I have read a lot of topic posts in this forum (check my stats on my profile) and I am becoming a regular and frequent poster here.
I speak my opinion by asking questions , constructively criticize and provide healthy skepticism about people and projects no matter who they are (new projects , ambassadors , even core team members). I am also open to having my mind changed if the answers i receive are satisfactory.
The beauty of decentralization is that everyone should be equal in the ecosystem forum and there should also be no conflicts of interests from anyone.
There are many topics and posts i can cite where the same cannot be said for the rest of the posters and contributors in this forum (mainly ambassadors).
There are a small handful of anon accounts like myself who actually seem to provide evidence of critical thinking consistently. Most comments seem to be template fluff if i am being honest (check my most recent comment where i actually call this out, just one of many examples) which is why i am not surprised this topic has not been called out by anyone else until now.
I see Neurolanche are launching a new Ambassador program tomorrow and i want to get ahead of that by starting this discussion.
I think that ambassadors should be EITHER Astar OR Neuro - one should not have both roles. There is a conflict of interest risk here for many reasons.
I don’t think ground rules or a policy was defined by the core team at the creation of the ambassador program.
I would welcome the core team for their thoughts on this - do you not see a conflict of interest risk that may exist here?
To be clear i am not singling NL out here - i think ambassadors should be impartial and it just so happens NL have the most Astar ambassadors on their payroll.
@Core Team - burying your head in the sand and pretending the risks don’t exist is not a professional or prudent strategy. I have trad finance experience, and indirect reputation risk is a real thing that banks are terrified of (e.g., criminals using what appear to be clean accounts in their bank to launder money, clients being associated with terrorists, etc.)
In this case, the users will lose irreparable trust in Astar if dual ambassadors promote a scam project (not saying NL is a scam, there may be a project in the future with dual ambassadors which is a bad actor).
For reference, Astar reputation took a hit during the Yoki rewards announcement (this is a fact, not my opinion. Check the Discord at the time). You only have a finite amount of reputational hits you can take.
You can say goodbye to any Sony or Japan government deals if they see how non-existent the controls are here. They have professional controls in place exactly against this sort of thing.
This is about setting a precedent now before dual ambassadorship becomes more wide spread.
Happy to explain further but this post is long enough for now.
@Maarten thank you for providing your opinion on this topic.
I want to add one more note
If a project has legitimate intentions, but they over-hype, over-promise, over-stretch, fall victim to scope creep, focus on quantity of products and under deliver on quality, they face a whole host of high risks of failure (burnout, lack of runway, lack of effective management, the list goes on).
The risk is as they market more and more while lacking fundamentals, the impact of failure also exponentially increases.
This risk is then further multiplied when official Astar representatives in the form of ambassadors, then market this project. This is like leverage on top of leverage when it comes to failure impact.
I fell victim to this at first - i thought official ambassadors carried extra weight with their words. This is the general and natural first impression of the community outside of this forum.
Now because a project may be legitimate and not a scam as such, the end result is the same if the project fails. (Astar brand takes a big hit due to official ambassadors shilling a project that fails and loses Astar user money, the same as if they shilled a scam NFT project - i remember Astar shouted out Astarians from the official Twitter and Discord which rugged - there was reputational damage, and that was a very small tiny scale).
At the end of the day, dApp and projects should be seen as start-up teams. Success is not guaranteed, in fact far from it.
Ambassadors are risking the Astar brand by promoting high risk projects at the end of the day (which all start-up projects are by their very nature).
Ambassadors should be neutral and un-biased so that all dApps are treated the same with no bias.
I agree that the Agent program should be community owned but the Astar Foundation needs to set the ground rules and polices for the program.
Otherwise, who polices the ambassadors? It is only natural and human that ambassadors will also act in their own best interest if the environment allows it.
By the way, the gap in controls exist for any future potential project also. As long as the gap exists, the risk exists. Risk is the main enemy of any serious financial (or otherwise) organization.
Honestly, for any new project reading this, they are probably surprised to learn that dual ambassadorship exists…I just want this topic put to bed once and for all so that we can focus on innovative and technological solutions going forward.
