Imagine a company or an organization that instead of being controlled by a CEO or a board of directors, is run by the people who use its services or participate in its community. This is essentially what a DAO, or Decentralized Autonomous Organization, is.
In simpler terms, a DAO is like a cooperative business or club where everyone involved gets a say in how things are done. But instead of having meetings in person, all decisions and rules are managed online, using blockchain technology. This setup ensures that the organization is decentralized, meaning no single person or group has complete control.
It’s autonomous because it essentially operates itself according to rules encoded in smart contracts, which are self-executing pieces of code on a blockchain.
How Does a DAO Work?
DAOs work through a series of smart contracts, which are basically programs running on a blockchain. These contracts define the rules of the organization, automatically enforcing decisions made by the community. Here’s a breakdown:
Proposals: Any member of the DAO can propose changes, new projects or other decisions about current operations or the future of the DAO.
Voting: Members then vote on these proposals. In a truly decentralized system, each vote is weighted by how much stake (often in the form of tokens) each member holds.
Execution: Once a proposal is approved by the majority, the smart contract automatically executes the decision without need for any human intervention.
DAOs represent a shift from traditional hierarchical structures to more community-driven models. Here’s why they’re significant in the web3 world:
Decentralization: Power is distributed among all members instead of concentrated into a single centralized entity, reducing the risk of corruption or poor management. This distribution also reduces the consumer-to-business trust necessary for an effective organization. In fact, DAOs could almost alternately be called democratized autonomous organizations, but decentralization is a more apt description.
Transparency: Every decision and transaction is recorded on the blockchain, making the organization’s operations fully transparent. For centralized organizations to achieve this level of transparency, there must be a well established routine of sharing information with the users, such as the way publicly owned companies share quarterly financial reports or how a traditional non-profit organization’s financials are shared with its community.
Inclusivity: Anyone with internet access and the required tokens can participate, making DAOs more inclusive than traditional organizations. Because of their ability to essentially manage themselves, DAOs lend themselves well to greater specialization, allowing people to participate in governance in fields for which they are especially qualified, no matter where they live in the world.
Global Reach: DAOs can operate across borders, allowing global participation without the need for a centralized authority.
Examples of DAO Benefits
To make this concept more relatable, let’s consider a few scenarios:
Community-Driven Development
Imagine a group of indie game developers who come together to create a new game. Instead of going through a traditional publisher, they form a DAO. Players and fans can buy tokens to join the DAO and vote on game features, funding allocation, or marketing strategies. This way, the game evolves according to the community’s preferences, and profits are distributed among all contributors.
In this example, the use of a DAO not only covers the governance of their project, but also provides development funding through the sale of tokens.
Charitable Organizations
A charity could be run as a DAO, where donors get to vote on which causes should receive funding. Because all transactions are on the blockchain, donors can see exactly how their money is being used, ensuring transparency and trust. As a result of these benefits, more people could be inclined to donate.
Government Organizations
While the governments of the world are understandably hesitant to begin using a technology as new as blockchain, DAOs would serve well for many aspects of government operations. As traditional democratized voting processes become more corruptible, the security and transparency of DAOs could help protect voting rights and election sovereignty, aligning more closely with the will of the people.
While the Gala ecosystem doesn’t currently operate as an official DAO, it shares many of the principles that make DAOs powerful. At Gala, community input is highly valued, especially through platforms like Discord and Telegram, where feedback is actively monitored and considered in decision-making.
For instance, Gala’s Founder’s Nodes—a network of community-run nodes—play a crucial role in maintaining and securing the GalaChain, which is a key part of the Gala ecosystem. These nodes are operated by community members, and the decisions regarding the ecosystem’s future increasingly involve community voting and participation, which mirrors the decentralized governance seen in DAOs. Nearly all important decisions about $GALA tokenomics are presented to the Founder’s Node community for a governance vote before being put into practice.
Gala’s Path Toward Decentralization
Gala is not just stopping at community feedback. The long-term vision is to move toward greater decentralized autonomy, similar to what a DAO offers. This means that as GalaChain evolves, Gala wishes to see control over the ecosystem gradually shift more toward the community, aligning with the ultimate goal of decentralization.
Even if Founder’s Node operators do not technically represent a DAO themselves, the goal is to see GalaChain channel creators ultimately having the ability to create DAOs for their project, platform, service, etc. We are creating a secure and scalable web3 ecosystem built on a layer-1 blockchain with the power to host numerous community-created DAOs.
In summary, while Gala isn’t a DAO in the strictest sense today, it embodies many DAO principles and is progressing toward a future where the community could have even more say in the governance and direction of the ecosystem.
Thanks for reading our latest web3 explainer article! Hopefully you learned a little something!
The fight continues, survivors! The challenges of this apocalyptic world require that everyday people rise from the ashes. These new heroes can come from any background, boasting skills honed by the need to survive.
