Introduction

As an active contributor to the ENS DAO, I am always on the look out for projects of intrigue which have a particular interest in supporting the growth of the Ethereum ecosystem outside of conventional geography — ie. the anglosphere. Ethereum has yet a centralization problem. According to Nodewatch, over 80% of operating nodes are located in the US and Europe alone. Meanwhile, in South America, the population has embraced the use of cryptocurrencies; perhaps more than any other continent in the world.

I had a brief chat with Marcus AM (on Bitcoin Pizza Day, no less!) about Ethereum Guatemala, a vibrant community of builders who are focused on promoting growth through various initiatives such as hosting events, onboarding students, showcasing local art, developing DeFi projects, hosting hackathons, and exploring blockchain use to foster innovation and diversity in the global Ethereum ecosystem.

Marcus has been participating in the ENS DAO Public Goods calls, where we learned more about him and the contributions the Ethereum Guatemala community is bringing to the ecosystem. Most recently, Ethereum Guatemala was awarded a 10k USDC grant as part of the Public Goods working group Large Grants initiative. Not to mention, the Ethereum Guatemala community brought the first Node to the country. Historic, indeed.

¡gm! ☀️

Justo en el Bitcoin pizza day, llego el primer nodo de Guatemala de la comunidad de Ethereum Guatemala 🇬🇹

Gracias a nuestros amigos @ether_fi 🔥 pic.twitter.com/R1U5xf9X8k

— Ethereum Guatemala (@ethereumgt) May 22, 2023

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Driving Decentralization via Public Goods Funding

Culture catalysts play a critical role in driving global mass adoption — successful efforts will focus on a culture-first approach; the Ethereum community is self-aware, and actively seeks ways in which to drive decentralization via localized efforts, such as the Ethereum Guatemala community.

The ENS DAO plays its part and recognizes emerging communities who are proactively contributing to education on public goods infrastructure and how it can enable more regenerative economies; whereby value is redistributed directly to the communities who provide relevant work.

During our conversation, Marcus spoke on his background, how he became involved in the ENS DAO’s Public Goods initiatives, and what the Ethereum Guatemala community has got planned for the future of Ethereum in the region. Marcus also shared his favorite pizza topping, which might surprise you — it’s not pineapple. Let’s dive in.

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Marcus’ Odisea

Honestly, I was super impressed by Marcus’ repertoire. A true aficionado of decentralized futures, Marcus has been involved with all things crypto since at least 2013 when he was first introduced to Bitcoin; he then realized the opportunity to create democratized access to global financial systems.

Growing up in Guatemala, a country plagued by corruption, exploitation, and inequality, Marcus found Bitcoin’s value proposition fascinating. The concept challenged the idea of relying on a single centralized authority for truth and power, instead aiming to democratize access to a more equitable future. Since then, his involvement in the ecosystem has been weaving his other interests and passions, including exploring climate change, academia, finance, venture capital, and the arts.

About a year ago, he joined the Ethereum Foundation’s Fellowship program, embarking on a journey to explore the potential of crypto in LatAm. Engaging in various projects, he dedicated his efforts to researching, writing, and working on several initiatives. One notable achievement was the completion of a 50-page report titled “Last Mile DeFi,” complemented by a podcast series available in both Spanish and English.

His research shed light on the crucial role of local Ethereum communities in facilitating widespread adoption and fostering the growth of the developer ecosystem. Motivated by this realization, Marcus and a handful of dedicated regens took the initiative to work towards supporting a local community in Guatemala.

Ethereum Guatemala

Ethereum plays a fundamental role in developing innovative solutions that can improve people’s quality of life and promote the growth of the country. In Guatemala, Ethereum offers a unique opportunity to the local population that empowers them to recreate their socioeconomic systems in order to create a more just society.

Ethereum Guatemala has proposed to unite the community of creators and educators with the most active crypto communities in the world, with the aim of promoting the use of Ethereum protocols and technology to solve specific problems and improve the daily lives of people in Guatemala. Thanks to Ethereum, it is possible to promote the development of innovative solutions that can transform the way people interact and relate to each other.

The community has received sponsorship from various orgs such as the Ethereum Ecosystem Support Program NounsDAO Amigos, Filecoin, Osmo, Pizza DAO, and Rug Radio. The Ethereum Guatemala community consists of over 200 dedicated individuals actively contributing to the community. A primary focus of their efforts is education, evident through their organization of boot camps, hackathons, and educational events. One notable project they are undertaking involves the introduction of Blockchain, Governance, and Economics to a program available to thousands of children throughout Guatemala.

With the support of the ENS DAO, they successfully organized their inaugural event, capturing the experience through a YouTube video. Encouraged by the positive response, they continued their efforts by hosting a second event, ensuring its documentation through video recordings.

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Building on their progress, they extended their reach to El Salvador, where they actively contributed to kickstarting the local Ethereum community, embracing the opportunity to share their knowledge and experience.

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Public Goods in ENS DAO

The purpose of the ENS DAO Public Goods working group is in identifying and supporting Ethereum based and ENS-adjacent projects that help to develop the ecosystem, support its builders and improves trust and safety in our nascent space. These are ‘positive externalities’ that reflect positively on ENS and make it easier to onboard new users and build relationships with integration partners. Delegates and stewards are both actively involved in the curation of these projects as is the case with Ethereum Guatemala.

Marcus learned about the ENS DAO’s initiative thanks to coltron.eth’s suggestion to attend a weekly Working Group call in order to present Ethereum Guatemala to the stewards. Realizing the potential positive impact of their project as a public good in Guatemala, Marcus and their team decided to submit an application. Their primary objective is to drive local adoption by engaging with Ethereum communities. They firmly believe that investing in this region will yield the highest return on investment in terms of expanding Ethereum’s global adoption.

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Putting the Grant to Work

With their budget of $10,000, the Ethereum Guatemala community has planned some amazing IRL activations that are sure to attract more and more people into their community. One of the events is a Solidity boot camp, and a portion of the funds will be used to pay the staff involved in organizing it. Another expense will be setting up the first Ethereum node in Guatemala. Additionally, a portion of the budget will support a hackathon and enable local builders from Latin America and Honduras to participate. The remaining funds will be allocated for covering operational costs and preparing for an event in 2024.

To put their acquired skills and knowledge from the Ethereum bootcamp to the test, the Ethereum Guatemala community is organizing a hackathon at the conclusion of the two-month long bootcamp. The hackathon aims to foster collaboration among bootcamp participants and community members, encouraging them to create innovative blockchain solutions that can benefit local communities and beyond. With the guidance of experienced mentors, participants will be able to apply their newly acquired skills and knowledge to real-world problems.

Additionally, the hackathon will facilitate networking opportunities for participants to connect with like-minded individuals, potentially leading to new partnerships and collaborations. The hackathon serves not only as the culmination of the bootcamp but also as a stepping stone for participants to advance their journey in the realm of blockchain and Ethereum development.

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Advice to Future Grantees

Marcus and the Ethereum Guatemala team have certainly raised the standards when it comes to submissions to the ENS Grants initiative; their leadership and execution style have set an example for aspiring builders and incoming grantees alike. With that said, Marcus offered us a couple of tips when considering to apply for an ENS DAO Public Goods grant:

1. Regularly attend Working Group calls and introduce yourself and your project

2. Quantifiably demonstrate the impact that you’ve already made across the ecosystem

3. Know your audience and how to serve them

4. Build a community around the work you are doing

5. Advocate for yourself and actively promote your name to gain visibility

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Conclusion

The Ethereum Guatemala community is actively promoting Ethereum’s growth and adoption in the region. Led by Marcus and their team, they organize educational programs, hackathons, and community-building activities. With over 200 contributors, their achievements include the first Ethereum node in Guatemala and fostering collaboration in neighboring countries. The $10,000 grant from ENS DAO validates their work as a public good and sets a high standard for future grantees. To learn more about ENS DAO’s Public Goods grants opportunities, join the weekly working group call on Thursdays at 1PM Eastern Time.

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Links:

• Ethereum Guatemala

• Gitcoin Grant

• Ethereum Guatemala Youtube

• Post Event Update

• ENS Grant submission

ETH GT Team:

• Francis Sanchinelli

• Denizen Juan

• Avectats

• Pablo Ceballos

• Anton Z

• Marcus AM

• Luis Gatica

Introduction

On May 17th, 2023, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte enacted measures to ban TikTok in order to protect personal and sensitive data from potential intelligence gathering by the Chinese Communist Party. Senate Bill 419 makes Montana the first state in America to implement such a ban. The legislation prohibits TikTok from operating in the state and prevents mobile application stores from offering the app. Violations of the ban will be enforced by the Montana Department of Justice.

Gianforte’s press secretary, Kaitlin Price, expressed concerns about TikTok as a potential cybersecurity risk to the United States stating:

“While the Chinese Communist Party may try to hide their nefarious spying and collection of individuals’ personal, private, sensitive information under the banner of our First Amendment, the governor has an obligation to protect Montanans and their individual privacy right, as guaranteed by the Montana Constitution, from the Chinese Communist Party’s serious, grave threats.”

The spokesperson highlighted that China could use the app to spread misinformation and collect data due to its large user base. The law is set to take effect in January 2024.

While it is uncertain whether other states will follow suit, the ban is becoming an increasing cause for concern for creators who depend on the platform for their livelihoods. Full-time creators attribute TikTok to providing up to 70 percent of their income, which comes from brand deals generated through the app. This ban could result in creators’ incomes being slashed by up to $40,000 (Source: New York Times). Although Instagram is an alternative, it lacks the same growth opportunities as TikTok while carrying similar platform risks. Despite potential legal challenges, creators are already exploring alternative platforms and re-evaluating their brand deal strategies in anticipation of the ban.