I would welcome any feedback from ambassadors and current existing dual ambassadors in particular.
If no response or opinion is received, this further proves my point that innovation and free speech is being impacted by this existing structure, and that people fear giving honest feedback for fear of what will happen as a result.
To end your post like this already makes me sad, so a response is expected, or you state that the Astar Foundation is feeding fear when the community shares feedback and no response is added by the Foundation…
Just to clarify, i meant response from ambassadors and dual ambassadors for the point you have highlighted as they are the main posters in here.
If no response is received by any of them, it would be a bit suspect no?
You are the only person replying so far and contributing to the discussion which i am very grateful for as your words carry much weight. So i am grateful to have your attention.
Hello @FFR23, I’m here to share my comments before you continue saying that ambassadors are afraid or other things.
Firstly, I also see this as a problem. Even before you created the post, I was already wondering how some people manage to be ambassadors for so many projects. It happens a lot in the web3 ecosystem, which is absurd because the person ends up fragmenting too much to contribute effectively or simply does not contribute to any project.
Seeking to be transparent and using myself as an example, I was previously an ambassador for Polkadot as well, before the program was dissolved. Now, I contribute to Lucky dApp from the communications side, but my main focus remains on the primary project, which is Astar.
Given this context, I think there is no conflict of interest up to this point. Speaking a bit about Lucky dApp, what we are looking for is to have more users staking their $ASTR in our dApp. If you think about it, this is attracting new users to buy the $ASTR token and participate in the dApp staking program, or simply encouraging users to hold their $ASTR tokens, which we can conclude is something GOOD for the Astar ecosystem. What I mean is that supporting projects within the Astar ecosystem is also beneficial for Astar itself.
However, I also understand what you are saying and I support it, WE MUST ESTABLISH PARAMETERS. Personally, I think that when a project launches its own token or NFT collection or another means by which it will receive DIRECT money from users, then a significant conflict of interest can arise, and we must remain neutral as Astar agents above all, or choose the project we want to support.
These are my thoughts, and I do not seek to create conflict. On the contrary, with this, I seek to ensure that the Astar agent program grows organically and in a scalable manner.
In my opinion, I agree with the point that “Ambassadors should be neutral towards the Astar ecosystem”.
At least when I speak, I refrain from making statements that favor a particular project. Therefore, if there is a request from the project side, I will consider responding, but I am not actively initiating activities on my own. However, I do make it a point to suggest or advise on things I notice, and I always convey that I can support at any time. Perhaps such points and policies might be worth discussing as part of the ambassador program.
@tksarah
I am in favor that these points should be debatable and can be attached to the ambassador program for a new policy, very good for proposing it.
Hello, first of all, thank you for your comments. Since Neurolanche was mentioned here, I wanted to make a comment as well:
Firstly, I believe that the ambassador program is managed quite transparently, and I am sure that many ambassadors are trying their best to contribute to the Astar Network ecosystem.
Since the day I became an Astar Network ambassador at the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023, I have contributed to the writing of over 300 articles and the usage of the Astar Network by many users in the Polkadot ecosystem.
Additionally, the primary reason we have become one of the communities with the most ASTR holdings is the vision of Astar Network and undoubtedly our marketing process. (As a community, we have a treasury close to 200 million ASTR)
The most crucial reason for this process is that I have always dedicated myself to the welfare and independence of Astar Network.
From dApp staking revenues to Neurolanche’s earnings, we have not made even $1 profit as the core team. All our expenses have gone into development processes, and we have even made personal expenditures to contribute to Astar Network independently of Neurolanche.
During this process, I have done everything I can for Astar Network and kept Neurolanche and Astar as independent entities.
If you have any doubts or concerns about this, we would appreciate it if you share them with us. If necessary, our core team will carefully address these issues.
However, for me, Astar Network is as valuable as Neurolanche. During this time, you can be sure that ambassadors, including myself, working on many different projects, are working on significant tasks. Thank you.
In addition to these, the Neurolanche ambassador program was launched 7 months ago. There are no Astar ambassadors in the ambassador program.
