The previous blog post covered various ways to participate in the NEAR Developer Governance. This post dives further into the ideation area.
The first step in any NEAR ecosystem project is ideation. It is crucial to have a way to find people to share and explore ideas with, partly because it can save a lot of time based on prior discussions. But also because it can help strengthen your ideas & gauge support from a diversity of stakeholders.
Here are three ways to get started:
1. Sharing ideas on the Gigs Board
The best place to share an idea is in the Dev Gigs Board. Anyone can add an idea in any shape or form. The more your idea is fleshed out, the higher chances it will receive votes and comments. By posting an idea, you are inviting others to comment or propose their solutions. It is critical to specify what sort of response you are hoping for.
How to share an idea:
- Check for prior ideas: Before posting your idea, please search the Dev Gigs Board for similar ideas to learn from previous efforts. If you find a similar idea, consider how your proposed idea differs from or builds upon the existing one. If you already have a solution in mind, consider responding with a Solution Post to an existing idea.
- Create a post: In the Dev Gigs Board, Click Create Idea and fill out all the fields.
Posting guidelines:
• Labels – The appropriate label categories
• Title – A short summary of the proposed idea
• Description – The relevant information and rationale to enable the community to provide feedback. Describe the problem or opportunity your idea is addressing, as well as your desired outcome. It is also helpful to include a clear call to action for community members, such as asking for feedback on how to improve certain aspects of the idea.
- Share with the ecosystem: Once posted, the author is responsible for gathering social support or expert validation. Consider reaching out to any relevant Community Groups or individuals and leading the discussion further.
- Iterate: Monitor your post for any replies and take the time to follow up with people who provided feedback. If you are ready to move from idea to implementation, consider submitting a Solution Post to your idea or encouraging others to do so.
Example Post:
2. Exploring ideas using existing community groups
If you have an early seed for an idea, or a topic area you are interested in exploring, consider joining an existing developer Community Group (CG). CGs are self-organized groups of people interested in a specific topic, such as Zero Knowledge or Wallet Standards. They are not controlled by anyone but the people organizing them. They offer a great opportunity to meet and discuss ideas with like-minded people. Most groups have a dedicated social channel, like Telegram, as well as regular video calls or in-person events.
How to engage with an existing group:
- Search for groups: Browse the list of existing Community Groups to familiarize yourself with their topic area, guidelines, and communication channels.
- Get involved: Join the CG’s dedicated social channel and learn about their recent activities. Don’t forget to introduce yourself.
- Join events: Review previous meeting notes/recordings and register for upcoming meetings. In the future, consider volunteering to speak about a topic or even to lead the meeting.
- Participate in discussions: Comment on existing ideas or discussions. Or propose a new idea.
Example ideas: - A vague wish: “I think it would be great if NEAR supported ZK contracts”
- A highly detailed multi-page specification: A new consensus algorithm
- A concern: “near-api-js does not use TypeScript everywhere and it is kinda concerning to me”
- A stackoverflow problem: “I cannot figure out how to make Markdown work in near.social”
3. Starting a new community group
If none of the existing CGs work for you, consider creating your own CG!
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