Optimism Town Hall + RetroPitches: RetroFunding Round 6 Appeal

I respectfully appeal the determination that Optimism Town Hall + RetroPitches duplicates Optimism Fractal Respect Game Events.

First, I must correct an error: The Respect Games App is not mentioned in this application or impact page at all.

Secondly, both applications explicitly state their scope - the Optimism Town Hall application specifies it is "specifically for the facilitation of Optimism Town Hall and RetroPitches events, not the Optimism Fractal Respect Game events," while the Optimism Fractal application states it covers only Respect Game events, not Town Hall.

Optimism Town Hall clearly qualifies under the governance leadership category by facilitating critical governance processes through weekly community calls featuring:

• Different purpose: Deep dives into governance updates, RetroFunding design, missions, Optimism Seasonal designs, and deliberations
• Different format: Interactive education about governance processes and community deliberation
• Different structure: Open forum discussions and Q&A on governance topics via community agenda setting games
• Different participants: Many attendees join only Town Hall for governance discussions and never participate in Respect Games

These events create distinct impact by providing essential governance education, distilling complex concepts through refined presentations, and enabling regular interactive discussions where community members can learn about and engage with Optimism governance processes. This addresses a critical barrier to governance identified by leadership from the Optimism Foundation and have receive outstanding feedback from key governance leaders, delegates, and councils members.

Additionally, RetroPitches hosted 3 innovative events where RetroFunding applicants could present their work while badgeholders evaluated projects, creating a valuable service distinct from Respect Games. Optimism Fractal Respect Games, in contrast, has a single unchanging format focused exclusively on playing the Respect Game in breakout rooms to evaluate contributions.

Treating these different projects as duplicates would mean overlooking the unique contributions of multiple contributors who have dedicated countless hours over the past five months to facilitating these critical governance processes. I'm happy to provide any additional clarification needed

Table of Contents

• Optimism Town Hall + RetroPitches: RetroFunding Round 6 Appeal
• Optimism Town Hall + RetroPitches: A Detailed Appeal for RetroFunding
• Explicit Scope Specified in Applications
• Fundamentally Different Event Structures
• Distinct Community Participation
• Different Governance Experiments
• Addressing Points of Confusion
• Why Optimism Town Hall is Critical for Optimism Collective Governance
• 1. Improving Optimism Governance Accessibility
• 2. Critical Governance Experimentation
• Clear Eligibility Under Governance Leadership Category
• Conclusion

Optimism Town Hall + RetroPitches: A Detailed Appeal for RetroFunding

Dear Reviewers,

I appreciate the opportunity to appeal the determination that Optimism Town Hall + RetroPitches duplicates Optimism Fractal Respect Game Events. I understand the potential for confusion given that these events occur sequentially and often inspire community members to stay for both, but they are fundamentally different events with distinct structures, purposes, and impacts on Optimism governance.

Here are the key distinctions:

Explicit Scope Specified in Applications

Both applications explicitly state their scope - the Optimism Town Hall application specifies it is "specifically for the facilitation of Optimism Town Hall and RetroPitches events, not the Optimism Fractal Respect Game events," while the Optimism Fractal application states it is only for Respect Game events, not Town Hall.

Fundamentally Different Event Structures

Optimism Town Hall is an open forum for governance discussions with a dynamic, topic-driven format. Each week features different topics, including deep dives into:

For all the episodes and show notes, see OptimismTownHall.com/videos. More details about why these are essential for the Collective can be found in the section below about ‘Why Optimism Town Hall is Critical for Optimism Collective Governance’.

1. Optimism Fractal Respect Games Events have a single unchanging structure focused on playing the Respect Game, where participants:
• Break into small groups to rank contributions
• Share 4-minute updates about their contributions to Optimism
• Form consensus to earn Respect tokens

These are as different as a town hall meeting versus a performance review session - they serve completely different governance functions. Optimism Town Hall events never include the Respect Game and Optimism Fractal Respect Game events only include the Respect Game.

Distinct Community Participation

1. Optimism Town Hall + RetroPitches:
• Open to anyone interested in Optimism governance
• Many participants join only Optimism Town Hall Events and not Optimism Fractal Respect Games events
• Attracts delegates, badgeholders, and community members seeking to learn about or discuss governance
• Features guest presentations from project teams and governance leaders
2. Optimism Fractal Respect Games:
• Every event is focused exclusively on playing the Respect Game
• Different audience focused on earning Respect tokens via peer evaluations
• Many participants join only Respect Games and not Town Hall
• Provide a space for builders to form connections, promote their work, and build their onchain reputation based on their contributions to Optimism

Different Governance Experiments

1. Optimism Town Hall innovates through:
• Cagendas: A community agenda game that helps to select topics voted by participants
• OPTOPICS: Dynamic topic coordination during events
• RetroPitches: Novel format for public goods evaluation
• Open Q&A and discussion format

2. Optimism Fractal focuses exclusively on:
• Respect Game implementation
• Consensus formation in small groups
• Contribution evaluation processes

Addressing Points of Confusion

1. The Respect Games App was mentioned as appearing in multiple applications. This appears to be an error, as the app is not mentioned in the Town Hall application or the linked impact page at all. It has not been a main topic of discussion at the Optimism Town Hall and I don’t remember it ever even being discussed in these events.

