Our Main Goals
Improve true manual curation and the support it receives within a Proof of Brain/Delegated Proof-of-Stake (PoB/DPoS) system.
Create a curation model that can be openly used to improve the overall distribution of PoB based tokens within content-based blockchain environments.
Refine the curation voting and rewarding process to empower the curating stakeholders and not the curation team management stakeholder accounts or the supporting community accounts they manage.
Pre-Existing Distribution Issues
Focused curation from highly staked accounts is a single point of failure.
This setup reduces the overall scope in which the Proof of Brain mechanics can operate as it limits the range of content that is rewarded due to the limitations of individual perception.
This ultimately leads towards a drop in quantity and quality of content across the board as polarization occurs between the lower stakeholders and the high-voting power accounts.
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VYB's Distribution Response
What if community curation accounts were used to support dedicated and active curators by improving their stake size instead of primarily increasing the stake size of the community curation account?
VYB Curation (@vyb.curation)
The first main funnel for distribution within the VYB Curation project will be @vyb.curation. This layer of the curation model is flexible, varied, and forgiving.
The initial goal is to improve the range and quantity of content that is voted on the POB and VYB platforms. We will achieve this by providing autonomy for curators giving them the freedom to vote as they please.
@vyb.curation will follow behind the curator's votes at 50% and the full curation data for each curator will be published publicly from the @vyb.curation account during the week following their dedicated activity.
VYB Check (@vyb.check)
The second funnel for distribution will shadow the pre-existing curation model that is typically incorporated.
Curator discovers content > submits for quality check > bigger account rewards or ignores
Transparency and accountability in this merit-based workflow are critical as the reasoning behind the vote decision is just as, if not more important than the vote itself.
@vyb.check will continue its development and construction during the initial trial phase of the VYB Curation Project (more information below in the roadmap) and will grow into another method of rewarding curators.
Here are two examples of our early on-chain testing for the vyb.check process, if you are intrigued! Peakd.com has been linked as the post was not published in the #vyb tag. We don't discriminate, yo!
https://www.vybrainium.com/hive-194913/@vyb.check/re-calumam-r4etlt
@vyb.check/re-calumam-r4ixeb
Distribution in the Future
We plan to sponsor curation teams that emerge and look to assist with distribution through the curation model we've presented.
Our goal is to expand the curation model into different niches on VYB and POB, tribes on HIVE and beyond.
Options to trail-support different curation niches and/or vyb.curation and vyb.check will be integrated into the Vybrainium front-end in the future with comparable statistics and details about each team and their efforts.
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Roles for the Curation Model
These roles are the starting point and not the final decision. The development of the curation model may require additional roles although we believe these below are essential to the model's success.
The naming of roles will vary based on the branding of the curation team, their responsibilities will remain the same.
VYB Curator (Aware/Unsuspecting)
Aware: Person is assigned a weekly curation spot each month. When the max capacity for aware curators is reached, randomised curator block assignment will be introduced.
Unsuspecting: Nominated VYB user is followed by the vyb.curation account. The data from the Unsuspecting Curators will be assessed alongside Aware Curators to discover the main differences between the two (double-slit experiment anyone?).
These curators will be trail followed by @vyb.curation's vote at 50% (scaling).
VYB Checker
A purely voluntary role that has some responsibility.
The main duty is to critique content and decide, with the help of metrics and additional support, the validity of submitted content to the VYB Check process.
VYB Checkers will be compensated for their efforts with staked @vyb.curation rewards (a community-backed decision for the percentage earned will be made).
VYB Cruncher
We've currently got two prospective statisticians who are going to be pulling the curation data for all of the curators each week. The responsibilities for this role will include post creation and presentation for the @vyb.curation account.
VYB Cruncher's will receive a moderate beneficiary on these posts and they will also receive a POB & VYB delegation for the week they are active.
VYB Catcher
An administration role that will look to guide the philosophies and oversee the initial stages of the curation team startup.
Over time this role will be politely excused if the curation model is successful.