We’re continuing to build new systems and ways to survive in The Walking Dead: Empires. Before we talk about what’s in store for September, though, we still have one epic hero left in August…
Carol was an unlikely candidate for apocalyptic warrior, but she quickly proved herself to be infinitely adaptable, becoming fierce, reliable, and a major advantage to any group she supports. And soon, you could recruit her to help build your empire.
Carol Sale
This sale takes place on Friday, August 30th at 7am PT. Carol Hero Cards will follow a tiered pricing structure based on the remaining supply, with Common Hero Cards staying at one low price throughout the sale.
This sale is not time-limited; Carol will be available in The Walking Dead: Empires Store until the supply is exhausted or her remaining Hero Cards are taken down to make room for new heroes in the future.
Like our other direct Hero Card sales, any Carol purchased in this sale will fulfill directly to GalaChain, ready to play in the game!
September Updates
Just as your empire grows, The Walking Dead: Empires is hard at work to implement new ways of bringing the world of the apocalypse to life. Before we wrap up our August event cycle, we wanted to talk about what to expect in September.
We’ll be taking a break from the regular event cycle during September. We appreciate you participating in these events over the past months. We’ve learned a lot from them, and the insight you’ve contributed will help shape the game in the future!
The current event cycle will end after this weekend’s stockpile event closes on Monday, September 2nd. Good luck with this last leaderboard, survivors!
This last event begins tomorrow. Are you ready?
There will certainly be more events coming in the future, but for now our team is concentrating on some important features that we can’t wait to get out to you, including an all-new. dungeon system that players will hopefully be able to check out in October. These instanced areas will soon give you more ways to survive and new challenges to overcome.
The Fight to Survive
Tomorrow begins the last leaderboard event for a while. Are you going to show off a top score this weekend?
Whether or not you’re crafting up a storm to dominate the competition, starting tomorrow you can suit up as Carol to face the challenges ahead. Don’t just survive with your empire… grow your empire.
Get ready to vibe to the beats of our returning artist, Clash, dropping his new NFT track, “luv” with 100 reward enabled instances. By becoming a web3 owner of a piece of his collection, you can support Clash’s music journey in a unique and rewarding way, generating $MUSIC on the daily.
This alternative hip-hop/R&B sensation from Long Beach, CA, is back with another sonic masterpiece that captures the essence of the modern American Dream.
About Clash
Clash is a visionary artist who reimagines the soundscape of alternative hip-hop and R&B. With roots deeply embedded in the working-class ethos, Clash’s music serves as a powerful narrative of perseverance, hope and authenticity. He seamlessly blends raw energy with lyrical vulnerability, crafting a sound that’s both innovative and resonant. Each track is a journey, a conversation and an invitation to explore the depth of human experience through music.
Clash’s unique voice and storytelling have garnered significant attention, making waves across the music industry. Their dedication to redefining the genre and connecting with listeners on a profound level is what makes Clash a standout in today’s music scene.
The New Track: “luv”
“Luv” is Clash’s latest offering, a track that promises to resonate with fans old and new alike. Known for his genre-bending approach, Clash combines elements of hip-hop and R&B with an alternative twist, creating a sound that is both fresh and familiar. “Luv” (feat. Keidoc, Mr. A.N.O.N, & House of Vibe) delves into the complexities of love and life, capturing the highs, the lows and everything in between with a lyrical honesty that’s become Clash’s trademark.
As a Gala Music community, we’re thrilled to support Clash and invite you to experience “luv” first-hand. Don’t miss your chance to own this track on Gala Music. Remember, owning a track and pairing it with an active Jukebox Node can earn you daily $MUSIC rewards, based on its popularity on the platform.
Follow Clash
Stay connected with Clash and be a part of his musical journey:
Don’t wait to be a part of this musical revolution. Check out Clash’s new track “luv” on Gala Music today. Be sure to snag one of the limited Signature Editions, available in only 100 copies when it drops at 1pm PT on Friday, August 30th.
Experience the sound that’s shaping the future of hip-hop and R&B. Tune in, turn it up, and let “luv” by Clash be the soundtrack to your day.
This proposal outlines a new system of transaction fees for core Gala-operated channels. While the addition of a fee structure was inevitable, the GalaChain dev team has created a system that allows independent channel creators unparalleled autonomy and control while delivering lower fees than you’ll find almost anywhere else in the web3 world.
The proposed fees are substantially lower than the fees associated with almost any other blockchain. Still, the proposed system enhances the sustainability of the greater GalaChain ecosystem as it continues to grow, bolstering the economy and giving third party channel operators the freedom and control necessary to grow their own projects.
Transfer Fees
The cost of minting or transferring items on Ethereum varies depending on variables like network congestion, transactional volume and transaction type. While it may cost $2+ (in ETH) to transfer any quantity of a fungible token like $GALA, GalaChain’s initial fee structure would make such a transfer cost only 2-4 cents (depending on the current value of $GALA). We believe that a predictable and more steady transaction fee will be welcomed by the GalaChain community.