2. Sequential Timing: While these events occur on the same day, they are separate events with different purposes - similar to how a conference might have different sessions back-to-back.

3. Video Production: Due to resource constraints, both events have historically been included in the same video uploads. However, we are actively working to further separate the production and branding. One independent Town Hall video has already been produced.

To eliminate any confusion, both applications explicitly state their scope - the Optimism Town Hall application specifies it is "specifically for the facilitation of Optimism Town Hall and RetroPitches events, not the Optimism Fractal Respect Game events," while the Optimism Fractal application states it is only for Respect Game events, not Town Hall.

Why Optimism Town Hall is Critical for Optimism Collective Governance

Optimism Town Hall addresses two critical needs for Optimism Collective governance: enhancing governance accessibility and spearheading essential governance experimentation. Let's explore why this process is crucial in both aspects:

1. Improving Optimism Governance Accessibility

The Optimism Collective faces significant challenges in governance participation and understanding. Governance processes are inherently complex, frequently evolving, and require substantial context to navigate effectively. This complexity creates a major barrier to entry and effectiveness, as highlighted by Justine from the Optimism Foundation in their recent podcast discussing governance challenges.

Quality governance education has emerged as the essential first step toward increasing participation, which directly supports the Collective's primary intent of progressing toward decentralization. Optimism Town Hall addresses these barriers through:

• Weekly events with refined presentations distilling complex governance concepts
• Open Q&A sessions enabling direct community engagement
• Produced videos creating lasting educational resources
• Community-driven topic selection ensuring focus on priority issues
• Rapid distribution of current governance information

This educational infrastructure supports critical governance functions across both houses of the Collective:

Citizens' House Impact:

• Supports essential scaling through effective citizen onboarding
• Improves RetroFunding distribution through better-informed citizens
• Strengthens decentralization by educating citizens about their duties and responsibilities

Token House Impact:

• Increases participation and staking by educating potential delegates and voters
• Strengthens governance security through more distributed token staking
• Creates stable environment for sustainable growth

The effectiveness of our educational approach is evidenced through feedback from key governance participants.

• JRocki (Optimism Grants Council) - Expressed appreciation about how Dan’s presentations in the Optimism Town Hall helped clarify complex governance processes with Mission Requests

• CryptoFede (Mode) - After joining Town Hall, learned about and began attending Grants Council office hours, which helped them successfully navigate the mission grant process

• Gene (Code of Conduct Council) - Expressed wonder at Optimism Town Hall's role in fostering Optimism governance discussions and helping participants understand governance

You can see a sample of the outstanding positive feedback for these events and watch the feedback on video recordings at OptimismTownHall.com/feedback.

2. Critical Governance Experimentation

Beyond education, Optimism Town Hall serves as an essential testing ground for innovative governance processes. This experimentation is particularly crucial given how agenda-setting and media creation can significantly influence collective decision-making.

For example, you can see this video for mathematical proof regarding the importance of setting agendas and how those who control the media can control the organization. This is one of the reasons why playing Cagendas and voting on topics can be so helpful - it provides a fair, decentralized way for the community to shape discussion priorities.

We're pioneering:

• Community agenda systems utilizing onchain reputation tokens
• Fair and decentralized decision-making infrastructure
• Credibly neutral media creation and distribution systems
• Novel approaches to community-driven content curation

These experimental governance processes, detailed at OptimismTownHall.com/faq, represent entirely unique contributions to the Collective, distinct from the peer evaluation focus of Optimism Fractal Respect Game Events. While Optimism Fractal measures contributions through structured game mechanics, Town Hall explores different critical aspects of governance through open forums and community-driven agenda setting.

The dual impact of essential education provision and governance innovation demonstrates Town Hall's unique and vital role in advancing Optimism governance. These contributions are complementary to, but entirely separate from, the impact of other governance initiatives in the Collective. As Optimism continues its path toward greater decentralization, maintaining and supporting this educational and experimental infrastructure becomes increasingly critical for achieving broader, more informed participation in governance.

Clear Eligibility Under Governance Leadership Category

Optimism Town Hall + RetroPitches clearly qualifies under "Governance facilitation of critical governance processes and/or experiments such as community calls" through:

1. Novel governance experiments with Cagendas and OPTOPICS
2. RetroFunding improvement experiments via RetroPitches
3. Open forums for governance discussion and deliberation
4. Platform for governance tools and process demonstrations

The impact created is distinct from and complementary to Optimism Fractal's impact through the Respect Game.

Conclusion

I hope that this document has helped you understand how Optimism Town Hall + Retropitches and Optimism Fractal Respect Game Events are entirely different projects with different purposes, structures, and impacts on Optimism governance.

Treating these entirely different projects as duplicates would mean overlooking the unique contributions of multiple contributors who have dedicated countless hours over the past year to developing and facilitating these critical governance processes.

I respectfully request reconsideration of this application as a distinct project that has created unique and critical value for Optimism governance through its town hall discussions, agenda-setting experiments, and RetroPitches innovation.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Dan Singjoy