Vitalik Buterin Advocates for Enhanced Decentralized and Open Membership Alternatives for DAOs

Ethereum's co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, recently took to the social media platform X to discuss insights from a publication that explores how decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) can function under a governance structure with tiers of access control.

As noted by user @TheDevanshMehta, the Zuzalu forum stands out as a complex setup, featuring three distinct levels of access. Those who haven’t participated in any city events find themselves completely blocked from entry, while individuals who have attended a ZuVillage can only observe certain discussions, making them feel like second-tier members. Conversely, participants from Zuzalu Montenegro or Istanbul are treated as elite members, enjoying full forum privileges.

Meanwhile, the ApeCoin The governance forum is designed to be inclusive, welcoming everyone in the Web3 ecosystem. All that is required for users is to possess APE tokens in their wallet to gain commenting rights.

Finally, the Arbitrum DAO This platform is also open to anyone online; signing up only requires an email address. However, this open access model calls for rigorous moderation due to the influx of spammers and marketers who frequently flood the forum with promotional content.

Vitalik Buterin expressed that the trade-off between the models of ApeCoin and ZuVillage opens doors for potential intermediate frameworks.

He points out that, fundamentally, every currency follows a permissioned structure where one requires approval from current holders to gain entry.

This suggests an ongoing trade-off situation exists between the ApeCoin and ZuVillage structures, allowing for the possibility of hybrid access models. We might envision approaches where gaining entry entails receiving approval from multiple existing members, while still keeping the doors relatively open.

For example, a quadratic funding approach could be adopted, wherein membership points accumulate through a weighted system representing the contributions of current members. Vitalik Buterin He conveyed excitement about the possibility of DAOs like Optimism’s Citizens’ House and Zuzalu communities exploring these innovative membership structures.

Furthermore, he remarked that establishing clear membership definitions and metrics is a vital precursor to adopting any governance framework. Buterin underlined the significant opportunity to craft decentralized membership systems that extend well beyond simple token ownership.