Ethereum Name Services (ENS) offers a decentralized alternative that holds immense potential for strengthening brand resiliency and mitigating platform risk. This article explores how ENS’ decentralized domain names can provide robust brand protection and enhance overall business resilience against private-interest parties.

The Onchain Alternative

“On-chain” or “onchain” (depending on your preferred term) alternatives already exist. For instance, Zora is a creator marketplace that enables purchases through non-fungible tokens (NFT). Since its launch in 2017, Zora has moved almost $40 million in USD equivalent value (Soruce: Dune Analytics). There are many opportunities for talented creators who have yet to jump into this nascent (onchain) space. With the added benefits of blockchain technology like censorship resistance and provenance, creators can be confident that centralized governments will not pose a risk to their livelihoods.

According to TechCrunch, Zora is a venture-backed start up that has received $60 million to date. However, the platform embeds the concept of “credible neutrality” into its approach, which means that its mechanism design is bi-partisan and impartial to private interests. By minting works onchain, creators can feel assured that their works won’t be censored, removed, or altered. This is because creating records (cryptomedia) on distributed ledgers is immutable and unalterable after the fact. Wait, buy why?

Blockchain technology is censorship-resistant because it does not rely on a central authority to control data. Instead, power is distributed across many participants who maintain and update the blockchain, making it difficult for any single entity (such as the government) to manipulate or censor transactions. The consensus mechanisms used in blockchain prevent a single authority from dictating the rules. Additionally, the immutability of the data ensures that once a transaction is recorded, it becomes permanent and cannot be changed. The decentralized and tamper-proof nature of blockchains makes them resistant to censorship and manipulation.

This means that creators who choose to mint their works onchain through decentralized apps like Zora Protocol are given complete agency and authority over the works they produce. Additionally, onchain works offer provenance, which helps to establish authorship and flips the distribution model upside down. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about how creators can manage their identity onchain and how dApps like the Ethereum Name Service (ENS) make it a cinch.

The Importance of Brand Resiliency

Brand resilience is a term used to describe how brands can withstand external pressures through difficult times. If properly cultivated, brand resilience ensures your brand is lindy. In today’s often fierce and cut-throat competitive landscape, building brand resilience has become more important than ever before. Unwitting creators could face the same fate as the Montanan’s who, arguably naively, entrusted their entire business to a single platform. Customers are the life-blood of a business, but if there is no longer a way to reach or connect with them, then your brand can be sure as dead.

What is platform risk?

Platform risk arises when businesses build their operations on top of existing platforms to leverage the platform’s services and user base. The most significant threat is the potential loss of access to audiences, preventing brands from reaching individuals who have already expressed interest in hearing from them. As a result, businesses that are de-platformed would need to re-build their audience from scratch; a daunting and demoralizing task. As a content creator, your media is your intellectual property and your brand is your identity. You need to play defense when platforms put them at risk. Setting up an Ethereum Name Service (ENS) and minting your content can make your brand more resilient.

Resilient Brands on ENS

Brands can enhance their digital presence, visibility, and control over their online identity by utilizing Ethereum Name Service (ENS) addresses. Unlike centralized platforms such as TikTok, ENS offers a decentralized identity service leveraging blockchain technology. Users can claim unique, self-sovereign domain names on the Ethereum blockchain, providing persistent identities.

By using ENS names, brands reduce reliance on any single platform and establish a resilient online presence. This diversification across platforms mitigates the risk of losing access to audiences or content due to platform-specific actions.

Registering an ENS name establishes an onchain presence, builds reputability, and increases visibility to emerging onchain markets. It also allows for scalability and expansion of a brand’s onchain presence, enabling the launch of new websites, subdomains, or international versions while maintaining brand coherence and resiliency.

Owning an ENS name empowers brands to establish ownership and control over their onchain identity, ensuring their presence remains intact and uncontested. As brands explore the potential of onchain markets, having an ENS name becomes crucial for reputability and visibility, positioning them for the future. A brand’s ENS name can also serve as an opportunity to showcase their personality, affiliations, and collections onchain as digital wallets evolve into social profiles.

Furthermore, ENS names open up possibilities for monetization and brand extension onchain. Brands can leverage their ENS name to launch unique digital assets, collaborations, or limited edition collections as NFTs gain prominence.

Managing your Brand’s assets using ENS V3

The ENS V3 Manager app is a powerful tool for businesses to manage their brand identity on the Ethereum Name Service (ENS). Here’s how the app can help:

1. Simplified Registration Process:
   The app offers a user-friendly registration process for acquiring ENS names. Businesses can easily secure their desired names, with clear explanations of gas prices and registration costs. Integration with services like MoonPay allows registration using credit or debit cards.

2. Enhanced Customizability:
   With the ENS V3 Manager app, businesses have more control over their onchain brand identity. They can set their primary name and fill out their onchain profiles, maximizing the potential usage of their brand names from the start.

3. Mobile-Friendly Experience:
   The app is designed for mobile optimization, allowing businesses to seamlessly manage their onchain brand identity from their smartphones. This accessibility enables active brand identity management anytime, anywhere.

4. Establish Your Brand:
   Businesses can establish a resilient onchain brand identity protected from impersonation and unauthorized use by using the ENS V3 Manager app’s features. This enhances brand trust, credibility, and protects the brand’s reputation in the blockchain ecosystem. The app simplifies the avatar selection process, eliminating the need for complex guides. Businesses can easily set and manage their brand avatars within the app, choosing between NFT avatars or image uploads.

5. Future-Proofing and Innovation:
   The ENS V3 Manager app provides a foundation for future innovation and expansion of onchain brand identity. Built on ENSjs v3, a new JavaScript library, the app supports advanced capabilities while maintaining performance. This allows businesses to stay up-to-date, explore new features, and adapt their brand identity to meet evolving market demands.

Conclusion

Brand resiliency is critical for creators and businesses to withstand external pressures and remain competitive in today’s cut-throat landscape. With a rise of platform risk due to potential bans or de-platforming, creators need to explore alternative options that provide robust brand protection. Ethereum Name Services (ENS) offers a decentralized solution that leverages blockchain technology to establish a resilient online presence. By registering an ENS name, brands reduce their reliance on any single platform and establish ownership and control over their on-chain identity. The ENS V3 Manager app makes it easy for businesses to manage their on-chain brand identity, providing enhanced customizability, a mobile-friendly experience, and future-proofing capabilities. By utilizing ENS names, brands can achieve brand resiliency and mitigate platform risk, positioning themselves for the future of on-chain markets.

Secure your onchain identity today, visit the ENS app and register now.

Introduction

On April 17th, Taytems.eth, a member of the ENS Labs Core team, announced that the latest version (V3) of the ENS App had been launched on Mainnet. The newly redesigned front-end of the ENS Manager App has undergone a complete overhaul. The new design system not only makes it easier to introduce new features and regular improvements, but it also boasts a faster user interface and a more user-friendly experience. These improvements are expected to encourage more users to fully set up their ENS names.

Since the beginning of using ENS as my identity in Web3, I leveraged the records of an @ensdomains. I always told people, if you want to trust my links and details, look up my profile at Etherscan, because the interface of the ENS App was a little complicated sometimes.

This… pic.twitter.com/oDYHEXNKYS

— sio.eth (@sio_eth) April 20, 2023

The V3 redesign is based on Thorin: ENS Design System – A design system for ENS built with React and styled-components, and has been designed with a mobile-first approach in mind. The app has been efficiently redesigned from scratch and features new functionalities, UX improvements, and fewer transactions and processes than V2.

This is just the beginning of the V3 development roadmap, and more exciting features and improvements are expected to be introduced in the near future. The latest update has resolved major bugs and minor fixes are currently being worked on to ensure that the app operates smoothly.

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Tl;dr

Features:

• Redesigned V3 manager app with mobile-first approach using Thorin: Web3 Native Design System

• Efficient redesign done from scratch

• Addition of new features and UX improvements resulting in fewer transactions and processes

• More V3 developments in the pipeline

• Major bugs fixed with minor fixes currently in progress

• User-friendly nomenclature; ie. substituting “Registrant” with “Owner”

Overall, the V3 redesign of the ENS Manager App offers a significant improvement to the user experience, making it easier and more efficient for users to manage their ENS names and engage with the Ethereum blockchain.

7 Changes I like from the New ENS Manager App 🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/6nLFAZ21Qv

— dr3a.eth (@dr3a_eth) April 25, 2023

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What is it?

The ENS Manager App is a user-friendly application that allows users to easily search for and register unique ENS names ending in “.eth” and other compatible domain names. The Ethereum Name Service (ENS) acts as a mapping system that translates human-readable names, such as “estmcmxci.eth”, into machine-readable wallet addresses like “0x60dbF50076206…”.

With the ENS Manager App, users can register and manage their ENS names, which allows for secure and decentralized transactions to occur without the need for long and complex addresses. Additionally, it minimizes the chances of input errors when typing out the recipient’s address to transfer funds.

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What’s New?

The latest version of the ENS Manager App introduces a completely new, mobile-first, improved user experience. The new interface is smoother, faster, and more visually appealing than the original app. Connecting your wallet to the app is a breeze, thanks to the Connect Wallet Kit, which supports wallet connection with Coinbase Wallet, Rainbow, MetaMask, or any wallet that supports WalletConnect.

This is an actual screenshot from my actual phone 👀
That's right, alpha is now on mainnet! https://t.co/JVdoW1UYxE pic.twitter.com/l1O5jPGEtV

— domico.eth (@domicoeth) April 18, 2023

One of the standout features of the new app is its improved search function, which provides a preview of the name’s availability and makes it easier to find and register ENS names.

