- How can we identify the best people who are long-term aligned with Sanctum and distribute tokens to them?
Users
The first step would be to define specific metrics to identify “long-term aligned” users.
One metric could be users on forums (Like this), social media (Discord/Twitter - Content creators), and people who attend AMAs & provide feedback and share their thoughts.
People love having a special discord role that displays a different colour or icon and will be proud to have it, thus creating a positive loop of them being on these social media platforms to promote Sanctum.
Contribution-based Distribution
I would argue against the idea of having a minimum allocation because whales could act as small fishes, but small fishes cannot act as whales. Thus, an entirely linear distribution (X amount of XP = 1 $Sanctum) would be ideal, but the idea must be conveyed effectively.
Additionally, setting aside a % of tokens for grants (Content creation, media, blogs, memes, etc.) will allow everyone (Regardless of the amount of capital they have) to be rewarded for their effort, or to give an additional XP boost to their capital staked.
Distribution with a Long-Term View
One idea that comes to mind would be to only release a good % of user’s rewards at TGE (Maybe 70%?) and vest the remainder for 2-3 months. The process of unlocking can be further sped up based on contribution to the project.
(Need to determine how contribution can be measured as highlighted above)
Ultimately the token itself must be used for purposes which align with the long-term vision of Sanctum. Possibly to boost rewards gained from INF (Can’t think of much at the moment)
Commenting on the yearly airdrops that you have outlined, I feel that it would be good to allocate a larger % of the supply during the bear market (Probably Year 3 post-TGE). This would be a true testament to see who is here for the long haul. (Study $Bonk)
Some guiding questions
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How can we balance the needs of early contributors with those of future users?
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How can we go beyond basic activity metrics to identify users who truly understand and believe in Sanctum’s vision?
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How can we weigh contributions based on quality?
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What incentive structure should be implemented and how can we adapt over time to encourage desired user behaviour?
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How can we make people feel a sense of belonging and purpose when they hold the token?
Art
The implementation of pets has been largely successful and is a factor that people consider when staking their SOL. This shows the importance of good art and I believe some form of tiered NFT system would be great.
One method would be to reach out to community artists who would be willing to do commissions for the top XX% of $INF holders. These holders can submit 1 NFT if they would like to include the Sanctum logo. For example, changing the face of a Famous Fox Federation Fox to the Sanctum’s smiley cloud.
Another method would be to have a site where any user can submit a .jpeg through the site and it would return the same .jpeg with a small Sanctum badge on the shirt of the .jpeg. For example, placing the blue logo on the right chest of the Fox.
Community
Many businesses have built large communities/fan bases that revolve around their product. Some examples would be, LEGO fans who share their creations and participate in conventions and connect online. Peloton, where users motivate each other through virtual workout classes. Headspace, which curated a supportive online community through guided meditations.
The key takeaways are;
- Shared experiences - Create events that allow users to connect (Leverage discord, or an interactive way would be to use Portals, which could be part of the AGR that I will elaborate below)
- Collaborative Opportunities - Provide avenues for users to contribute and co-create (Ask for community feedback on proposals, actively solicit user input, understand how a user would see things, maybe set up 1 to 1 calls to understand how they use your product)
- Recognition - Publicly acknowledge and appreciate user contributions (Feature user-created content, success stories or insightful comments on main Twitter/Discord)
- Shared values & identity - Shared values (Making Solana a better place)
Once the Sanctum community has grown big enough, the team could look into hosting in-person meet-ups with other projects/NFT communities which add to that sense of belonging.
Some guiding questions
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Explore ways for users to personalize their avatars/profiles with Sanctum-themed elements
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Explore leveraging existing technology (Host events on Portals)
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How can we cultivate a shared narrative or story around Sanctum’s mission & vision?
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How can we allow people to meaningfully contribute to Sanctum via the token?
Grants
This ties in with the 1st question, allocating a % of supply to grans for user-generated content that educates, promotes, or adds value to the Sanctum ecosystem. (I particularly am interested in education, teaching others how Sanctum works, and possibly expanding the scope to Solana and more)
The grants aren’t limited to just social media, they could be awarded to the best community-sourced ideas for new features, marketing campaigns, or community initiatives. This ties to token holders being able to upvote proposed features or functionalities which they believe are prioritising their needs.
Some guiding questions
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Clearly outline some of the grant categories. (Research, development, community, etc.)
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Understand your target audience
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Can Sanctum offer mentorship or support to recipients? (This would definitely attract outstanding talent as they have the chance to be mentored/developed/groomed by the best. Something like a scholarship)
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How can we take governance and token utility to the next level? Jupiter is doing a great job already, how can we learn from and surpass them?
Governance Models
The team might want to explore different governance models such as quadratic voting which empowers smaller token holders. However, this can only be used with an effective sybil-resilient system. Explore options like social graphs or pseudonym parties to prevent user manipulation. (I spent a good few hours understanding the different governance models for this xD)
There are other governance mechanisms like conviction-weighted governance. I think gamification of the governance mechanism would be something Sanctum can excel at (Given the website’s UI/UX, Wonderland, and overall art style/design).
Some guiding questions
- Think of the Sybil-resilient system and who controls it.
- Think of the future token utility features that the community can propose and vote on
I’m all for having a fairer launch distribution.
Additional Thoughts
Expansion of Wonderland
Wonderland has reminded me of elements akin to a typical Alternate Reality Game (ARG), where users benefit from collaborating to achieve a common goal. This is not only a great community collaboration tool, but also a marketing tool as the team can experiment with ways to bring in network effects (Having to leverage the diverse background of crypto participants 1. Knowledge gained from their daily lives through jobs/hobbies/friends… 2. Potentially geographical factors). This idea could be expanded to reward bonus points to the first individuals/groups that find the answer and then to unlock a secondary reward (Eg. 2x EXP boost) there has to be a certain quota of people to use the answer. The idea of Wonderland will be great if gamification is done right, I could go into details but if the team wishes to pursue this idea it would be best not for any of it to be made public to ruin it 
Some guiding questions
- Ensure the ARG aligns with Sanctum’s vision, what kind of collaborative problem-solving or knowledge-sharing would it encourage
- Balance the difficulty and keep it crypto-centric (Hidden messages in smart contracts, decentralised oracles, encrypted wallets seed phrase, discord scavenger hunt, Twitter puzzles, NFTs, ultimately needing the DAO to unlock - Study MadLads mint)
- Community Feedback & Iteration, plan with a few members of the community that you can trust and get feedback from, and constantly tweak it
Thank you for taking the time to read all of that I have posted, I would be more than happy to discuss it further with you if you’re interested. I am 0x_RayC on Twitter and RayChongus on Discord, hope to hear from you!