Curator, Checker and Cruncher Accountability
Curation data for all Aware Curators will be posted from the @vyb.curation account and will be available to view easily within any browser or mobile.
Curation data for all Unsuspecting Curators will be withheld and only posted on @vyb.curation if requested after discovery is made of their involvement with the VYB Curation Project (VCP).
VYB Checker's approvals and denials will be posted from the @vyb.check account publicly in a similar manner as the @vyb.curation data pulls.
VYB Cruncher's will have their statistics reviewed by a non-partial person or persons. A comment will be added below the data posts to confirm the validity of the curation data.
VYB Catcher's will receive plenty of recognition from their peers if they are successful with the management of their curation team. They will also be criticised by their peers if they deviate from the curation model and decide to line their own pockets from the community accounts they manage.
@calumam is the first VYB Catcher and his transaction history can be found easily here, https://he.dtools.dev/@calumam or more extensively here, https://hiveblocks.com/@calumam.
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Roadmap (dynamic)
BetaVYB Initial Test Period
12 day test period started 29/11/21 with 8 BetaVYB Testers
@vyb.curation was mimicked by @proofofbrainio during the testing period. Curators were trail followed at 33% with an instant vote being cast from @proofofbrainio to cut down on duplication curation.
Official VYB Launch
8th of January 2022 (start of 3-month trial)
Month 1 - Implement @vyb.curation with aware curators and unsuspecting curators; monitor activities. @vyb.check continues the on-chain manual testing phase (very limited).
Month 2 - Evaluate activities, implement corrective actions, continue monitoring performance.
Month 3 - Work out the kinks, reassess performance, and continue activities.
@vyb.check optimisation + reflection period
8th of April 2022 - 22nd of April 2022
A decision of whether to complete the curation project, overhaul it or terminate it will be made at the end of this reflection period.
Official Launch of The VYB Curation Project?
Q2 2022
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Curator incentives during the 3-month-trial
Curators will be receiving 5,000 POB & 5,000 VYB delegations for the duration of their curation block. Delegations will be removed if community standards are disregarded by the account (or their alt accounts) they're delegated to.
@vyb.check will be under construction during the initial 3-month trial stage with the goal to be operational by the 22nd of April 2022. Once operational, curators will receive the lion share of author and curation rewards made by the @vyb.check account on the submitted and approved content they discovered.
Community Standards Synchronicity
This section of the post will update as integration with the Anti-Abuse Team (AAT) develops. Curators and the VYB Team are not immune to the Community Standards.
A link will be posted [here] for the upcoming AAT post on the @vyb.vyb account.
Our main points to cover within the VCP are;
Curation Ignore List (including curators/checkers/VYBteam)
Automation, Necessity, and the effect on the PoB ideals
Community Account Self-Voting (specifically, VCP -> VYBteam upvotes)
VCP/AAT Dual-involvement
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@vyb.curation guidelines?
What curation guidelines do we have for the Unsuspecting Curators who aren't aware of the trail following them?
The same logic applies to Aware Curators except curation data will be posted publicly on @vyb.curation.
Due to the unpredictable nature of trailing with limited information, minor "detective work" will be undertaken before attaching the voting trail. We will also monitor Unsuspecting Curators data heavily. An informal audit will be taken on Day 2 and Day 4, if a change is required we will move the trail to our next UC.
Community Curation Account Earnings?
An important section for those of you who are wondering what potential accounts are being shaped here. We will finish with this as it is the main weakness in the PoB and DPoS 'mashup' as stated at the very beginning of this publication.
During the 3-month trial, @vyb.curation will maintain a moderate stake size to assist with content diversity on the VYB and POB trending pages. This will initially be provided as a delegation from the unclaimed VYB in the direct transfer accounts and will grow to a stake size that can self-sustain, distribute to curators, checkers and crunchers effectively, and provide the initial starting stake for the next curation team.
The stake size of @vyb.curation will only increase to remain within the 'sweet spot' of trending influence with following stakeholders to the @vyb.curation trail being factored into the calculations.