Once you sign in with your wallet, you can easily view all of your registered ENS names by clicking on “My Names”. This will lead to a list of all names managed by the account; the names are listed according to the expiry date.

Managing your ENS names with the V3 version is simple and straightforward. By clicking on a registered name, you can easily access multiple options to manage it, such as the “Profile”, “Records”, “Subnames”, and “More” tabs. You can also set your profile picture as many times as you’d like without paying gas. It is important to note that to take full advantage of the V3 version, you must update your resolver and migrate your profile. To learn more about this, click here.

Using the “Records” tab, you can easily edit all your records, while the “Subnames” tab allows you to create new subnames with ease. Clicking on “More” gives you an option to extend your registration and transfer ownership as well. Overall, the new and improved ENS Manager App V3 offers a more intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it easier than ever to manage and interact with your ENS names.

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Testing

We put the ENS V3 to the test by attempting to register “ensdaorules.eth”. This took us to the registration page, which has been updated with a cleaner and more modern design. A particularly nice feature is the ability to display fees in either ETH or USD, making it easier for users to understand the costs involved in registering their ENS name. We were also delighted to find out that you can now set up primary / text records during registration.

Furthermore, the updated app now allows users to register their ENS name using a credit or debit card, thanks to the integration of MoonPay. To register a name using this feature, you’ll need to create an account with MoonPay. This is a significant improvement over previous versions of the app, which required users to go through a more complex process to register their name.

The new ENS Manager App allows you to register ENS names with your credit or debit card via @moonpay! 🔥

Check it out at https://t.co/HyFcNRmmj0 pic.twitter.com/EULNqrohrR

— sadaf.eth (@sadaf_eth) April 20, 2023

Another feature that we loved about the ENS V3 app was the portability of the support tab. It’s conveniently located under the three bars module and provides easy access to a range of helpful features, including language-accessibility options, currency settings, and links to support, Github, governance documentation, as well as the app’s Terms of Use. There’s also a link to the legacy ENS app as well; in case you were feeling nostalgic.

Additionally, the support tab displays the current GWEI on Mainnet, which is extremely helpful when registering ENS names. Having all of these features in one place makes the process of registering ENS names much simpler and more efficient. Overall, the support tab is an excellent addition to the app, and we appreciate the thought that went into making it as user-friendly and convenient as possible.

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Name Wrapper

Do this if you plan to issue subnames with fuse permission features:

To make the most of your existing ENS names, it’s recommended to update any existing names registered with the previous ENS Manager App to the new Resolver and migrate the profile. Please note, this does not wrap the ENS name to the Name Wrapper. The name will remain an ERC-721. Also, migrating your profile and updating your records to the new resolver costs gas. In order to make use of the Name Wrapper feature, you will need to then wrap your existing ENS name by visiting the Profile page and selecting “Upgrade”.

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What is the Name Wrapper?

The Name Wrapper is an upgrade that enables older ENS names to access modern features like burnable permissions and ERC1155 NFT support. Newly registered names are automatically wrapped.

Before the Name Wrapper, only .eth 2LDs (second-level domains, like ens.eth) had ERC-721 NFTs associated with them, unless the owner created a separate custom contract. If you have an unwrapped name, you will see a prompt to upgrade in the ENS app, but upgrading is optional, and your name will still work without it. For a full list of features, check out the ENS’ Github page.

When you wrap a name in the Name Wrapper contract, it means you’re giving the contract ownership of that name. In exchange, you get a special digital sticker called an ERC-1155 NFT. This sticker proves that you’re the owner of the wrapped name. Your parent can also do something called “burning fuses” now.

By transferring subnames to the Name Wrapper contract, they are converted into ERC-1155 NFTs, rendering them tradable and transferable between parties. This innovative approach creates a decentralized filing system with rental options, providing a unique solution for managing ENS names.

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How to Register your ENS with V3

Registering an ENS name is easy; just follow these three simple steps:

Step 1: Connect your wallet to the ENS Manager App and search for the name you want. If it’s available, select the number of years you want to register it for and choose whether you want it to be your wallet’s primary name. You can also add additional records during the registration process by selecting “Edit Profile.”

Step 2: Click “Request to Register” to start the registration process. This will initiate a 0 ETH transaction that hashes your name with a secret key to ensure its security. Please note that this transaction will still incur a gas fee.

Step 3: Wait 60 seconds to prevent front-running, and then click “Register” to complete the registration process. You’ll need to approve the transaction in your wallet, and then wait for it to be processed by the Ethereum blockchain.

Congratulations! You now own your very own ENS name. Please note that you have seven days to complete the registration process before the “Request to Register” transaction expires. Additionally, be sure to double-check the registration length and fees before completing the registration process. Finally, remember that clearing your cache or switching browsers could cause you to lose your secret key and require you to repeat the registration process.

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Conclusion

Significant changes have been made to the ENS app with a focus on improving the mobile experience. The redesign includes the tab bar, search, and modal windows, specifically tailored for mobile devices. The search bar has been overhauled to provide users with a search history and more information during searches. Additionally, there have been performance improvements resulting in fewer network requests and faster experiences. Enhancements also include quick look profiles, enhanced name filtering, and better accessibility.

The app and related packages are open-source on GitHub, making it easily accessible for developers. ENSjs v3 features a fully dynamic loading system and user-friendly batching functions. The app is powered by Thorin, a new React design system, ensuring a simple and intuitive experience for both users and developers.

The new app is considered the future of ENS, and the team welcomes feedback and bug reports through Twitter, the ENS DAO forum, or Discord.

Visit the new ENS app at app.ens.domains.

We would like to express our gratitude once again to our generous supporters on Gitcoin! Thank you so much!

If there are still any projects you haven't donated to this round that you would like to support, you have about two days left for your contribution to be matched with Quadratic Funding.

With GR15 coming to an end in about 48 hours, we wanted to put out an update with the latest from our newsletter and to highlight some exciting things happening now in ENS DAO.

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Newsletter Updates

Our 14th issue was released on September 15th, and we continue to release new editions on the 1st and 15th of each month. If you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to our Substack to get the latest updates directly to your email inbox.

Subscribe now

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Newsletter Extras

Marcus (estmcmxci) has authored additional articles to highlight the work being done in our working groups, as well as writing the very first Spanish article discussing the importance of ENS in Web3 - with more to come!

Public Goods Highlights: Women in Web3

ENS DAO Newsletter

Public Goods Highlights: Women in Web3

Through the week of September 12th, the ENS DAO Public Goods Working Group highlighted women-led initiatives within the ENS and Web3 adjacent ecosystems. This initiative sought to highlight leaders in the space, who focus on protocol development, education and advocacy. This was an exercise in building rapport with those underserved communities in order …

Read more

4 years ago · Marcus Martínez

ENS DAO Midterm Grants Review (2022)

ENS DAO Newsletter

ENS DAO Midterm Grants Review (2022)

Purpose of the ENS Ecosystem Working Group The purpose of the ENS Ecosystem Working Group is to identify and fund open source projects and initiatives that are focused on the development of the ENS Protocol itself. The Elected Stewards are responsible for supporting these projects and have established a weekly call where project leaders are encouraged to …

Read more

4 years ago · 1 like · 1 comment · Marcus Martínez

ENS Como una Herramienta de Identidad y Pertenencia en la Web 3

ENS DAO Newsletter

ENS Como una Herramienta de Identidad y Pertenencia en la Web 3

La Web 3 trae algunos debates alrededor de cómo nos vinculamos en internet. Este debate, también incorpora el ¿Quienes somos en internet?. En el modelo de la Web2 , nuestra identidad, nuestro quienes somos está ligado 100% a lo que construimos en cada plataforma. Ej: un perfil en facebook, un perfil en Instagram, en Spotify, etc. La Web 3 viene a romper…

Read more

4 years ago · 1 like · Marcus Martínez

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ENS DAO Small Grants - September 2022

The ENS DAO Small Grants project is hosting two more rounds. The Public Goods and Ecosystem working groups will each award 1E to the top five voted projects in their respective rounds.

Proposal submissions are open now until September 23rd at 6pm GMT.

Voting begins September 23rd at 11:59pm GMT.

Place your submission at https://www.ensgrants.xyz/.

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ENS Protocol Updates

Massive updates to the ENS protocol are coming very soon, and new information was released today detailing what’s to come! Click the links below to learn more!

Deployment of new contracts (including NameWrapper!)

More Details:

ENS Controller V2 is ready for code review

More Details:

Thank you all again for the continued interest and support!

The purpose of the ENS Ecosystem Working Group is to identify and fund open source projects and initiatives that are focused on the development of the ENS Protocol itself.

The Elected Stewards are responsible for supporting these projects and have established a weekly call where project leaders are encouraged to present and receive feedback.

Ecosystem Stewards typically look for certain criteria when deciding what projects to fund:

1. Clearly defined purpose

2. Proof of work and path towards implementation

3. Link to learn more about the project

4. Budget request

Projects that have been funded by the Ecosystem Stewards have also shown a willingness to share their progress with the community at large, focus on catalyzing the global ENS adoption, and build infrastructure for further protocol development.

A Primer on How Ecosystem Funding Works

At the beginning of every term, newly elected stewards are tasked with drafting a budget request for the DAOs consideration. This budget is drafted in consideration of the current needs and goals that are important to the protocol’s sustainability at the time of approval.

Stewards work with TNL to surmise a proximal amount that will be necessary for the continuation of projects of interest. Once the amount has been determined, Stewards draft the formal proposal on the ENS DAO Governance Forum for DAO-wide discussion.

Budget requests usually consist of a summary of the overall request, items broken up by category and subgroups, the amounts requested in ETH, USDC and ENS, and finally a description of the multi-sig where the funds well be held along with the lead signer of each multi-sig.

