At ALANA, our journey has always been about celebrating the values that connect us as a community. That’s why we created our free membership NFT, which encapsulates ALANA’s “10 Principles of a Good Community.” The inspiration for these principles came during a thoughtful conversation with Dani, a fellow DAO member, where we reflected on how Dieter Rams’ “10 Principles of Good Design” distilled the essence of excellence. In the same spirit, we set out to capture the heart of what makes our community thrive.
Last month, we shared how we understand the second principle of "Transparent and Accountable" as a necessity for the ALANA community. In the next few weeks, we will walk you through the ALANA Manifesto number by number. Feel invited to follow along with this series and get to know us, maybe in more depth than ever before!
Diversity is a superpower, but only if there are two guiding principles: Openness and Respect. Being open means fostering an environment where people feel safe to express ideas, ask questions, and may challenge the status quo. Respect can be seen as the glue that holds collaboration together, transforming conflict into dialogue. There is a nice Latin phrase called "Audiatur et altera pars", meaning let the other side be heard as welI. This principle should remind us to avoid one-sided judgements, to listen carefully, and to respect different perspectives.
In the context of Web3 communities, and of course, this includes The ALANA Project, openness is often understood as a culture and structure that embraces transparency, inclusivity, and permissionless participation. Openness means being transparent about the governance rules, the decision-making processes, and the resource flows. It also means creating spaces like DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) or Discord communities where members can express differing opinions without fear of censorship or exclusion, provided they do so respectfully. Permissionless participation refers to the fact that anyone can contribute or build on top of existing work. Many Web3 communities are built around open-source principles, e.g., code, ideas, and knowledge are shared freely. This spurs collective problem-solving and innovation as well as the development of collaboration. Another aspect to mention is that openness often extends to identity. Anonymity and pseudonymity can allow people to participate without revealing their background, status, or credentials.
Another crucial piece for Web3 communities to be successful is "Respect." In our context, it means to recognize the inherent dignity and perspectives of every participant, no matter how diverse, decentralized, or pseudonymous the community may be. In practice, respect is about:
PEOPLE
Treat everyone, whether founder, creator, developer, or newcomer, as worthy of being heard as anyone. Do not dismiss ideas because of someone's background, status, or identity.
DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT
Permissionless participation allows and attracts people with radically different views on technology, governance, and future developments. Respectful treatment creates the needed space for debates, without personal attacks or harassment.
TIME AND EFFORT
Although, depending on the specific community, most people contribute voluntarily or semi-voluntarily. Therefore, respect is also about valuing the time and effort of fellow members.
COMMUNITY RULES
Many Web 3 projects use DAOs as a form of collective governance. Here, respect is about abiding by agreed-upon rules and outcomes, even when you disagree.
The ALANA Project can be understood as a collaborative community of creators, a place where people come together not only to share their work, but also to complement their ideas and experiences. Openness allows this collaboration to flourish across disciplines and perspectives; respect demands that we listen actively and value every contribution. We strive to create a culture where trust and experimentation can grow and constructive feedback is gladly welcomed.
Openness and Respect are also deeply rooted in moral and political philosophy. Here are a few key philosophical ideas connected to both concepts:
Openness is often discussed within the broader framework of freedom. A classical work is "The Open Society and its Enemies" (1945) by Karl Popper. According to him, an open society can be characterized by the fact that people can question authority, criticize traditions, and change institutions through rational debate. Openness is understood as critical thinking and freedom of expression, which in turn is the best protection against totalitarianism.
John Dewey (as well as other pragmatists) viewed openness mainly as being open to experience, i.e., having a flexible and experimental attitude toward life. If communities are open to revising their beliefs in light of new evidence, they will flourish.
Immanuel Kant might perhaps be the most influential philosopher when it comes to respect. For him, respect is a moral duty. Many cultures or religions know a guideline which is called the "Golden Rule": Treat others as you would like to be treated. Kant's version is a bit more rigorous and called the "Categorical Imperative": Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law.
Principle three of the ALANA Manifesto provides guidelines for cooperation in Web3 communities. Openness is about transparency, decentralized participation, and inclusive collaboration. It's not just about access; it's also about how we listen, learn, and adapt. Respect is practicing civility in a space designed for freedom, balancing decentralisation with shared responsibility to treat each other well. It`s about creating cultures that protect autonomy, ensure fairness, and allow for differences. At ALANA, we try to live these principles, thereby enabling people to build, govern, and share together.
“If we wish to remain human, then there is only one way, the way into the open society.”
— Karl Popper
The ALANA 10 Principles of a Good Community NFT is powered by Unlock Protocol and available as a free mint (wallet and email option) directly from the Optimism Blockchain. If you agree with these principles, show us and get your Manifesto here:
Unlock is a protocol which enables creators to monetize their content with a few lines of code in a fully decentralized way.
Happy Week, ALANA Adventurers!
This article was authored by Nils Otter, a DAO member of The ALANA Project.
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