As you can see, this calculation will depend on the larger stakeholders of VYB/POB (and beyond) and their respective stake sizes.
Solutions/improvements to the current trending model on the front-end may also make the necessity for a moderate stake size obsolete. We are testing this model within a pre-existing tribe, some DPoS limitations are already in play for us.
All additional earned VYB/POB tokens that are not required for sustainability will be distributed as fully-staked to the accounts actively involved in the curation team.
The vyb.curation account will be powering down to liquidate so that VYB can be sent fully staked. This may seem paradoxical given the previous mention of an ignore list for those unstaking their VYB, please bear the following statement in mind;
Ensurances will be made so the @vyb.curation account will not self-vote. The account will never be the recipient of incoming VYB Curation Project votes. All powered down tokens will be sent fully staked to VYB stakeholders and will not be sold on the open market by @vyb.curation or other VYB community accounts.
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The section below will be updated: *
The 4 initial curators for the @vyb.curation layer of the VCP will be set up with the trail and delegations soon. We are considering a week lying on for the delegations to provide a "work for your supper" styled method of reward.
We're aware that intrinsically motivated curators will not care much for the carrot and stick method (and may dislike the approach on the face of it). We will experiment with this during the 3-month trial period to see how both approaches affect performance and sustainability.
returning here on the 9th of January 2022
👏 delegation funds are organised and ready to be allocated. trails should be active tomorrow to start the ball. @calumam is following the curation trail of @vyb.curation at 100% (scaling). this will provide some rewards although that's not important at this time.
the 4 curators will be active for the first fortnight (until the 23rd) to allow for adjustments to be made if needed. switching to a fresh set of curators within the week feels rushed.
returning here on the 10th of January 2022
the trail for @vyb.curation has been set up and is following the initial 4 curators at 50% (scaling). votes following behind @vyb.curation's vote are:
the 5,000 POB & VYB delegations have been allocated to the aware curators.
we're already seeing some much-needed variety on https://www.proofofbrain.io and variety will further improve on the 23rd when we have the next set of curators on the case.
returning here on the 14th of January 2022
there are some issues that need to be discussed in a future VCP post about votes received from the vyb.curation trail to members of the VMT & VYB Catcher/Admin. 1 vyb.pob has been applying 100% upvotes after going through a vyb.check styled process off-chain, very limited currently. this is showing shifts in the POB trending page, highlighting some issues as stated above. vyb.pob is also following behind vyb.curation which is somewhat helping distribution. we're looking to synergies with @proofofbrainio to further improve the POB token distribution, potentially using the curation model or another method that could potentially be explored. increasing curators at this current time is not a priority, start small. we can see the benefit, yes, let's see how revolving 3 aware and 1 unsuspecting for a couple of weeks works first. returning here on the 17th of January 2022 comment dropped on interpretation's recent post explaining the vyb.check current status: here we're also going to be seeking out two dedicated VYB Checkers on a testing basis to start on the 23rd of January. they'll receive 2,500 VYB delegations each from calumam's stake while they are active and the VYB Checkers will rotate on a fortnightly basis until we've got most of the concerns ironed out. other than that? here's how a couple of the curators are feeling; I am so loving being a part of VYB 🙂 Rewarding worthy content more than I would normally be able to is just awesome!!!
After the first day of curating in this capacity with the new trail and all that, I came back the next day to see some of the posts I voted on trending. I'm convinced at this point I shouted 'holy shit!'
I was overwhelmed by how much tokens my curation could dish out and I had to go through the trending posts again to be sure I did the right thing pouring all that token jizz on them.
Moving forward, I found that I could reach way more posts than I could previously reach because I could achieve more with smaller voting percentage. It made my work even more, but that's what makes curation even better, when you can reach more posts🌚.
more feelings to come... hopefully!
* returning here on the 23rd of January 2022
Any and all comments are welcomed as the development of this model is a process that involves community input and support. Levels of decentralisation and autonomy will stem from all of our combined efforts.
Thank you for your attention and involvement in whatever capacity you choose.
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