Once rough consensus has been built, the request goes live on snapshot for a DAO-wide vote. If passed, multi-sigs are created and funded according to the request. The money in these multi-sigs are then used to fund Working Group specific initiatives.

This term, an approximate total of $2.2 million (USD) has been distributed to the Ecosystem Working Group to support ecosystem initiatives.

Source: Q3/Q4 2022 Budget Request: ENS Ecosystem WG

A note from Term 2 Ecosystem Lead Steward, Slobo.eth:

We pick projects from the following sources:

1. Ecosystem Weekly Calls (folks who come to present)

2. Infrastructure projects like LIMO (.limo) that are clearly part of the ecosystem

3. Occasionally, we receive ENS based projects via DMs

Guiding Principle: Retroactive Public Goods Funding

The DAO funds projects retroactively, rewarding projects that it recognizes as having already provided value. Ingeniously designed by Vitalik Buterin, Retroactive funding mechanisms focus on identifying projects that have already made a valuable contribution and impact to the ecosystem. The funding model incentivizes developers to work on projects knowing they will get paid based on the value of their work.

The ENS DAO, or as Vitalik would put it “the Results Oracle”, funds Public Goods according to the projects demonstrated value to the community at large. Below, we review projects that Ecosystem Stewards have funded according to the retroactive funding principle. Rewards are a mix of ETH, ENS and other stablecoin and are funded by fees generated from ENS Domain Name registrations.

Term 2 - Funded Projects

Term 2 began on July 1st, 2022. Since then, a total of three ecosystem projects have been funded. We will go over a brief review of each project, including a short analysis of how they provide benefit to the ecosystem overall.

1. Nimi - Profile

Nimi.eth started as a hackathon project at ETH Amsterdam 2022. Nimi makes it easier for users to host their content.

Nimi makes it easier for users to host content on their ENS domain. Currently, Nimi could be thought of as a “Linktree for web3”. Nimi’s goal is to get users to use their ENS for hosting content and allowing them to use it as a regular domain.

The purpose of the grant is to expand functionality and features to attract more users to setup their Nimi page as well as increasing user engagement.

Grant Amount: 15,000 USDC + 100 ENS

2. ENS Academy - Education

The ENS Academy aims to accelerate the adoption of ENS worldwide. They host weekly spaces, gathering ENS ecosystem leaders and Web 3 entrepreneurs to share their knowledge with the global community.

Their goal is to educate, support and empower all who benefit from the ENS Protocol. The project leaders built a platform where new users can learn the fundamentals and skillsets necessary to build on their ENS domain.

They are serving their community by producing focused interviews, Twitter Spaces, and pushing educational content through their own forum.

Currently, the ENS Academy run the following initiatives:

• Host weekly Spaces

• Run podcasts

• Publish daily educational content

• Create network with ENS Builders

Since they launched in June, they’ve hosted 20+ interviews with over 6000 attendees to their Twitter spaces, garnered 600 podcast downloads, and have produced over 60 forum posts amounting to over 11,000 page views.

The purpose of the grant is to cover the cost of hosting the podcast, forum and the website. They also plan to hire content writers to produce long-form educational content and forum moderators to ensure quality content. Some of the funds will also be used for development resources, to migrate the forum to be self-hosted and integrate Sign-in With Ethereum.

Grant Amount: 20,000 USDC + 100 ENS

3. ETH.LIMO - Infrastructure

LIMO is an ENS enabled IPFS gateway with a focus on privacy design and security. It represents a shift in decentralized web adoption by providing another means of accessing ENS resolvable domains. Prior to LIMO, Cloudflare’s eth.link service was the only way to bridge Web 2 and Web 3.

LIMO takes public gateway services further by focusing on strong privacy guarantees. For instance, it never logs IP addresses, engages in TCP fingerprinting, or allows for FLoC (Federated Learning of Cohorts) which is a Google developed algorithim that tracks and correlates users based on their browsing history.

The purpose of the grant is to give more diversity to ENS/IPFS gateway operators, by introducing an additional ecosystem for it to strive in. By providing users with more diversity, it rings true to the OG Web 3 ethos of decentralization and user owned and operated networks.

Additionally, modern browser integrations still rely on Infura RPC calls by default which falls short of a high standard for user privacy.

LIMO strives to operate as a public good with a focus on community governance and oversight. Their mission is to work towards building a truly decentralized ENS/IPFS gateway service and a world-class developer platform for Web 3 sites.

Grant Amount: 60,000 USDC + 10ETH + 3000 ENS

Conclusion

ENS notices, respects, and funds critical infrastructure that supports ENS adoption.

The ENS DAO is welcoming to self-driven, attentive and responsive participants who share our values and follow the ENS DAO Constitution. We strive to highlight projects that communicate and act in the best interest of ENS to help ensure the long-term sustainability of this Public Good.

If you or someone you know has a project that would contribute to the ecosystem, we encourage you to reach out to any of the Ecosystem Stewards or join a weekly Ecosystem Working Group call.

Working Group Meeting information:

• Every Monday at 2pm EST (6:00pm GMT)

• Google Meet link: https://meet.google.com/oaj-qrgv-var

Term 2 Ecosystem Stewards’ Contact:

1. Slobo.eth

2. Bobjiang.eth

3. Validator.eth

Artwork by Midjourney.

Whether you are completely new to the cryptospace, or you’ve been around since the days of Satoshi Nakamoto, you have certainly seen at least one crypto-related scam making the rounds. With every emergent and unchartered technology, there will unfortunately always be nefarious actors looking to take advantage of the uncertainty and excitement.

While many scams target the “low-hanging fruit” (i.e. newcomers to the space), even the most skeptical and experienced chainrunners can fall victim with one wrong move.

There is no such thing as a 100% secure system - as a common hacker adage puts it:

If a system is secured by humans, it can be broken by humans.

… And in almost every successful exploit, a human was the weakest link.

Cybersecurity / information security awareness is a never ending game of cat-and-mouse, with new tactics and exploits developed or discovered every day. Staying informed about the latest scams can save you a tremendous amount of pain.

This guide is intended to be a comprehensive overview of some of the most common methods used by cybercriminals to steal crypto assets, as of September 2022, while also staying accessible to a wider, non-technical audience. I intend to also provide periodic updates on the current state of crypto scams going forward, in subsequent reports.

We’ll start with the least sophisticated methods, and work our way towards the more elaborate.

Phishing

Targets: General, Broad

Exploits: Trust, Naïveté, Fear of Missing Out

Phishing is a form of social engineering that essentially utilizes look-alike pages or accounts to trick victims into revealing their sensitive information, such as passwords, personally identifiable information, or the master key to their crypto wallet known as a seed phrase.

Phishing involves two elements: impersonation and baiting.

These fake, impostor pages and accounts tend to look virtually identical to the real thing - while often having only the smallest of noticeable differences, such as one letter changed or added to the URL or username. In some circumstances, there are no apparent indications it is fake.

Avoidance

• When communicating with someone online about sensitive information, always ensure you are really speaking with the person or organization you believe you are. Double and triple check the fine details. Don’t be afraid to be skeptical and request proof if you are in doubt.

• When interacting with any apps or websites where there is a potential to lose your valuable assets, always be sure that you are using the real thing. When in doubt, verify. Cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible and almost always irrecoverable, should you make a mistake.

• Never sign any wallet message that you do not recognize or approve any transaction message that you did not initiate yourself.

• Never share your seed phrase for any reason, to anyone.

• Never click links on social media claiming to offer crypto “giveaways,” “free mints,” “whitelists,” or anything else that claims to offer something for nothing.

• Don’t click links in “clickbait” type comments, often containing vague, emotionally charged prompts to entice victims into clicking.

• Never click links claiming to “help you” with any crypto-related issues. Bots automatically crawl social media posts for keywords and spam victims with this type of bait.

Examples

Notice: Even “verified” accounts are often compromised.

Unsolicited Airdrops

Targets: General or Specific, Active Users

Exploits: Curiosity, Excitement, Greed, Confidence

Moving on to a more involved and targeted type of scam, we have unsolicited “airdrops.”

Airdrop in this context means to transfer either junk tokens or NFTs into the victim’s wallet.

If something seems too good to be true, it almost certainly is.

The bait in this type of scam is to make the victim investigate. In almost every case, further investigation will lead to some type of phishing site.

In the case of tokens, the token name itself is often the phishing site URL. Once the victim goes there, the scam functions as outlined in the previous section, Phishing.

In the case of bait NFTs, the scam often involves following the airdrop with enticing, high dollar “offers” for it on marketplaces such as OpenSea, LooksRare, and X2Y2.

Attempting to accept these offers will result in a failed transaction, accompanied by a URL and a message saying that the victim must go to the site to “unlock” the NFT for sale (or “allow,” “upgrade,” etc.). This URL is often also linked in the description of the bait NFT collection page. This URL will take you to a phishing site. Don’t go to it.

Avoidance

• Do not interact with (transfer) any unsolicited or unknown tokens or NFTs that appear in your wallet.

• Do not go to any URL accompanying these tokens or NFTs.

• Do not attempt to accept bait offers for NFTs transferred into your wallet without consent (aka spam).

• Don’t be fooled by words like “Airdrop,” “Pass,” “Whitelist,” “VIP,” etc.

Examples

Notice: Lower cost “layer 2” or sidechain networks such as Polygon are often used.

Authentic Channel Compromises

Targets: Specific, Active Communities

Exploits: Trust, Excitement, Fear of Missing Out

These types of scams are among the most nefarious because they are often virtually undetectable or practically unpreventable. For this reason, they also have a much higher success rate, and cause more damage.