It’s G’, Community Lead at Astar Foundation and in charge of the Astar Community and therefore Ecosystem Agent Program.
First, I appreciate your initiative on opening this discussion and sharing your opinion with the community.
I broadly agree with you on the points raised and that Astar agents (ambassadors) have a great responsibility as official representatives of the Astar network and must remain neutral towards all projects in the network. However, they also have a responsibility to their community and the trust they’ve built up, and should always do their own research before promoting a project, because if it’s a scam, they’ll be the first to take the blame. Some agents have their own opinions and preferences on certain projects that others don’t, and it’s their right to express their honest opinion and not always agree with each other or with the Foundation.
That being said, the Astar Ecosystem Agent Porgram as a code of conduct which is available alongside the whole program on Github or the Astar Website.
Everyone can see who the Astar agents are and how the program operates. One of the “rules” with which I am very strict and which is related to your message is that all agents must avoid excessive promotion of personal projects in Astar channels or use of the agent title for personal gain. We have removed agents in the past for breaking this rule and will continue to do so.
Code of Conduct
Being an agent means being officially recognized as a representative of the Astar Network and its ecosystem. This role carries a responsibility to uphold the Astar name and its values.
Before joining the agent program, members must thoroughly read, understand, and respect the Astar Space Club: Code of Conduct. This is crucial for fostering an environment of collaboration, learning, and trust.
Respect:
Be Respectful: Treat all members with respect, fostering a welcoming environment that embraces diversity and promotes courteous interactions.
Help others: Willingly offer assistance, share knowledge, and encourage collaboration to empower fellow community members.
Be constructive: Positively contribute to discussions and projects by providing well-reasoned feedback, seeking solutions, and making meaningful contributions.
Speak your mind: Express your thoughts openly and respectfully, fostering open and honest communication to drive positive change.
Share Feedback: Provide constructive feedback and be open to receiving it, promoting a culture of continuous improvement and appreciation.
Act exemplary: Lead by example, upholding the highest ethical standards, inspiring trust, and supporting the community’s vision with integrity and credibility.
Social identity: As representatives of Astar, agents are expected to uphold the reputation of the project through their social identity, ensuring responsible use of their accounts by avoiding heavy engagement farming and refraining from excessive promotion of competitor products.
Avoid:
No Impersonation: Do not impersonate or falsely represent yourself as another individual or organization, especially Astar Network brand or any entity within the community.
No self-promotion: Avoid excessive self-promotion, personal projects, or spamming within Astar’s channels that could detract from the quality and purpose of the community.
No Harassment or Hate Speech: Refrain from engaging in any form of harassment or hate speech, ensuring a safe and inclusive environment for all community members.
No Plagiarism: Do not present someone else’s work, ideas, or content as your own without proper attribution or permission.
No Astar’s price talk: Avoid excessive discussion or speculation regarding Astar’s price or investment-related topics, as these may not align with the community’s focus and objectives.
If you are a member of the Agent program, consider it a privilege to represent Astar, and therefore, it is expected that you demonstrate exemplary behavior when engaging with the community and partners.
Violating this code of conduct may lead to warnings or permanent bans from the Astar Agent Program, taking into account the seriousness and frequency of the transgression. The Community Growth Team holds ultimate authority in upholding these guidelines and will take necessary measures to preserve a positive and trustworthy community atmosphere.
Shine Like A Star
If you think that certain members are not respecting the code of conduct and we don’t see it, you can always bring them to our attention and explain why you think so with arguments.
By the way, if anyone thinks that certain rules should be added to the code of conduct, please feel free to add them to the discussion. We can deliberate and add them to the code if the community supports them.
On the question of dual ambassadorial roles, I have a different opinion and don’t see the problem of having different ambassadorial roles if agents respect the code of conduct and don’t promote competitor products. It’s well known in the crypto and blockchain landscapes to have people being ambassador, advocate or supporter of different projects and this not in issue if there is no conflict of interest. On Polkadot, some Polkadot ambassadors are founders of parachains or dApps, some are also ambassadors of other parachains. This has been the case since the beginning of the ethereum ecosystem, and will continue to be the case as more and more projects are created.