Batch Transactions, 1 Fee
On GalaChain, it’s possible to execute large actions with single transactions, such as mass batch minting of tokens. On GalaChain, tokens can be minted to hundreds or even thousands of recipients with a single batch transaction, requiring a fee of only 1 $GALA for the whole batch.
Basically, this fee system will have additional benefits to creators proportional to the finesse and efficiency with which they use the chain. The power of GalaChain can accomplish a lot with a single well-placed transaction, leaving Ethereum in the dust in terms of cost effectiveness for creators.
BatchMintToken Example
If the Ethereum gas fee for minting an NFT is $2, that fee is required for each token that is minted, so minting an NFT from the same batch to 200 different users would cost $400 in gas fees(roughly equivalent to 20,000 $GALA at current value).
On GalaChain, the BatchMintToken transaction would allow the creator to mint all 200 NFTs directly to their recipients for a single set fee (1 $GALA), using 1 transaction alone.
Fee Structure for Ecosystem Health
To address these challenges in a way that incentivizes node operators and channel founders, we propose the implementation of a new transaction fee structure specifically for the basic asset channel controlled by Gala. The proposed system does not extend to individual third-party channels.
Each third-party channel operator retains full autonomy to set and manage their own fee structures according to their unique needs and goals. The fees outlined in this document will not impact those independent channels in any way, allowing third-party operators to maintain their independence and flexibility over their own transaction fee models. This distinction ensures that while Gala implements a standardized fee approach for its own basic asset channels, it does not interfere with the diverse and customized economic models that third-party channel operators might choose to implement.
Proposal Overview
We propose the introduction of a fee system on GalaChain. This fee structure will apply to various transactions and actions within GalaChain’s basic asset channel. The primary objectives of this proposal are to ensure the sustainability of the Gala ecosystem, incentivize responsible usage of network resources, prevent spam and reward channel founders and node operators.
Proposal Details
GalaChain Token Transactions (Subject to Fees):
BatchFillTokenSwap
BatchMintToken
BurnTokens
FulfillMint
FulfillMintAllowance
MintToken
MintTokenWithAllowance
RequestTokenBridgeOut
RequestTokenSwap
TerminateTokenSwap
TransferToken
User Actions (1 $GALA Fee Per Action):
Minting currency from mint allowance
Minting NFTs from mint allowance
Bridging out currency (note: existing fees apply; future dynamic fees are in development)
Sending currency
Sending NFTs
Paying for orders by transferring funds
Paying for orders by burning funds
Ecosystem Benefits
Channel Founder Incentives: Founders of new GalaChain channels will be able to set fees for their own asset channels in the future, receiving a portion of fees collected within those channels.
Node Operator Incentives: A portion of transaction fees will be allocated to node operators, ensuring ongoing benefits for their crucial role in the decentralization and robustness of GalaChain.
Referral Incentive: As approved in a prior Founder’s Node vote, all $GALA burned as gas fees qualifies for a direct referral incentive reward. The direct referrer receives 8-10% of the burnt $GALA as a mint allowance, and the second-degree referrer receives 2%.
Prevention of Abuse: With a moderate fee system in place, abuse of GalaChain functions is actively discouraged. Most blockchain exploits and abuses are related to unreasonably high numbers of transactions, and per-transaction fees will de-incentivize these types of behaviors by potential abusers by increasing cost with transactional volume.*
*In THIS EXAMPLE, a game called Sunflower Farmer nearly “broke” the Polygon chain by monopolizing gas costs, causing transactional fees to drastically and suddenly increase. A system of set low fees will prevent this sort of exploit for a more stable blockchain ecosystem, and Gala will continue to update and tweak this system as needed for long term ecosystem health.
Implementation Plan
Upon approval of this proposal, the new transaction fee structure will be implemented immediately within the GalaChain basic asset channel.
The initial rollout will apply to transactions on the asset channel, eventually expanding to include owners of other channels in the Gala ecosystem, allowing them to create their own fee structures. Please note that external channel owners will have the ability to to set and control their own fees. More details about external channels will be provided with future updates.
Vote Details
Voting Period: 1 week
Approval Requirement: Simple majority (51%)
Eligibility: 1 vote per Founder’s Node
Vote Question
Should a new system of GalaChain transaction fees be implemented to support long term ecosystem health and user incentives?
Yes: I am in favor of the proposed fee structure.
No: I am not in favor of the currently proposed fee structure.
Abstain: I am neither in favor nor against this proposal.
Conclusion
This proposal aims to enhance the efficiency, security and sustainability of the Gala ecosystem through the introduction of a new transaction fee structure on GalaChain. We believe this change will contribute positively to the ecosystem’s long-term health while providing additional incentives for channel founders and node operators. We appreciate your participation and support in this governance vote as we continue to build a stronger, more resilient Gala ecosystem.
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to our shared vision.