There will always be unknown unknowns.

Authentic channels can become compromised for many reasons, ranging from software exploits and database intrusions to stolen passwords or data breaches.

Recent official channel compromises have been primarily of social media accounts such as Discord or Twitter.

Another type of attack, known as DNS Cache Poisoning occurs when attackers trick DNS resolvers into caching false information. This is done to make the real URL direct victims to a phishing site instead. This type of attack is particularly dangerous due to its subtlety.

Avoidance

• Do not let emotions such as Fear of Missing Out cause you to act impulsively, even when a message appears to come from an official channel.

• Be aware of warnings posted by official channels. Often they will say things like “We will never contact anyone directly for any reason.” or “Any announcement of a second airdrop is a scam.”

• If something posted by an official channel seems uncharacteristic or suspicious, have patience. Just wait.

• If a dApp you have used previously requests a new allowance, do not approve it until you know why, and can confirm that it is legitimate.

• When in doubt, wait for confirmation. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Examples

• OpenSea’s Official Discord Compromised… - May 6, 2022

• BAYC Says Discord Briefly Compromised… - April 1, 2022

• DeFi Projects Cream Finance, PancakeSwap Hit With ‘DNS Hijacks’ - March 15, 2021

• Convex Finance Suffers From DNS Attack - June 24, 2022

Miscellaneous

For thoroughness, I would like to also briefly discuss some common scams that aren’t particularly technical, instead utilizing deception and/or social status to con victims.

Influencer Scams

There have been, and continue to be, several instances of so-called “influencers” using their social media following to promote dubious cryptocurrencies and NFTs. This can range all the way from the mostly harmless shilling (covert advertising) to the more nefarious pump and dump or rug pull.

Pump & Dump

A pump and dump is when a small, coordinated group of actors intentionally conspire to inflate (pump) the price of an asset, only to then dump their holdings at the top, leaving those outside of the group holding a worthless “bag.”

Rug Pull

A rug pull has much in common with a pump and dump, but may utilize other means of falsely inflating the price, such as only allowing the asset to be bought (and not sold - except by the scammers).

Rug pulls also often involve false promises of future developments to bring in new capital. The term rug pull comes from the nature of the exit - the scammers withdraw everything they can and virtually disappear without a trace, as if the “rug” was pulled out from under the project.

Avoidance

• Do your own research. You are reading this now, so you’re already one step ahead.

• Question the intentions of anyone attempting to “sell” you on a product/project - what do they stand to gain from it? How are they involved with its development?

• Research the history and reputation of any new product/project, especially when there is an unusually high amount of hype around it.

• Be skeptical of major hype, sharp rises in price, and refusal to discuss or address doubt.

Examples

• Bitconnect

• OneCoin

• FaZe Clan / Save the Kids

• Logan Paul / Dink Doink

Smart Contract Exploits

Smart Contract exploits are attacks that take advantage of flaws in the underlying codebase (contracts) of a dApp to drain as much money from them as possible.

Unless you are a skilled developer, unfortunately, there is likely nothing you can do to prevent these types of attacks.

These types of attacks are almost always completely devastating to the project and community targeted, due to the large amount of capital stolen - on average in the millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars.

Avoidance

• Ensure the dApp you are using has performed thorough security audits, from reputable third parties.

• If an organization has an active bug bounty program, this is typically an indicator that they at least take the threat seriously.

Examples

• Smart Contract Exploit Leads to $300+ Million Hack on Wormhole Solana-Ethereum Bridge - February 3, 2022

• Smart Contract Exploit Costs Nomad Crypto Bridge $200 Million - August 3, 2022

Until next time, stay safe out there!

If you found this article useful, please share it with others!

Today is the last day to submit GR15 grant applications for guaranteed review. The ENS Ecosystem working group will distribute $69k as part of the ENS side round, so don’t miss out!

What is a Gitcoin Grants Round?

Gitcoin launched in 2017 as a bounty platform, making it easier for developers to get paid for completing Github issues.

“Gitcoin is where the world's leading web3 projects are born, validated and funded. Our Gitcoin Grants rounds, which use a Quadratic Funding mechanism, help communities to fund their shared needs and support people and organizations that are building the open internet and empower communities to fund their shared needs.”
- Gitcoin’s Grantee Onboarding Document

The grant rounds (referred to sequentially as GR’s) are quarterly fundraising opportunities that enable open source projects of all sizes to seek and receive community funding.

Round Types

The upcoming GR15 consists of three types of rounds:

1. Main Round: The main round is the least restrictive way for qualified and eligible grantees to receive quadratic funding from the main pool.

2. Ecosystem Round: These rounds are supported and funded by ecosystem sponsors. For example, the Ecosystem working group will distribute $69,420 in an ENS Ecosystem side round to eligible projects that build using the ENS protocol or impact the ecosystem.

3. Cause Round: Cause rounds are focused on impacting specific areas. The cause rounds for GR15 are Climate Solutions, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), DeSci (Decentralized Science), and Advocacy (Crypto Regulation).
   

   

More information on the types of rounds and eligibility can be found on the grant eligibility brief.

ENS Ecosystem Side Round

Since 2021, the Ethereum Name Service has sponsored an ENS Ecosystem side round for projects building on and improving the ENS ecosystem. The latest round, GR15, will be active from September 7th to September 22nd, 2022.

We encourage any project that believes they may be eligible to apply.

A matching pool of $69k is available to all eligible projects building on the ENS protocol, creating content around ENS, or improving the ENS ecosystem. If you are applying to this round, be sure to submit to this airtable form in addition to having an active grant page on Gitcoin.

👉 All applicants should have their projects submitted by midnight (CDT), September 3rd. Early applications may be eligible for a POAP from Gitcoin.

Creating a Successful Grant

The ENS DAO Working Group stewards held a workshop for grantees. Three helpful tips or suggestions from the call are listed below:

1. Project Logo Image - Having a properly formatted and eye-catching Project Logo helps your grant stand out. It should work as both a banner aspect ratio and a square image. If you need help, try using this Figma template created by @gregskril.

2. Content Quality - Your content should be one-page, easily scannable, with no important content below the fold. Be concise yet informative. Include an overview, features, plans, and the website for your project.

3. Self-Promote - Once you've made edits and are happy with your grants page, be sure to self-promote as much as possible. Getting the word out about your active grant is crucial to creating an awareness that your project can be funded in the current round.

Reminder: If you have a grant page from a previous round, ensure it is updated and active. You should also fill out the ENS GR15 Participant Form.

Helpful Links

• Resource: Steps for Creating a Grant

• Resource: Sideround Submission Form

• Resource: Figma Template for Project Logos

• Resource: ENS Ecosystem Round Brief

• Article: Reimagining Public Goods Funding

Grants Round 15 begins in just a few days! ENS are excited to participate in our third matching round here on Gitcoin. As always, we are extremely grateful for the continued support from the community.

We’re happy to provide this guide to our community. We want as many people as we can for this round, so we encourage everyone who reads this guide to create a grant right away!

For first timers, it’s recommended to get a bit of context on what Gitcoin Grants are and what purpose they serve in our emergent ecosystem. Feel free to skip this first section if you’re already aware of Gitcoin.

Note: This is a community editorial and may not correspond with or entirely reflect the views of TNL, ENS, or the DAO.

What is Gitcoin?

“Gitcoin is where the world’s leading web3 projects are born, validated and funded. Gitcoin Grants rounds, which use a Quadratic Funding mechanism, help communities to fund their shared needs and support people and organizations that are building the open internet and empower communities to fund their shared needs.”

• Gitcoin’s Grantee Onboarding Document

Since their launch, they’ve expanded their focus to build “Regenerative Cryptoeconomies” through the funding of Public Goods.

What role does ENS play?

True Names Limited (TNL) kicked off its operations in 2017 as well, and were funded by a Grant they received from the Ethereum Foundation. Since at least May 2019, ENS has amassed a treasury sufficient enough for it to make sense to begin to contribute to the funding of Public Goods.

In 2021, ENS contributed their first meaningful round to Gitcoin and have been contributing to the Grants Rounds since. Like Gitcoin, ENS is a Public Good, and follow in similar respect to the notion of altruistic grants for the betterment of the wider ecosystem.

ENS x Gitcoin Grants

Gitcoin Grants is a quarterly fundraising event that enables open source projects of all sizes to seek and receive community funding. Their 15th funding round is near, spanning from September 7 to September 22 (submit your ENS GR15 grant now), with a total of $69,420 purposed for the funding of Public Goods within the ENS Ecosystem.

Our wish is to fund Public Goods initiatives that focus on the development of the ENS Protocol, education and advocacy. ENS DAO has the unique opportunity to establish itself as its own voice in the space. We are different because we represent a breadth of community and the goods that we build will be inherent to our shared values

Create your grant

Don’t wait. Create your Gitcoin Grant now. Read about how to submit your grant here. Next, level up your grant. Then let us know about your submission by filling out this form. DM Alisha.eth. The deadline is September 3rd, but you can still create a grant anyway! If you need some help, don’t hesitate to contact a Steward, but before you do, make sure you have a specific ask!

–

Note: If you already have a Gitcoin Grant, please fill out this round eligibility form and share the relevant tag(s) to be added to your existing Grant. We will verify your eligibility, and if approved your grant will be included in the round.

What we love to see

The Grant should be focused on accomplishing the following for ENS:

1. Usability - improving the user experience

2. Community - growing the ecosystem

3. Tooling - improving the developer experience

4. Governance - building tools and enhancements for governance

5. Education - content creation and initiatives to improve educational resources

–

FAQ: Is my grant eligbile?

