Validator Relations and Comms - Strategy

[armog]

6-Month Work Summary

Introduction

Hey everyone, I’d like to share what we’ve achieved over the past six months. The purpose of this update is to share our work on the Gnosis Chain with community, enhancing transparency and accountability. Our team and I welcome your feedback.

Overall strategic goals

• Grow the Gnosis validator community
• Improve the tools we have for increasing accessibility
• Continue to support the Gnosis Chain validator ommunity for network health

Ongoing Projects

1. Dappnode Home x Gnosis Chain Campaign

   • The campaign, which started in May 2024, is ongoing. We are giving 3 GNO to those who purchase devices branded with Gnosis Chain. We are also organizing special campaigns for events like Dappcon and ETHAccra.
   • This campaign has significantly increased the number of node operators. DAppnode users now make up almost 25% of the total node operators on Gnosis Chain. We are focusing on home operators to ensure network resilience.

2. Validator Track Tool

   • We have determined the technical requirements and project workflow. We plan to launch it by the end of September 2024. Details can be found here

3. Gnosis Chain x Circles x Dappnode Home

   • As a pilot program launched specifically for ETHAccra, this campaign aims to increase the number of node operators in West Africa and promote Circles’ community node feature. Click here for details.

4. Obol Collective x Gnosis Chain

   • We have begun testing the integration of DVT into Gnosis Chain with Obol Collective. Eight professional teams were invited to participate. After the tests are completed, we will launch the program for permissionless participation. We will also share the DAppnode package with our operators.
   • Next, we plan to launch a campaign focused on promoting Squad Staking.

5. Gnosis Chain x StakeWise v3

   • Stakewise V3 has been launched on Gnosis Chain. Through the vault creation feature, we have onboarded many small and medium-sized teams as well as individual operators to Gnosis Chain. With the workshop we conducted with StakeSaurus, anyone can easily create their own vault.
     • Serenita
     • Axol
     • StakeCat
     • Stakers Union
     • Blockscape
     • Oragefin
     • Stakingverse
     • NEDO
     • StakeSaurus

6. HOPR GIP-98 Node Operator Airdrop

   • As part of GIP-98, we organized a campaign to encourage HOPR node operators (around 500) to join Gnosis Chain. Additionally, we informed operators about the opportunities on Gnosis Chain through our informational broadcast. The process is continuing under the leadership of the HOPR team.

7. Shutter Network x Gnosis Chain

   • The Shutterized Gnosis Chain is now operational, and those who wish to participate as validators can run the Nethermind client from this repository. The next steps include improving network stability, enhancing user experience, and increasing validator participation.

Completed Projects

1. validategnosis.com

   • We revamped the site and redesigned it for a better user experience. This site aims to bridge the gap between basic information provided by gnosischain.io/validators and advanced information available at Run a Node | Gnosis Chain.

2. deposit.gnosischain.com

   • We updated the interface and added functions such as autoclaim and a Dappnode campaign claim.

3. Run a Node | Gnosis Chain

   • We updated the content and added more comprehensive guides.

4. Educational events, Online meetings, Hard fork Calls

   • Dencun Hardfork Call
   • Monthly Validator Meetups
   • Dappcon 2024
   • StakeWise Vault Operator Call with StakeSaurus
   • HOPR Node Operator Onboarding Call

5. PR and communication activities

   • 200K validator
   • Shutterized Gnosis Chain
   • Stakewise V3

Achievements and Highlights

Validator Count and Change Rate

• Jan 1, 2024 - 175,017
• Aug 22, 2024 - 263,509 Pending: 1,031
  • Change rate: 50% net increase, +90K validators
  • 

Active Node Operators

• We observe that the number of active node operators ranges between 2.3K and 1.7K. With the activation of ValTrack, we will be able to conduct better geographic scans. The most significant progress in this area has been achieving a very healthy level of token distribution. When evaluating all validators (265,000 validators), the total share of the four largest operators is less than 33%. To achieve a healthy chain, it would be beneficial to reduce this ratio to below 10%.
  We estimate that the proportion of validators using Dappnode among all validators is 5%. Among all node operators, the proportion is 23%.

Community Participation

• To increase community participation, we continue to develop payment-focused strategies with Gnosis Pay, Circles, and Metri, aligning with the Gnosis 3.0 vision while incorporating projects like Shutter Network, Obol Collective, and Stakewise into the Gnosis Staking ecosystem.
  • Full Circle: Bootstrapping Liquidity For Community Circles w. Gnosis Chain Staking @ Regen Village

Goals for the Next Period

• Next 6 months, we will continue to promote the healthy growth of our validator ecosystem. In this context, promoting the use of DVT and the Shutterized Gnosis Chain will play a significant role. Additionally, we plan campaigns to encourage validators to use Gnosis Pay, Circles, and Metri in line with the Gnosis 3.0 vision. We are coordinating with client teams for the upcoming Pectra upgrade, which will activate MAXEB on our network. The top priority is to keep the network secure and healthy.

Conclusion

Keeping the Gnosis Chain secure and healthy is the responsibility of every validator. By fulfilling this duty, we maintain an highly decentralized, censorship-resistant, and credibly neutral network.

We hope this update has answered your questions. You can reach us through the channels below.

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Validator Feedback & Resource Form | Gnosis Chain Discord