Please describe your proposed solution
Cardano has over 40 network parameters (this number can change over time as parameters are added or retired.) These parameters are the nuts and bolts that define how the blockchain works. Both now and in the future, important governance decisions in Cardano will involve these parameters in one way or another. It is therefore important that the community not only be aware that they exist, but that there be resources to learn about them, share knowledge, ask questions, and track their changes and effects.
The Problem:
In the Voltaire Era, ada holders and dReps will be able to propose and vote on parameter settings. How can we cultivate an informed electorate who understands what each of these settings mean?
Lido Nation started to address this issue with our “Cardano Network Parameters” article series and podcasts. We have, so far, covered 12 parameters in article form; these can be viewed at <https://www.lidonation.com/en/tags/cardano-network-parameters>. The articles are written to be short, approachable and interesting. Each article follows a similar format:
- What does the parameter do?
- Why is it interesting?
- How or why might it change?
- Why should you care?
As we publish more articles about Cardano Parameters, this page is already becoming a good resource, but we would like to take it to the next level.
<u>Introducing: Cardano Parameters Explorer</u>
We propose to create a complete, multimedia library covering all current and past Cardano parameters.
From the landing page, users can explore and learn about all the parameters using their preferred modality. Each parameter will have its own page, which includes all of the following:
- Article: similar to those that have already been published, each parameter has its own educational article that explains what the parameter controls, why it’s interesting, and why the community should care about it.
- Podcast: each parameter will have its own original podcast episode. Each podcast is only about 5 minutes long. Each episode covers the same educational content as the article, re-formatted for the podcast medium. Each episode also includes a short AI-generated “song” about the episode topic. These songs are “just for fun”, but they can be a catchy way to help listeners remember something about the parameter, and what they learned in the episode. Podcasts will also be syndicated and distributed across common podcast platforms.
- Comments: The comments section is a place for the Community to engage in conversation about the parameter. If they have an opinion about how the parameter should change - they can leave a comment and start a discussion. If they have a new question after reading the article or listening to the podcast, they can post their question and other community members can post answers.
- Settings Timeline: Each Parameter page will display its current setting (most settings are numerical values of some kind) as well as its history of past settings in a timeline view. Has the setting gone up or down? Did it change a lot or a little? What epoch did it change? In the Voltaire era, this would also include reference to the governance action that enacted the change.
- Incentivized Quiz: Borrowing infrastructure that we have already built and offered to site visitors on our Every Epoch quiz and Swahili Learn to Earn program, each Parameter Page will have an incentivized “Quiz Question” on the page. Users who connect their wallet and answer quiz questions correctly will be rewarded with HOSKY or other network tokens. Cardano “degens” who love free stuff are “tricked” into clicking into all the articles to learn more about network parameters!
- Categories, Types, and Links: Cardano Parameters are grouped into Categories: Economic, Technical, Governance, and Network. Furthermore, they each have a specification about whether they can be changed via a Governance Action, or whether change would require a network Hard Fork. The Categories and Types will be listed on each landing page, with easy hyperlinks for users to easily jump to other related parameters in the same category.
Why this solution?
Lido Nation is already a familiar community resource for clear, accessible Cardano information and education. We have published an educational article every week for three years. Both of our primary writers (Darlington and Stephanie) are current Cardano Ambassadors, whose published material is tracked and co-promoted by the Cardano Foundation, which extends our reach and exposure. Our Catalyst Explorer tool is also well-known, and is frequently linked by the IOG Catalyst team in the weekly townhall meeting; it is also frequently used and shared by other community members on social media during the busiest week of Project Catalyst rounds. Our Every Epoch quiz game is visited by many users each epoch to learn and take a quiz to earn network tokens. This solid base of site traffic, community awareness, and educational materials means that Lido Nation is an ideal platform for this important resource.
It’s not just another website. It’s a value-added resource on a well-trafficked educational community hub.
For comparison, here are links to the current best places to find any information about Cardano parameters. Each of these resources serves a certain purpose, but none have clear or engaging explanations, multimedia content, or an invitation to collaborate.
- <https://cexplorer.io/params>
- <https://beta.explorer.cardano.org/en/protocol-parameters/>
- <https://beta.explorer.cardano.org/en/protocol-parameters/histories>
- CIP describing how cardano parameters work and is governed: <https://cips.cardano.org/cip/CIP-9/>
<u>Engagement</u>
This project is poised to engage a broad and long-lasting cross-section of the Cardano Community:
Newcomers: Our content is written and presented in a way that is attractive and accessible to newcomers. We explain complicated concepts in terms that anyone can understand. Attractive graphics and friendly page layouts are inviting to “non-techies”. Lido Nation is a great place to send your friends who are new to blockchain.
Experts: Just because anyone can read it doesn’t mean it’s not useful to the insiders too! There is currently no comprehensive resource that describes the function of all Cardano Network parameters and tracks their settings and histories. This resource will attract Cardano developers and cross-chain devs who want to track accurate information about Cardano Parameters.
Voters: When various parameters come into view for community discussion and possible voting in the Voltaire era, we will need a Hub of reliable information and ongoing discussion about these parameters, their function, and their movement.
Degens: We <3 degens! They are newcomers, experts, and voters too! Fun interactive features like our incentivized quizzes attract new and regular users to keep coming back, clicking around (and learning - even if it’s an accident!)
<u>Impact</u>
We view education as a foundational building block of any durable citizenry. When you pair this with the fact that Cardano Parameters are the building block of our blockchain, then the impact of this work is clear.
- Informed Decision-Making: Educated citizens are more likely to understand complex issues. They can then make informed choices about which initiatives align with their values and interests, leading to policies that truly reflect the will of the participants.
- Critical Thinking: Education fosters critical thinking skills, enabling participants to evaluate the veracity and implications of public rhetoric, promises, and media reports. Critical thinkers can more easily discern between fact and misinformation.
- Civic Engagement: An educated community is more likely to participate in civic activities beyond just voting, such as attending meetings/spaces, engaging in public debates, or participating as a dRep, etc.
- Community Stability: When citizens understand how their system functions and what policies are being implemented, there is likely to be greater trust in and support of the system.