How to focus your Grant

One paragraph describing your project’s:

• Overview

• Features

• Plans

• Home address

Reading and Resources

• ENS Ecosystem Round Brief

• Create a cover for your Gitcoin Grant

• GR15 Information and Helpful Tips

• ENS DAO Forum

• Gitcoin Notion

• Reimagining Public Goods Funding

• What is Gitcoin Grants?

This is an editorial article and does not intend to represent the views, opinions, or beliefs of Ethereum Name Service, ENS DAO, or the ENS DAO Newsletter. Publication does not indicate condonement. The content herein is the journalistic opinion of the original author, alone, and should not be misconstrued as anything else.

Today we’ll shed some light on these “clubs” & categories with a bit of simple math & maybe even talk about some upcoming features set to change the web3 landscape.

Let’s start small and scale our way up.

Everybody should know by now the rarity of 3 Digit ENS. There are only 1,000 of them, which is true of Western Digits, Arabic Digits, Hindi Digits, etc.

10 ^3 = 1,000

Easy, right?

Next, we have the letters category.

Now, for the sake of simplicity, I will not include every possible language & its alphabet for this example. Everybody knows there are 26 letters in the alphabet, so let’s take that number and multiply it three times.

26 ^3 = 17,576

Within this number exists every three-letter word, acronym, palindrome & any other arrangement you can think of (and they all cost $640/yr).

Emojis are up next, and their “pure” form is most easily quantified due to the vast amount of possible emoji combinations - but we’ll get to that later.

Let’s focus on keeping it simple for now.

Single emoji: 1,356 👨‍💻
Double emoji: 869 🇲🇽🇲🇽
Triple emoji: 1,325 💰💰💰

Now… this next part is where things get a little crazy.

We’ll start with the easier combinations and work our way up. Remember, these possibilities are only limited by their minimum three-character requirements.

So how many alphanumeric combinations are there in total exactly?

26(letters in alphabet) + 10(digits) = 36

36 ^3 = 46,656

Scaling up…🚀

Admittedly these following combinations are where things become scary… and we’re still only scratching the surface.

Let’s break down how many emoji COMBINATIONS are possible (this includes skin tones and virtually every other emoji you can think of).

As of 2021, there are approximately 3,633 approved emojis in the Emoji 14.0 collection.

3,633 ^3 = 47,950,837,137

Wow! 🤯🤯🤯

If you thought 47 billion was a lot… know that you still haven’t seen anything yet.

Now let’s move on and try to quantify those pesky Unicode characters.

Unicode includes Arabic digits, Chinese words, and anything else you can think of within this massive set of characters.

Total allowed Unicode (excluding emoji) = 51,276

51,276 ^3 = 1.348163e+14 - …trillions!

At this point, the number of possible ENS combinations has become so large that the magnitude becomes lost on our human brains - and we still aren’t done!

…this isn’t even including two character combinations yet.

But we’ll get to that.

So what happens when we combine all of these categories?

Well…

Digits(10) + Letters(26) + Emojis(3,633) + Unicode(51,276) = 54,945

54,945 ^3 = 1.6587637e+14 or more simply put: 165 TRILLION three-character domains!

This number represents the total of all possible three-character ENS combinations.

Anybody ready to mint out the 165 Trillion club?

Next up, we have the elusive 1 & 2-character ENS domains.

So what exactly are 1 & 2-character domains?

“But Brommhill, I thought we’ve already established that ENS has a minimum requirement of 3 characters?”

Well… that’s true!

Two character domains are best explained by the combination of any emoji with two or more “codepoints” (such as 🇺🇸 or 🇮🇳) + 1

Codepoints probably sound confusing if you aren’t familiar with emojis & Unicode, so here are a few examples:

🇹🇯🇹🇯.eth
🧻🖐🏻.eth
_🧖🏾.eth

TLDR - a two-character ENS is any domain that includes an emoji with two or more “codepoints” + any other codepoint to meet the three-character minimum.

Easy, right?

Only 2,225 Special Emojis contain two or more “codepoints,” making the total amount of combinations extensive… but still smaller than the ~165 TRILLION we see with three character ENS.

Try not to laugh, but the total amount of possible combinations for all two character ENS is 1.4652988e+14 or ~146 TRILLION.

Once you combine every possible allowed character within ENS…the numbers start seeming absurd.

Now that we’ve covered doubles, let’s move on to singles.

Before we proceed further, I’d like to remind you again that all ENS domains require a minimum of AT LEAST three characters or “codepoints” to qualify for registration in the first place.

This point is important - remember it. I’m serious.

So how many unique characters consist of 3+ codepoints?

We’ve seen some hilariously prominent figures today, and this final number might surprise you.

If you’ve been paying attention thus far, you should already know the answer to this one.

The total amount of single-character ENS domains? (e.g., 👨‍🎤.eth)

Single character ENS: 1,356

No, you didn’t read that wrong.

Out of the HUNDREDS OF TRILLIONS (and this only includes three character possibilities!) of ENS domains, less than 1,500 qualify for a single character registration!

I know.

Out of the trillions and trillions of possible three-character ENS domains… only 1,356 are capable of legitimately displaying as a singular character!

No matter how you cut it… single emoji ENS domains are the rarest (and shortest!) asset in the entire ecosystem.

Every. Other. Domain. is an array of 2 or more characters. Try to think about the implications of what that entails.

Unique, flashy, and as rare as they come.

The native profile pictures of Ethereum itself - or as @TheZombieth likes to call them: “the end-game of vanity NFTs.”

🏳️‍🌈.eth
👨‍🎨.eth
👁‍🗨.eth
🏴‍☠️.eth
🧟.eth

So, what can we do with this information?

Beyond assuming the role of the rarest asset in all of ENS, these Single Character domains have quite a few perks.

For starters, being one character long means these 1,356 domains are also visually the shortest in length in the entire ecosystem.

Believe it or not, this detail is essential, and I’ll explain why.

If you didn’t know, the Name Wrapper is a soon-to-be-launched upgrade to ENS, allowing domains & subdomains to be “wrapped” by the same token standard ‘ERC-1155.’

(Note: As of August 2022, ENS domains are still classified as ‘ERC-721’ tokens.)

Without getting too technical, you can think of subdomains in their current form as text-record extensions to their parent domain.

You can currently send, receive, and modify the text records of your ENS subdomains. Still, you cannot physically see them in your wallet - it is simply a text extension of the underlying domain.

The Name Wrapper upgrade changes this.

By wrapping both domain & subdomain into one token standard, you can see and even trade ENS subdomains directly from your wallet like any other NFT!

Cool, right?

Wrapped domains mean it will soon become possible (officially) for people to create, buy & even sell subdomains for real profit.

Even better, once permissions are correctly set, the subdomain owner will retain complete control over their new asset.

That means no worrying about your subdomain privileges being compromised by any shady domain owners!

When you own it, you own it - the same as all ENS domains.

Understand when I tell you that tremendous value will be generated by your domains if they’re worthy of sporting the title of superdomain.

Introducing ENS Superdomains.

Superdomain is a term given to any ENS that builds value($$) beneath it in the form of subdomains. The possibilities are vast, but for now, we’ll focus on a few (mostly) hypothetical use cases.

The first and most apparent use case is the flex. 💪💪💪

If you ask anybody “in the know,” they will almost always tell you that shorter = better when it comes to domain aesthetics.

Listen, the introduction of the Name Wrapper means it will become commonplace for users to desire premium subdomains… at least if the parent domain has any significance.

So what does this have to do with Single Character ENS domains?

Well…

Most people don’t want their subdomains to be attached to a long & tedious parent ENS.

Three characters are good… but one is better. At least aesthetically.

Remember, the majority of people will never own a single or premium three-character domain, as most of these domains also come with a premium price tag!

So while you may never own an ultra-premium ENS domain without paying out big… you can still flex one with the power of subdomains!

Thankfully, ENS Subdomains have no native renewal fees (or character limits!), making them the next best option for the massive upcoming wave of new web3 adopters.

Possibilities are vast, and we should expect all sorts of fun & innovative applications to be created in the near future.

Remember, the ENS protocol is extensible by design and can be programmed to do just about anything!

Two of the most compelling examples of the technology so far are from Twitter user @hm0429, who uses ENS subdomains to unlock his apartment & car door.

Pretty cool!

But when it comes to single character domains… my favorite candidate for Superdomain potential is by far 🏳️‍🌈.eth

The extreme rarity & cultural significance of this domain makes it highly desirable & a great candidate as potentially one of the greatest Superdomains of all time.

Imagine for a moment the possibility of acquiring YourName.🏳️‍🌈.eth because you’ve donated to an LGBTQ charity of the Superdomain owner’s choice.

How cool would that be?!

I predict similar trends of all ENS categories will emerge as subdomains become increasingly more popular.

If we’ve learned anything today, it’s that the total amount of ENS domains and their possibilities are near infinite… but the amount of quality names is becoming increasingly more scarce by the day.

Whether you are rocking a rare emoji, name, or even number domain… be confident knowing you could be holding something extraordinary which will be here for decades to come.

The potential that subdomains & the Name Wrapper will unlock is the next logical phase for ENS… and it will shock the world.

There is no greater value proposition than building with your very own Superdomain… and once more people understand this, there is no going back.

So go search for unicorns, anon… because your time might be running out.

The goal of the ENS Fairy site is to make ENS registration seamless and intuitive, all the while encouraging pro-social community behavior by enabling altruism. ENS Fairy is an example of a Public Good. This article seeks to define Public Goods as a function of fulfilling community values and demonstrating Positive Externalities.

Intro to Public Goods

Why bother defining Public Goods? This is for the purpose of informing Delegates participating in the recently launched ENS DAO Small Grants what objectives they should be voting in pursuit of. Check out the first batch of proposals by visiting the site. (ensgrants.xyz)

What is a Public Good?