We can always decide to set up an exclusive ambassador program for Astar Network and ask existing agents to choose between supporting Astar Network exclusively and being an ambassador for other projects. But this will severely limit new members joining the program because an ambassador is not an official or part-time position within the Astar Foundation and, given that blockchain ambassadors usually have side jobs, projects or work to support themselves, it will be harder to generate interest from new members to become Astar Agent.
I also agree with @Juminstock and @tksarah that when agents receive financial incentives or benefits from a project on Astar, there is a risk of conflict of interest and therefore we should be more careful about how they behave as they must remain neutral and respect the code of conduct.
I’m open to debate, the ecosystem agent program was launched by the foundation and remains under the foundation’s control, but it’s a community program, so the community’s opinion is important and I invite anyone, including agent Astar, to share their thoughts.
This is a very good thread.
No one is saying anything wrong and it is a healthy discussion.
It is important to note here that “no one is saying anything wrong”. Each has their own opinion, each has their own interpretation, and when these are shifted slightly, a major distortion occurs.
The norm to prevent this from happening is what G posted.
I have a personal decision not to serve as an ambassador for other projects, and furthermore, while I have projects that I am leading, I rarely advertise about them. But I don’t think agents necessarily have to abide by that.
What is important is that we act in a moral manner and do not deviate from the norms of being an ecosystem agent. If you feel that this is not the case, you should discuss it with the agent.
Coincidentally, when there was a technical problem regarding the only thing that presents incentives, i.e. dapp staking, as with us, you @you425 were one of the few Ambassadors who addressed the problem by technically discussing how it should be done and understanding both the proposal of the core team and that of the developers. This cannot be a coincidence in our opinion, only the direct consequence of a person who has no interests. The totality of the other comments were: these are the rules, grow your community. if we want to look at everything from a LEGAL point of view, if sfy had had a binding contract with astar after being accepted as a developer with certain clauses, both sfy and astar could have sued each other, one because they believed the change of clauses was in progress as one contract void and the other because he believed that the money invested in the dapp should be returned. a project is not born perfect, this is also true and discussions should be productive not destructive.
Additionally, the primary reason we have become one of the communities with the most ASTR holdings is the vision of Astar Network and undoubtedly our marketing process. (As a community, we have a treasury close to 200 million ASTR)
Fully agree on your marketing point. The entire reason i made this thread is because of ambassadors marketing projects while representing Astar. Something you have just stated you owe your current dApp staking success to (which is also not equal to a treasury of 200 million, this is false marketing imo).
If it is true what you say, and you genuinely want what is best for Astar, surely you agree that it makes sense to protect the Astar brand reputationally and introduce additional controls for the Astar Ambassador program to mitigate the existing risk for existing and future projects?
In addition to these, the Neurolanche ambassador program was launched 7 months ago. There are no Astar ambassadors in the ambassador program.
All have dual roles within Neurolanche and Astar community. (dual role being Business development within NL or as ambassador).
I would welcome each and every one of them to offer their opinion in this thread for the sake of transparency.
As per the NL Ambassador program I have linked below, they receive $NEROX on a monthly basis, aswell as for reaching certain KPI targets.
So of course there is a bias and (possibly subconscious) conflict of interest here where ambassadors are financially rewarded by a project.
This can also be seen at the “1 Zero Knowledge” event where @MrKarahanli-Emre will be acting as official Astar ambassador while currently working as NL Business Development.
I noticed @MrKarahanli-Emre has updated his X profile to remove NL Business Development title (screenshots below)
For transparency, i would like to know why he made this decision.
I hope it’s not because he will be acting as Astar ambassador trying to appear impartial and unbiased, and introducing NL to the speakers at the event he has organized so that they can make a soft sales pitch. This is the sceptic in me suggesting this and i hope Emre can clear up the confusion.
I would hope that he answers truthfully. Screenshots attached.
However, they also have a responsibility to their community and the trust they’ve built up, and should always do their own research before promoting a project, because if it’s a scam, they’ll be the first to take the blame. Some agents have their own opinions and preferences on certain projects that others don’t, and it’s their right to express their honest opinion and not always agree with each other or with the Foundation.
