and feedback. Our goal is to ensure that every interested participant has the chance to present their work and contribute to this important evaluation process.

RetroPolls

Following the RetroPitches, we'll introduce RetroPolls, a new public goods evaluation system. RetroPolls will allow community members to vote on the contributions presented during the RetroPitches events. This democratic approach to impact evaluation will cover both Optimism Fractal contributions and, more broadly, contributions to Optimism Collective Governance.

Onchain Polling

The RetroPolls process will utilize onchain voting with Snapshot X, featuring weighted voting polls and multiple voting strategies. This approach aims to capture a nuanced view of impact from various stakeholders across the ecosystem. For users, participation will be as simple as voting in a series of polls. To aid in the evaluation process, we'll curate video clips of presenters from the RetroPitches alongside the polls.

Voting Strategies

Importantly, the voting mechanism will differ between Optimism Fractal RetroPitches and Optimism Governance RetroPitches:

• For Optimism Fractal RetroPitches, voting will primarily use OPF Respect tokens. This ensures that those most familiar with the Optimism Fractal ecosystem have a strong voice in evaluating contributions within their community.

• For Optimism Governance RetroPitches, we'll incorporate a wider variety of reputation tokens, allowing diverse groups of stakeholders across the Collective to participate. This may include, but is not limited to, OPF Respect, OP delegation power, badgeholders, builder reputation scores, and other relevant on-chain metrics. By using multiple voting strategies, we aim to capture a more comprehensive view of impact from various stakeholders across the Optimism ecosystem.

RetroPolls are inspired by the concept of Respect Trees, a framework for decentralized decision-making and resource allocation. By combining RetroPitches with RetroPolls, we're creating a comprehensive system for fair and transparent contribution assessment that can potentially inform future RetroPGF rounds.

The RetroPolls for Optimism Governance will be particularly crucial, as they will directly inform the RetroPGF Round 6 evaluation process, providing valuable community-driven insights to badge holders and other decision-makers.

RetroReport

The RetroReport will serve as a comprehensive summary of the RetroSeason, featuring detailed charts and data analysis of the RetroPolls results. The results from will be visualized using The Graph and graphical analysis tools, providing clear and accessible data representations.

This report will serve multiple purposes:

1. Provide badge holders with easy access to the collective wisdom of the community
2. Offer insights into how different stakeholders perceive the impact of various projects
3. Assist in the evaluation and rewarding of contributors to Optimism Governance in Retro Funding Round 6
4. Inform the development of future impact measurement and Retro Funding mechanisms
5. Demonstrate the value of innovative consensus processes and capital allocation protocols within the Optimism Collective

The RetroReport will be published before the end of Retro Funding Round 6, providing ample time for badgeholders to review the results.

Context and Inspiration

The concept of RetroPitches and RetroPolls is the culmination of years of development and experimentation within the Optimism ecosystem and beyond.

RetroPitches and Public Goods Games

The first RetroPitches program was piloted during RetroPGF Round 3, proving to be a successful way to showcase projects and engage the community. This new iteration of RetroPitches expands on that success, incorporating lessons learned and new ideas. You can learn more about the history and future of RetroPitches in this article. These initiatives are part of a broader exploration of public goods games, which aim to create engaging and effective ways to evaluate and fund public goods.

RetroPolls and Respect Trees

The RetroPolls concept draws significant inspiration from Respect Trees, a framework for decentralized decision-making and resource allocation. Respect Trees were first conceptualized within fractal communities as a way to create a more nuanced and fair system for evaluating contributions and allocating resources.

The idea has evolved through numerous discussions, design iterations, and small-scale experiments. You can explore the history, concept, and potential applications of Respect Trees in more depth through this comprehensive article, which includes explanatory videos and additional resources. You can also see this draft design, which provides inspiration for the planned implementation.

Optimism Fractal and RetroSeason

Optimism Fractal, launched in October 2023, builds upon years of work in fractal governance and public goods funding. Its core processes, including the Respect Game and consensus mechanisms, have been refined over time to optimize governance and reward public goods creators. These align closely with Optimism's mission to scale Ethereum and fund public goods. Now, after a year of intensive development and refinement, the Optimism Fractal community has matured significantly. With robust software tools and well-established processes in place, we're poised to take our contributions to the next level.

RetroSeason represents a significant step forward, leveraging our community's expertise and innovative approaches to benefit the broader Optimism ecosystem. A core goal of the Optimystics team and Optimism Fractal community has always been to enhance the RetroFunding process. By developing and refining these tools and processes, we aim to contribute to the broader Optimism ecosystem and help create more effective ways of identifying and rewarding valuable contributions.

Get Involved

RetroSeason events will take place during Optimism Town Hall, which occurs immediately after the weekly Optimism Fractal Respect Game events. The Town Hall provides a collaborative forum for discussions about Optimism, featuring innovative community agenda games. You can learn more about these events at optimismtownhall.com.

We invite everyone to join our weekly events, where you can participate in the Respect Game, engage in Town Hall discussions, and now, be part of RetroSeason. These events are open to all and provide a great opportunity to engage with the community, showcase your work, and contribute to the future of Optimism.RetroSeason represents an exciting new chapter for the Optimism Collective. Whether you're a long-time contributor, a project applying for RetroPGF Round 6, or new to the ecosystem, your participation can help shape the future of how we measure and reward contributions to public goods.

Stay tuned for more detailed announcements about upcoming RetroSeason events and how you can participate in RetroPolls. As we embark on this journey, we're excited to see how RetroSeason can enhance our collective ability to identify, measure, and reward impactful contributions. Together, we can create a more transparent, fair, and effective system for recognizing and rewarding valuable contributions to the Optimism ecosystem. Join us in shaping the future of public goods funding in the Optimism ecosystem and beyond!