Nobel laureate Paul Samuelson is credited with introducing the concept of Public Goods to contemporary economics. Public Goods have been typically described as having two immutable characteristics; that they are non-excludable and non-rivalrous.

To put it another way, anyone may freely enjoy the benefits a Public Good brings without harming, or limiting access to another. Put thought towards the air you breathe. Breathing comes at no expense to any individual, but is beneficial to all.

Now think about the ENS Fairy site, it is a free service that allows anyone to register and gift an ENS name. Surely this is good. One person’s use of the ENS Fairy site does not come at a detriment to another, and use of the site does not limit anyone else’s accessibility. ENS Fairy fulfills the standard definition of what a Public Good is.

However, I’d like to demonstrate how the ENS Fairy site embodies two other properties of Public Goods that are characterized by user owned and operated networks within Web 3.

What is an ENS Fairy?

After becoming known for registering ENS Domains for several development teams, validator.eth was serendipitously dubbed the ENS Fairy. Several members from the ENS community became familiar with the samaritan for his proactive approach towards ENS flourishing by gifting ENS names. The ENS Fairy is now the support lead of ENS, where they continue to do good.

How did the ENS Fairy site come to be?

The idea for the ENS Fairy site came about through community participation and consensus-building. A member of the ENS Forum noticed that domain squatting may negatively effect the flourishing of ENS Names, thereby hindering mass adoption.

Discussion ensued within the DAO’s Governance Forum, where community participants agreed that creating a multi-sig vault for the purpose of safeguarding ENS names would benefit the ecosystem. Within just a few weeks, the ENS Fairy site went live enabling anyone to either gift an ENS name or donate the name to its vault.

Redefining Public Goods in Web 3

Since its launch, over 200 names have been donated to the ENS Vault including high value names such as stevebalmer.eth and 70 more names have been registered through the site. ENS Fairy has quickly become a community favorite and is becoming a catalyst for ENS flourishing. It is a high impact project that surely deserves continued support from the ENS DAO.

The creator of ENS Fairy site writes:

“I think (Public Goods are) a free and ideally open source tool/resource/content that is useful/entertaining/enjoyed by a group of people within a given ecosystem”

Specific to Web 3, Public Goods merit a re-definition that “should focus on the characteristics that we would like to see the term embody”. In this case, we should expand the definition to include two additional, emergent properties that are unique to Public Goods in the space.

Public Goods Fulfill Community Values

What are the values uniquely expressed in the ENS DAO’s community exchange that led to the creation of the ENS Fairy site? If we have a look at the discussion on the forum we notice a few things:

1. Attention and Intentionality - community insight led to identifying domain squatting as a possible hindrance towards mainstream adoption

2. Responsibility and Safekeeping - community sentiment revolved around the intention to safeguard ENS flourishing by encouraging altruism.

3. Bias Towards Action - the creator proactively built the ENS Fairy site without seeking for anyone’s approval to do so.

In effect, community projects that focus on a purposeful, bottoms-up approach towards implementation are heavily favored within the ENS Community.

ENS Fairy is basically a set of programmed and codified community values; where frENS are encouraged to freely give away ENS names to other frENS. This is in fact the process by which the ENS community fulfills their shared values. Where the creation of a Public Good such as the ENS Fairy site encourages the flourishing of ENS names via altruism.

Insight: Community values are achieved via open-dialogue, consensus building and community participation.

Public Goods Create Positive Externalities

Other Internet argues that Positive Externalities are a natural byproduct of a Public Good; such that wider adoption of that good is beneficial to all.

“Greater scale should mean greater good as valued by an increasingly wider set of people: the creation of positive externalities.” (Positive Sum Worlds, 2021)”

Furthermore, the flourishing of ENS names through altruism is a positive externality in that creating greater accessibility towards reclaiming one’s own telemetry and privacy via the ENS Protocol is of benefit to all individuals (If you’re interested to learn more about Privacy as a Public Good, check out Ana’s Mirror).

One of ENS’ killer features is that it offers users true ownership of their digital identity in Web 3 thereby allowing users to reclaim their Privacy. Maintaining Privacy in our networked world is as an important matter as ever before.

The more folks that partake within the ENS ecosystem via their .ETH address, the more the public takes back control over their privacy. At scale, this is a Positive Externality of the ENS Fairy site by proxy of ENS flourishing.

Insight: If Privacy is a Public Good, and ENS offers its users ownership of their own identity on Web3, then any product or service that proliferates ENS should be considered a Public Good.

Funding Public Goods

By now, you should have a pretty good idea of what a Public Good is. Now how about funding them? What should be considered when deciding on what projects to fund?

According to the the ENS DAO’s Constitution:

“Any income generated to the ENS treasury is to be used first of all to ensure the long-term viability of ENS, and to fund continuing development and improvement of the ENS system.”

Thus, the ENS DAO should do their best to fund Public Goods that ensure its flourishing, and just as such, proposals made to the ENS DAO should focus on building Public Goods that ensure this flourishing.

Delegates should use discernment and best judgement when voting on proposals via the ENS Small Grants site, they should seek to support the flourishing of ENS through funding ecosystem projects that embody its demonstrated values:

1. Catalyzing global ENS adoption

2. ENS Protocol development

3. Building real world businesses on top of ENS

Proposals that are thoughtful, insightful and have a demonstrative path towards implementation merit more consideration.

Alisha.eth eloquently described two principal characteristics when deciding what projects to fund: risk of market failure and value added to a community. They’ve also provided a framework that helps decide how much funding a Public Good should receive.

The ENS Fairy site is completely free; there are less paths available towards monetization. Therefore, its risk of market failure is high. Yet its impact and value to the ecosystem is obvious. Therefore, a project like ENS Fairy falls towards the right (in green) of the above matrix. Delegates should vote to continue funding the ENS Fairy’s operations, and they should vote to fund other projects like it.

Conclusion

In this article, we covered the genesis of ENS Fairy and how community participation and consensus building led to the community codifying its values as the ENS Fairy Site. We also discussed what Public Goods are within the context of Web 3 and what builders should consider when submitting proposals to the ENS DAO.

Lastly, we covered what Delegates of the ENS DAO should look for when voting on ENS DAO Proposals and how they should determine what proposals to fund.

Further readings (highly encouraged):

• Public Goods - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

• Reimagining Public Goods Funding in Web3 - Alisha.eth

• Positive Sum Worlds: Remaking Public Goods - Other Internet

• ENS DAO Constitution

• Identity, Privacy, Interoperability & Agency in Emerging Digital Worlds - Ana U

The goal of ENS DAO Small Grants is to provide a simple, open process for the ENS DAO to fund Ecosystem and Public Goods projects. This article explains the ENS DAO Small Grants interface and submission process.

Proposal Home

The round landing page displays current round data:

• The award amount and denomination

• How many awardees

• Submitted proposal cards

• Indicator of proposal lifespan

To submit a proposal, log in with an Ethereum wallet using the Rainbow Kit integration and select the purple "Submit Proposal" button.

Landing Page

How to draft a proposal

Your goal is to inform voters. Too little or too much information can be ineffective at communicating the value of your proposal.

The ENS Grants user interface presents you with three text fields to draft your proposal:

• Title - This is a short descriptive title for your proposal.

• Short Description - Your proposal in one sentence.

• Full Proposal Text - A comprehensive overview of your proposal.

Although there are currently no requirements for proposals, you may use Markdown to create headings and organize the proposal. A short list of suggested headings are:

• Summary - # Summary

• Team - # Team

• Timeline - # Timeline

• Links/Resources - # Links/Resources

It is recommended to take advantage of Basic Markdown Syntax to organize and cleanly display your proposal information. You can insert unordered lists, photos, and even code blocks to provide organization.

Proposal Title and Short Descriptions

A concise title and short description will make your proposal easier to read. A short title will display more easily on the landing page for browsing voters.

Main body of the proposal

The Full Proposal Text is where you provide the majority of information about your proposal.

Use your judgment to include as little or as much detail as necessary for your proposal. Some proposals may be simple, while others are complex.

If you're looking for inspiration on proposal style and construction, check out the previous rounds on the Nouns DAO Prop House. Our Grants system was derived from their Prop House.

Discuss this on the Governance Forum: here.

This is an editorial article and does not intend to represent the views, opinions, or beliefs of Ethereum Name Service, ENS DAO, or the ENS DAO Newsletter. Publication does not indicate condonement. The content herein is the journalistic opinion of the original author, alone, and should not be misconstrued as anything else.

Today I will be highlighting the incredible bullish case for ENS & decentralized identity, subdomains, 'naming standards' and maybe even shining some light on the key differences between other naming service competitors such as Unstoppable Domains (UD) & Handshake (HNS).

I will start off by highlighting my obvious bias for ENS, as admittedly I do not own any other domains from the aforementioned naming competitors. I do however believe this to be for very good reason — ENS is a decentralized naming PROTOCOL. Not a service.

One of the main criticisms you will hear about ENS domains (namely by those who support other NFT domains) is that with ENS you don't actually 'own' your names, and that "leasing domains is a bad thing." This is a common misconception and an argument made in bad faith.

"Owning your domains for life" sure sounds awesome, doesn't it? Who wouldn't want to pay a one time fee and keep their domain forever without worrying about recurring payments? Seems like a no-brainer, right?

What if I told you this was an incredible oversight, and a bad idea?

The problem with static NFTs in the form of domains is just that: they're static NFTs. The same way you hold custody of the jpegs in your NFT collection will be the same way you hold custody of your NFT domains with most ENS competitors.