It’s about financial incentives, honesty and integrity. You can’t have all 3 at the same time and it’s naive to think otherwise.
In terms of blame i think you are incorrect - an agent can just delete their account and walk away. This will come back on the Astar brand if a project goes to 0 that was promoted by Astar ambassadors.
The Astar Ambassador code of conduct needs to be updated in two areas
List of Ambassdors
I found some X accounts listed no longer exist
I don’t see a Conflict of Interest section.
Even the Neurolanche Ambassador program has this section
I find it concerning I have to be the person to raise all of these points and no-else seems to care enough to dig into this (or as i previously stated, other projects see it but are afraid to speak up).
Slightly off topic - but Age of Chronos spoke up with rational concerns and were IN MY OPINION basically exiled. (this was discussed to death and i don’t mean to re-parrot what was already said).
If i was a rational project developer, there is no way i would try and upset the status qou after seeing how the hivemind works in here sometimes.
We parted ways with Emre last month. The main reason for this is the situations you mentioned. We have never shied away from transparency.
Additionally, Gustavo is a co-founder alongside me. Our success in dApp staking is not due to being ambassadors but rather because this community is our own. Before I became an ambassador for Astar, I also had one of the largest communities on Polkadot.
Additionally, you are welcome to provide as much feedback as you wish. However, the Astar ambassadorship and Neurolanche are distinct aspects for me.
The answer you gave isn’t clear or transparent. I find it vague
If it is true what you say, and you genuinely want what is best for Astar, surely you agree that it makes sense to protect the Astar brand reputationally and introduce additional controls for the Astar Ambassador program to mitigate the existing risk for existing and future projects?
The main reason for parting ways with Emre is that he didn’t have enough time outside of his Astar ambassadorship, and during this period, we focused solely on development.
However, my friend, I’m not avoiding questions. I had surgery a few days ago, and even though I’m currently outside, I’m still responding to you, so some questions might slip my mind.
Additionally, the Astar ambassadorship is very important to me. I’m always ready to support additional rules and the ecosystem. The Astar ambassadorship is one of my most significant duties.
Rest assured that many ambassadors, including myself, want the best for Astar during this process. If you believe in something, please don’t hesitate to discuss and put it to a vote. Rest assured that everyone supports positive and beneficial things.
The main reason for parting ways with Emre is that he didn’t have enough time outside of his Astar ambassadorship, and during this period, we focused solely on development.
He worked in Business Development for NL, so i assume you mean this type of “development”.
However, my friend, I’m not avoiding questions. I had surgery a few days ago, and even though I’m currently outside, I’m still responding to you, so some questions might slip my mind.
I genuinely wish you good health and a speedy recovery.
Additionally, the Astar ambassadorship is very important to me. I’m always ready to support additional rules and the ecosystem. The Astar ambassadorship is one of my most significant duties.
I have no doubt this is the case. Thanks for your support in improving the current ambassador rules then to include conflicts of interest legislation i guess.
Rest assured that many ambassadors, including myself, want the best for Astar during this process. If you believe in something, please don’t hesitate to discuss and put it to a vote. Rest assured that everyone supports positive and beneficial things.
Thanks, that’s what we are doing right now. I hope the ambassadors i tagged earlier can also provide feedback, and I welcome anyone else to also offer their opinion.
However, you can be sure that I will support improvements throughout the entire ambassadorship system as an “ambassador.” Transparency in management is always valuable to me.
I think the topic raised is very interesting and it would be nice to have the opinion of the majority of Ambassadors (especially those involved in the projects mentioned).
Having said that, I believe that it is not necessarily wrong to have multiple roles to also grow one’s reputation in the web3 field. As long as it remains for the benefit of Astar, I believe that everyone can decide which project to dedicate their time and resources to.
It makes sense in my opinion to openly declare the situations where, in fact, the ambassador takes economic incentives from the dApp to resolve any doubts or uncertainties.
I firmly believe that everyone should do a thorough study of the project before investing their funds, regardless of the person or team promoting the project itself.
Code of Conduct