Seeing the issue yet? No? Well… There's actually a number of reasons for why this is a bad thing, but I'll highlight the most concerning issues. Like all self-custodial blockchain assets, if you lose your keys, you have effectively lost those assets forever. This is also true of ENS, however, because the Top-level Domain of ENS (.eth) is handled by a decentralized smart contract, we are able to reliably lease domains in a trustless manner. This solves a myriad of issues and bolsters decentralization. Most importantly, it ensures that premium names can re-enter the ecosystem.

I'm surprised so many people are confused on this; how else would a naming ecosystem continue to thrive steadily into the future if names can be lost forever collecting dust? ENS ensures decentralization at the protocol level while future-proofing itself for decades to come.

ENS competitors such as UD & HNS 'solve' this issue by allowing the creation of multiple TLDs (e.g. .crypto .nft etc.) whereas ENS's one and only TLD (.eth) strictly resides on Ethereum's blockchain as a means of establishing a very reliable single-source of truth for its domains.

Being able to create as many top-level domains(TLDs) as you like may seem empowering at first, but realize the moment this becomes a trend, we have effectively convoluted the entire global naming system for the worst. Think I'm being hyperbolic and don't believe me? Well, consider for a moment a scenario in which duplicate domains exist because competing naming services decided to issue the same TLD. Now let's say you want to send payments to john.crypto but the name exists on both UD & HNS, for example. Where do your funds go in this scenario?

It's easy to see that a global naming standard is required and this role has largely been filled by ICANN & DNS for more than two decades at this point. Do you know just how much value sits atop the .com TLD alone? Many billions of dollars worth, even by rough estimates.

I personally couldn't see a bigger uphill battle than going against ICANN and the network effects they have created over the last 20 years. Instead, I believe the global naming standard must merge to bring together the legacy and the decentralized for a hybridization of the two. Thankfully DNS and ENS are completely compatible with one another, and integration has been live on Ethereum mainnet and going strong for more than half a year.

Additionally, there will be a LOT of competition during the next ICANN TLD auctions. What does this mean? It is highly suspected that during the next round of auctions the TLDs .crypto .nft .blockchain will have companies foaming at the mouth to secure them as Web3 grows.

So let's say that Unstoppable Domains fails to secure the .crypto & .nft TLDs from ICANN later this year... what happens to all of their already issued domains? The earlier mentioned problem of duplicate names will become highly prominent with ICANN clearly being seen as "real."

In this scenario, all UD domains with conflicting extensions become effectively worthless, as their value fragments in multiple directions. The worst part? Due to the nature of UD and its names not expiring even if they did win the TLDs, the names would still be lost forever.

So what makes ENS and .eth safe from the same inevitable fate as other naming services with multiple TLDs? Well, the TLD .eth actually already exists within ICANN and is going unused! Honestly, I don't know whose idea it was, but it was exceedingly clever and I'll explain why.

The ICANN TLD .eth is technically owned by the country Ethiopia - but due to ccTLD rules by ICANN, countries are unable to use country code domains with greater than 2 characters in length - taking .eth off of the table completely. This means that Ethiopia is in control of .eth but is unable to utilize it for its intent and purposes. Because of this, there is virtually no worry about being replaced and bastardizing the extension, and it actually greatly increases the chances ENS will secure .eth from ICANN.

You could say ENS has been squatting on the name and you would be correct. However, I think it's more than fair to say .eth has rooted itself firmly into the mind of the public, and all you would have to do to confirm that is checkout .eth leaderboard to see the numbers.

This is why UD & HNS or otherwise will never issue a duplicate .eth TLD, as we all know who would be seen as the "true" extension. Genuinely, whoever strategically chose .eth to be the one and only primary TLD for ENS was incredibly big brain and I must give you infinite kudos.

So now that we've established ENS as the most dominant decentralized naming protocol & service from a technical standpoint, what about the network effects?

Well… good news! Despite existing on Layer 1 and the occasional high gas fees that go along with it, ENS continues to march forward at a remarkable pace, not only in sales, and registrations, but also community as well!

From a user's standpoint it is clear that ENS is far and beyond ahead of any competition, and it's no wonder industry leaders such as Coinbase and Chainlink refer to Ethereum Name Service as the naming and decentralized identity STANDARD of Web3.

Speaking of industry leaders, here's Vitalik Buterin explaining how ENS is "the most successful non-financial Ethereum application” to date and some of the ways he personally leverages the technology.

It's hard to deny the accolades given to ENS, and I believe even competitors would have to agree when looking at the numbers. For example, ENS represents 99.75% of domains sales volumes on OpenSea.

Did you know that ENS is even competing with y.at on the emoji domains front? (and winning?!) I'm personally a big fan of premium emoji ENS domains for a number of reasons if you couldn't already tell from my quite literal bags - 💰💰💰.eth

But now for the really juicy stuff. Remember how earlier in the article I spoke on those pesky renewal fees and Layer 1 gas fees? Well frENS I'm glad to provide even more good news…

Because in collaboration with Chainlink, ENS has been working on a feature dubbed CCIP-read. With the introduction of CCIP-read comes a whole new world of functionality and possibilities to ENS. By leveraging CCIP-read, users will be able to register and house subdomains (which have no yearly renewal fee) onto other blockchains - both ‘Layer 1,’ ‘Layer 2,’ and even legacy systems.

What does this mean? It means subdomains will, in the near future, become near to zero cost to mint. This is a major turning point with ENS and ushers in, what I believe, will be mass adoption like we have never seen in all of Web3.

Understand that human-readable names were always meant to be a natural evolution of the blockchain & decentralized computing process. I ask that you take a moment and extrapolate only a few years into the future given the information presented thus far.

To wrap this up, we have a protocol supported as the naming STANDARD of the most widely used blockchain in the world that has uniquely positioned itself into the safest possible spot imaginable in both Web2 & Web3, while simultaneously capturing the eye of the public as #1.

Couple this with the ability and functionality that is only achievable with NFTs such as Sign-in With Ethereum (which can exist on any blockchain, layer 2 or legacy system because of CCIP-read) and you have potentially the formula for the greatest asymmetric value in all of Web3.

The coming dot eth domain action will make the dot com bubble look like a passing blip on the radar once more people understand the enormous potential presenting itself. There is assuredly no question about it anymore.. WAGMI frENS🚀🚀🚀

Matching Pool DAI contributions withdrawn to ‘Layer 1.’

Matching Pool DAI sent to ensdaonews.eth wallet.

And that’s the last of all of the contributions transferred to the ensdaonews.eth wallet. Thank you so much again to all that contributed. We look forward to funding and featuring great talent soon.

April 18, 2022, 12:30 AM UTC.

With the exception of Polygon, and the $500 DAI Gitcoin matching funds, all contributions have been sent to the ensdaonews.eth wallet. I will continue to provide updates when I am able to send the matching funds.

Thank you so much to everyone again for the kind contributions!

Here is a bonus counterfeit POAP. I wanted to give it for early supporters, but it never got approved by their team. Feel free to right-click save it if you want.

Last updated: April 15, 2022, 12:30 PM UTC.

The matching fund amount been announced, and it is $500.47! (DAI)

While I wait for the matching pool funds to be disbursed, I have started the process of sending the rest of the contributions to the ensdaonews.eth wallet. I am leaving the Polygon funds in Polygon until it becomes financially reasonable to withdraw them to Layer 1. Currently it costs about $30 in gas per withdrawal, which is more than the amounts to be withdrawn.

USDC transferred from zkSync to “Layer 1”

USDC transferred to ensdaonews.eth wallet

USDT transferred from zkSync to “Layer 1”

USDT transferred to ensdaonews.eth wallet

UBI transferred to ensdaonews.eth wallet

ETH transferred from zkSync to “Layer 1“

ETH transferred to ethdaonews.eth wallet

I will continue to provide updates until all GR13 Grant contributions have been transferred to the ensdaonews.eth wallet.

March 27, 2022, 11:50 AM UTC.

In response to recent security vulnerabilities and continuing exploits I have decided to go ahead and transfer the DAI contributions from my personal wallet to the ensdaonews.eth wallet.

My original plan was to wait for the matching funds to be disbursed before transferring any contributions so I could do it in fewer transactions, but after seeing the recent cybersecurity news I am taking this first step early so there isn’t a single point of failure in the event my personal wallet is compromised.

I will transfer the rest of the contributions after the GR13 matching pool has been disbursed and provide details here.

DAI transferred from zkSync to “Layer 1”

DAI transferred to ensdaonews.eth wallet

March 25, 2022, 1 AM UTC.

Our Gitcoin Grant for the GR13 & ENS Ecosystem matching round has come to a close, and we are extremely grateful for the tremendous support and encouragement we received from the community! As this is my first experience with Gitcoin, I will be providing updates to the community and expanding upon the grant process as I receive more information.

In an effort to provide maximum transparency, I have kept a record of each contribution made during the matching round. This record does not include any funds from matching pools, as the final amount isn’t known at this time.

Also, the discrepancy between my record and what is reflected on the grant page is due to additional contributions made outside of Gitcoin or made anonymously - therefore my total is higher.

After all funds have been distributed, I will transfer them to the ensdaonews.eth wallet, which is to be used exclusively for newsletter improvements, operations, and related compensation. This will require several transfers from my personal wallet - on layer 1, zkSync, and Polygon - and I will provide detailed documentation of the process in an update.

Now, on to the statistics…

Total Contributions Received (through Gitcoin): ~$657.00

(additional Quadratic Funding matching amount: 500.47 DAI )

Total Contributors: 101

All Contributions, Itemized

(Includes Ethereum “Layer 1,” zkSync, Polygon, anonymous contributions, and contributions made outside of Gitcoin)

Per the Gitcoin Twitter, the schedule for matching fund payouts is as follows:

More information coming soon…